SoscarcewasmeatattheendoftheAmericanCivilWarthatevenmenlikeRobertLee,formerlycommanderinchiefoftheConfederatearmy,livedchieflyonboiledcabbage.Oneday,Lee,entertainingimportantguests,served,inadditiontotheusualcabbage,averysmallpieceofmeat.Wheneachofhisguestsdeclinedthemeat,Leewassilentlyoverjoyed,lookingforwardtoindulginghimselfthenextday.
Whenthemuch-anticipatedmomentarrived,however,Leewasdismayedtohavehisservantpresentjusttheusualcabbage.Hepromptlydemandedanexplanation,whichthemanwashappytoprovide:knowingthatnoonewouldtouchthemeat,hehadborrowedittoimpresstheguests,andhadalreadyreturnedit,untouched,toitsrightfulowner.
美國南北戰爭結束時，肉類非常缺乏，連前南軍統帥羅勃特．李這樣的人物，吃的也主要是煮熟的包心菜。有一天，李款待貴賓，席上除了日常的包心菜，還有一小片肉。那片肉大家都客客氣氣不肯吃，李暗自高興，預期明天可以一快朵頤。
李熱切期待的一刻到來了，但僕人只是端上日常的包心菜。李失望之餘，馬上查問究竟，而那僕人也樂意解釋：他早就料到沒有人會吃那片肉，於是借來撐場面，事後已經璧還物主。
【附注】本文第一句用了倒裝句法，動詞was置於主詞（subject）meat之前。「So+形容詞+that」這句式，是可用倒裝法加強語氣的，這裏再舉一例：Soharddidhework（=Heworkedsohard）thathefellill（他太過努力，以致病倒）。