MD3PAD 571-573

[jbor at bigpond.com]

On 29/07/2006:

> George Washington sends a note to Mason asking him to join him
> in a game of billiards. Mason goes to the Raleigh Tavern and finds
> Washington in the midst of revolutionary counsels with people passing
> through the billiard room.
>
>         Someone uses the word "Nigger" and Mason is greatly offended.

It's a great scene. Someone in the room uses the word "Nigger", and 
then George Washington (supposedly trying to remain incognito and enjoy 
a "quiet game or two of Billiards" with Mason) retorts: "Civility, Sir! 
The word you have employ'd, here in this quiet Pool of Reason, is a 
very Shark, which ever feels its Lunch-Hour nigh." In angrily 
reprimanding the fellow like this about his use of the racist metaphor, 
there is a real risk that George is going to cause a scene and reveal 
his identity and who he is there with, the possible consequences of 
which Mason is quickly  "twitching away" about. But meanwhile Gershom, 
who has secretly followed George to Raleigh's Inn presumably to look 
out for the welfare of his much-loved employer and patron, pipes up 
with, "Excuse me, do I hear that Word again? In this Smoak, 'twould 
seem, so are we all." (I.e., "Niggers".) And then he breaks into his 
renowned King-Joak routine and draws the attention away from George so 
that the latter is not exposed in the company of an Englishman in that 
hotbed of Revolutionary fervour and perhaps forever branded as a 
traitor because of it.

best

> Through the smoke a voice says that in the smoke and poor light 
> everyone
> could be negroes.  Mason begins to get offended again but Washington
> says that it is only his "Tithable" Gershom.  Gershom cracks a few
> standup jokes and the crowd calls out for more.