TheBookofCraftsandCharacter 10000348

B OO K O F SI MP L E D EL I G HTS
By th e Sa me A
uth o r.
SEC OND E D I TI ON . Cro wn 8vo , 65 .
y
Here we
o
h a ve
d
a series o f l m preasi o us o f o u ntr li e i n
‘
Mr Ra m nd s mo at a m ira bl e ma nn er He l ive —o r
'
'
cd y f
f
h
d
. .
h e re esents i msel a s h a vi n li ved— fo r se vera l m o n th s a t

f
W Ha zel
ow
l uc kn u t, th e eli g h t u l n a m e
d
’
an 0 cot e in ve,
f
d
a mi st a l a n
f
d so ce m es a w a
.
h
d h
ed. t a t a l l t e
ro m a n yt
a rms
n , a nd si tua te
of
si m i s
oh c p c hd
l i e la yw i thi n ea syrea c h Ba rren m o o rla n c i rc l it
w
.
ye t b t o rn a nd a sture en ri e th e va ll e be o n d, a n d
c p p y d h
l ea sa n t mea do s s ki rted th e ri ver a l o n g th e o o t o th e il l
’
wwh o
.
l ist th e tta g e re a ri ng h e sta e a t th e Ro se i n

f
ho
c
,
l u n e
’
ere m i n e s t w a s M a r ti n Ch e dse H e h i s w i e,
of
oy y d
, .
a n d th e o ma n w h o did fo r th e te na n t t e o tta e. a re a s
enj
h
p d d p h
a bl e a s a n yrusti c s t a t Mr R a m o n
us. a n d t i s i s no mea n
y p hy
h as ever
ra i se Th eya re tru e m en a n d w o m en ,
a w n fo r
y o d h w h o d ho p odop dy h ppy
.
a n d a re re ro u c e to th e lif e i n l i tera r t o g ra
. Mr .
R a m n is a n ea r n ei g b u r o f Mr T ma s ar a
is rura l So u t -
estern Engla n to h a ve r uc ed two su e
L O ND O N : HO DDE R STO UG HTON

HE BO O K O F C R AFT S
AN D C HAR AC T ER
a m oa or
W
“
m
AL TE R R AYM O ND
so o n o r arm s nm o ms .
"
n o on u m Jo a n,
"
"
TR YPB EIIA n: no va ,
” “
rwo mm o
'
tru mp ,”
r rc .
H O DDER A ND STOU G H TO N
LO ND O N M C M VI I
Th u essay: a nd sketc h : km W as deta c hed pa per:
em w w m d 1 w fik b tw ¢di tm
W
in ba s , th d
Th e Spec ta to r, Th e estmi nster Gazette , Th e Tribune ,
Th e Da i l yM l ai , a nd yL
Co untr ife f or erm i ssio n
p to qfi r
C O NT E NTS
PM !
AN OLD STONE C RAC-

K ER
O NE OF TH E O LD S O RT
mt SHEE P
AR M“
F J OH N UCB K
WTRA
T O MP S
THE H URDLE MA K ER
vi B OOK OF CRAFTS AN D CHAR ACTER
YO UNG BOB PATTI MORE
NOA H ri m , wu nnnwmc m ‘
ru m STRA ER
PP
THE D ROVER
TRANTER LUC KSTONE
THE O LD A
PO C H R
E
A GA MEK EEP ER
THE CAR ER
T
C ONTENTS
THE SNA L MERC AN

I -
H T
AN OLD PR OJI C KER
THE O LD MO LE A
C TCH ER
X III
V
TH E TR U FF LE HUNT E R
SO L P R I DD LE , TH E D E L A ER
LO RD HAMMER DO W N
H ED NG AND D
GI ITCHI NG
THRESHI NG
v i ii BOOK OF CR AFTS AND CHAR ACTE R
XXIII
BI R D CHARMI NG
-
THE OL EST I N HA ITAN

D B T 20 7
AN OTH ER MI LLER S DAUGHTER

’
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XXVI
CI D ER MAK I N G
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XX II
V
AUTOLYCUS ,
1 900 AD
XX III
V
OVER A PA I R o r B EL Lo ws
XXIX
A SMALL HOL D ER
! ! !
MY NEI GH OUR B , MR S . SI MON G AL L I NG HAM

AN OLD STONE CR AC KER
-
AN O LD STO N E CRACK E
-
R
RACK ! C ack ! C ack !

r r
Seated upon h i s heap on the sward beside

th e ro a d old Mark L ucas the wayside stone c racker
, ,
-
,
wa s a t work .
Crack Crack l
Then came a pau se whil st he rolled down an ,
u nbroken stone and arranged it conveniently between
h is feet ; and soon sharper and fierc er than before

, ,
the blows began again .
S uddenly a s I drew near down came the pattering

, ,
ra in
. He threw aside hi s ham mer and hobbled into
th e ditch to shelte r u n der the hedgerow unti l the
cloud had passed .
Come an stan dry u nder the holmen bush he

’ ’
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,
shou ted to me with a merry wheezy little chuckle

, , .
DO happer down an no mis take But th ere ti s but

’ ’
.
,
”
a shower an t ull zo on be over
,
’
.
I stepped over the old hu rdles se t up to keep h is ,
chips and flakes from flying into the road and over ,
the hea p o f sharp edged newly crack ed stones to

-
,
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a c cept the h o s pitality o f hi s gli stening holly tree -

.
s
4 BOOK OF CR AFT S AND CHAR ACTER
The o ld man had many a time awakened my pi ty ,
a s he hobbled by th e aid o f two stick s from h i s

, ,
cottage with th e ivy and th e straggling rose bu shes -
to h is square pile o f flints I looked upon him a s .
the castaway o f agricu ltu ral labo ur abandoned in ,
dec repitude to a precariou s ignominy His face wa s .
wrinkled and crea sed S omething like a tear h u ng

.
hesitatingly in h is watery eye H is coat made fo r .

,
another man wa s green with age and cheq u ered with

,
pa tches He w a s ben t and h is limbs were c rooked

.
,
with rheumatism Yet fo r need o f a shilling u nless

.
,
the rain were heavy and incessant day after day he ,
migh t be fo und sitting on h is heap .
His heap wa s not always in the same place .
L ast autumn when th e maple bu shes in the hedge

,
-
rows were the colou r o f o l d gold and th e las t full ,
blown honeysuckle reluctant to be picked shed i ts

, ,
petal s at a touch he wa s in the lane Be fore winter

,
.
he had drawn down to the co rner where nettles g row ,
rank amo n gst th e c rumbling s tones o f th e di su sed
village pound And th ro u ghout th e spring mating

.
,
finches and returning mig ran ts sa w him daily nea r ,
the fing er post at the fo ur cross roads upon th e

- -
,
waste between the highway and the di tch It w a s .
here I interviewed him u nder h is holly bu sh -

.
A carpet thickly bestrewn with golden cela ndines

lay benea th o u r feet We sa t u pon a dry sandy
.
ban k cu shioned w ith prim roses and S prinkled h ere

and there with purple violets S u nligh t l it up the .
distant hill s in patc hes and a ra inbow arched ,
the sky spreading its many colou red sca rf to hide

,
-
AN OLD STONE CR ACKER -
the frowning storm A robin came a mongst th e .
p rickly leave s a l mo st within a rm s reach cocked h i s

’
,
hea d peered a t us inquisi ti vely and sang Earth

, , .
,
hea ven bl u e sky and dri fti ng cloud fresh green leaf
, ,
a n d slan ting s ilver rain s miled upon each other wi th ,
unmixed delight E ven the pa s sing wind la ughed

.
within i tse l f a s it pel ted heavy raind rops again st the

Open ing buds
,
G reat G o d ! I said in my hea rt an earth so ,
beau ti fu l could never have bee n mea n t to be a home

”
fo r po verty .
Fo r q u i te a long time I had pitied that poor man .
Yo u a re o u t in all sorts o f weather said I by

”
,
way o f making a beginning .
The old man chuckled once more Hi s head .
sho ok Hi s grey eye sh ed i ts frau dulen t tea r and

.
industriou sly began to form another .
“
I can t abear to be within walls I never couldn
’
.
’
.
Zo zoon a s I be up I do wan t to be o ut Zo zoon a s , .
I be in I do want to be abed Must be terr ble bad ’

.
,
”
wea ther to pen I u p No mis take . .
B u t don t you take harm from getting wet P

’
The chuckle grew in to a laugh .
The old man dre w him sel f u p and be gan to be

bo astful .
—
Why I ha n t n ever a been bad in my li fe o r not -
,
si n ce I wu r a chile An now I be ha rd u pon vower

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Never zick no r zo rry A n I ve a ha d hard

’ ’
sc o re . .
-
ships to o We bro ught up ten 0 em ze bem bo ys

.
’ ’
,
an
’
d ree maids bu t they all wen t away h erevro m
, .
Nothen po n earth ud do bu t the town They do

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.
6 BOOK OF C R AFTS AND CHAR ACTE R
get there 20 easy now When I wu r a bo y I did .
,
now an again drive stock to a m a rket o r a fai r bu t

’
that w ur all B less thee ! A man u d take no more

'
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”
thou gh t n o w to go to the world s end
’
.
Ho w did th e boys get o n

Wonderfu l well You zee I wur a man did .
,
always take a pride in myze lf I wur a ca rter too . .
20 I taught em always to take a pride in th ei rzelves

’
.
A n they we nt yo u ng to o n e place an t other a n

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, ,
lam ed trades an g o t o n They be all well o ff Heart ’

. .
alive 1 Tho ugh yo u do zee I a zo t pon a stone hea p -

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,
I ve a g o t no c all to work They be willen eno ugh

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to keep I B u t I do take that pride in myze l f I do

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,
zay 20 long a s I can c rawl I ll c a m my own victu als ’

.
A n I shall to o Fo r I do know i n my hea rt wh a t

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t u ll be One week u nder th e roo f Next week

’ ’
. .
under th e chu rchyard so d .
He g o t u p stepped from under h is hol men bu sh

,
-
,
and looked around a t th e sky .
R ain wa s still falling though not so fast But a , .
heavy cloud and a grey slan ting shower were coming

u p u pon th e wind and he came b ack , .
My mind do harbour but o n e fear said he doubt ,
fu lly shaking h is head

,
“
Things do mo ve 2 0 quick .
n owadays I be most terr ble afea rd th e time u ll ’ ’

.
come when there w u n t be no more stone cracken -

.
They do crack em by steam now at th e stone ’

,
q u a rr a n haul em
’
down
, w i a trac’
tion engine I do ’ ’
-
.
thi nk myzel f tha t things do go to o fast 0 late years

’
Change po n chan ge I do seem do keep th e world

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, ,
all pon edg e a n in wonder I do think myze l f did

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AN O L D STONE CR ACKER
ou ght to be stopped L e t em haul em down whole .
’ ’
i f they be a minded an then le t we crack em That ’ ’

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,
did o u ght to be made a law by Ac t 0 Parliamen t ’

.
B ut lawk i They ve a got no ti me the re vo r nothen

’
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no sen se There s to o much s tea m an hu rry now

.
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,
master Wh at do yo u th ink
.
A sympa th etic con demnation o f the e ncroachments

o f steam upon the stone c racking ind u stry raised me -
in h is estimation .
A h ! Th ere u l l be no road a ide cracken in yea rs

’
-
to come lamented he with th e earnestn ess o f a

,
true seer .
I tried to lead h is min d away fro m thi s melancholy

c on c lu sion .
“
I su ppose th e stea m cracke r and th e engi ne cost -
”
a good bit in labou r both to make and work I ,
s u gges ted A n d a s yo u sa y yo u r sons have done

.
, ,
well el sewhere .
He only shook hi s head again .
“
I do think stone cra cken ought to be kept u p fo r -
the sake O the vew that can t turn their han to

’ ’ ’
”
n o then else said he T u ll be a bad thing fo r the
,
.
’ ’
”
coun try when that do die out .
We let th e matter d rop .
“
I suppose if you cou ld be twen ty ag ai n yo u would
”
go to th e town to o , .
His face l it u p w i th excitement .
B less thee no maste r I do love th e open a i r to o

, ,
.
wel l L et I have th e sky over my h a t Tis well

. .
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en o u gh may be w i a trade in a town B u t I could

, ,
’
.
never ha stood all day long in a work shop a i x days

’
8 BOOK OF CR AFTS AND CHARA CTER
o the wick No master Whe n I wu r young I wu r

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, .
a man yo u cou ldn put o u t 0 place in a manner 0 ’ ’

,
’
spea ken I wu r one o the wold fashioned sort

’
. I -
.
could plo ug hy an mo wey an re a py an milky an ’ ’ ’ ’
make a rick o r lay a rope O hedge w i any man Yo u ’ ’

.
zee I took that pride in myze lf I always did I do

,
. .
I always sha ll An that s why I do come o u t

’ ’
no w . .
an crack a ve w stones n o t to be beholden to a ny

’
,
beddy no t even my o wn boys

— They d keep I in ’
.
ea se— vree a s a sq u ire i f I did allow em A n th at s ,

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’ ’
why I do think the stone cracken ought to be kept -
up — a o that a wold man past other work can carr

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home a sh i l len o r s o to h i s wold o o ma n an take a ,

’
pride in h i szel f NO no master G ie I th e open a i r

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, , .
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fo r all th e ra in I do love the fields an th e bea ste s

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an th e zu n an th e rain a y an theas here heap o

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’
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stones a l l 2 0 well
”
, .
The rain had c eased He g o t u p h i s little round .

