His little shop is lumbered with boxes and barrels, all containing
relics of a by-gone age—such as broken swords, pistols of curious make,
Revolutionary hand-saws, planes, cuirasses, broken spurs,
blunderbusses, bowie, scalping, and hunting-knives; all of which he
declares our great men have a use for. Hung on a little post, and over
a pair of rather suspicious-looking buckskin breeches, is a rusty
helmet, which he sincerely believes was worn by a knight of the days of
William the Conqueror. A little counter to the left staggers under a
pile of musty old books and mustier papers, all containing valuable
matter relating to the old Continentals, who, as he has it, were all
Carolinians. (Dispute this, and he will go right into a passion.)
Resting like good-natured policemen against this weary old counter are
two sympathetic old coffins, several second-hand crutches, and a
quantity of much-neglected wooden legs. These Mr. McArthur says are in
great demand with our first families. No one, except Mr. Soloman
Snivel, knows better what the chivalry stand in need of to prop up its
declining dignity. His dirty little shelves, too, are stuffed with
those cheap uniforms the State so grudgingly voted its unwilling
volunteers during the Revolution.
See Senator Sumner’s speech in Congress on Plantation manners. Tucked
in here and there, at sixes and sevens, are the scarlet and blue of
several suits of cast-off theatrical wardrobe he got of Abbott, and now
loans for a small trifle to Madame Flamingo and the St. Cecilia
Society-the first, when she gives her very seductive bal-masques; the
second, when distinguished foreigners with titles honor its costume
balls. As for Revolutionary cocked hats, epaulettes, plumes, and
holsters, he has enough to supply and send off, feeling as proud as
peacocks, every General and Colonel in the State-and their name, as you
ought to know, reader, is legion.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account