The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-01-26

Finally the teacher noticed the lads
action and asked:
Tom, why is II you go to that spring
right out in the open where the water
is hot, instead of to the cool one under
the willows"
1T all tastes the same to me-" an
swered the boy.
THAT is impossible" said the teach
err
The lad flushed up. well, 1 reckon
/ drink it, he said. II oughter know
jest get some grass from around that
spring under the trees and eat it and
then the water out in the sun tastes
just as cool as that in the shade. If
you don't believe IL, just you try
His teacher did try and found what
the lad said was true. And that was
the discovery Of the mint, for such was
the grass" about the shaded spring.
The teacher figured that by putting
some of the cool weed in his whisky
and water the decoction would be cool.
The smell of the plant was also pleas
ant to his nostrils.
That teacher is said to have been
Col. Abe Carter, one Of the famous Vir-
ginia Carriers, and to him properly be-
longs the honor of having discovered,
by accident, the mint julep. The name
of the boy to whom the credit really
belongs has been lost in oblivion.
A reporter athirst for information
started out to make the rounds in an
endeavor to discover for himself just
what constitutes the perfect julep.
First he sought the old Virginia colo
mel. With that courtliness which can
not now be duplicated the old cavalier
welcomed his guest. Come right in,
my son. julep, you say? OF course"
Raising his voice, he called: Caesar"
The old body servant appeared. "Caes-
ar, some mint and cracked ice"
Now, now, my boy, don't say you
just wanted to knew how. That is i'm
possible. Watch drink and be wise"
Watch" said the colonel.
Into the glass he poured a measure
of water, just an ounce, no more, no
less. Then he refilled the measure with
whisky, guaranteed to be 20 years old
Just smell that, my boy" he said,
lovingly. mot a headache in the bar
rel.'
He poured the ounce of whisky upon
the ounce of water, and they mingled.
From the mint on the waiter there
fioated that indescrabable odor that the
old Colonel believes slipped out one
day through the narrow gate of Para
disc when st. Peter had his back
turned. Now the old cavalier measured
out just dram of pure syrup and
poured it into the whisky and water.
Next he dropped in the cracked ice, and
then he put in the mint so that not a
leaf was bruised. Swiftly he held it
toward his guest.
Quick, quick, my boy; drink 1t before
the ice melting spoils the proportions
of the mixture"
The reporter buried his nose in that
bunch of mint-and ii was very, very
good. When the glass came down there
W.
was not all in vain.
That's the secret" said the Colonel.
TT must be drank, not slipped. Five
minutes. even three minutes, ruins t.
Fresh mint, old whisky, pure syrup and
pure water, then drink it right away"
Il remember" he went on when
the G. A. r. was here, an old friend
brought half dozen of them mp to see
me. You know, was never very ar
dent G. A. r. man, so l did not know
what to do with them. 1 proposed a
mint julep. They had never heard of
one. 1 did not know how they would
like it, but 1 trusted to the mint. They
drank around and then one fellow
asked, hesitatingly, if it would be with
in the laws of courtesy, he would like
to try another. You should have seen
their faces when 1 said yes"
The Colonel paused.
well" said the Colonel, when they
went away some of them wanted to
run me for President, and their old
Colonel took me aside to tell me in
confidence that If the Confederates had
brought mint juleps against them in
stead of guns the whole id Union
army would have surrendered on the
spot for a taste
TITS a natural taste. one a fellow
can't get away from. I wish, though,
some fellow would invent a double cup,
the outside one to hold the ice. Then
a gentleman could SIP his julep.
Some people, you know, won't give a
beginner more than one julep. That's
wrong, for it's a natural taste, and the
more you give them the better they
like it. But my boy, remember the
mint must be fresh"
The seeker for julep knowledge next
hunted up a disciple of the more mod
ern school. This gentleman, an ex-
Rough Rider. was found in his fiat
with a frosted silver mug beside him.
He said not a word in greeting, but
arose, banning silently. and got an
other mug.
The reporter took observations.
I'm of the new school," said the ex-
Rough Rider, $50 watch me. A Ken
lucky girl visiting her brother, an
army Cfffcer in Arizona, taught me.
and Ier way beats those old Virginians
ali to pieces. They never taste the mint.
1 do"
While he was talking he had slipped
to the ice box and brought out hand
full OF mint.
Half an hour from the bed" he
said. Then quickly he crushed several
stalks and put them in the bottom of
the mug. He put in about an ounce
of water. one teaspoonful of powdered
sugar, ice to fill the mug nearly to the
top, then about three fingers of
whisky, so mellow, rich and oily that
one hated to see it hidden in the silver
mug. A GROWING glory of mint was
added to the top, and by that time
frost had completely whitened the sill
yer mug.
Rye straw" asked the reporter.
Straw ba id" replied his host
Drink" The guest took the mug and
the Eysian Field drifted down to less
than half a square away.
did you taste the delicate flavor of
the mint? Don't that beat any Vir-
ginia style drink you ever tried?" de-
manded the host, as his guest, with a
deep sigh, relinquished the cup.
I'm undecided. II can't tell exact
ly," stammered the reporter.
The other laughed cheerfully. "All
right, we'll convince you he said, and
straight-away began on another tulep.
This time Venus walked right down
off her throne out into the midst of
the Elysian Fields and she and the
scribe sat down to drink nectar to-
gether. AS he came back to earth he
could hear his host murmuring in the