,
cu shion in one hand h is hammer in th e other to , ,
hobble back to work By th e side o f th e hurdle he .
stopped fo r one word more .
“
One 0 my boys is in an office Ah ! He wu r
’
.
a lway s a beau tifu l s cholar he w u r B u t massy pon ’

.
, ,
u s mas ter avore I d zi t ho u r a te r hou r an bide an

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, , ,
sc ratchy pon paper wi a pen I d

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,
Finding n o word to express i t he lau ghed outright ,
a s he wen t me rrily on wi th h is c racking .
A nd I had pi tied that poor man
Toward d u sk when I g o t ba ck to th e village

, , th e
old stone cracker wa s hobbling homewards down
-
th e
AN OL D STONE CR ACKER -
street and in the Open doorway o f hi s creeper covered

,
-
cottage sto o d a n equally wrinkled woman expecta nt ,
o f hi s approach They made quite a touching pictu re

.
in the fading evening light .
My neighbour Mrs S imon G a l li ng h a m a la dy

, .
,
noted fo r h er intelligence and a remarkable gi ft o f

co nversation wa s by h e r garden gate pulling a bunch
,
-
o f lilac and I stopped fo r a word

,
.
I had quite a long tal k with that old chap to

”
day said I
, He is a very indepen den t old boy
. .
Independen t Mark i s very well o ff He brought .
u p h is son s most res pe ctable and now they do help ,
h i m— a n nothen but right explained sh e in h er sha rp

’ ”
,
instru ctive manner .
No He told me they were willing enough ; but

.
i t i s h i s pride to earn h i s c ru st fo r him sel f He won t ’

.
”
take anything o f them .
Mrs S imon G a l li n g h a m laughed

. .
”
H i s old woman will said sh e , .
ONE OF THE OLD SORT
O N E O F THE OLD SO RT
US AN J A NE S P R A CK I TE R wa s a wonder
fu l woman .Everybody round about Hazel

grove recog nise d in S usan Jane a meri t so ra re that ,
it placed h er in comparison with commonplace

huma ni ty a s one in te n thousand Sh e wa s said to
.
”
be th e last o f the old sort That wa s praise
.
enough in Hazelgrove I rreli g ion had never ye t

.
fou nd the hardihood to question the vi rtues o f the

old so There fore i f any person in company ev er
managed to raise a laugh a t the expen se o f S u san
J a ne there wa s always another si tti ng by to look up
,
and a sk Ah ! bu t whe re can you set eyes pon

,
’
an othe r like sh e ?
Yet S usa n Jane wa s not so al together fai r that it wa s
a temptation to look u pon h er Her nose wa s short
.
a n d sha rp a s th e projecting corner o f the figu re 4 .
Her upper lip wa s long and the mouth under

,
nea th took the shape o f a butter boat S usan J ane s

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cheeks bore frec kles a s big a s parsnip seed s and -

,
the y appea red to flourish better still on her high

cheek bones Her hai r wa s th e colour o f the mari
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.
is
14 BOOK OF CRAFT S AND CHAR ACTE R
gold and h er O ld sunbonnet a s white a s snow that
,
h a s lain o n th e ground si x weeks O f a working day .
S u san Jane S pra c ki te r wore h er skirt fu ll sh o rt and ,
the boots below were but a humorou s disgui se fo r

fee t .
I t wa s fo r moral beauty alone that S u san Jane

S pra c ki ter wa s remarkable .
L e ft a widow wi th five s mall child ren sh e turn ed .
to and fa rmed th e li ttle holding o f thi rty ac res in a

,
s tyle that wou ld have done c redit to any man .
Morning a nd night sh e wa s to be see n about th e

place bringing h er seven cows down the lane to be
,
milked a hay fork across h er shou lder carrying fodder

,
to the sta ll s o r a b u cket in hand taking the skim

,
to th e ca l ves in th e barn Nobody cou ld g et th e .
better o f h e r at a deal and it wa s known by a ,
hu nd red li ttle significan t sign s to be recogn ised only ,
by ru ral neighbo u rs that S usa n Jane wa s doing well

,
and saving money Yet d u ring th e years o f h er

.
hardest struggle times were notoriously ba d and ,
many a man who had been we ll to do wen t to the - -
wall To be sure a s everybody poin ted o ut S usan

.
, ,
Jane had most wonderfu l l u ck That sh e wa s in .
dustri o us and care fu l none cou ld deny S h e coul d .
d rench a bullock a s well a s any farrier and did ,

.
S ill he e
t t r i s su ch a hing a s l ck a nd no ma n living
t u —
can go again st i t S o a l l th e others said when they

.
did not get on .
B ut S u san Jane did not rely enti rely on hard work .
Sh e neglec ted none o f the li ttle precau tion s and

pious rights dea r to the old sort On h er stable .
ONE OF THE OL D S O RT
door sh e n ailed a crescent horseshoe ; a nd if a ny
neighbou r who chanced to come i n were foolish
enough to tempt death into th e house by putti ng
down the bel lows o n the kitchen table S usan Jane
W
-
,
did no t forget to s peak .
hen ba king day came round and sh e mixed u p

-
o n e ha lf o f h er flou r ove rnight a n d t in the h arm

pu
-
acc ordi ng to the best o f h er judgment— fo r S u san

Jane had judgment— she never fail ed to draw two
hea rts a n d a c ri ss cross on the sponge with h e r
-
two fo re fing ers to make i t ri se well and be ready in

,
th e morning .
A n d when sh e had a bushel o r so o f malt to brew

and had sw i lled o u t the wash tub and po ured out th e
-
,
boiling w ater and waited till sh e could see h er face

,
in i t and steeped th e malt th en before sh e covered it

, ,
up w i th th e sack sh e alway s d rew the same s ign
o n th e mas h .
An d although S usan Jane when she so d , a bed

o f onions o r other garden seeds never failed to pu t
down stri ng and feathers to frighten o ff the bird s ,
sh e always drew the same figu re on th e soil to
preserve it from something w orse .
Fo r these reasons no woma n who eve r wore o u t

sh o el ea th e r could bake a be tte r batch ; and th e last
loaf when i t wa s a fortnight to three weeks sta le did

, ,
ea t a s everybody knew verily and truly a s sweet a s

, ,
a h lbert As to the brew although the beer might

.
,
now and again ha ve a fu nny smack to it with ever ,
so little a thought o f a soapsud where could you find

,
a drink more whol esome It wa s ever so much

16 BOO K OF CR AFTS AND CHAR A CTE R
better than so much tea And i f S usan Jane did se t
.
the child ren to weed th e garden plot a s soon a s ever -
thei r fingers were big enough to go round th e neck o f

a groundsel that did n o t accoun t fo r a l l What
, .
good c a n work do unless yo u have the forethou ght to

keep o ff the evils th at no living soul can work
ag a inst P
S O everything wen t well The children grew u p
.
st rai gh t and strong and S usan Jane wa s very

,
p a rt icula r to send the m o ff in time fo r s choo l S h e .
wou ld go down to th e gate also wi th a little stick ,
tucked under h e r apron to stand in o u t o f s igh t until

,
sh e found hersel f in a pos i tion to attack th e rear o f
any loi terer o n th e way home To in stil a love O f .
work and the habit o f ind ustry the old sort set g reat ,
reliance u pon a li ttle s tick And a fte r admoni tion

.
always followed encou ragement Ah ! yo u mid .
hollar n o w bu t yo u ll grow u p to thank you r mothe r

,
’
in yea rs to come Yo u will c ried S usan Jane

.
,
”
.
One after another th e child ren grew up left th e ,
n est and went o u t into th e world a n d did well un til

, ,
a t last only th e youngest R euben remained a t home

, , .
He helped h i s mother on th e li ttle farm and had a ,
tw o wheeled cart o f h i s o wn and wen t pig dealing

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.
B ut the boys h a d brou gh t new ideas home from

school but none o f them more than R e u ben
,
The .
nineteen th centu ry spi ri t o f unbelie f had invaded

-
even the little remote homestead R euben openly .
sc o fl ed a t the bel lows and absolu tely refu sed to

'
allow two hearts and a criss cross on th e onion bed - -

.
He argued that Bell ises be bu t wood and leather w i

’
ONE OF THE O L D SORT
a iron n ozzle They ca n t do no harm pon table

.
’ ’
,
wi o u t s ome fool shou ld try to sw a ller em a n they

’ ’ ’
”
stick in h i s dro a t R eu ben declared there were no
.
such things a s pixies and never had been ; and more ,
than that he would g ive any witch leave to overlook

,
him An d slowly S u san Jane allowed her ancien t

.
fai ths to be shaken The horseshoe dropped from the

.
sta ble door and the hearts and cri ss cross were a s
- -
Often a s not neglected Yet the ba tch and the brew .
a n d the onion bed continu ed to enjoy th e u nimpa i red

-
prosperity .
S u sa n Jane h a d almost forgotten what R euben had

once called h er ignoran t and idle supersti tions when ,
suddenly a most res pec table so w o f cond u ct hi therto ,
above rep roach w u r a to o kt bad o f a most myste

,
-
ri o us di so rder That so w wa s officially declared no t

.
to be su ffering from swine fever bu t th e symptom s -

,
p r ove d al togethe r beyond th e a rts and expe rience of
S usan Jane The so w g o t poor when j u st th e opposi te

.
wa s expected o f h er and some though t sh e mu st be ,
in a decline S u san Jane only shook h er head Sh e

. .
knew What sh e knew fo r fear o f being lau ghed a t

.
, ,
sh e kept to herse l f .
It w a s summer but there had been rain and all the

,
earth wa s fresh and swee t agai n after a d rought The .
doors o f the homestea d were open to let in the cool

evening a i r a n d S usan Jane wa s bu sy in th e kitchen
, ,
fo r sh e had a few cold potatoes to fry up with a bi t

o f bacon in time fo r R euben S h e wa s glad at heart . .
The ra in had come j u st in time fo r the mang olds and , ,
a s everybody said would be the salvation Of the

,
3
18 BOOK OF CRAFT S AND CHAR ACTER
coun try There wa s nothing in li fe to find fault with

.
o r call fo r a sigh except th e so w— th e so w that w a s

,
—
bewitc hed S usan Jane knew she was .
Ah ! they mid talk sh e mu ttered to hersel f a s ,
sh e h u stl ed abou t bu t I do know what I do know

, ,
an what I sa w wn my own eyes when I wur a little

’
maid .
S uddenly sh e stopped Her eye caught sight o f .
something moving on the kitchen fl oor S usan Jane .
advanced a step and wa s awa re o f a large toad that

,
had managed to cro ss the th reshold and wa s slowly

c rawling by the wall u nder th e shadow o f the ki tchen
table A look o f horror came upon S u san Jane s ’
.
fa ce . The to ad pau sed and the two stared a t each ,
other .
Ah l you be a wi tc h beii n t c c ? I do know what I

’
,
did ought to do I do know what poo r mother done

.
”
years agone .
Yet the age had change d and S usan Jane

hesitated .
To h er eye the toad pu t on a guil ty look .
“ —
You do know you be catched don t c c ? Ah ! ’ ’
I can t abear to do it Yet I di d ought to

’
. .
E viden tly pe rtu rbed the toad moved again but , ,
back towards the door S he sa w h is warty back .

,
and there seemed to he a red gleam in h is eyes .
”
Te s a sin to forgive c c cried S u san Jane An
’ ’
, .
I w u nt n o r I wunt yo u wicked wold s pic ked an

— ,
’
spark ed witch .
Sh e ra n to the hea rth took the tongs picked , ,
u p th e toad by his fa t sides ra n to the fire clenched , ,

ONE OF THE OL D SOR T
h er teethhut h er eyes and dropped him into th e
,
s ,
midst o f the glowing embers .
”
There then ! I ve a dou ed it sh e cried and
’
-
, ,
heaved a sigh o f relief “

I knowed I did ought to
.
a n I did They don t believe noth en no se nse now

’ ’
.
.
’
- —
adays I ve a do ned right an I don t care zo long
,
’ ’
a s nobody idden here to know

’
.
MY SHE E P
MY S H EE P
HE neighbours always called him S heppey ,
a n d h i s old dog s name wa s S hip This wa s

’
.
so uni v e rsal tha t a stranger from th e town now and
again might fall in to the error o f add ressing him a s

Mr S heppey ; but a s the c h u rch regi ster can bea r
.
,
witness he was ch ristened Jabez Q uick

, .
They were a quain t pair that O ld blue shaggy

—
, , ,
bo b ta iled do g and h e— a s they wal ked together

-
down th e villag e street Neither in years wa s past

.
h is prime . B u t responsibility had con ferred u pon

e ach a staid sobriety that w a s very impressive .
They did no t stop to gossip .
S heppey s wa y wa s to nod make some oracular

’
,
remark about th e wea ther — a matter upon which he

—
wa s a recogn i sed autho rity and pass on .
When they met a strange dog o n the road S hip ,
j u st bristled up hi s back hair took three deliberate

,
steps to right o r left a s the case might be stopped

, , ,
growled and drew back h i s lips with a snarl vicious

,
en ough to make timid blood curdle Hi s threats .
n
24 BOO K OF C R AFTS AND CHAR ACTER
were qui te terrific Then wi thout haste he wa lked
.
, ,
ba ck to h is master s heel ’
.
You r dog h a s a nas ty way o f showing h is teeth ,

”
shepherd , said I o n e day as I passed them on the
village cau seway .
That s only h is smile replied Sheppey and he

’
, ,
looked u p at the sky and added that in h is opinion

,
”
i t wa s working u p fo r rai n .
B u t all th e thou ghts o f Jabez Q u ick the shepherd ,
h is cares joys aspiration s and pride were summ ed

, , , ,
up in two word s often on h is lips

My sheep .
He wa s tall and straight a strong wi ry ma n with , , ,
fai r hai r grey eyes a n d an aqu iline nose

, , His face .
possessed a character that marked him o ff from

ru sticity
. There a re many cou ntenances o f old
world cou ntry folk that seem to claim a native
ari stocracy Amongst th e you nger generation they
.
a re growing sca rce fo r the quicke r mind s ben t u pon

,
a trade dri ft away into th e town s When last I .
talked wi th S heppey he told me he wa s over sixty .
”
“
I be a past my d ree score wa s the way he put it
- -
, .
That wa s early in th e year a nd a bitter north ,
wind came driving up the valley bringi ng now and ,
a gain a storm o f ve ry fine snow The whirling flakes .
tossed and leapt upon the h u fll i ng gale a s if unwill

‘
ing to settle upon the earth Yet some o f them .
clung to the slan ting fu rrows o f th e ploughed gro u nd ,
and tu rned th e rich brown arable to a cold grey .
When th e cloud had passed th e s un shone .
S heppey wa s busy with h i s lambs .

