The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1906-06-01
The City GreenhOrn
In the Country

"oS AN 49, OA~ III (IO AEodSO OSSO2
out as he was, and that instead Of ad-
miring his clothes they were all laugh
ing at him.
THE climax came when one nice old
farmers wife who remembered ner
gr~andfather's swallowtail coat which
he used TO wear many years ago when
ever he dressed up, by day as well as
by night, b.ulted out loud eniugh for
the city man 10 hear:
Blessed If he hasn't got on mis-
grand-father's old swallow tail cOati
He needn't think we're quite as old
fashioned as all that up here. even if
we do live in the country! But it's
black and not blue, and there amt
any brass buttons on it,
Her view of his attire was accepted
by the rest Of the company at first
but he was a game fellow, and after
he had got on his feet" sc to speak,
he made a pretty good impression. He
vent away pretty soon, though, and
that's the last we ever saw OF him. we
never knew just what his impressions
were"
Must have been a little mixed
commented the s~mooth-faced chap who
was smoking a pipe. my business is
in town, but | am a farmers son and
| live outside, where 1 a have a place
big enough to raise things on. /
have done so ever since | was we'll
enough off to leave life in d city fiat
t o those who can endure it.
One of the men in u office. city
born, who had never lived outside,
heard me Dragging about country life
lor+ ~ nn1 nclynI ma RI IA II
him out to see my place. 1 was glad
TO d. it and he went home with me
the next Saturday night. We were
kept rather late at the office and he
had no chance t o look around till The
next morning. Then, after breakfast,
| suggested that we should go out
in the garden and gather some fresh
strawberries, of which | knew he was
very fond.
He thought that a good scheme and
we went out. AS con as we go to
my strawberry bed I Topped down on
my knees and began to tumble about
among the vines for the berries, ex-
pecting, of course, that he would do
the same thing. But he stood still,
his mouth open.
What are you doing down on the
ground, JIM he asked.
"'Picking strawberries, [ answered.;
got to gather your own here, Bob
"tOh, sure, said Bob, but but |
thought strawberries grew on bushes
Now, wouldn't that jar you? But
it's true as gospel"
Il don't doubt it" put the man wear
| ing the fedora hat, but | might have
been a little suspicious if l hadn't ran
against a big city greenhorn myself
| as your fried Bob. Two o three years
| ago. when the railroads were still Civ
ing passes, on my way home from New
York [ got into the same seat in The
smoking car with a prosperous look
ing fat man who talked intelligently
enough, though with a light foreign
accent, and who, he told me, had
lived in New York ever since he was
a small boy.
Little by little he told me the story
of his life. He didn't look it, but he
was a BARTENDER who had only recent
ly got an interest in a thriving sa-
loon. After a while he said he was
on the way to Niagara Falls.
"'NOW, what gets me- he said, is
what this mere Niagara Falls is. I've
ucNS DcCh LuC1C- w uCfCl OOCh WOOL
of Hoboken, being kept pretty busy
behind the bars, you see-and I'd like
to know now big a place Niagara Falls
is. It's a queer name for a town, and
it's a queer thing to ne that anybody
should think I'd like to go there
why are o going?' l asked him.
"'Well, you see, the member of the
legislature from my district came into
the saloon and asked me wouldn't I
like to go to Niagara Falls. l said
no. l didn't have the time and didn't
want to see it. He said he had a pass
there that would run out pretty soon
and twas a pity to waste it. So [
took it. Just a waterfall hey? Well
that's a queer thing to ride all day in
a railroad train to see. How far do
you go.?'
about a thousand miles farther
THE ITY CGREENHARN 2.
west | told him.
"t That must be clear to the Pa
cifc ocean, mustn't it?' vas his COM
ment on that"
FLAT-DWELLER's PREDICAMENT.
"Oh, WELL" said the man who had
been listening to the others, that
bartender wasn't American born. But
| a tell you a story about a city
greenhorn of native birth that will
match the one about the man who
thought strawberries grew on bushes.
This chap was born in a small
town, too After getting through col
lege he married and settled down to
live in a city fiat l live outside. and
l persuaded him to take a house near
mine in the suburbe. He's living in
it yet, but he had all sorts of trouble
at first. So did l. He didn't know
anything about living in a house by
himself. He moved u In the fall,
and the first cold snap froze up the
| water pipes, and l had to help him
then and on numerous other occas-
ions.
But the queerest thing happened
about 6 o'clock one December morning
| just when l was enjoying my last