When the question of America's being prepared for war was uppermost
Representative Thomas Heflin, of Alabama, told the following story to
illustrate his belief that we ought always to be ready:
"There was an old fellow down in north Alabama and out in the mountains;
he kept his jug in the hole of a log. He would go down at sundown to
take a swig of mountain dew--mountain dew that had never been humiliated
by a revenue officer nor insulted by a green stamp. He drank that liquid
concoction that came fresh from the heart of the corn, and he glowed.
One evening while he was letting the good liquor trickle down his throat
he felt something touch his foot. He looked down and saw a big
rattle-snake coiled ready to strike.
"The old fellow took another swig of the corn, and in defiance he swept
that snake with his eyes.
"'Strike, dern you, strike, you will never find me better prepared.'"