Democratic Sentinel, Volume 7, Number 39, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 26 October 1883 — “EATING CROW.” [ARTICLE]

“EATING CROW.”

This well-known phrase, which is so often applied in political articles and speeches to these who are constrained to support a candidate whom they do not like or have previously opposed, came into vogue through an anecdote published in the Knickerbocker Magazine over a quarter of & century ago: It was a story of a summer boardsng-house on me Hudson and an indignant patron, i Whenever the latter ventured to suggest j tuat tlm spring chicken was rather tough, or that the roast beef must have been cut from the cow’s hoofs, he was directly told that he was entirely ‘ too peitickerler,” and that the autocrat of th* ta >le and h: house could eat anything, evea *.»«. This settled the matter lor the i,me be.ng, but the boarder convinced a ainst his will was «>f the sam-i opinion u.l, at all events, iu regard to the quality of the edibles placid belore him. So i,fiea was die remark. *’f gin eat any. t.itug I km eat a cr->w,” brought down n his devoted head tout be tinullv re-.-.01/ed to try rhe o d man. Re went out cuumng one day uuJ succeeded in bag gmg a very tine, tTi old olackcrow. lie ea into the kitchen, and by dint of soft woras and tilthy iuoie, induced toe cook to allow him to* prepare that cr >vv for me table. He boiled it nicely, and it it wasn’t sucu a bad looking dish after ill. His heart misgave him; the flinty uld cuss would eat .t after all. i’he cook was a very old scotch woman and used suutf. He borrowed all she had and sprinkled it liberally over the crow, gave her another simmer, and then taking it >n a salver brought it before his host, saying as he sat it down, “Now, my dear sir, you have said a thousand limes, if you have said it once, that you can eat crow. Here is oue very caiefully cooked.” It Is said that the old man turned pale for a moment, but braced hi niseif against the back of his chair, and with "I kin eat crow,” he b-gan cutting a good mouthful. He swallowed it, aud tabu preparing for a second onslaught, he looked his boarder straight iu i-he eye, while he ejaculated, “I’ve eaten erow,” and look his second portion. He lifted his hands mechanically, as if for a third onslaught, but dropped them quickly over the region ol his stomach, and, using hurriedly and unsteadily, retreated the door, muttering as he went, “but dang me if I hanker arter it.” ■■■ m i» A NEWSDEALERS WONDkItFUL, MUSTANG. —Anderson Di.dson has delivered newspapers through Pleasant Plains. Staten Island, every morning tor It years.— He rides a thoroughbred Indian mustang. Three weeks ago*Mr. Dadsou was taken ill. and sent word to his customers that the horse would come around as usual, and asked the customers if they would go out aud take the papers from the bunUle in the horse’s pack saddle. Every morning, it is averred, the mustang goes alone over the route, and in the three weeks has only missed two of th 2 flttyfour Laces his master stopped.—Now York Sun. Hou. James G. Blaine is asked to tell how he m»de a million or two while in Congress, bit he won’t.