"Fact," sais I; "now if you look long and often at a man that winks,
it sets you a winkin'. If you see a fellow with a twitch in his face,
you feel your cheek doin' the same, and stammerin' is catching too.
Now I caught that habit at court, since I came to Europe. I dined
wunst with the King of Prussia, when I was with our embassador on a
visit at Berlin, and the King beats all natur in spittin', and the
noise he makes aforehand is like clearin' a grate out with a poker,
it's horrid. Well, that's not the worst of it, he uses that ugly
German word for it, that vulgarians translate 'spitting.' Now some of
our western people are compelled to chew a little tobacco, but like a
broker tasting cheese, when testing wine, it is only done to be able
to judge of the quality of the article, but even them unsophisticated,
free, and enlightened citizens have an innate refinement about them.
They never use that nasty word 'spitting,' but call it 'expressing the
ambia.' Well, whenever his Majesty crosses my mind, I do the same out
of clear sheer disgust. Some o' them sort of uppercrust people, I call
them big bugs, think they can do as they like, and use the privilege
of indulging those evil habits. When folks like the king do it, I call
them 'High, low, jack, and the game.'"
Well, the stare he gave me would have made you die a larfin'. I never
saw a man in my life look so skeywonaky.
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