"Let us, then, be up and doing,
With a heart for any fate;
Still achieving, still pursuing,
Learn to labour and to wait."
LONGFELLOW.
The spring of the year I was twenty, Dirck and myself paid our first visit
to town, in the characters of young men. Although Satanstoe was not more
than five-and-twenty miles from New York, by the way of King's-Bridge, the
road we always travelled in order to avoid the ferry, it was by no means as
common to visit the capital as it has since got to be. I know gentlemen who
pass in and out from our neighbourhood, now, as often as once a fortnight,
or even once a week; but thirty years since this was a thing very seldom
done. My dear mother always went to town twice a year; in the spring to
pass Easter week, and in the autumn to make her winter purchases. My father
usually went down four times, in the course of the twelve months, but he
had the reputation of a gadabout, and was thought by many people to leave
home quite as much as he ought to do. As for my grandfather, old age coming
on, he seldom left home now, unless it were to pay stated visits to certain
old brother campaigners who lived within moderate distances, and with whom
he invariably passed weeks each summer.
The visit I have mentioned occurred some time after Easter, a season of
the year that many of our country families were in the habit of passing
in town, to have the benefit of the daily services of Old Trinity, as the
Hebrews resorted to Jerusalem to keep the feast of the passover. My mother
did not go to town this year, on account of my father's gout, and I
was sent to supply her place with my aunt Legge, who had been so long
accustomed to have one of the family with her at that season, that I was
substituted. Dirck had relatives of his own, with whom he staid, and thus
every thing was rendered smooth. In order to make a fair start, my friend
crossed the Hudson the week before, and, after taking breath at Satanstoe
for three days, we left the Neck for the capital, mounted on a pair of as
good roadsters as were to be found in the county: and that is saying a good
deal; for the Morrises, and de Lanceys, and Van Cortlandts all kept racers,
and sometimes gave us good sport, in the autumn, over the county course.
West Chester, to say no more than she deserved, was a county with a
spirited gentry, and one of which no colony need be ashamed.
My mother was a tender-hearted parent, and full of anxiety in behalf of an
only child. She knew that travelling always has more or less of hazard,
and was desirous we should be off betimes, in order to make certain of our
reaching town before the night set in. Highway robbers, Heaven be praised!
were then, and are still, unknown to the colonies; but there were other
dangers that gave my excellent parent much concern. All the bridges were
not considered safe; the roads were, and are yet, very circuitous, and it
was possible to lose one's way; while it was said persons had been known to
pass the night on Harlem common, an uninhabited waste that lies some seven
or eight miles on our side of the city. My mother's first care, therefore,
was to get Dirck and myself off early in the morning; in order to do which
she rose with the light, gave us our breakfasts immediately afterwards, and
thus enabled us to quit Satanstoe just as the sun had burnished the eastern
sky with its tints of flame-colour.
Dirck was in high good-humour that morning, and, to own the truth, Corny
did not feel the depression of spirits which, according to the laws of
propriety, possibly ought to have attended the first really free departure
of so youthful an adventurer from beneath the shadows of the paternal roof.
We went our way laughing and chatting like two girls just broke loose from
boarding-school. I had never known Dirck more communicative, and I got
certain new insights into his feelings, expectations and prospects, as we
rode along the colony's highway that morning, that afterwards proved to
be matters of much interest with us both. We had not got a mile from the
chimney-tops of Satanstoe, ere my friend broke forth as follows:--
"I suppose you have heard, Corny, what the two old gentlemen have been at,
lately?"
"Your father and mine?--I have not heard a syllable of any thing new."
"They have been suing out, before the Governor and Council, a joint claim
to that tract of land they bought of the Mohawks, the last time they were
out together on service in the colony militia."
I ought to mention, here, that though my predecessors had made but few
campaigns in the regular army, each had made several in the more humble
capacity of a militia officer.
"This is news to me, Dirck," I answered. "Why should the old gentlemen have
been so sly about such a thing?"
