The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-03-04
DOWN SOUTH SORGHUM,
How Southern Stranger Mystified
the Guests at "a Kansas Hotel,

From the Kansas city Journal
Col Carter, of Gainesville, never smiled
more benignly nor carried himself with
easier grace than this son of the Blue
grass state who entered a Kansas City
hotel dining room the other day and look
ed about for the head waiter. Taking as
his natural right the deep obeisance of
the said waiter the stranger soon found
himself at a table where several other
travellers were deep in discussion of the
Beer war. The Southerner attracted little
attention from the other guests until he
began his orGer to the black boy in the
Tuxedo coat.
Look hyar, boy" said the stranger, Il
want yo' to bring me some con brad
don't wand one or two Little pieces, but
do want p-ateful. DO yo understand?"
The travellers smiled at one another and
winked across the table. The Southerner
paid not the least attention to his fellow
guests. When the cornbread came it was
piled high on a large plate. The winks
ana smiles Wkre renewed. The Southern
er surveyed the heap of cornbread with
grave satisfaction He called the waiter
and ordered an empty water glass. By this
time the newcomers actions had aroused
deep curiosity among the board of STRAIT
egg around the table and this curiosity
was heightened to a greater intensity when
the Southerner slowly drew from his in
side pocket a large bottle the contents Of
which he poured into the water glass. 1t
was black, vicious substance and it took
full minute for the operation of trans
ferrirg it TO the glass. This was trying
time tor the war theoris s.
Nv hat in the world is that?' asked one
traveller of his neighbor.
Looks like coal tar" was the reply.
More like crude petroleum." said a
third guest.
1t must be axfegrease, with which he
is going 40 lubricate his digestive appa-
ratus,'' finally observed the wit of the
table. and this gave fimsy pretext for
a general laugh of relaxation.
The thick, black stuff being finally
transferred TO the glass, the Southerner
recorked the bottle and put it down be-
side his piaIe. Then with the utmost de-
liberation he proceeded 20 spread the stuff
on a slice of the cornbread and ate il
with much relish. Piece by piece the
cornbread disappeared, and when the
plate was empty the Southerner ordered
more. In leaning over for the order the
waiter caught a Whit of the odor that
arose from the black stuff and his face
suddenly became wreathed with smiles
and his eyes snapped with pleasure.
'Yo' know what that is, all right" OBJ
served the Southerner TO the negro.
Il guess l does, boss Umm, but ii do
smell mighty fasclnatin'."
AS the waiter disappeared he stopped
long enough to whisper some words into
the ear of another waiter, and in another
minute every boy in the room was gazing
with transfiXed interest at the South
erner. .--..
The board of strategy at the table drop
ped the consideration of the African war
and the travellers fixed their eyes on the
Southerner. At last one of the travellers
could contain himself no longer and lean
ing across the table he addressed the
Southerner:
mo offense sir, but would you mind
telling US what that ,s YOU are eatlng?"
"Why, ce'tainly les sorghum molasses
The real down South kind. l always eat
lots of it, and l carry it around with me-
as l didn't often find it in yo' No'th'en no.
tells"
do you mean that that is the stuff we
used to eat when we were chldren?"
Exactly, the very same. Hyar, try
some. | have mo- than l want" said the
Southerner pushing the half-fllled glass
across the table In a few minutes the
travellers were digging into the glass with
their knives, spreading the moiasses over
cornbread and gorging themselves as they
had not done since their boyhood. And
soon they were exchanging cries of the
childhood days on the farm during "sorg-
hum time" and the Southerner contin-
ued to look on with grave satisfaction.