MY SHEEP ”
The lambing fold wa s in a green field su rrou nded

-
by ta ll protecting hedgerows ; and a slopi ng h ill

,
to wa rd s the n o rth shiel ded it from the stroke o f the
g a le S tu
. dded about w ere s hel ters made with dou ble
h urdles well stu fled between with straw Whi te
'
l a m bs wi th woolly little bodies and preposterou s

,
l eg s dotted the grass and mingled thei r treble bleat

, ,
ing with th at o f the ewes S hip fi fty yards away .

,
fro m the fold lay c urled up making the most o f a

, ,
gleam o f J a nua ry su n with h is ba ck to the cold ,
wind He wa s o f no use on that occas ion

.
“
L ie .
”
down you sill y old fool l shou ted Sheppey when
, ,
th e dog got up and growled at the sound o f a

stranger s step in th e field
’
.
S heppey wa s in good spirits though perplexed a s , ,
may chan c e to any man with a su perfluity o f twin s ,

.
He ta l ked abou t shepherding and the conversation ,
beca me a monologue .
No no ! No t every man can be a shepherd

, To .
be a good shepherd a man mu s be a born shepherd ’

.
When all is a learned he mu s know more than can

-
’
be a told by word o f mou th He mus have th e

-
.
’
watch ful eye like to take in th e leastest little s ign s

,
.
An he mu s feel a pride in h i s sheep No w I d go

’ ’ ’
.
,
wi a leary be lly any day sooner a n harm should

’ ’
come to my sheep .
What do I mean by a watch ful eye ? Well now ,
so me h e so foreright they mu s ru n at everything

’
full butt like a ny old ra m

- No w sa y I had a flock .
,
0 shee p up on sleigh t an did walk up a t daybrea k

’ ’
,
to have a l o ok at em j us a s they did g e t up like

’ ’
.
,
26 BOOK OF CRAFTS AN D CHAR ACTER
S hould I tumble in pon top 0 em head fi rst like so ’ ’ ’

,
to speak o ut o the clo u ds No no ! I sho u ld look

’
, ,
over hedge quiet a s a mouse o r lea n pon the gate ,

’
first all u n be kno wed an eye my sheep

, ,
’
.
“
Wha t should I look fo r ? No w sheep when a l l ,
i s said an done he very like Ch ri stian s

,
’
When they
, .
do fee l bad in their in zi des they do show restless in

thei r ways Only there i s less decei t abou t a sheep
. .
He don t never hide h is fee lin s and he don t never

’ ’ ’
,
p u t nothen on I do like to zee em all a c h e we n the

.
’
-
quid c on ten ted when I do look at my sheep .
Then when I ve a had a peep at e m like that I

,
’
-
’
,
do walk in round quiet like you you rself mid stroll ,
round you r garden o f a S u nday a tem o o n to look a t

’
you r flow ers an note the c oun tenances o my sheep

,
’ ’
.
I do know em every one zO well o r better a n you

’ ’
do know you r feller c rea tu res that do live in th e same -
s treet A sa d sheep do hold h is ears awry

. He do .
show a downcast eye I c ould soon read misfortune .
”
in th e fac e 0 any o n e O my sheep
’ ’
.
All th e while he wa s bu sy with a ewe and a

dead lamb .
He d rove two sta kes in to the ground and fas tened

h er head between th em so that sh e could not butt .
He took away th e lamb and s kinned i t He looked .
around amongst th e bleating mothers o f twi ns fo r a

young ewe wi th a small u dder took one o f h er lambs , ,
clapped th e skin on its back and carried it to suck th e ,
be reaved ewe whic h very soon accepted it fo r h er

,
own He took a keen delight in showing me this

.
time honou red fraud

- .
MY SHEEP
Veril y an truly I do bel ieve sa id he th at
’
, , ,
a shepherd have a g o t to be the most a rtfu lest man

-
’
pon ea rth I do B ut he c a n ta ke a pride in hi s
. .
work too He mus have hea dpiece I tell c c to

.
’
,
’
,
carry so much throu gh Fo r h e s doc tor an surgeo n .

’ ’
B ut we be in fo r a cold night I can zee

’
an ,
that I mus run an make a drop 0 ginger gruel fo r

.
’ ’ ’
”
thik weakly ewe .
So the conversation wa s bro ught abruptly to a

close and I tu rne d back towards the vi llag e
, .
The elder lambkins pra no ed in the suns hine then ,
ra n to thei r mothers wiggled thei r tails and s ucked

, ,
.
A t th e gate o f a field I met with the owner o f the

flock Farmer John B uck a man so well known that
, ,
y o u may al ready have heard h i s name .
A n d how is shepherd getting on ? cried he in a

voice mo re boistero us tha n th e north wind .
”
A l l well and very bu sy replied I
, , .
”
That s right then he cried c heerfully
’
, .
Does he call th e sheep h is w hen he talks to yo u P

Farmer John B uck is a well to do yeoman o f the - -
O ld school He th re w back h is head a n d laughed

.
hi s best .
L ook here ! shou ted he ;

“
I wouldn t give a ’
co bbler s cuss fo r any shepherd who doesn t sa y my

’ ’
sheep l
FAR ME R J OHN BUCK
FA RME R JOH N B UCK
A R MER J O H N B UC K
one o f th e old is
schoo l ,and we all sa y so with a relish that
p r ove s th e old s chool to have been something e x c e p
ti o n a ll y good .
“
B ut where will yo u find another like him ? we
a s k each other every day o f o u r lives
They a re getting very scarce men Of th e good Old

.
so rt w h o in th e day s o f o u r fathers we re th e back

, , ,
bone Of thi s coun try Thus we talk in o u r parish

.
,
and sagely wag o u r heads when we men tion th e

nam e o f Farmer John B u ck .
Fa rmer John B uck i s a charac ter .
No t in a fe w lines su ch a s these i s he to be d rawn

a s he dese rves A thick qu arto vol u me bo u nd in
.
,
s heep skin
-
, could do only scanty justice to this
remarkable personag e The exterior th e ou tward
.
,
lineamen ts o f th e man yo u shall have Bu t th ey

, .
provide only the fron tispiece which can bu t i n a de ,
q ua t e l y s ugge s t the my ste riou s wo rking s o f th e mind
Farmer John B uck i s both tall and stout and , ill

st
31
32 BOOK OF CR AFTS AND CHAR ACTER
as u pright a s o ur squat church tower al though he -
,
own s to sixty eight H is face i s square by reason o f

-
.
,
tw o fa t j o wls that hang almost a s deep a s h i s chin

He bears what is called a fresh complexion ex tend ,
ing in a h ue o f delicate pink to the cen tral baldness

o f h is c rown a ba ldness doubtless brough t about by
,
wearing a h a t from dawn to sun set Farmer John .
B u ck shaves h im sel f sq uare between chin and fore

head lea ving a whisker down each cheek and a
,
g ri z zly bea rd aro u nd hi s th roa t Thi s a rrangement

.
o ften con fers u pon a face a grave and dignified

expression no t to be found elsewhere save upon th e ,
countenance o f a B ritish L ion in the R oyal S tandard .
These adv an tages crowned with an ancien t beaver

,
h a t with i ts fu r rufli ed and enhan c ed by a white stock

and fo x s tooth se t a s a pin make Farmer John B uck
’
,
a striking figu re a s he jogs down th e village s treet

on a stou t iron grey cob o f th e breed o f the ancient
,
-
pack horse O u t o f doors you never see Farmer

- .
John B uck on foot except when he walk s to ch u rch

,
o f a S unday and a s only an orch a rd divides h i s

,
barton stacks and homestead from th e graveyard

wall he h a s n o t fa r to go
, .
He i s the most good natu red man that ever trod

-
shoe leather
- — un til you cross him .
B u t look a t h is heal thy li fe .
B e fore th e summer su n h a s time to d rink the dew ,
he i s u p on th e broad ch alk down where the harebells

grow o r below in the grassy valley where th e gravelly
,
trou t stream run s winding between th e level meads

-
.
The a i r he breathes i s fresh and pure o r just ,

FAR MER J O HN BUCK
swe etened wi th th e wholesome sc ent o f sh eep a nd
ki n e A nd i f i n winter the north wind drives th e
.
co ld sl e et o r the grea t snowfla kes slan ting across

th e fold it only braces Fa rmer John B u ck up to a
,
I as ked h i m onc e whether with so much exposu re , ,
he did n o t ca tc h co ld .
Wha a t P Catch cold ? cries he

- - No t I Why . .
,
I ve ne ver a ke pt my be d a day in forty year

’
- .
Al l h is thoughts and interests a re wrapt up in

the lan d and th e pari sh .
He holds some sixty acre s o f h i s own bu t lives ,
a s a tenant farmer on the farm tha t he and h i s fore
bea rs have held time o u t o f mind This an tiquity o f .
ra ce h a s laid down a bed rock o f independence tha t

-
someti mes pe ers throu gh hi s good nature Farmer .
John B uck is n o t the one to s tand any tom foolery o r
W
ha n ky pa nky tricks from a ny man gen tle o r simple
-
hen the squ i re who by the by is hi s la n dlord

, ,
-
c o n te nded i n th e pa ris h c o uncil that there i s no leg a l

-
,
,
.
foo tpa th a cro ss B ro a dlea ze and threatened to shu t,
it u p Fa rmer John B uck g o t u p and made a speech

, .
Tha t s a damn fine cock a n bull ta le I do call

’ ’
,
i t ! c ried Farm er Joh n B uck at the ta p o f h i s voice .
Then he sa t down ag ai n .
He is su ch a Churchman to o .
y
E ver S unday o f hi s li fe— well ever since he wa s ,
- —
knee hig h h e h a s on ce atten d ed hi s parish ch u rc h .
There is nothing i mmodera te in a ny o f Fa rmer John

B uck s ha bits a n d he h a s found once enough
’
.
,
B ut so me forty yea rs a g o this stea d fas t constan cy

wa s pu t to a severe test The good easy going o ld.
,
-
,
fashioned rector had been taken to rest and a you ng ,
Ox ford popinjay o f a Pu seyite ! so the rumou r ra n)

wa s presen te d in h is place S o Farmer Joh n B u ck .
wa s on the alert No man on ea rth ever had a keener

.
eye fo r P opery He cou ld see i t in the g ai t o f that

.
young parson a s he walked down the village street .
He could s n i fl it a s i t were in th e doctrine o f any

‘
, ,
sermon which he did n o t perfectl y understand .
Nobody ever hate d it m o re Farmer John B uck .
held th e Opinion that should th e P ope ever come

back to E ngland all true born outspoken E nglish
,
-
,
men would be bu rnt a live S o when the young .
priest tu rned to the east Farmer Joh n Bu c k seeing , ,
at once how th e w ind lay tu rned to the west He , .
made no other protest Having been chu rchwarden.
O f th e parish fo r many a yea r he wa s conversa nt
with th e law and a s he a fterward s pointed o u t with

, ,
so me pride When he do tu rn I do tu rn An be ’
.
, ,
”
guilty 0 no brawling in chu rch
’
Th u s did Farmer
John B u ck Observe hi s characteristi c moderation
.
B u t no sooner did he rea ch the porch than h is

tongu e w a s loosened and he beg an to s peak his mind .
Al l down the chu rchya rd path under the lich gate ,

-
,
and along the causeway by th e chu rchya rd wall he ,
shou ted wi th the force and rapidity o f an auctioneer
selling stock
No w I ll give any man d ree h a l f c rown s an a

’ ’
-
,
gallon o cider that ull go an tu rn thik man round

’
,
’
aga in n ext time he do turn his ba c k upon th e people .
D ree hal f crowns an a gallon o cider Dree h al f

-
’ ’
.
FARMER J OHN BUCK
n I do za y an a gallon o cider an I ll take
c ro w s, ,
’ ’
,
’ ’
”
th e conse quences i f the re be a n y .
Oppo si te the inn my neighbou r Mrs S imon Ga l , , .
li ng h a m a s sta unch a Protesta nt a s him sel f but one

, ,
who dis l ikes a l l noise a nd lou d talking except when ,
sh e un c o n sciou sly does it fo r hersel f ind u ced by ,
th e cons ideration tha t so mebody might really be

”
l ed to think the fa rmer wa s in d rink ventu red on
“
,
a soft re mon strance z
B u t i t is so metimes done now Mr B uck , . .
”
No t here ro a re d he We never had no Popery
, .
h ere I tell c c no better Churchman a n poor passon

’ ’
.
dea d an gon e ever stepped into a desk He nev er

’
.
done it No no I tell c c what ti s I be fo r a

.
, .
’ ’
.
open B ible I be Always wa s an always shall be

, .
’
,
an my father afore me A open B ible that s what

’
.
,
’
”
I do sa y .
He appeared to add ress this argument parti cularly

to m ysel f a s i f with a certa in ty o f su pport
, .
B u t there a re millions in these da ys o f print a l l

open Mr Bu ck said I
,
”
.
, .
Ah ! I wna t listen to it Tis th e thin en d 0 the

’ ’
.
”
wedge Don t you tell I
.
’
.
We a re excellen t friends a n d I thou ght he might ,
derive benefit from a joke home opathi cally admin

i stered .
Well I hope you rea d it Mr B uck

, , . .
The frown s clea red away a t once His voice .
bec ame qu ite low a nd confidential .
No w th a t s a very funny thing sa i d Farmer

’
,
”
Joh n B uck “
I c an t read .
’
.
No t ead lr
Well i f I do but zit mysel f down quiet I do fall

,
asleep There I mid ta ke up a paper an gl a nce

.
’
th rough the markets but lawk i afore I do rea d ,
s ix lines I do d rop
Farmer John B uck cares fo r nothing outs ide o f hi s
parish After hi s one visit to London he complained
.
that he could n o t find any place to g et a bit o f fresh

hay to pu t in h is boots He very much prefers a bit .
o f sweet ba y to a sock There is no men ding no .
washing and i t fits a s he h a s O ften expla ined to me

,
, , ,
m that yo u r v o o t is a s snug a s a ba re in h er form

”
.
It is more convenien t and mu c h clea ner to o ; , ,
becau se you can a t any time si t down when yo u

chance to be passing a rick and pu t in a fresh wisp .
He admi red however what he ca ll s the L ondon

, ,
”
market .
“
I sa w a very fine show 0 beef an mu tton a s ’
,
’
good a s any man cou ld wish to s tick fork into B ut .