"I cannot tell you, lest they thought silence the best way to keep off the
yankees. You know, my father has a great dread of a yankee's getting a
finger into any of his bargains. He says the yankees are the locusts of the
west."
"But, how came you to know any thing about it, Dirck?"
"I am no yankee, Corny."
"And your father told _you_ on the strength of this recommendation?"
"He told me, as he tells me most things that he thinks it best I should
know. We smoke together, and then we talk together."
"I would learn to smoke too, if I thought I should get any useful
information by so doing."
"Dere is much to be l'arnt from ter pipe!" said Dirck, dropping into a
slightly Dutch accent, as frequently happened with him, when his mind took
a secret direction towards Holland, though in general he spoke English
quite as well as I did myself, and vastly better than that miracle of
taste, and learning, and virtue, and piety, Mr. Jason Newcome, A.B., of
Yale, and prospective president of that, or some other institution.
"So it would seem, if your father is telling you secrets all the time you
are smoking together. But where is this land, Dirck?"
"It is in the Mohawk country--or, rather, it is in the country near the
Hampshire Grants, and at no great distance from the Mohawk country."
"And how much may there be of it?"
"Forty thousand acres; and some of it of good, rich flats, they say; such
as a Dutchman loves."
"And your father and mine have purchased all this land in company, you
say--share and share alike, as the lawyers call it."
"Just so."
"Pray how much did they pay for so large a tract of land?"
Dirck took time to answer this question. He first drew from his breast a
pocket-book, which he opened as well as he could under the motion of his
roadster, for neither of us abated his speed, it being indispensable to
reach town before dark. My friend succeeded at length in putting his hand
on the paper he wanted, which he gave to me.
"There," he said; "that is a list of the articles paid to the Indians,
which I have copied, and then there have been several hundred pounds of
fees paid to the Governor and his officers."
I read from the list, as follows; the words coming out by jerks, as the
trotting of my horse permitted. "Fifty blankets, each with yellow strings
and yellow trimmings; ten iron pots, four gallons each; forty pounds of
gunpowder; seven muskets; twelve pounds of small beads; ten strings of
wampum; fifty gallons of rum, pure Jamaica, and of high proof; a score of
jews-harps, and three dozen first quality English-made tomahawks."
"Well, Dirck," I cried, as soon as through reading, "this is no great
matter to give for forty thousand acres of land, in the colony of New York.
I dare say a hundred pounds currency ($250) would buy every thing here,
even to the rum and the first quality of English-made tomahawks."
"Ninety-six pounds, thirteen shillings, seven pence 't'ree fart'in's' was
the footing of the whole bill," answered Dirck deliberately, preparing to
light his pipe; for he could smoke very conveniently while trotting no
faster than at the rate of six miles the hour.
"I do not find that dear for forty thousand acres; I suppose the muskets,
and rum, and other things were manufactured expressly for the Indian
trade."
'Not they, Corny: you know how it is with the old gentlemen;--they are as
honest as the day."
"So much the better for them, and so much the better for us! But what is to
be done with this land, now they own it?"
Dirck did not answer, until we had trotted twenty rods; for by this time
the pipe was at work, and the moment that smoke was seen he kept his eye on
it, until he saw a bright light in front of his nose.
"The first thing will be to find it, Corny. When a patent is signed and
delivered, then you must send forth some proper person to find the land it
covers. I have heard of a gentleman who got a grant of ten thousand acres,
five years since; and though he has had a hunt for it every summer since,
he has not been able to find it yet. To be sure, ten thousand acres is a
small object to look for, in the woods."
"And our fathers intend to find this land as soon as the season opens?"
"Not so fast, Corny; not so fast! That was the scheme of your father's
Welsh blood, but mine takes matters more deliberately. Let us wait until
next year, he said, and then we can send the boys. By that time, too, the
war will take some sort of a shape, and we shall know better how to care
for the children. The subject has been fairly talked over between the two
patentees, and we are to go early _next_ spring, not this."
