Evening star., 1914-12-27
By JOHN KENDRICK BANGS

l negro encountered at junction
|; ~gkN town in Alabama last winter. I
e e. marooned there for five
r e. weary hours, receiving at the
:, w 4 z ax hands of its natives high
t AlI1a courtesy and as fearful food
S ~ l have yet had presented
1az~ to The colored porter of
the hotel had face as black
C~~ulgz/ the of spades and as child
S%IW like and bland as it black.
T@~I He seemed to take tremendous
Pa 4Dm< interest in me- especially in my
A8 fur overcoat which he appeared
5s@Spg-H to think must "ha cost as much
sIY eight dollahs," and he piled
:
-. ~ me with questions stood on
T74a.,sssS y ~ the railway platform waiting for
kASJpfM1l H. FA my train into Birmingham for
9lEEs - N II " full hour that nearly drove
~ Aj RXH to despair. have not space for
$3.50 d4S that illuminating interchange of
NIESNH ideas in all its verbal fullness; but
- Ma#H part of it ran in this wise:
EE "Whar yo' come from?"
AI#8W "Maine,' said l.
AlSgsH "Maine?" herepeated. @Whut's
,+ NHz Mane?"
ID lF aWhy, Maine-Maine is
State" said l. @And it's nice
a too" added.
@Oh, yaas" he said. "Hit's
.-- ober yander amt it?" he con-
tinued, with of his hand
sweeping enough to take in the whole universe.
"Yes,' said 1, "away yonder. It's down East
r @Got any chldren?" he quered.
"Yes," said I, @Ive got two sons in Detroit and"
aDee-troit, eh?" he interrupted "Yaas, sub, Alive
, heerd O. Dee-troit. Dee-troits nice State too-a
mighty Stae-a nice State have two sons at All
e reckon. So yo' born in Dee-trot was yuh?"
a 3No," replied, Il wasn't born at Detroit; l
e born at Yonkers-"
e @O-o-oh! Soyo was born at Yonkers yuh? Yaas,
o Suh-Yonkers! All don't know much erbout Yonkers;
but All guess Yonkers nice State too amt it?"
"Wel laughed @yes-Yonkers is prettyni State
g too-what you might call Conatose State; but
S ~Yaas Suh-ah've heern tell dat Yonkers was one
: o dem cumnytoe States an ah guess dats pretty
good kind OBJ State to be bohn in What yo seln?"
This with glance at my suitcase.
e brains" said I.
e @Lawsy me! Selln' brains, eh?" said he "Waal,
Suh All I'm sorry. Yo look so kind set up All thought
t yo sellin seegyars Yaas Suh-Ah'd hoped yo'
was" He gazed wistfuy along the shining rails "Dem
seegyar drummahs is mighty free wild DER samples,
Suh he continued "and All been hopn yo' be able
to spar han'ful like de res OBJ 'em does But ef
yore dean' in brains hit amt likely yO' got enough
glib any aaOay"
may add that his disappointment short-ived;
for before parted took him to the general
store that fronted the railroad track and by the
judcious expenditure of quarter bought him supply
of his favorte brand large enough to last him week.
single of them would have done for forever.
r EPARTEE has always been characteristic gift of
~ the American people, due no doubt to political
system that turns almost every community into
debating society at least a year, and sometimes
oftener Readiness of verbal retort has thereby be-
inheritance that grows richer in the squan
dering of it. 1t has been quality conspicuous that
it has led great many people, justly otherwise
that there really good jokes to be found
in the of year in the columns of the Congress
iona Record than in the cleverest of the worlds comic
papers, However this may be, know that of the
zestfu things about lecturers life is the jestfu thing