,
”
la l Twas all a zend up from the country reflected
’
-
,
Fa rmer John B uck .
Hearty gen ial relic o f the O ld sch ool no w passed

, ,
away ! Ho w often I have scorched my knees before

h i s fire and assuaged my thi rst out o f h is q u a rt cup !
I to ld him onc e o f a man in New Zealand who
sheared two hundred sheep in an eight hou rs day
’
.
Walter Ra ymond s aid Farmer John B uck

”
, ,
shaking h i s head and spea king with respectful

deliberation I do know no man that I do respec
“
,
’
’
—
more nu I do you but you he a liar .
WR
T O T AM PS
T wa s on the Foss e Way .
Mile a fter m ile the Old R oman ro ad stretches

across th e co untry fro m L incoln in to Devo n a s strai ght
a s the fligh t o f an arrow .
H ere and there at the foot o f a hill the modern

way may craftily s kirt a difficulty to o great fo r
wheels ; but the ancien t ro ad is still to be seen a ,
broad grassy lane climbing th e steep with a direct

,
ness that nothin g can turn as ide Its cool turf soft .
,
a n d damp under the shade o f u nplashed hedgerows ,
is pleasant under foot Wild mint grows in the wet

.
-
plac es Honeysuckle wild roses with now and again

.
, ,
a sweet brier refresh the a i r and delight th e solita ry

-
,
tra ve ller He may pe er over the brambles upon

.
th e hea d and brown wings o f a blackbird a s sh e ,
s i ts on th e ba nk o f the di tch hal f hidden behind a -
wrink led maple stump ; o r find the g reenfinc h s ’
n est high up in a thom bush and listen to th e

-
,
mel ancholy gladness o f h er mate B ut these joys .
a re brief The trua nt M a ca da m awaitin g h is

.
as
40 BOOK OF CR AFTS AND C HAR ACTER
descent is always ready to welc o me him ba ck upo n

the dust and stones .
Only when overrun by a city is the Fosse quite

lost On the plains i t i s a broad road generally with
.
,
a tract o f waste upon each side S l ightly billowing .
wi th th e unsuspected undu lations o f the g round it ,
keeps i ts undeviati ng course and melts o ut o f sight

u pon the hori zon .
I t wa s early a fternoon in summer time and amidst -
th e level pa s tu res o f S omerset that I met him He .
g o t up from th e way s ide stepped into the ro a d and

, ,
stretched him sel f —

The a i r wa s very close the sky
.
completely overcast with clouds He too k a long .
look a t the heaven s a s if deliberati ng upon the

,
chances o f a wet jacket and then he to ok a long ,
look a t th e road A t fi rst h is back wa s towards me ;

.
bu t he tu rned and ga zed steadily i n my di rec tion .
We were fa r apart but the sight o f another wayfarer

,
decided him He slow ly saun tered to a stick o f elm

.
timbe r a wind fall in some equ inocti a l gale s inc e

, ,
trimmed o f i ts branches a n d dragged alongside the

ditch o u t o f the way and sa t down to await my ,
approach .
He w a s a pati ent waiter .
I t may have been hal f an hour before I d rew near ,
bu t a t last he stepped out on the ro a d again and

wa i ted fo r me to come up .
There stood before me an unmi stakable tramp ,
not over tall bu t stu rdy and with an appearance

-
,
o f mu scular stren g th Over h is forehea d wa s a

.
time worn weather stained billycock hat An old

-
,
-
.
T W O TR AM PS
blu e spotted ha ndkerchief wa s a ro und hi s neck a nd ,
th e knot drawn very tight had worked round to one

, ,
side o f his thro a t His rusty gree n j acket wa s too

.
short in th e s leeves His yellow cord trouse rs tied . ,
around with string below the knee tried to assume ,
a n appeara n c e o f readiness fo r a job B u t i t would .
no t do I judged him to be fi fty years o f age It

. .
wa s impossible to sus pec t him o f a stro ke o f work

fo r the last q u arter Of a cen tu ry .
He wa s fa r to o expe rien c ed to beg .
I sa y g o v n e r which is th e way to Il c h ester P

,
’
,
”
S traigh t on .
S traig ht on be repeated and looking thought

, , ,
fu lly down u po n th e dust he shook h is head “

It , .
fair did me I ll be hanged i f I could tell There s

’ ’
. .
no ups an no down s an n o turn s to th e gallows

’ ’
road It beat me a n that s a

— ’ ’
.
He ga ze d across a rich level pastu re at a herd o f ,
fa t steers As wi th the al l u vial rich the fla t and the

.
, ,
fa t everywhere the re wa s to tell the tru th a lack o f

, , ,
in terest Perhaps he th ought so to o fo r he spat

.
, .
Then he looked me in th e face and became fra udu

len tly con fiden tial .
“
I ll tell yer g o v ner I ll tell yer the truth swelp
’ ’ ’
.
, ,
me Go d I m g etting down to where they re making

.
’ ’
th e new ro a d — th e rail roa d — to look fo r a job I .
’
aven slept in a bed fo r five nights I aven ad the
’
.
’
’
apen es I lef a wi fe an six kid s where I come from
.
’ ’
.
I m g etting on so fas t a s I can I want to send a few

’
.
bob to the missus S ee ? 5 0 I don t creep in any .

’
where 0 nights It ud waste my time g o v n er if the

’
.
’
,
’
,
42 BOOK OF CR AFT S AND CHAR AC TER
h obby wa s to come on an cop me wi thout any visible ’
mean s 0 su bsistence on my clothes Visible means

’
.
o f subsistence l There g o v ner l What yer think 0 ’ ’

,
that ? I s a bloke likely to sleep o ut wi v a fi pun note

’
- -
in h is pocket ? No w g o v ner is i t sense P You don t ,

’
,
’
pick up blooming millionai res o f a night g o v ner not ,

’
,
in a wagon hou se n o r u nder a rick They ave beds

-
.
’
0 the i r o w n — a s a rule A n i f yer ain t q u i te a

’ ’ ’
.
millionaire g o v n er why yo u c a n ave a lodging

,
’
, ,
’
fo r fou rpence B u t th e bloke th at ain t g o t bu t

’
.
th ree a pen c e g o v ner a s a ungry belly Why wif

-
’
,
’
,
’ ’
.
,
th e price o f hal f a pint in yer pocket g o v ner ye r

’
, ,
can t sleep fo r thi rst He can t keep that fo r a

’
.
’
”
visible mean s 0 subsistence No t i m ’
.
’
.
He looked to me fo r su pport .
I rea d i gave acceptance to so credible a sta te

ment .
S o yer see g o v ner no t to waste ti me I keep on

’
, , ,
all the night An when th e sun a s j us a d a hou r

.
’ ’ ’ ’
o r so to dry up the dew why I j u s lies down to ti ke

’
, ,
me rest upon th e d i sies They ca n t meddle wi v yer ’

.
’
by day B ut blow me g o v ner when I woke up an

.
, ,
’
,
’
ea st me eye u p an down thi s blo o mi n old gunbarrel

’ ’
o f a road i f I co u ld tell th e way I come o r had to go

, .
S o when I see yer I though t sooner an waste time

’
, ,
by tramping ba ck maybe a mile o r two by th e way I

come I d j u st sit down a n wa i t an pu t th e qu estion
,
’ ’ ’
Fo r I ain t a d a mou th fu l since yesterday

’ ’
to ye r .
morning a n then a bloke don t wa nt to go a step

,
’ ’
”
to o m u ch .
There wa s about him something o f the merry

W
T O TR AMPS
begga r o ba ll a d A little twinkle in th e

f th e O ld .
eye a s i f by a n a cknowledgm en t o f the abs u rdity o f

,
his story to pro ve i t true .
Si t down on the tree said I and I l l give you ’

, ,
”
a bite to eat .
SO I gave hi m a hunk from my sa tchel and we ,
lunch ed tog ether un der the hedge .
D o you live near here g o v ner ?

’
,
”
So me di sta n ce away .
He looked a t me curi ously .
What do yer do now g o v n er fo r you r livin ,

’
,
’
O r don t ye r do nothin at all i f I may make so free

’ ’
,
as to a s k
I m a tramp
“ ’
.
He leaned back with h i s mouth full and chuckled .
”
What lay a re yer on ?
”
“
I m a gagg er
’
.
He laughed outrig ht .
Then fo r G awd s sa ke pitch us a ya m g o v ner

,
’
, ,
’
,
”
tha t they ain t never yea rd afore cried he ’
, .
”
Tis beyond me sai d 1 “
I ve been looking fo r ’
.
,
one fo r years They ve heard em all hundred s o f.

’ ’
times B u t I never heard you rs before No w look

. .
,
here You ve never done a day s work in your life

.
’ ’
.
You ve gone wet You ve gone cold You ve gone

’
.
’
.
’
foots ore You ve gon e hungry You ve been with ’ ’

. .
o ut a roo f over yo u r hea d most o f th e time except ,
when you ve been in jai l No w tell me in confidence

’
.
— i f you know Why haven t you worked and ea rn ed

.
’
a wage like other men P

He slowly m a sti c ated swallowed h is last morsel , ,
44 BOOK OF CRAFTS AND CHARACTER
a nd glanc ed ro und at the satc hel on the vain c ha nc e
o f mo re
.
S eei ng it a s fla t a s a pan ca ke h e looked u p and

, ,
h is eye caught mine .
We g rinned a sort o f understan ding o f ea ch other .
The real touch o f Natu re that m a kes the whole

world kin i s a sen se o f humour .
After a moment o f hesi tation and silenc e he lea ned ,
forward a nd confided in a fellow humourist -
”
There ain t no need
’
.
A fortnight later I sa w him l o af out from a hedge

ro w i a another pa rt o f th e coun ty B ut reco gnisi ng
.
a n old acquaintance be greeted me with a laugh

, ,
”
Well You have not got fa r said I
.
, .
B u t he wa s ready .
N0 more ain t yo u said he

’
.
,
TH E R
H U D LE MAK -
ER
T is n oti ceable that men engaged in primitive
cra fts take an espec i a l pride in their work The .
reason i s n o t fa r to see k
. Nobody lends a hand from
s tart to finish a n d th e a rt though simple i s all the
, , ,
worker s o wn Thus a plou ghman can look with

’
.
u nmixed satis fac tion u pon h i s fu rrow tu rned strai ght
and true ; o r a thatch er at th e old homestea d roo f

,
fres h c lad in a new yellow jac ket from ridge to eaves .
I f you wal k into the qu iet woods o f a winter day ,
when all the bi rd s ex c ept the robin a re dumb and ,
have a talk with a hurdle maker it i s ten to one that

-
,
i n five min u tes yo u find you rsel f in th e company o f

o f a man elated wi th a harmless va nity SO much.
The a rt o f wattling is among st the most ancient

o f tho se simple devices which have been hand ed
down without change to th e prese n t day I t c o m .
p e te s wi th thatch al one in i ts claim to be the mor e

striki ng feature in the arc hi tecture o f o ur remote
forefathers ; fo r ea rly co nverts to Christi anity in

these is la nd s were gathere d into chu rches w i th wall s
41
48 BOOK OF CR AFTS AN D CHAR ACTER
very like the wreathed hu rdles wi th which th e shep
herd still fold s hi s flo c k The step from a shelter
.
o f bu shes to an in terwea ving o f branches mu st ha ve
been qu ite easy and fro m th at to wattling is no

,
great stride Amongst th e remains o f th e lake village

.
o n th e moors near G lastonbu ry w reathing h a s been

,
fou nd that does n o t materi al ly di ffer from the hu rdle

o f to day ; a n d races fa r behi n d th e lake dwellers in
- -
civilisation still u se i t fo r their hu ts .
A hoar frost lay whi te on th e red decaying leaf , ,
a n d o n th e mossy clump s o f hazel and o ther copse

,
stu ff where the unde rwood had recen tly be en cut

, .
Ye t su nlight w a s gl eaming once more u pon the

tru nk s O f o a k and a sh that un til a week o r two a g o
,
had been in th e shadow fo r m a ny a yea r ; and great

h ead s o f moi stu re were e verywhere beginning to
d rop from th e branches overhead The cutting h a d
.
commenced a t the end o f au tu mn when th e yello wing

,
and fall o f the leaf proved that th e sa p wa s gone ;

and th e fallen copse wood lay in long straight lines
-
,
strings i s th e prope r name o f them — which by rea son

o f th e gentle u nd u lation o f th e g rou nd took c urves
tha t were pleasan t to th e eye . Where the stick s had

been c u t each wi th one deft blow o f th e woodman s
,
’
hook th e tops o f th e stumps glistened smooth and

,
yellow in the light and brightened the place in

,
cl u mps almost a s thick a s th e prim roses that a re

certain to be there next spring now that the earth
is open to th e light and a i r . The glades were solita ry
and would have been silent but fo r th e sha rp strokes
o f a nuthatch somewhere near which had sti ll found
,
THE HUB B LE MAKER-
a slip shell nu t upo n the ground and carried it to

-
h i s chink in the ba rk o f some tree near at hand A .
co c k pheas ant sta lked slowly across th e alley in

-
fron t o f me and pa sse d out o f sight

, A n d fa r away .
in the woo d where intermingling branch es made a

,
dark screen a nd hid th e lan d scape beyond a d rifting ,
film o f blu e smoke wa s rising amongst the trees .
I came to a n open space where th e strings had

been cleared away and th e stu ff sorted to various
uses A sta ck o f fa g gots stood close by A l o t o f
. .
s lende r poles grey a sh and bi rch o f a delicate silver

,
with blotches o f ri c h brown were lea ning again st ,
the fork o f a sturdy oak Near by th e hu rdle maker

.
-
wa s a t work .
You have made yoursel f a good fire said I ,
thoug h a s yo u work in shirt sleeves it would -

,
”
appea r tha t you think li ttle o f the c o ld .
The remark se emed to amuse h i m fo r he gave a ,
lou d g ufla w a nd to o k u p the hurdle he had ju st

'
finished to place it back u pon his pi le .
Ho ! ho ! A man can zwea t to hurdle maken zo -
well a s to a ny job I do know I di dden take the .
trouble to l ight up no vire not vo r my own zelf like -

.
B u t when there s a vro st the rod s be zo brickle a s

’
gla ss You can t twist em not no fa rshi n at a ll vo r

.
’ ’
,
the li fe 0 c c A bit 0 vire o f a ma tu en do sort O

’
.
’ ’
melt th e vro stes out O th e ro ds like an th en you

’
,
’
c a n turn to Though mind me the zun ull drop ’

.
, ,
in to thefts ea rner pretty quick no w Le t be j us gie .