The idea of land-hunting was not in the least disagreeable to me; nor was
it unpleasant to think that I stood in reversion, or as heir, to twenty
thousand acres of land, in addition to those of Satanstoe. Dirck and I
talked the matter over, as we trotted on, until both of us began to regret
that the expedition was so far in perspective.
The war to which Dirck alluded, had broken out a few months before our
visit to town: a Mr. Washington, of Virginia--the same who has since become
so celebrated as the Col Washington of Braddock's defeat, and other events
at the south--having been captured, with a party of his men, in a small
work thrown up in the neighbourhood of the French, somewhere on the
tributaries of the Ohio; a river that is known to run into the Mississippi,
a vast distance to the west. I knew very little then, nor do I know much
now of these remote regions, beyond the fact that there are such places,
and that they are sometimes visited by detachments, war-parties, hunters,
and other adventurers from the colonies. To me, it seems scarce worth
fighting about such distant and wild territory; for ages and ages must
elapse before it can be of any service for the purposes of civilization.
Both Dirck and myself regretted that the summer would be likely to go by
without our seeing the enemy; for we came of families that were commonly
employed on such, occasions. We thought both our fathers might be out;
though even that was a point that still remained under discussion.
We dined and baited at Kingsbridge, intending to sup in town. While the
dinner was cooking, Dirck and I walked out on the heights that overlook the
Hudson; for I knew less of this noble river than I wished to know of it. We
conversed as we walked; and my companion, who knew the river much better
than myself, having many occasions to pass up and down it, between the
village of Haverstraw and town, in his frequent visits to his relatives
below, gave me some useful information.
"Look here, Corny," said Dirck, after betraying a good deal of desire to
obtain a view of some object in the distance, along the river-side; "Look
here, Corny, do you see yonder house, in the little bay below us, with the
lawn that extends down to the water; and that noble orchard behind it?"
I saw the object to which Dirck alluded. It was a house that stood near the
river, but sheltered and secluded, with the lawn and orchard as described;
though at the distance of some two or three miles all the beauties of the
spot could not be discovered, and many of them had to be received on the
faith of my companion's admiration. Still I saw very plainly, all the
principal objects named; and, among others, the house, the orchard, and the
lawn. The building was of stone--as is common with most of the better sort
of houses in the country--was long, irregular, and had that air of
solid comfort about it, which it is usual to see in buildings of that
description. The walls were not whitewashed, according to the lively tastes
of our Dutch fellow-colonists, who appear to expend all their vivacity in
the pipe and the brush, but were left in their native grey; a circumstance
that rendered the form and dimensions of the structure a little less
distinct, at a first glance, than they might otherwise have proved. As
I gazed at the spot, however, I began to fancy it a charm, to find the
picture thus sobered down; and found a pleasure in drawing the different
angles, and walls, and chimneys, and roofs, from this back-ground, by means
of the organ of sight. On the whole, I thought the little sequestered bay,
the wooded and rocky shores, the small but well distributed lawn, the
orchard, with all the other similar accessories, formed together one of the
prettiest places of the sort I had ever seen. Thinking so, I was not slow
in saying as much to my companion. I was thought to have some taste in
these matters, and had been consulted on the subject of laying out grounds
by one or two neighbours in the county.
"Whose house is it, Dirck?" I enquired; "and how came you to know anything
about it?"
"That is Lilacsbush," answered my friend; "and it belongs to my mother's
cousin, Herman Mordaunt."
I had heard of Herman, or, as it is pronounced, Harmar Mordaunt. He was
a man of considerable note in the colony, having been the son of a Major
Mordaunt, of the British army, who had married the heiress of a wealthy
Dutch merchant, whence the name of Herman; which had descended to the son
along with the money. The Dutch were so fond of their own blood, that they
never failed to give this Mr. Mordaunt his Christian name; and he was
usually known in the colony as Herman Mordaunt. Further than this, I knew
little of the gentleman, unless it might be that he was reputed rich, and
was admitted to be in the best society, though not actually belonging to
the territorial or political aristocracy of the colony.
"As Herman Mordaunt is your mother's cousin, I suppose, Dirck," I resumed,
"that you have been at Lilacsbush, and ascertained whether the inside of
the house is as pleasant and respectable as the outside."
