Brag is a good dog, and Holdfast is a better one, but what do you
say to a cross of the two?--and that's just what we are. An English
statesman actually thinks nobody knows anything but himself. And his
conduct puts folks both on the defensive and offensive. He eyes even
an American all over as much as to say, Where the plague did you
originate, what field of cotton or tobacco was you took from? and if a
Canadian goes to Downing Street, the secretary starts as much as to
say, I hope you han't got one o' them rotten eggs in your hand you
pelted Elgin with. Upon my soul, it wern't my fault, his indemnifyin'
rebels, we never encourage traitors except in Spain, Sicily, Hungary,
and places we have nothin' to do with. He brags of purity as much as a
dirty piece of paper does, that it was originally clean.
"We appreciate your loyalty most fully, I assure you," he says. "When
the militia put down the rebellion, without efficient aid from the
military, parliament would have passed a vote of thanks to you for
your devotion to our cause, but really we were so busy just then we
forgot it. Put that egg in your pocket, that's a good fellow, but
don't set down on it, or it might stain the chair, and folks might
think you was frightened at seeing so big a man as me;" and then he
would turn round to the window and laugh.
Whoever brags over me gets the worst of it, that's a fact.
Pages:
407
408
409
410
411
412
413
414
415
416
417
418
419
420
421
422
423
424
425
426
427
428
429
430
431