’
a bi t o f a squint down here l ike an you don t want ,

’ ’
”
no vi re.
50 BOO K OF CR AFTS AND CHARACTER
He wa s a fine talwart man o f a bout five a n d thirty
s - -
.
He had s po ken the truth fo r althou gh h i s billycock

,
hat wa s on the back o f hi s c rown I could see beads ,
o f moi stu re standing u pon h is forehead His sl eeves .
were rolled up but not so high a s the elbow and

, ,
showed h is a rms mu sc u la r and hai ry He wore .
gai ters and covering h i s right knee wa s a leather

,
”
protection which he presen tly ca lled a knee knap
,
-
.
He did not stop working whil st he ta l ked but ,
having put aside th e hu rdle tu rned toward s his ,

”
rod s
. S tick s suitable fo r hu rdle making when -
,
trimmed clean o f side shoots and c ut O ff to a su itable

”
length and thickness become rod s and these were
, ,
leaning again st a frame made o f three ashen poles ,
two standing u pright in th e ground with one across ,
in the shape o f a country boy s jumping gallows ’

-
.
"
S ome hu rdle makers se t up a couple o f hu rdl es

-
behind th em but the support wh ich hold s the rods

,
a l l han pat and ready fo r use whatever it may be

’
-
, ,
”
i s called the back hu rdle -
.
Every ma n have a g o t h is own fancy I do

-
,
”
suppose laughed he an mine i s fo r theas here ’
-
, ,
”
bi t o f a galli s made to suit my own height like .
He c ho se with ca re a ro d exc e ptiona lly la rge and

s traight He wa s evidently on h is mettle a nd pre
.
pared to show how a really a rtistic hu rdle should be

made ; fo r a s he stooped to pick up h is hook he ,
gl a nced at me to be sure that I wa s look ing He .
held up th e ro d so that the butt end came nicel y at

a striking distance and with four blows c ut o ff four
,
clean chips and the ro d wa s a s sha rp a s a lea d pencil - .

At h is feet la y a block o f ti mber bored with ten
holes si x inches apa rt He thrust the ro d in to th e
.
outsi de hole held it upright and d rove it home wi th

,
a tap o r two o f the fla t o f his bo o k .
Thi k do make a tidy o utzide za i l said be , .
”
A what ?
” “
A za il he chuckled I ve a heard tell that ’
-
, .
when the King gied o ur S ir John u p here a tap pon ’
th e shoulder he made un a S ir Wull when I gied .

,
thi k ro d a ta p l ma de u n a za il There I do .
,
suppo se we do a l l act a c c o rdi n to o u r d egree like

’
.
,
Once they be stuck up in th e vlake there th eybe za i ls ,
all ten 0 em An that s th e most 0 the di fleren c e

'
’ ’ ’ ’ ’
.
i n we men folk too I do ll o w whe er we do hap to

’ ’
, ,
be u p o r down : vo r if I c a a n t make a S ir I ll be ’
,
’
da l led i f I do th ink the Ki ng cou ld make zo very

much o f a hurdle 20 there His Majesty ud vall
— .
’
”
o u t wi sh epherd I l l wa rra nt it
’ ’
, .
He gave si len t co ns idera tion to thi s pro po si tion

whil st has ti ly con ferrin g the ac c o la de on th e nine
other rods Then with ten sails fu lly se t though
.
,
they were in fac t on ly ba re po les we were rea dy to ,
set out upo n th e wreath i ng .
L ea ning agai n st h is ba ck h urdl e were wa n d s o f -
—
m a ny va rieties brown ha zel grey a sh green wi thy , , ,
dog s ti mber and whip top to use h is own names

’
,
-
, .
He chose a li kely h azel ro d pla c ed it between two ,
o f th e sa i ls then wrea thed it in and out along the

,
others unti l he rea c hed the end Then he twisted it .
so that it would tu rn round the outside sa i l wi tho u t
snappi ng wrea thed it back a s fa r a s it would go

, ,
and took a nother S ometimes with his spar hook .
-
he cleverly spli t a ro d that migh t be a trifle too large ,
and thus made two o f i t And now and a ga in a s .
th e wrea thing gradually rose he brought h i s kn ee ,
knap into requ isi tion and kneeling with a l l h is ,
w eigh t on th e in te rwoven rod s forced th em down .
together close and tight A t last he came to th e .
to p ro d twi sted i t tw ice around the o u ts ide sail and

,
made th e en d fast with care .
A n thik we do cal l a fini she r said he glancing

’
, ,
rou nd a t me with pride .
S o th e h urdle wa s made and h a d now only to be

trimmed up Wi th h is ho ok and the skill o f a
.
Chinese executioner he sn icked o ff th e heads o f th e

,
sail s o n e after another a l l to one heigh t Then l ifting .
th e h u rdle o u t o f th e flake be trimm e d away th e e nds

o f th e wreathin g until all wa s neat .
There ! cried he with simple vani ty Catch .
hold 0 un an shake un Thik s a hurdle

’ ’
.
’
.
The statemen t wa s n o t to be gainsaid .
Ho w do you know when you h a ve carried th e

wreath ing high enou gh P
Ah ! I do know Take a dozen o em mea ster ’ ’
.
, ,
an mea sure em They be vower vo o t zi x in length

’ ’
.
- -
an two vo o t te n in bei th ; an you ll vi nd em zo

’
- -
’ ’ ’ ’
like a s peas in a pod Tes all eye a n use measter .

’ ’
, .
W u ll there yo u zee there s zome do do one thi ng a n

, , ,
’ ’
some tothe r B u t I c a n make a hurdle wi an ma n

’ ’
.
,
”
I c a n Zo there
. .
The su n had risen h igh enoug h to look into hi s

c orner Th e fire h a d dwindled to a heap o f smoulder
.
i ng embers As I wa lked homeward across the wood
.
a squi rrel ra n along the branch o f a beech tree

-
.
Hunger a nd the wa rmth o f th e su n had aro u sed

h i m fo r a n hou r to pa y a vi sit to h is hoard o f
nuts .
U O
YO NG B B P ATl I MOR E
'
YO U NG DO B PATTI MORE
O UNG BO B P ATTI MO R E is a ra m fellow

fo r ever u p to so me o f his tricks He i s th e
.
li fe o f o u r c o u ntry si de a nd no l iving soul c a n be ten

-
,
minu tes i n hi s c ompa ny wi thou t a lau gh And .
y y
e t o u can n o t help liking th e c h ap to o ev en
,
i f th
, e
joke be a ga inst you rself There i s something so

.
fran k and enga g ing about h is s miling countenance

so mething childlike in th e c url o f h is bl a ck ha i r
a n d boyis h i n the twinkle o f h is dark eye s I nno .
c en ce itse l f c a n not look more plea sa n t th an yo un g
B o b Pa tti mo re s gui le and n othing c a n bea t hi s

’
,
go o d h u mou r Therefore a ri pple o f merri ment

.
follows in you ng B ob s wake a s in th e tig htest

’
,
o f g aite rs th e ba gg ie st O f breec h e s a c h eck jacket

, , ,
a n d a bowler h a t pu shed ba ck from h i s foreh ea d he ,
ma kes hi s way throug h the c rowd at market a n d

fa i r Fo r young B o b i s a d ressy ma n even fo r fo ur
.
a n d twen ty
-
O nl y th e week before la st he wen t i n to
.
A ppleto n s a t Ch i l bu ry a n d took pa ttern s to c h o o se

’
hi msel f a ne w s um mer sui t .
No w everybody knows th at old Mr Appleton

, .
,
h a vin g made a fortune resides in a new villa ,
res iden c e about a mile out o f the town .
He is th e vi car s churchwarden at Ch il bu ry parish

’
church and a municipa l councillor next on the list

, ,
to be promoted to a l derman I f it shou ld please .
Provi den ce to spa re hi s li fe he will some day be

mayor .
He keeps a low pony carriage ; a nd a ma n who -

,
does the garden just slips on a livery coa t over h is

,
garden clothes ! because h is yellow cord trousers do

no t show under th e rug ) and wea rs a top h a t ! that -
on ce belonged to Mr Appleton himse l f) when ever .
Mrs A ppleton h a s to be d riven into the town

. .
H e goes in to bu siness only fo r an hour every

other day to give advice and keep hi s eye on the
”
young people .
A well regulated mind cannot imag ine a respect

-
ability more sacred Therefore it is impossible .
to u n derstan d much l ess to defend the behaviou r o f

, ,
you ng Bo b Pa ttimo re who on h is homeward way ,
stopped dismo un ted shoute d to a boy to hold h i s

, ,
ho rse and kn ocked a sha rp ra t tat on old Mr

,
-
.
A pple to n s front door

’
.
Mr A ppleton at home P
.
Yes , si r.
”
Q uick a s thou g h t old Mr A ppleton h i m sel f short .

,
and round and g rey in a littl e frock coat so ,

-
,
artisti cally perfect that it len t beauty even to h is

rotundity wi th a beaming fac e shin ing gold
, ,
s pec ta cles a nd a glis tening bald c rown poppe d out

, ,
into the hall .

YOUNG B OB P ATTI MORE
C ome in Come in
chirruped be covered with
.
,
”
,
smil es a n d overfl owing wi th en th usias m C ome .
”
into my o wn little room .
Then he wi nked at you ng Bo b Pa tti mo re d rew up ,
a c hai r a nd took the whis ky out o f hi s own littl e

,
cu pbo ard .
You ve done business fo r my family a good many

’
years Mr A ppleton be ga n young Bo b a fter a

, .
”
,
thoughtful prelimina ry si p .
A h ! We ha ve
”
cried old Mr A ppleton with
, .
deep feel ing “

I c u t fo r your po or father and you r
.
”
grand father before him .
S O I thought I d ju st call i n The fact is I m not

’ ’
.
,
satis fied .
No t satisfied P
Old Mr Appleton lean ed forward a n d raised his
.
ha nd to his ea r .
No t a t all sati sfied repea ted young B o b with ,
slow precis i o n to prov e there wa s no mistake abou t

,
it
. SO I said be fore going elsewh ere I wi ll go
, ,
”
s tra ight to the fo u nta in head -
.
O l d Mr A ppleton wa s both surpri sed a n d grati

.
fied to meet with suc h un s uspected prudence and

goo d sense i n a you ng man con c erni ng whose
ways he ha d sometimes in the privacy o f th e ,
fa mily c i rcle been very criti cal

,
Yet his fa ce grew .
stern . I f they could n o t satisfy so rea s onable a

customer the thi ng shoul d be well lo oked into to
Wh a t is i t my dea r Mr , . R o be rt ? asked he in a
co a xing tone .
60 BOOK OF CR AFT S AN D CHAR ACTER
Th e truth i s, your prices a re a mighty deal too
Q uali ty — qu a li ty s miled O l d Mr A pple

, t on .
,
greatly relieved .
That s a ll very well Bu t I can t see that the

’
.
’
qu ality i s better than where folk pay less No w you .
j ust look at these patterns You ta ke them Mr .

, .
”
A ppleton and dec ide fo r you rsel f
, .
Old Mr Appleton took o ff h is gold spec tacles

. ,
carefu lly wiped and pu t them on h is nose a gain with

,
th e gravity o f a j u dge He walked to th e window .
and held th e little snippets to the light .
Yes yes said he complacently nodding h is

, , ,
head .
“
It takes experience to distingu ish the in feri
o ri ty o f thi s so rt o f chea p showy thing That s a ’
.
,
difficul ty we have to put up with nowadays This .
cloth is not all wool Mr R obert It s a very , . .

’
deceptive article No t more than two thirds wool

.
- .
Just look at it There isn t the shee n J ust .

’
.
feel i t There isn t the softness No no A ’

. .
.
,
cheap price it may be B ut there s no wea r to

,
.
’
Then you wouldn t rec ommend it Mr Appleton P ’

, .
sa id young B o b doubtfu lly .
A false e conomy Mr R obert Wa it a minute , . .

,
a nd yo u sh all see fo r you rsel f I ll j u st fetch Mrs .