"Often, Corny; while Madam Mordaunt lived, my mother and I used to go there
every summer. The poor lady is now dead, but I go there still."
"Why did you not ride on as far as Lilacsbush, and levy a dinner on your
relations? I should think Herman Mordaunt would feel hurt, were he to learn
that an acquaintance, or a relation, had put up at an inn, within a couple
of miles of his own house. I dare say he knows both Major and Capt.
Littlepage, and I protest I shall feel it necessary to send him a note of
apology for not calling. These things ought not to be done, Dirck, among
persons of a certain stamp, and who are supposed to know what is proper."
"This would be all right enough, Corny, had Herman Mordaunt, or his
daughter, been at Lilacsbush; but they live in Crown Street, in town, in
winter, and never come out here until after the Pinkster holidays, let
_them_ come when they may."
"Oh! he is as great a man as that, is he?--a town and country house; after
all, I do not know whether it would do to be quite so free with one of his
standing, as to go to dine with him without sending notice."
"Nonsense, Corny. Who hesitates about stopping at a gentleman's door, when
he is travelling? Herman Mordaunt would have given us a hearty welcome,
and I should have gone on to Lilacsbush, did I not know that the family
is certain to be in town at this season. Easter came early this year, and
to-morrow will be the first day of the Pinkster holidays. As soon as they
are over, Herman Mordaunt and Anneke will be out here to enjoy their lilacs
and roses."
"Oh, ho! there is an Anneke, as well as the old gentleman. Pray, how old
may Miss Anneke be, Master Dirck?"
As this question was asked, I turned to look my friend in the face, and I
found that his handsome, smooth, fair Dutch lineaments were covered with a
glow of red, that it was not usual to see extended so far from his ruddy
cheeks. Dirck was too much of a man, however, to turn away, or to try to
hide blushes so ingenuous; but he answered stoutly--
"My cousin, Anneke Mordaunt, is just turned of seventeen; and, I'll tell
you what, Corny--"
"Well--I am listening, with both ears, to hear your _what_--Out with it,
man; both ears are open."
"Why, Anneke (On-na-_kay_), is one of the very prettiest girls in the
colony!--What is more, she is as sweet and goot"--Dirck grew Dutch, as he
grew animated--"as she is pretty."
I was quite astounded at the energy and feeling with which this was said.
Dirck was such a matter-of-fact fellow, that I had never dreamed he could
be sensible to the passion of love; nor had I ever paused to analyze the
nature of our own friendship. We liked each other, in the first place, most
probably, from habit; then, we were of characters so essentially different,
that our attachment was influenced by that species of excitement which is
the child of opposition. As we grew older, Dirck's good qualities began to
command my respect, and reason entered more into my affection for him. I
was well convinced that my companion could, and would, prove to be a warm
friend; but the possibility of his ever becoming a lover, had not before
crossed my mind. Even then, the impression made was not very deep or
lasting, though I well remember the sort of admiration and wonder with
which I gazed at his flushed cheek, animated eye, and improved mien. For
the moment, Dirck really had a commanding and animated air.
"Why, Anneke is one of the prettiest girls in the colony!" my friend had
exclaimed.
"And your cousin?"
"My second cousin.--Her mother's father and my mother's mother were brother
and sister."
"In that case, I shall hope to have the honour of being introduced, one of
these days, to Miss Anneke Mordaunt, who is just turned of seventeen, and
is one of the prettiest girls in the colony, and is as good as she is
pretty."
"I wish you to see her, Corny, and that before we go home," Dirck replied,
all his philosophy, or phlegm, whichever the philosophy of other people may
term it, returning; "come; let us go back to the inn; our dinner will be
getting cold."
