Here I pointed sarcastically at the pebble-stones, and, with killing irony, asked him to send me something to eat.
He took up the dish, and seemed glad to go--no wonder, my words had cut him to the soul. By and by he came back, and handed me that thin book which hadn"t half a dozen leaves in it, and, says he:
"Will madam make her choice?"
I opened the book, and tried to see what it was all about; but there was nothing to read. A lot of English words twisted out of all shape and meaning, with some figures cut up in short rows, were scattered over the pages as if they had been shook out of a pepper-box. The only thing I could make out that seemed to have a sensible meaning, was--beef. This I read out loud--glad to find one good wholesome word to light on.
"Roast beef," says the fellow, and away he went.
There was no use trying to get anything like reading out of that ghost of a book; so I sat still and looked on, wondering what brought so many ladies into the Capitol, as they are not considered Congressmen yet.
XLIII.
PHMIE DINES WITH A SENATOR.
Dear sisters: I had moved my chair back a little, for it seemed rather lonesome sitting there with nothing but a table-cloth spread before me, and a castor on it, when a gentleman came in and sat down on the other side of the table, just as if I hadn"t been there.
He took up the skimpy book, and began to read, as if he understood every word of it--figures and all. By and by a young fellow came up to him.
They whispered together a minute, and the gentleman kept pointing at the book.
Just then, the young man that I had been so sociable with, came up with some dishes in his hand, which he set down on the table, then spread his hands a little, as much as to say, politely: "Set to, ma"am, and help yourself;" which I did.
Sisters, the national kitchens want renovating. There is female missionary work here enough to keep half our Society busy for a year.
That beef was never roasted by a fire. I"ll take my oath of that. It never swung on an iron skewer, inside of a tin oven before a hickory-wood fire, since it was a born calf. There"s no cheating me in such things. Why, this beef had a taste of chickens, and oysters, and baked pork about it, so strong that you couldn"t at first tell which it was, or if its birthplace was a barn-yard, a hen-coop, or the salt sea ocean.
Yes, there _is_ mission work in these subterranean kitchens. Still, if members of Congress know how to wash and whitewash so well, they might take the cooking in hand too. Perhaps they have, though.
When men try a hand at woman"s work, or women take up the business of men, it"s apt to mix things up till you don"t know which is which. I rather think the members have been down here, while the women were lecturing on politics upstairs. It looks like it, in both places.
Well, I didn"t want to find too much fault. Human nature could not stand the pork and beans, but I tried my best to put up with the beef, and make believe it was delicious.
Just as I took up my knife the other young fellow came to the table, and set some dishes down before the gentleman. Then he took a knife and hacked away at a long-necked bottle till he got the cork loose, and let the whole affair, foaming and sparkling, into a gla.s.s. The sight fairly made my eyes sparkle, for I was awful thirsty, and the rich gurgle made me more so.
"Sir," says I, a-holding out my gla.s.s to the young man, "if that"s Vermont cider, and I seem to feel as if it is, I"ll thank you for a gla.s.s."
The gentleman looked up quickly; turned to the young man with a funny sort of a smile, and nodded his head, just as if it was anything to him.
I"m not quite certain about it, but if that foaming stuff was cider, it must have been made from russet apples, for it brightened me up all over till every drop of blood in me seemed to sparkle.
"It would be near about impossible to drink that through a straw, it bubbles so," says I, feeling it my duty to be sociable, and make the gentleman feel quite at home at the national table. "I think the cider is about the only thing that don"t degenerate when it leaves New England."
"The cider," says he, opening his eyes wide.
"Yes," says I, holding out my gla.s.s again, "that keeps its own vim, and a little more so. Take another gla.s.s yourself, sir!"
I thought as I was first at the table, and a lady, that he would expect a little extra attention, and gave it with my usual bland politeness.
He smiled, and his eyes began to sparkle under the gold gla.s.ses he wore.
"Certainly," says he, "you are very kind; from Vermont I think you said."
"Just so," says I. "Sprucehill. Let me help you to a little of this roast beef, if I may call it so."
"Thank you," says he, and that funny smile crinkled his lips again, "I am well served."
It struck me as rather singular, that he, being a gentleman, didn"t offer me any of the dishes on his side of the table; but he didn"t, and, as a gentle rebuke, I said to the young man who stood behind him:
"Please to pa.s.s some of those dishes this way!"
The fellow blushed and hesitated, and looked at the gentleman in gold spectacles, who blushed a little, too, but said to the young fellow:
"Certainly; why don"t you pa.s.s them over to the lady?"
There was something in a dish that looked a little like mashed potatoes.
I helped myself with a spoon, and tasted it.
"What is this?" says I. "Your potatoes taste awful cheesey."
"It is not potatoes, but calf"s brains au gratin," says he.
"Calf"s brains, a grating," says I; "calf"s brains, and I eating them.
Young man, I"ll have you investigated for this! Calf"s brains, indeed!
do you think I"m a cannibal. Take the heathenish dish out of my sight."
The gentleman laughed, and says he:
"I will relieve you of it."
Then he drew it over his way and began to eat.
I declare, sisters, I couldn"t bear to see that man finishing up the dish as if he liked it. He seemed to have brains enough of his own, without wanting to rob a spring calf of what little belongs to it. But he finished the dish and got up to go, making me a real polite bow as he went away from the table.
When he was gone I beckoned to the young man.
"Is that man from the Sandwich Islands, or where?" says I.
"That gentleman! Oh, he"s a Senator from the West," says he. "The whitewashing committee hate him like poison. He gives them enough to do, I can tell you. Awful in that direction."
"You don"t say so," says I. "Is that the man who has raised the price of lime and whiting to such an extent?"
"That"s the very man."
"Dear me! and he eats brains--cheesey at that. I never saw anything like it."
"Oh, that is a very popular dish, ma"am."