’
.
A ppleton s mag ni fying glass and yo u sha ll be c o n

’
,
”
vi n c e d.
circular glass from Mrs Appleton s

He fetched the .
’
- —
d rawing ro om table a powe rfu l magnifier th rough ,
which tha t good lady s guests were sometimes invi ted’

Y OUNG B OB P ATTI MOR E
to admi e photogra phs o f an evening a n d th ey

r —
looked at those tweed s in turn .
Young B o b declared he could see no di fle re nc e

'
even then .
The old gentleman ex plai n ed from h i s vast ex

perience Two things o f u nequal elas ticity Mr
.
,
.
R obert can never be mixed with succes s

, There .
i s no rea l wear abou t a thing like this a n d in a fort ,
nig h t th e tro u ser knees w i ll be bags Ti s th e faul t

’
-
.
o f th e age my dear Mr R obert

, The fau l t o f a
. .
”
shoddy age .
O l d Mr A ppleton wa s so earn es t and instructive

.
that young Bo b al most fancied himsel f a t a S unday

scho ol .
B u t w ha t do you take to be the fai r price fo r a

su i t from those pattern s ?
The price well i f you were bent on i t— rather

— —
than lose an O ld customer o u r peo ple could do you
”
a suit Of that a t fi fty shilli ngs .
Young Bo b deliberated .
“ —
I see the truth o f all yo u sa y yet I think I
may a s well give you the order at once fo r two o f
”
these sa id he quietly after reflec tion
, ,
“
I felt .
mysel f there mu st be some mistake when your ,
young man showed me these patterns and told me

”
fou r pound five .
O h yes
, Young Bo b will have hi s joke there is
.
,
no doubt abou t that A ri pple o f laughter follows in

.
h is wake both at market and fa i r There i s no harm .
—
in h i m wha tever a n d not th e lea st touch o f ma lice
in a n ythin g he does And the a bsurdity o f i t wa s
.
62 BOOK OF CR AFTS AN D CHAR ACTER
to crown all he took the two suits at eight pou nd
,
”
ten That i s to sa y he said Pu t em down which
.
, ,
’
,
o f cou rse w a s q u i te a s hones t and in point o f fac t

, , ,
just th e same thing .
B ut truly, as Mrs S imon G a l l ing h a m

. aid to mes
a few days later when young B o b rode through the

,
village and sh e popped o u t to see who had gone by

What sen se wa s there in such behaviour P What
good could it do anybody P An d th e mystery to
me i s how young B o b could ever have thought o f to
, ,
sa y nothing o f daring to ca rry out s uch an o u tda

,
c io u s pra nk upon so uprigh t so res pectable an inde

,
penden t gen tleman o f private means a s Old Mr .
A ppleton and one so universa lly looked u p to

, .
O
N AH PI KE , WW
HEEL RI GHT
N OAH P K E, I WE W
H EL RI G H T
Q A H P I K E , Wheelwrigh t, Hazel g rove .
Ho w o ften I have read th e word s, i n large

red lette rs se t o ff wi th flo u ri shes, on the tailboa rd
o ome heavy laden wagon laboriously jou rneying

f s -
along the road .
The Old wagon s mostly have a ground o f yellow

bu t th e more recen t a re O ften pain ted bl u e
,
Wi th .
a fine se n se o f artistic proportion th e eq u ally divided

,
-
date an nou nces i tsel f two figu res in each u pper corner
,
making due ba lance to right and le ft o f th e m a ker s ’
name S ome o f th e dates have bee n so ancien t fo r

.
—
a wagon lives long with a n ew part here and there

,
w he n wan ted u n til a t last li ttle o r n o thing O f th e

,
original stru cture re main s that in my i m a g inatio n

—
No ah arose a s a dim figu re fro m the past su rviving ,
only in h is work s I cheri shed n o hope o f m eeting

.
him in th e flesh A n d yet when happy chance led

.
the way to Hazelgrove the word s g reeted me wi th

,
a h o lder frequ ency than ever

Noah P ike, Whe elw righ t .
6
From a board in a wagon maker s yard they stared ’
-
upon th e village street .
L o w hedges and an open gate hid none o f the

mysteries o f wag on making from the ou ts ide world
-
.
There wa s a forge a sa w pi t a la rge workshop piles

,
-
o f timber and a heap o f O ld i ron

, ,
A little crowd O f .
delighted children rein forced with a leisu rely matron

,
o r so had gathered before th e en trance

, .
A clou d o f bl u e s m o ke came d ri fting ac ross the

road and hung like a grey mi st around th e sq u are
,
tower o f the pa ri sh chu rch In the cen tre o f th e .
y a rd a so rt o f bonfi re had been lighted F arm ed by .
a light breeze the flames leapt up roaring their ,
hu nger a s they licked th e dry wood they were eager

to devou r An d still from th e heap o f ru bbish hard
.
,
by the old wheelwrigh t and h is journeymen piled on

,
—
more fuel now a spoke then a felloe o r a fragment ,
o f an old tail board wreckage from some wo rn o u t

-
,
-
voyager o f th e high road .
Presently the master whee lwright stood as ide and

watched the blaze He glanced with c u riosi ty at
.
the stranger by h i s gate and his eye seemed to ,
convey to me an i n vi tation to speak to him .
I pu shed my way throu gh the little crowd and

s tepped into th e yard .
May I watc h yo u bond a wheel ?

”
D o c c then and welcome he chee rfu lly replied
’
, , .
E ight i f you be a minded We do wai t fo r a num

-
.
ber when we can and one fire do hea t the lot

,
He wa s something o f a patriarch with his grey

beard His fa ce wa s broa d and fresh colo ured with
.
-
O
N AH P I KE , W LW HE E RI GHT
th e genial look o f one wh o h a s done much work but

s u ffe red fe w ca res A n d such w a s the history O f h i s
.
li fe a s told by himse l f .
“
I have hund reds o f times met wi th you r name
upon the road Mr P ike so you seem like an Old
, .
,
”
acq uaintance said I , .
You may well sa y that laughed he and h is grey , ,
eyes lighted with pride Fo r my father and my .
g r and father b u il t he re be fo re me and were bo th held ,
to be th e bes t wagon makers in these parts 80

- .
I be Noa h the thi rd Ha ! ha ! Why there i s some .

,
do take th e liberty to call my little hou se there Noah s ’
Ark My so n here do bear th e same name so there s

’
.
,
”
hopes it may last a bit longer yet in Ha zel g rove .
He pau sed a minu te shook h i s head and added , , ,

”
Unless th e big work s shou ld take it all from us .
I s there fear o f that P

That s the way nowadays The big do swallow
’
.
u p the li ttle Ti s all fo r carrying everyth ing away

’
.
to the big places Bu t w e do choose th e best 0

.
’
timber in o ur judgmen t and work a s well a s we do

know We ve a had a plen ty to do so fa r th ank G o d
’
-
I do Often
. .
,
A n d I ben t ashamed to mee t my work

’
.
times tu rn rou nd a min u te o n th e road to cast my

eye po n i t Fo r a man mind me can find a satis
’
.
, ,
fac tion i n a thing that s h is own from start to fini sh

’
.
A n d I an my son s wi a j ou rneyma n o r two do

’ ’
, ,
do it all e v ery stroke except the axle bo xes and

— — -
,
them we do g et ready made from Wednes bu ry -

.
”
Wou ld yo u like to look rou nd ?
His invitati on wa s most hearty The bond s had .
68 B OOK OF CR AFTS AND CHAR AC TER
al r ae dy bee n laid in th e fire so whil st they were ,
heating red h o t we wen t into th e work shops

-
.
There be fou r sorts O timbe r to a wagon said ’

,
he . Oak a sh elm and deal All th e frame i s oak

, , , .
,
bu t th e sides and th e rave board — h e laid h is hand -
o n th e projec ting shel f that h o ld s up the load from
th e wheel be elm th e hanging pillar that strong -

,
beam below which th e fore wheel s do work a sh ; and -

,
”
the floor deal .
As he spoke he pointed to each pa rt o f the body

o f an u nfini shed wagon be fore u s .
B u t th e fashion o f th e thing i s changed said I , ,
s ince th e day s o f my c hildhood when a fte r harvest , , ,
we rode away to the n u tting picnic in th e wood s -

.
The raves then were O pen frames like fla t ladders .
When we wen t to th e h a yfie ld we used to sit upon

them all arou nd A n d th e wagon w a s hal f a s big
.
again
The Old bo y could n o t wait .
”
That s true he c ried
’
Zo we did
, We . .
trimmed th e wagon up wi lau rel s and flowers and ’

,
th e bell s were m usic every mile 0 th e way I tell ’

.
c c what tis — twas plain victu al s them days bu t

’ ’ ’
,
more mi rth B u t all change to my mind is bro ught

.
, ,
in from th e outside The rail roads made small .
w agon s There he no great load s fo r a long jou rney

nowadays What i s i t now P Th ree mile and clap
.
i t on a train B u t then what w a s twen ty o r thi rty

.
,
mile to we P Heavy loads and big teams then Ay .

,
and i f you had nothing to haul ba ck you mu st get ,
ha l f a load 0 ashes to save the pikes

’
.
He topped and chuckled at the recollection o f
s
this O ld device .
The pikes P
H a ! ha ! Why th e tu rnpikes to be sure I f
, ,
.
you went empty you m ust pay toll B ut th e ashes .
ranked a s manu re and passe d free B ut how tis ’

.
,
c hanged ! No pikes now ! Yet a s I do sa y all , ,
change is bro ught in from the outs ide L ord bless .
thee ! We shou ld never ch ange i f we cou ld help i t ,
not here in Hazelg rove till K ingdom come ,

-
.
A s he explained all the intricacies o f the under

carria ge a n d how the fore carriage turning upon
,
-
,
”
the main pin allowed th e wheels to lock he
-
,
“
,
became qui te animated ; bu t th e height o f hi s

en th usiasm wa s reserved fo r the wheel .
Did you ever think in yoursel f like what a ,
beau ti ful thing a wheel i s ? Ho w nice he mu s be ’
put to gether in all h i s parts ? Ho w true he mu s ’
be to run straigh t ? L ook here I u sed to sa y to .
my bwo y Noa h my so n a good wheel mind i s

, , , , ,
a moral Yo u con sider u n an larn from u n

.
’
.
’
He tapped wi th h i s kn u ckle upon the axle bo x -

,
the ci rcu lar i ron let in to the stock to hold th e

axle u pon which the wheel revolves the only pa rt ,
he did not make .
We used to hammer out he too but not 0 late ,

’
”
yea rs said be with reg ret bu t then suddenly
, ,
bec ame cheerful again a s he spoke o f the difficulty

o f setting it He m u st be let in wonderfu l firm
.
a nd true o r th e wagon will swerve from right to
left a n d look into everybodys windows all down

,
‘ ’
70 BOOK OF CRAFTS AND CHAR ACTE R
str eet a s th e saying i s B ut those li ttle i ron nut
,
’
.
h ond s hold the el m stock from s pli tting and we ,
do drive in wedges o f harder o a k till tis so firm ’
you cou ldn t g e t in so much a s a pin s poin t more

’ ’
i f yo u tried The spokes yo u see he o f o a k but

.
, , ,
th e felloes those pieces that make u p the o u tside

,
wooden ring o f the wheel be o f elm And this , .
o ne i s all pu t together ready fo r th e bond o r

ti re .
It so happened that at this moment Noa h the

you nger came hu rrying to sa y that the bonds were
re d -
ho t .
We went into the yard again and stood beside

the fire .
The ti res to be used had bee n piled one above

another making a lo w rou nd tower In the pal
, .
p i ta ti o n o f an in ten ser hea t from which the coarse r ,
flame had depa rted they appeared to qu iver wi th ,
a white glow The jou rneymen came with rod s .

,
li fted o ff th e uppermost bond and carried it quickly

”
to the platform that ci rcular level a little larger
,
than a ca rt wheel whi c h may a lways be fo u nd

-
,
somewhere on the ground in a wheelwright s ’
yard .
Into th e centre o f the platform they fixed a n

upright ba r and threaded the wheel upon i t so
,
that it ra n like an axle through th e axle bo x -

.
With a deft ta p o r two o f th e hammer the red h o t -
ti re wa s b rought accu rately in to posi tion and at ,
once th e wheel wa s fi tted in to i t and screwed tightly

into place The felloes smoked and even burst into
.
O
N AH P I KE , W LW HE E R I GHT
flame . the adju stment once true water wa s

Bu t ,
q u ickly poured upon th e metal bond It his sed .
resen tfully and ste amed When that ceased all wa s

.
co mplete .
There ! cried Noah P ike That ti re w a s

.
forged an inch and a quarter less than the outside

wooden ri m O th e whee l He loosened o ut in th e
’
.
fire and now h e s gone back to h i s o wn righ tfu l size

’
.
They felloes be squee zed u p so tight that they do

hold the tongues O the spokes fi rmer than any vice
’
.
An i f that ti re don t hold sou nd fo r ten year I ll ea t

’ ’ ’
the wheel bond a n all wi o u t so much a s a mossel

, ,
’
,
’
”
o butter o r a pinch 0 salt
’ ’
.
THE STR APPER
TH E ST RA ER PP
E came into the village late in the summer

aftern oon when th e su n wa s shining through
th e five as hes that s tand a t th e c ross road s at the -
plac e called Forc hes — an ominou s name su g

g e sti n g that the re in olden time a gallow s stood ,
a warning to any with a talent fo r knavery .
He had traipsed some di stan ce a s it see med from

,
the whi te du st on h i s heavy boo ts and th e sweat ,
that trickl ed from h is forehead and stood in beads

upon hi s high cheek bones A tall strapping fellow
-
.
,
in yellow cord trou se rs he looked a s much like

,
doing a day s work a s any man could He carried

’
.
nothing bu t a hoe resting o n h is shoulder He .
—
came from down the cou ntry down West and a —
long shadow stretch ed before him upon the village

stre et
.
He stopped by the forge where the smith wa s

busy paring a horse s hoof’
.
Any ch ance o f a job hereabout do c c th ink ?