I mused on my friend's unusual manner, as we walked back towards the inn;
but it was soon forgotten, in the satisfaction produced by eating a
good, substantial meal of broiled ham, with hot potatoes, boiled eggs,
a beefsteak, done to a turn, with the accessions of pickles, cold-slaw,
apple-pie, and cider. This is a common New York tavern dinner, for the
wayfarer; and, I must say, I have got to like it. Often have I enjoyed such
a repast, after a sharp forenoon's ride; ay, and enjoyed it more than I
have relished entertainments at which have figured turkies, oysters, hams,
hashes, and other dishes, that have higher reputations. Even turtle-soup,
for which we are somewhat famous in New York, has failed to give me the
same delight.
Dirck, to do him justice, ate heartily; for it is not an easy matter to
take away his appetite. As usual, I did most of the talking; and that
was with our landlady, who, hearing I was a son of her much-esteemed and
constant customer, Major Littlepage, presented herself with the dessert and
cheese, and did me the honour to commence a discourse. Her name was Light;
and light was she certain to cast on everything she discussed; that is to
say, innkeeper's light; which partakes somewhat of the darkness that is so
apt to overshadow no small portion of the minds of her many customers.
"Pray, Mrs. Light," I asked, when there was an opening, which was not until
the good woman had exhausted her breath in honour of the Littlepages,
"do you happen to know anything of a family, hereabouts, of the name of
Mordaunt?"
"Do I _happen_ to know, sir!--Why, Mr. Littlepage, you might almost as well
have asked me, if I had ever heard of a Van Cortlandt, or a Philipse, or
a Morris, or any other of the gentry hereabouts. Mr. Mordaunt has a
country-place, and a very pretty one it is, within two miles and a half of
us; and he and Madame Mordaunt never passed our door, when they went into
the country to see Madame Van Cortlandt, without stopping to say a word,
and leave a shilling. The poor lady is dead; but there is a young image
of her virtues, that is coming a'ter her, that will be likely to do some
damage in the colony. She is modesty itself, sir; so I thought it could do
her no harm, the last time she was here, just to tell her, she ought to be
locked up, for the thefts she was likely to commit, if not for them she had
committed already. She blushed, sir, and looked for all the world like the
shell of the most delicate boiled lobster you ever laid eyes on. She is
truly a charming young lady!"
"Thefts of hearts, you mean of course, my good Mrs. Light?"
"Of nothing else, sir; young ladies are apt to steal hearts, you know.
My word for it, Miss Anneke will turn out a great robber, after her own
fashion, you know, sir."
"And whose hearts is she likely to run away with, pray? I should be pleased
to hear the names of some of the sufferers."
"Lord, sir!--she is too young to have done much _yet_, but wait a
twelvemonth, and I'll answer the question."
I could see all this time that Dirck was uneasy, and had some amusement in
watching the workings of his countenance. My malicious intentions, however,
were suddenly interrupted. As if to prevent further discourse, and, at the
same time, further _espionage_, my young friend rose from table, ordering
the horses and the bill.
During the ride to town, no more was said of Lilacsbush, Herman Mordaunt,
or his daughter Anneke. Dirck was silent, but this was his habit after
dinner, and I was kept a good deal on the alert in order to find the road
which crossed the common, it being our desire to go in that direction.
It is true, we might have gone into town by the way of Bloomingdale,
Greenwich, the meadows and the Collect, and so down past the common upon
the head of Broadway; but my mother had particularly desired we would
fall into the Bowery Lane, passing the seats that are to be found in that
quarter, and getting into Queen Street as soon as possible. By taking this
course she thought we should be less likely to miss our way within the town
itself, which is certainly full of narrow and intricate passages. My uncle
Legge had removed into Duke Street, in the vicinity of Hanover Square;
and Queen Street, I well knew, would lead us directly to his door. Queen
Street, indeed, is the great artery of New York, through which most of its
blood circulates.
