lted by the Federal
Government, but it dar'n't come at us and just give us a chance at fair
fight. We'd show 'em the thunder of the Palmetto, that they'd never
trouble our sovereignty again. Captain, I pledge you my honor that if
there wasn't so many infernal Yankees in Georgia, and she'd follow
our lead in secession, we'd just lick the whole North. Georgia's a big
State, but she a'n't pluck, and has no chivalry at all among her people.
She allows such privileges to them Yankees-gives them power to control
her manufacturing interests-and this is just what will uproot the
foundation of their slave institution. Georgians a'n't a bit like
us; first, they are too plebeian in their manners-have no bond of
guardianship for their laws, and exert no restraints for the proper
protection of good society. But, Captain, their stock has a different
origin, and the peculiarity which now marks our character may be traced
to the offspring of early settlement. We derived our character and
sentiments from the Huguenots; they, from an uncharacterized class of
coarse adventurers, whose honesty was tinctured with penal suspicion.
This, sir, accounts for the differences so marked in our character."

The little fellow pressed this kind of conversation in the lobby of
the theatre, and at the same time took the very particular pleasure of
introducing the Captain to several of the young bloods, as he called
them, while they walked to and from the boxes. At length the Captain
found himself in a perfect hornet's nest, surrounded by vicious young
secessionists, so perfectly nullified in the growth that they were all
ready to shoulder muskets, pitchforks, and daggers, and to fire pistols
at poor old Uncle Sam, if he should poke his nose in South Carolina. The
picture presented was that of an unruly set of children dictating their
opinions to a hoary-headed old daddy-accusing him of pragmatism, and
threatening, if he was twice as old, they'd whip him unless he did
as they directed. The knowledge of South Carolina's power and South
Carolina's difficulties with the Federal Government he found so
universally set forth as to form the atmosphere of conversation in the
parlor, the public-house, the school and the bar-room, the lecture-room
and the theatre.

The little man extended his invitation to a party of the bloods. The
Captain was taken by the arms in a kind of bond fellowship, and escorted
into Baker's eating-saloon, a place adjacent to the theatre