Democratic Sentinel, Volume 5, Number 51, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 20 January 1882 — Origin of “Smother Evening.” [ARTICLE]

Origin of “Smother Evening.”

There was once a wicked king who hired a wicked murderer to smother two little princes-in a great big tower. So the picked murderer went to do his work With two fine goose feather pillows. The little princes tried to melt the iron heart of the wicked murderer, but they had no fire to put tfie heart in, and cdiild not do it, and he got ready to finish his job. When he came to them they wept piteously, and cried, “ Oh, do not kill us. Not this evening.” Then the wicked murderer laughed bitterly, and said, “Aha, not this evening? ' Smother evening?” And the little princes not knowing what a pun was, because they were good Sunday-school children, both cried, “Oh, yes, dear, good, kind man, some other evening.” Then he laughed loudly again, and repeated, “ Smother evening, and in a few minutes they were both ready for the undertaker, whc was standing at the front door kicking his toes against the brick wall to keep hit feet warm, and swinging his silvermounted tape measure in his hand. Thus do we see history itself.— Lampton. •