It was drawing towards night when we trotted up to the stable, where we
left our horses, and obtaining a black to shoulder our portmanteaus, we
began to thread the mazes of the capital on foot. New York was certainly,
even in 1757, a wonderful place for commerce! Vessels began to be seen
some distance east of Fly Market, and there could not have been fewer than
twenty ships, brigs, and schooners, lying in the East river, as we walked
down Queen Street. Of course I include all descriptions of vessels that go
to sea, in this estimate. At the present moment, it is probable twice
that number would be seen. There Dirck and I stopped more than once,
involuntarily, to gaze at the exhibitions of wealth and trade that offered
themselves as we went deeper into the town. My mother had particularly
cautioned me against falling into this evidence of country habits, and
I felt much ashamed at each occurrence of the weakness; but I found it
irresistible. At length my friend and I parted; he to go to the residence
of his aunt, while I proceeded to that of mine. Before separating, however
we agreed to meet next morning in the fields at the head of Broadway,
on the common, which, as it was understood, was to be the scene of the
Pinkster sports.
My reception in Duke Street was cordial, both on the part of my uncle and
on the part of my aunt; the first being a good-hearted person, though a
little too apt to run into extravagance on the subject of the rights of the
rabble. I was pleased with the welcome I received, enjoyed an excellent hot
supper, to which we sat down at half-past eight, my aunt being fond of town
hours, both dining and supping a little later than my mother, as being more
fashionable and genteel. [9] As I was compelled to confess fatigue, after
so long a ride, as soon as we quitted the table I retired to my own room.
The next day was the first of the three that are devoted to Pinkster, the
great Saturnalia of the New York blacks. Although this festival is always
kept with more vivacity at Albany than in York, it is far from being
neglected, even now, in the latter place. I had told my aunt, before I left
her, I should not wait for breakfast, but should be up with the sun, and
off in quest of Dirck, in order that we might enjoy a stroll along the
wharves before it was time to repair to the common, where the fun was to
be seen. Accordingly I got out of the house betimes, though it was an hour
later than I had intended; for I heard the rattling of cups in the little
parlour, the sign that the table was undergoing the usual process of
arrangement for breakfast. It then occurred to me that most, if not all of
the servants, seven in number, would be permitted to enjoy the holiday;
and that it might be well if I took all my meals, that day, in the fields.
Running back to the room, I communicated this intention to Juno, the girl I
found doing Pompey's work, and left the house on a jump. There was no
great occasion for starving, I thought, in a town as large and as full
of eatables as New York; and the result fully justified this reasonable
opinion.
Just as I got into Hanover Square, I saw a grey-headed negro, who was for
turning a penny before he engaged in the amusements of the day, carrying
two pails that were scoured to the neatness of Dutch fastidiousness, and
which were suspended from the yoke he had across his neck and shoulders. He
cried "White wine--white wine!" in a clear sonorous voice; and I was at his
side in a moment. White wine was, and is still, my delight of a morning;
and I bought a delicious draught of the purest and best of a Communipaw
vintage, eating a cake at the same time. Thus refreshed, I proceeded into
the square, the beauty of which had struck my fancy as I walked through it
the previous evening. To my surprise, whom should I find in the very centre
of Queen Street, gaping about him with a most indomitable Connecticut
air, but Jason Newcome! A brief explanation let me into the secret of his
presence. His boys had all gone home to enjoy the Pinkster holiday, with
the black servants of their respective families; and Jason had seized the
opportunity to pay his first visit to the great capital of the colony. He
was on his travels, like myself.
"And what has brought you down here?" I demanded, the pedagogue having
already informed me that he had put up at a tavern in the suburbs, where
horse-keeping and lodgings were "reasonable." "The Pinkster fields are up
near the head of Broadway, on the common."
"So I hear," answered Jason; "but I want to see a ship and all the sights
this way, in the first place. It will be time enough for Pinkster, two or
three hours hence, if a Christian ought even to look at such vanities. Can
you tell me where I am to find Hanover Square, Corny?"
"You are in it now, Mr. Newcome; and to my fancy, a very noble area it is!"
"_This_ Hanover Square!" repeated Jason. "Why, its shape is not that of a
square at all; it is nearer a _triangle_."
"What of that, sir? By a square in a town, one does not necessarily
understand an area with four equal sides and as many right angles, but an
open space that is left for air and beauty. There are air and beauty enough
to satisfy any reasonable man. A square may be a parallelogram, or a
triangle, or any other shape one pleases."