’
,
The smith looked him over stopped and thought

, .
“
Well now I beant zo wonderful sure but what there
,
rs
76 BOOK OF C R AFT S AND CHAR ACTER
mid be Try down below to th e old house Farmer
.
,
John B u ck s He ve a g o t up twen ty acres 0 tur

’
.
’
-
’
mets m ust be growing fas t after last week s ra in

,
’
.
They mus su re ! No w I wou ldn s wear mind but

’ ’
, ,
”
what yo u won t find a j o b ’
.
Wi th this encou ragemen t the strapper pu t on

a very bu siness like h ard working a i r and walked
- -
,
down th e village at a bri sk pace .
Farmer John B uck wa s in th e house and sent ,
o u t to sa y that i f th e man would wai t a fe w minutes
he would come out to take a look at him .
Farmer John B u ck did no t like strappers He .
had a prejudic e against all su ch wandering ru n ,
abo u t fellows w h o came nobody knew whence and

,
went nobody knew where A farmer may be sharp .
a s a needle and yet never

, get upsides with these
bird s o f passage However he prided himsel f that
.
,
he knew their ways To be sure whenever i t wa s

.
,
possible he liked to manage with h i s own folk

, .
Yet when the ears o f barley a re hanging all goose

—
necked when wheat is tu rning ruddy and weeds

, ,
—
grow fast enough to cover u p th e tu rnip drills what -
i s a man to do ? He eyed the strapper u p and down .
A great strong chap ! A u se ful fellow no do ubt

, ,
o r cou ld be i f he wou ld thou ght Farmer John B u c k , .
Hi s qu estions however were rather m a gisterial than

, ,
conciliatory and he received every statement o f th e

,
”
strapper wi th an explosive Ho l
Wh ere be from P
Down th e c ountry Creel i s my parish Down. .
”
below E xeter .
THE STRAPPER
Ho ! Well how , i s i t yo u haven t got work
’
at home P
“
I be a drainer by trade I shall be on again . ,
”
come win ter .
H o ! What have yo u bee n about then the las t

few month s ? ”
“
I hoed some wheat fo r a farmer dow n t other ’
zide o Ta n ton an stayed on haymaking When

’
,
’
.
”
th at were over I had to come on .
A single man P ”
A mi ssu s a n d fou r c h i l de rn I do want a good .
”
long j o b to send em back something ’
.
Ho ! Yo u do Can ee d rink a c up 0 c ider ?

.
’ ’
I can do that grinned th e strapper so well

,
“
,
”
o r bette r a n a n othe b me
j
’
y r o y o u c a n pu t to .
I don t dou bt that sa id Farmer John B u ck

’
,
.
After all th e replies seemed sati sfactory and there

, ,
wa s even something candid in th e manner o f the

ma n He hesi tated “
Well I ll be o ut in a min u te ’
. . .
,
”
We ll go up rou nd and see i f we can agree
’
.
The strapper had a c rust o f bread and c heese

to h is cider Farmer John B uck moun ted hi s cob
.
,
a n d they wen t to gether to th e tu rnip field They .
loo ked at th e weeds and higgled abou t the price

in a hal f ba nte ring sort o f way Certainly th ose
-
.
“
tu rm ets did wan t hoei n g a s bad a s any tur “
”
mets the strapper cou ld ca ll to mind A t last .
they agreed and the strapper wa s pu t on th e job

,
by th e piece .
That man had eviden tly a hunger fo r work Ti s .

’
more than likely I dare sa y when th is is done

, ,
78 BOOK OF CRAFT S AND CHAR AC TER
there ll be something o r anoth er el se tu rn up said

’
he ho pefu lly .
We shall see— we shall see replied Farmer ,
John B uck warily Mind I don t tell yo u there ,

’
”
won t’
.
“
I can lie in the barn I su ppo se ? ,
Ay Don t smoke and set th e place a fire

’
. .
B less thee heart master ! When I be the re I be

,
”
asleep laughed the strapper
, .
When Farmer John B uck got home he expressed

the opinion that this time al thou gh it might be ,
early to boast he rea lly a n d tru ly had picked up a

,
”
very likely feller .
The strapper slept in th e barn and the next ,
morning soon after daybreak wa s out and at work

in th e turnip field Farmer John B uck cast h is eye
-
.
u pon him when h e rode u p to start the reapers in th e
piece o f barley He had g o t h i s back bent over the

.
d rill a s if h i s only longing in li fe wa s expressed in

”
th e old refrain G ie I th e tu rmet boen A nd all
“ - .
,
day long he went o n ju st th e same except w he n he ,
sa t down under th e hedge fo r a bi t o f bread and
cheese in th e morning and a bit more wi th a nap in

th e shade a t noon The creeping field convolvul u s
.
with i ts lilac bell and the pimpernel with i ts little red

flower open to th e sun th e heart s ease th e chick
’
-
, ,
weed a n d all the rest o f them were d ragged u p by

,
the roots S ti fl prickly thistles and the softer milk

'
.
,
thi stles that stood so tall fell down be fore h is hoe .
The tu rnip drills stood o ut in even rank a s straight

a s files o f soldiers a nd where he had singled them
,
THE STR APPE R
the roots stood equ idi sta nt and regular a s troops in
open order When towards th e latter part o f th e
.
day Farmer John B u ck rode across to take a look a t

the strappe r he fo u nd that an amazing day s work
,
’
ha d been accompli shed He had never seen tu rnip .
hoeing better done The weed s were lying fla t u pon

.
the grou nd withered by th e su n and dead a s hay

,
.
”
You ve stu ck to it pretty close my man cried
’
, ,
he in a tone O f approval .
Ha ! I tell c c mas ter I be ha rd u p fo r th e

’
, ,
h a pe n c e lau ghed the strapper

’
.
,
Well keep o n like th at and you ll make a tidy

,
’
job O f i t Yo u c a n g o in and a s k fo r a cup O f cider

.
”
wh en yo u come down .
”
Thank c c si r ’
, .
Maybe that will keep th e ma n from going down

to th e public house thought Farmer John B u ck
-
, ,
”
and he i s a capital chap to work A nd a s he .
jog ged along he ind u lged in a little day d ream O f -
pu tting that strapper on regularly i f he shou ld tu rn

o u t really well and sendi n g fo r the mi ssu s and fou r
children to hel p u p th e population o f a dwindling

pa rish .
An d th e strappe r proved even better than h is

hopes He never wasted an ho ur fro m th e momen t
.
be knocked down the fi rst thi s tle to S atu rday

evening when he ca me in to d raw
, .
Well how m u ch do yo u wan t then P

, ,
Farm er John B uck had cast h i s eye over th e work

that afternoon and knew pretty wel l wh at ha d been
ea rned .
80 BOOK OF CRAFTS AND CHAR ACTE R
I thou ght 0 asken eigh teen sh illens said the ’
,
strapper .
B u t yo u haven t done i t
’
.
”
NO admi tted th e strapper wi th can dou r
, No t .
by a cou pl e 0 sh illen s o r hal f a c rown B u t I shou ld

’
- -
.
be glad wi it I do w an t to send some back home

’
. .
Farmer John B u ck w a s sh rew d and loath to part .
However he w a s good natured al so a n d th e chap

,
-
,
wa s ce rta inly use fu l .
”
Very well said he and pai d the money, Ge t , .
”
o n wi th i t 0 Monday
’
.
“
I will promised the strapper wi th fervou r Fo r
, .
I do hope you ll find me something on to winter’

.
”
Well We ll see .
’
.
O r maybe a reg lar j o b

’
.
K ee p o n to it sprack Mind I don t tell yo u I ’

.
,
”
won t replied Farmer John B uck in a tone o f
’
,
cheerfu l encou ragemen t .
Farmer J o hn B u ck declares he shall know that

strappe r i f ever he should fall in wi th him again .
“
B u t h o w a fellow wi a plen ty o f work in fron t o f
’
him can ru n away and leave i t fo r th e sake O f a

cou ple o f shillings an have to tramp maybe a score ’
0 miles in d u s t and s u n to find a wo se j o b i s wha t

’ ’
”
do cap I says Farmer John B uc k
,
Though mind .
,
me tis a lesson never to do a thin g however m u ch

,
’
,
y o u may be temp ted when yo u do know be tte r , .
”
tis
’
Zo .
TH E DR O VE R
TH E D R OV R E
H
E had long been a familiar figu re The stra nge .
n ess o f h i s atti re picked u p a g arment at a

,
time i n Odd c o rners o f the neighbou rhood co u ld n o t ,
fa il to catch and hold th e atten tion There wa s some .
thing pic tu resqu e about h i s rags tha t imp ressed itself

u pon th e memory . He might have robbed a scare
cro w Yet he took no sham e i a hi s tatters bu t looked
.
,
th e world in the face wi th a sort o f c u nning au daci ty

a n d ha l f an eye to the o fl c h a n c e o f a po t o f be er
'
He answered to the name o f Jack .
The surname o f Never sweat h a d been conferred

-
upo n him yea rs before in better ci rc u mstanc es from ,
wh i c h h e dropped through an inca paci ty fo r steady

wo rk Yet he wa s active to o Miles he tramped to
.
, .
ma rket a n d fair to the sale o r to fetch cattle bought

, ,
by a dea l e r at some o u t o f the way homestea d- - -

.
L ea g ues he sauntered behind flo ck s and herds The .
l ei su rel y habi t tha t earned him the nickname wa s n o

dra wba ck in h is profession He cou ld be tru sted n o t
.
to overdrive th e l azy beasts Fo r Jack w a s a d rove r

. .
His oc cupati on stan ds u pon th e lowest rung o f th e

83
ladder amongst those men who rea lly see k fo r work
a n d earn their bread .
O f an autu mn day I came in sight o f hi m before

me on the road .
A soft bl u e sky hung over the head s o f yellow ing

,
elms It wanted but a n hour to noon and the sun

.
,
wa s high a n d shone over the top O f a berry laden -
hedgerow u pon the red backs o f a herd o f dai ry cows .
A littl e flock o f shee p went straggling along the way

s ide p u lling the ivy th at climbed over the bank o f a
,
dry di tch .
This wa s a Michaelmas flitting and the stock wa s ,
jou rneying to another farm O ne o f the farmer s

.
’
boys had been sen t to help Jac k and a couple o f ,
paces from hi s heel fo llowed a mongrel sheep dog -

,
lean long legged and wi th a ro ugh d a rk coat that

,
-
,
looked a s ragged a s hi s o wn An d wherever along .
th e hedgerow they cam e to hazel bu shes he and th e

bo y stopped pu lled down th e bough s a nd filled their
, ,
pockets with n u ts .
A few minu tes su fficed to overtake him .
B ecause th e weather wa s h o t he carried h is co a t

upon h is a rm It wa s gree n and threadba re and the
.
,
s leeves we re torn into a fri n ge Hi s elbow peered .
th rou gh a hole in an old flannel shirt from which th e

pattern had long a g o faded He wa s ope n at the .
throat betwee n h is red neckerch ie f and the neckba nd .
He wore an old sporting wai stcoat o nce gay but , ,
n o w di scolou red wi th filth and grease and the Odd ,
buttons which had replaced the brass were all undone .
H is trouse rs were tied around with string below the

THE DR VE R O
knee He wa s wi thout socks but a wi sp o f hay
.
,
supplied every wa nt a s might be seen where h i s ,
boots were in holes And yet this tatterdemalion .
wa s bu t fo rty with a physiqu e that many a well clad

,
-
ma n migh t en vy .
Well Jack a re the nuts ripe P

, ,
Fo r answer be cra cked one wi th tee th that had

nev er a ched a n d held out the full kernel fo r me to see .
”
“
A mo st s lip shell said he
’
-
.
,
”
I see you ve g o t a goo d crook
’
.
They do pick along the way an why n o t I ? he ,

’
argued pointing to the cattle and th e sheep a n d

, ,
g r inni n g all over a b ro a d fa ce that had not bee n
shav ed fo r a week .
S uddenly he tu rned excitedly to the boy .
There s thik white faced bu llock o ff down the

’
— -
lane Ni p across th e grou nd my lad an tu rn h e r

.
, ,
’
ba ck Then let em all bide there by the bit 0

.
’
,
’
grass and rest a bi t

, .
Nothi n g could be more inspi riting than th e e nth u

si a s m o f Jack Never sweat when he recommended -
acti vity to another .
He strolled on so me twen ty ya rds o r so and sa t

down on a l o w wa ll where a stone bridge carried the
roa d over a sm a ll stream The dog understood .
,
tu rn ed twice round and lay down in th e su n The .
flowi ng water made a pleas ant sou nd The ligh t .
breeze that followed it shook h i s tatters giving ,
glimpses o f th e man beneath What c hance might .
there be o f ge tting a t the real m a n wi thin th at inner

tenemen t P
86 B OOK OF CRAFT S AN D CHARACTER
I sa tdown at the other end o f th e wa l l .
Have yo u g o t fa r to g o P I as ked .
Yo u do know the Hare and Ho unds ma y be ?

