Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1907-03-05

|
the nags in fix for a start, and him ant
the major only talk now over some
message to Marion and General Gates
which the colonel's to carry"
He's heard nothing then of the ter.
ra pin, you think? He'd scarcely go II
he knew. I'll see and tell him at once
I know him well enough"
"Terrapin, indeed, Porgy! how you
talk! Why, man, he don't care for al
the terrapin in the swamp
Then no good can come or MIN
he's an infidel. 1 would not march
with him for the world. Don't believe
in terrapin! A man ought TO oeileVe
In all that's good; and there's nothing
so good as terrapin. Soup, stew, OF
hash, all the same; it's dish among
a thousand. Nature herself shows
the value which she sets upon 1t, when
she shelters It in such walls as these
and builds around 1t such fortifca-
tions as are here. See now, Bill Hum
phr,es, to that magnificent fellow that
lies at your feet. You should have
seen how he held on to his possessions
how reluctantly he surrendered at the
last; and, in the meantime, how
adroitly, as we'll as tenaciously, ne
continued the struggle. / was good
ly hour working him to surrender. TC
hew off his head cost more effort than
in taking off that Of Charles the First
No doubt, he too was a tyrant in his
way, and among his own kidneys
tyrant among the terrapins. His self
esteem was large enough for dozer
soyereigns, even Of the Guelph fam
ily. But If the head worried me, what
should I say about the shell-the out
er fortress? I marched up to 1t, like
q knight of the middle ages attacking
Saracen fortress, battle-axe IN hand
There lies my hatchet; see how have
ruined the edge. Look at my handi
see what a cash I gave myself. Judge
of the value Of the fortress, always
from the difficulty Of getting posses
sion. It is a safe rule. The meat here
was worthy Of the tolls Of the butcher
It usually is in degree with the trouble
we have to get at 1t. 1t Is so with an
oyster, which / take to be the come
liest vegetable that ever grew In the
garden of Eden!"
What lieutenant, the oyster veg
etable?"
at originally was, ] have no doubt.
And growing In the garden OIL
Eden?"
"And II it did not, then was the gar
den not to my taste, I can assure you
But It must have grown there; and al
that period was probably to be got al
without effort, though / am not sure
my good fellow, that the flavor OF q
thing is at all heightened by the ease
with which we get at 1t. It's not So
as we see, with terrapin and oyster
and crab and shrimp, and most other
things in which we take most delight
which are dainties to human appe-
tite;-if indeed we may consider ap-
petite as mere human, which I greatly
question"
well" ouoth Humphries, after a
short At Of musing, that does seem
to me very true, though I never
thought Of 1t before. All the tough
things to come at are mighty sweet
lieutenant; and them things that we
work for hardest, always do have the
sweetish relish"
Yes; even love, Humphries, which
considered as delicacy-a fine meat
or delicate vegetable"
Mercy upon. us, lieutenant, what
can you be thinking Of? Love meat
and a vegetable!"
Precisely; the stomach"
"Oh! that won't do at all, that sort
Of talking, lieutenant. 1t does seem
to me as If you brought the stomach
into everything, even sacred things.
Nay, nay, reverse the phrase. Hum
phries, and bring all sacred things In
to the stomach"
well, any how, Lieutenant Porgy
II does seem to me that it's your great
est fault to make too much OF your
belly You spoil II and after a while
It will grow so impudent that there
will be no living with it."
There will be no living without IT.
my good fellow. and that's sufficient
reason for taking every care OF IT.
What you call my greatest fault Is IN
fact my greatest merit. You never
heard of Menenius Agrippa, 1 reck-
on?"
Never; didn't know there was such
person"
''Well, I shall not trouble you with
his smart sayings, and you must be
content with mine to the same effect
The belly is a great member, my
friend, a very great member, and 1t Is
not to be spoken Of irreverently. 1t Is
difficult to say in what respects 1t Is
not great. Its claims are quite as va
rious as they are peculiar. 1t really
does all ones thinking, as well as
"The belly do the thinking?"
That's my notion. I am convinc-
ed, however people may talk about the
brain as the seat Of intellect, that the
brain does but a small business after
| all, in the way Of thinking, compared
with the belly. OF one thing be GER.
tain; before you attempt to argue
with an obstinate customer, give hin
first a good feed. Bowls Of compassion
are necessary to brains Of understand
ing and a good appetite and an easy
digestion are essentials to a logica
comprehension of every subject, the
least difficult A good cook. 1 say. be-
fore good school house, and prop
lyrn 6rn Of
orthography 1t is a bad digestion
that makes our militiamen run with
out emptying musket; and when you
| find an officer a dolt, as Is too much
my experience, you may charge Il
rather upon his ignorance Of fooG
than of fighting. A good cook is moro
| essential to the success of an army
than a good general. But that re-
minds me of Colonel Walton. Go tc
him, Bill Humphries. with my re-
spects. I know him Of old; he will re-
member me. 1 have enjoyed his hos
pitality. II he be the gentleman tha
I think him, he will find a sufficient
reason for delaying his journey till af
ternoon, when he hears Of our terra
pin. Be off and see him, lieutenant
and let him understand what he l:
losing by going Give him particulars
you may mention the deXterity o.
Tom, my cook, in doing stew or rag
out. And, by the way, lieutenant
pray take with you the buckler of tina
largest beast If the sight OF tina
doesn't make him open his eye. give
him up. See to it, quickly, my gooC
fellow, or you may lose him, or he the
| stew"
| Humphries laughed outright at th'
earnestness of the epicure. or course
he understood that Porgy had Ger
| tain artificial nature in which M
found the resources for his jests; anc
| that he covered a certain amount o.
sarcasm. and a philosophy Of his own
under certain affectations at which M
was quite content that the worlC
should laugh, believing what 1t pleas
ed. Humphries found no little pleas
ure in listening to the shrewd absurd
tiles and thoughtful eXtravagances O
his brother officer; and he coult
sometimes understand that the gray
ity of Porgy's manner was by M
means indicative of a desire that yol
should take for gospel what he said
But he was this time thoroughly de
ceived, and was at much pains t
prove to him how utterly impossible |
was for Colonel Walton to remain
even with such temptations to appe
tite as might be set before him.
/ fon nf ic NJ fal1 hI