"This, then, is Hanover Square!--a New York square, or a Nassau Hall
square, Corny; but not a Yale College square, take my word for it. It is so
small, moreover!"
"Small!--the width of the street at the widest end must be near a hundred
feet; I grant you it is not half that at the other end, but that is owing
to the proximity of the houses."
"Ay, it is all owing to the proximity of the houses, as you call it. Now,
according to my notion, Hanover Square, of which a body hears so much talk
in the country, ought to have had fifty or sixty acres in it, and statues
of the whole House of Brunswick, besides. Why is that nest of houses left
in the middle of your square?"
"It is not, sir. The square ceases when it reaches _them._ They are too
valuable to be torn down, although there has been some talk of it. My uncle
Legge told me, last evening, that those houses have been valued as high as
twelve thousand dollars; and some persons put them as high as six thousand
pounds."
This reconciled Jason to the houses; for he never failed to defer to money,
come in what shape it would. It was the only source of human distinction
that he could clearly comprehend, though he had some faint impressions
touching the dignity of the crown, and the respect due to its
representatives.
"Corny," said Jason, in an under tone, and taking me by the arm to lead me
aside, though no one was near, like a man who has a great secret to ask, or
to communicate, "what was that I saw you taking for your bitters, a little
while ago?"
"Bitters! I do not understand you, Jason. Nothing bitter have I tasted
to-day; nor can I say I have any great wish to put anything bitter into my
mouth."
"Why, the draught you got from the nigger who is now coming back across the
square, as you call it, and which you seemed to enj'y particularly. I am
dry, myself, and should wonderfully like a drink."
"Oh! that fellow sells 'white wine,' and you will find it delicious. If you
want your 'bitters,' as you call them, you cannot do better than stop him,
and give him a penny."
"Will he let it go so desperate cheap as that?" demanded Jason, his eyes
twinkling with a sort of "bitters" expectation.
"That is the stated price. Stop him boldly; there is no occasion for all
this Connecticut modesty. Here, uncle, this gentleman wishes a cup of your
white wine."
Jason turned away in alarm, to see who was looking on; and, when the cup
was put into his hand, he shut his eyes, determined to gulp its contents at
a swallow, in the most approved "bitters" style. About half the liquor went
down his throat, the rest being squirted back in a small white stream.
"Buttermilk, by Jingo!" exclaimed the disappointed pedagogue, who expected
some delicious combination of spices with rum. St. Jingo was the only
saint, and a "darnation" or "darn you," were the only oaths his puritan
education ever permitted him to use.
[Footnote 9: The dinner of the last half century is, in one sense, but a
substitute for the _petits soupers_ of the century or two that preceded. It
is so entirely rational and natural, that the cultivated and refined should
meet for the purposes of social enjoyment after the business of the day has
terminated, that the supper has only given place to the same meal under
another name, and at hours little varying from those of the past. The
Parisian dines at half-past six, remaining at table until eight. The
Englishman, later in all his hours, and more ponderous in all his habits,
sits down to table about the time the Frenchman gets up; quitting it
between nine and ten. The Italian pays a tribute to his climate, and has
his early dinner and light supper, both usually alone, the habits of the
country carrying him to the opera and the _conversazione_ for social
communion. But what is the American? A jumble of the same senseless
contradictions in his social habits, as he is fast getting to be in his
political creeds and political practices; a being that is _in transitu_,
pressed by circumstances on the one side, and by the habit of imitation on
the other; unwilling, almost unable, to think and act for himself. The only
American who is temporarily independent in such things, is the unfledged
provincial, fresh from his village conceit and village practices, who,
until corrected by communion with the world, fancies the south-east corner
of the north-west parish, in the town of Hebron, in the county of Jericho,
and the State of Connecticut, to be the only portion of this globe that is
perfection. If he should happen to keep a school, or conduct a newspaper,
the community becomes, in a small degree, the participant of his rare
advantages and vast experience!--EDITOR.]