High Life in New York: A series of letters to Mr. Zephariah Slick, Justice of the Peace, and Deacon of the church over to Weathersfield in the state of ConnecticutStephens, Ann S. (Ann Sophia)
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High Life in New York: A series of letters to Mr. Zephariah Slick, Justice of the Peace, and Deacon of the church over to Weathersfield in the state of Connecticut
Stephens, Ann S. (Ann Sophia)
New York (N.Y.) -- Social life and customs -- 19th century
Jest as I was a thinking whether it was best for Lord Morpeth to come
before I got in myself--for I didn't want to du nothing that wasn't
according to gunter, if he was a lord--a feller come down the Astor
House steps dressed off to the nines, with a harnsome cloak slung across
his shoulder, and one side of his hat tipped up jest enough to show a
hull swad of curly hair a frizzling round his ears.
He had a leetle dab of hair a curling jest under his nose, and another
leetle peaked consarn up in a pint from his chin.
When this chap come down the steps, the other varmint that stood behind
the carriage in his white topped stompers give a dive to the arth, and
stood a one side the door which t'other one held open. Think sez I, this
is Lord Morpeth as sure as a gun; so I haul'd back my foot from the fust
step, for I was jest a going to get in, and I stepped back as the chap
come up, and arter making him a half bow--for I never give off the extra
touches in a bow only to the harnsome gals--sez I,
"Walk in, Lord Morpeth, and I'll foller arter."
The feller looked at me sort of supercillious, and I could see the dab
of hair on his lip curl the leastest mite scornful as if he smelt
something that didn't agree with him. He didn't make a bow, but stepped
back as if he didn't jest know what to du.
I give my mitten a short flourish towards my hat, and arter stepping
back agin, sez I--
"Arter you is manners for me. Make yourself to hum, Lord Morpeth."
The chap looked at me agin, and then he went close to the feller that
held the door, and said that Lord Morpeth couldn't go jest yit, but that
we'd better go on and he'd come by-am-by; and with that he went up the
steps agin without as much as saying, git out, to me.
Gawrie, but wasn't I wrothy to see that crowd of York dandies see me
slighted so by a lord. There they stood a puckering up their faces like
monkeys in a show, and there I stood feeling as mean as the meanest
among 'em; but arter a minit my dander ris right up.
"Darn the critter," sez I, a'most out loud, and a pulling my mitten up
so wrothy that a whole swad of frieze gin away in my hand. "Does the
stuck up varmint feel above riding with an honest Yankee, because he
haint got no title? I'll be licked if a lord ever gets a speck of good
manners from me agin, consarn the hull biling on 'em."
With that I gin an allfired jump, and settled down in the carriage, as
savage as a young arthquake, and sot down on one of the harnsome
cushions kivered over with silks and figgered off with blue and white
roses, that kivered the two seats and sort of sprangled up over the
sides and ruff of the carriage. A narrow finefied border squirmed all
around the cushions, around the doors, and into all the corners, and the
hull consarn made a chap feel as if he was shut up in a band-box, lined
with silk and with a chunk of the sky, white clouds and all, shut over
him for a lid.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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