Yes .
”
Well ; three mile past that .
Ho w fa r have you come P

Tis likely enough you do kn ow the R oyal Oa k
’
”
at Hatch .
”
Yes .
Well three mile t other side 0 that

,
’ ’
.
Tis pleasa nt on th e road at this time o f the

’
”
year said I , .
I f yo u do walk i t fo r pleas ure he an swered a nd , ,
thoughtfu lly cracked a nut B u t to wa lk all day .
wi th you r eyes on th e rumps O f another man s ’
bu lloc ks is a dry j o b The dro veri n g i s a poo r trade.
no w Th ey do mostly truck th e beasts an sen d

.
’
e m by rail Why a drove r can t find th e pric e o f a

’ ’
.
,
pin t to moi sten h i s clay o n th e road these days

except he do c hance to fall in wi a real gentleman to ’
give un a few h a pen c e ’

.
He cracked another nut .
”
A n they be scarce he went o n with a sh ake o f
’
,
th e head I tell c c wh at ti s the money i s in th e

’ ’
.
,
wrong hand s That s th e cu rse 0 this country

.
’ ’
.
—
The re i s bu t so much money there can t be An ’ ’
W
.
do fall more an mo re in to a few h a nd s I heard em

’ ’
.
a telling only la st week into th e

-
King illiam
back there to the fou r cross roads There s a man -
.
’
down there do rent th e shoo ting an he ve a got a ,

’ ’
-
pound every ten minu tes 0 the day a golden sovern ’

,
a- pa i d in to a Office in some town somewhere o r
nother No w do stan d to rea son i f he ha ve a got it
.
-
an o th er c an t Tha t s how ti s there s poo r a nd rich

’
.
’ ’ ’
,
I count L ook at th ik ewe there

. I f a nother do .
belong to sh e you don t Eh P ,

’
.
”
I should th ink tha t s clear ’
.
Thus encou raged be c racked more nuts and wen t on .
Tis pride i s the ro o n a ysh u n 0 this country a n

’ ’ ’
,
that ti me ll show They do all want to g et h igh an

’
.
,
’
i f some do some m u st be l o w I f some h e pon to p

’
.
there mus be some down under That s so clear a s

’ ’
.
the light Why I heard it said a week ba c k by th e

.
fel lers that do d rive th e tracti on engine a n I don t

— ’ ’
-
tell you no lie mind fo r th ey wa s a stood ro und th e

, ,
-
door 0 the Fo u r All s away there under th e bill

’
,
’
that the re s a lord up th e cou n try can t stomach h is

’ ’
victu al s wi thou t tis served t o u n o n a gold plate ’

.
Di ff eren t to a th u mb bi t u nder a hedge that Eh P -

, .
The ground arou nd by this time wa s strewed wi th

n u tshe lls thou gh he had thrown many over h is
,
shoulder in to th e b rook .
They be all so covetous these times he wen t on , .
I had a bi t 0 grou nd 0 my o w n once bu t they had

’ ’
,
i t away from me I too k u p a fe w po unds pon it ’

. .
That went o n a year o r tw o an my ground were ’
somebody el se s The o l d rogu e Of a lawye r What s

’ ’
.
his name that have got h i s o fli c e there in to town

-
‘
,
same stree t a s th e B ri tannia he worked tha t I be

’
.
,
a bi t o f a scholar mysel f bu t h e s to o sharp fo r any ,

’
ma n .There were a young chap in to th e tap roo m -
o the B all there ha ndy to the market place you do

’
,
’
-
,
know he said this lawyer What s hi s name is certai n

,
’
- -
to outwit the devil Thik young chap h ave a seed a

.
-
tidy bit He u sed to go out wai ti ng till he took to

.
,
d rink an cou ldn t carry a plate 0 sou p steady He

’ ’ ’
.
says thik lawye r What s h i s name i s so cunning h e s

’ ’
- -
certain to do the devil o ut 0 hell afore he ve a bin ’

,
’
-
w i u n a twelvemonth B u t I don t believe no such

’ ’
.
thing— there ll be no cow kicking then Th i n g s l l be

’ ’
-
.
squ a red O ff a bi t in th e next world Ay an the poor

’
.
,
”
man that do g o barefoot here will get h is due .
He stopped H is nu ts were gone and he g o t lazily

.
up from the wall .
S eeing him move the O ld dog blinked and rose,
sti ffly and withou t en thu sias m .
Jack Never sweat stood thou ghtfu lly scraping with

-
h is sti c k o n th e d u st o f the road .
S u ddenly he looked up .
Yo u hain t a g o t an odd c oppe r o r so about c c to

’
-
’
”
spare I su ppo se P be said in th e to ne o f o n e u n ex
, ,
p e c te dl y ill u mined wi th a b righ t idea Thank y o u .

,
si r
. Yo u re a real g e n le ma n
’ ’
.
A s udden briskness seemed to have overtaken him .
”
Hi Towze r
, .
The do g gave a ba rk .
The shee p ra n together in to a flock and the cows ,
became a herd .
I watched him slowly pass o u t o f sight beh ind the

hedgerows thi s fi rst cou sin to th e tramp whose only
—
,
l a ndmark wa s a signboard and whose wisdom and ,
phi lo sophy were bu t th e glean ings o f th e wayside

al ehou ses .
TRAN T ER L UC KSTO N E
LA K C -
clack —
lack clack c — .
From a mile behind my ba ck came th e sound

o f hoo fs beating on the hi ghway wi th th e even slow
, , ,
mo no tony characteristic o f a steady old road ster ,
whose frivolities have long ago bee n left behind .
Get o n then w ill cc

,
P C apta
’
in — ah
The voice o f T ran ter L uc ksto n e might clearly be
heard across th e soli ta ry landscape a t in terval s O f a ,
min u te and a hal f Yet admonition did n o t hasten

.
th at way wise steed Occasional friendly encourage

-
.
ment with th e whip made no di fference Tra n ter .
and his nag had done the sel f same jo urney to and -
fro h u ndreds o f times and the pace varied no more

,
than the ti c king o f a kitchen clock -

.
Ge t on then will c e P Captai n ah —

’
,
The rumblin g wheel d ew nea e

s r r r Slish s lush
— .
,
and always louder beat th e hoo fs on the Febru ary

poo l s and mud until a t last th e voice spoke close
,
behind my back and in another tone .
”
Wil l c c please to take a li ft ? shouted the
’
tra nter pulling up a s he spoke

, .
9:
SO I mounted the carrier s fou r wheeled van and

’
-
,
sa t u p by s ide o f T ranter L u c ksto n e in front unde r
th e shelter O f the sq u are black tilt O f ta rpaulin .
Ge t on then will ee ? Capta in ah l

’
— ”
,
No t everywhere can you ride wi th a tranter now

adays R ailways have almost made an end to the
.
vill ag e carrier and the pa rc el post h a s taken away

,
-
more o f h i s work Only in remote districts he

.
lingers on making h i s wee kly jou rneys from isolated

,
parishes to dista n t market towns .
In both places he enjoys a small celebrity .
In the town he i s so bu colic ; whilst to h is home

he brings someth ing o f th e u rban bris kness it may he
o f a place O f fu ll five thousand inhabi tants One .
remarkable c h a rac teri stic o f T ran te r L u c ksto ne i s
admi red wherev er he goes No matter whom he may

.
chance to meet he h a s always a word to sa y

, .
He i s n o ne o f you r slow bu rly coun trymen making

,
u p wi th brawn fo r a dulness o f apprehen sion A .
dapper bright eyed man i s Tranter L uc ksto n e o f

-
,
about middle height His h eard greyer than h is hair

.
, ,
i s clipped short Hi s mou s tache i s sti ff a s th e bri stles

.
o f a s c rubbing brus h
-
He wears a long sleeve waist
.
-
coat reaching to hi s hips a n d th e corner o f a red

,
handkerchief hangs o ut O f o n e o f th e pockets Only .
when th e rai n be a ts in h i s face does he put on an

overall reaching down to th e black ga i ters each ,
fastened by a ro w o f hal f a dozen li ttle buckles and

- -
straps . He can move abou t a heavy weight so

”
handy a s any man B u t that do come 0 u se
.
’
,
says T ran ter L u c ksto ne .

TRANTER L U C K S TONE
A pa sse nger need not ta lk much in such good

co mpa ny Once set him O ff and Tranter L uc ksto ne
.
wi ll run on fo r an hour starting a lways with the ,
in tricac i es o f the tra nter s occupation ’

.
”
You have a pretty go od loa d said I peering , ,
ba ck into th e strange medley o f articles piled one

u pon the other in the gloom u nder the tilt .
A c ross handled bas ket o f eggs lay snu g a s a nest

-
on the inside o f an Old saddle on th e hea d o f an ,
empty cask The face and weights o f a kitc hen

.
clock repo sed on a bundle o f empty sa cks There .
were boxes and ba gs and pa rcel s o f all sizes and

s hapes tha t vi llage ingenuity o r th e wan t o f it could , ,
devise .
Nothen out O th e way replied T ranter L uck

’
,
stone thoughtfu lly scratching h is poll wi th th e butt

,
o f hi s whip Why bless you r heart an soul now ’

.
, ,
an again tes really more a n the mind 0 man can

’
,
’ ’ ’
really an truly hold 20 tes S ure tes

’ ’ ’
. . .
I suppose yo u write it down ?

No no No t bu t what I be a ti dy scholar to o
, .
,
thou gh maybe a bit out 0 u se B ut what I do sa y ’

.
is i f yo u do trust to a scrap 0 paper an lost i t

’ ’
,
where be P No w so long a s I can hold it in mind

I do know where I be I tell c c what tes There ’ ’
. .
idden so muc h in book la rnen a s folk do tell up -

.
No w my m a id is a bea uti ful scholar S h e do rea d .
o u t so well o r better a n passon and write fit to hang

’
,
u p in a frame If you do but mention a place sh e

.
,
c a n tell c c where te s fo r zi x pen c e B ut i f you do

’ ’
.
,
send sh e two errants to once sh e do forget one o r

94 B OOK OF CRAFTS AND CHARACTER
t o th er I really do think th e h ea d these da ys is to o
’
W
.
ful l fo r thought Folk c an t ho l d a thi n g o r tw o i n

.
’
mind som e a s the go od o ld so rt

, h y I don t over .
,
’
look a errant year s end to yea r s e nd L a uk a

’ -
’
-
.
-
massy ! I f I did I should never hea r the e nd 0 it ’
n o t thi s side 0 th e a I t ink

’
l
’
g r ve L a c a n j u s h h o w .
t ud be No w don t c c forge t my brass h ea de d nail s

’ ’ ’ ’
.
-
same a s you did E li zabe th A nn s pi l l s Very ga l len

’ ’
.
”
to a man to hea r— that Yo u know . .
The mere th ought wa s depressing .
”
Most hu m iliatin g a greed I in a ton e o f c omfort
, , .
”
B ut the money do kee p a ma n safe e xplain ed ,
T ranter Lu c ksto ne suddenly cheerin g up , S O lo ng .
a s there s a few h a penc e there mu s be so meth e n to

’ ’ ’
buy E very penny I do bri ng to lay out do stand

.
fo r so me th en so clear a s print Why i f tw ere but a ’

.
, ,
varden over I should know twere a paper 0 pi ns ’ ’

.
Ge t on then will c c P Capta in a h ! — ’

, ,
S o we jog ged on mile after mile up hil l and do wn

, ,
th rough the hollow and over the plai n un til w e ca me ,
to a sleepy old to wn a n d th e va n dre w up befo re an

,
a ncien t h o s te lry i n a square marke t pla c e Tra des .
men who were ex pectin g pa rc el s a dv ised by po s t

ca me bu zzin g a round .
Well T ranter Lu c ksto ne And h o w i s Tranter

, .
L u c ksto ne P
the s ig ht 0 you Sa dler B ill ing
All th e better fo r
’
, .
”
An here s a saddle all in hol es thank G o d l
’ ’
,
G o t my eggs T ranter L u c ksto n e ?

,
”
Here they be G rocer Jennings ,
.
An how do th e fowls lay up to Upton no w ?

’
TR ANTER L UCKSTONE
The sa me wa y a s Go d made em to the first going ’
o ff
, Grocer J ennings I ha nt a hea rd tell 0 no
.
’
-
’
c h ang e No t up o u r way
. .
Go t my ca sk P
He s no good I rea lly feeled ashamed to ride in
’
.
”
hi s compa ny .
N0 g ood ? Why tes a new cas k all but

’
.
, ,
P ack O stu ff I wouldn own u n Why h e s so

’ ’ ’
hollow a s a dru m
. .
,
A couple o f parc el s under each a rm he hu rried O fl

'
a cross the square .
The tradesmen looked after him in ad mi ration and

wink ed a t each other .
A wonderful man T ranter L u c ksto ne take him

, ,
”
how you will Never at a loss fo r a word
. .
THE OLD POACHE R
THE OLD P OAC H ER
E wa s itti ng in the co rner pla c e by the fire o f

s -
the an cient village al mshouse wa rmly clad in

,
a long grey frie ze coat wi th a red c ro ss on the left

brea st .
A life o f c ri me h a d brought him to this comfort

able in digence whi ch he shared in common with five
,
other inmates whom ha l f a cen tury o f res pecta ble

,
toil ha d led to the same haven .
Non e fe lt th e slightest hu mi liati on a t bec o min g

th e reci pien t o f cha ri ty Charity is more respec ta ble
.
”
tha n rates an d it save d them from
, the ho use So .
they were gla d to be there th ese six happy c a n

—
,
ta n kero u s old men who q ua rrell ed merri ly from mo m

,
ing to night They wen t proudly in thei r stran ge

.
clothes and were en vi ous o f ea ch oth er Fo r each

, .
had a so u nd roof over his head firi ng a nd bedding

,
free and a c rown pa id down every Saturday

,
If the y could only ha ve ag reed upon thi rty shillings

,
a week they might have fared like princes B u t each .
wo u ld bo a st a n indepen dent h erri ng a nd hold the fee

99
1 00 BOOK OF CRA FTS AN D CHAR AC TER
simple a separate hal f loaf They were a greed
of -
.
only u pon o ne th ing When th e pious founder

.
h u nd red s O f years a g o sta rted that al mshouse he ,
ou ght to have done the th ing properly and m a de th e ,
money a shilling a wee k more It wou ld have j ust

.
made all th e di fference— o ne shilling a we ek more .
Under the circumstan c es they fulfilled without joy

the only condition laid upon them and wa lked to ,
chu rc h onc e a S u nday without zea l .
Dan Ibbett th e Ol d poacher wa s the master

, ,
mind amongst them and sa t in the corner a s i f

,
by right .
A lthough they murmu red in h is absence not o ne ,
o f them bu t cleared o u t o f i t when Dan came in .
Wh at bu siness had he more than another to si t in

”
that nook always wi th h i s knees in th e w a rm ?
They as ked th e question o f ea ch other but ne ver o f ,
Dan He wa s more h u man than these ordinary men

.
who had lived by hones t work They gave way a s .

,
the mere herd m u st before the master bu llock B u t - .
they never tired o f li stening to h i s exploi ts a n d they ,
sec retly fel t th e sadness O f a lack o f anything heroic
in their patient lives .
He told th e same stories ove r and over again ,
always with an inqu iry whether they had heard that

o n e be fore What did it matter P They were dull ,
and liked a tale the better fo r knowing every word to

come Besides he told them in vivid colou r and
.
, ,
that counts He would n a rrate to any stranger fo r

.
”
an hou r fo r an ou nce o f B lack Jack but no less ,
potent toba cco brought a s much a s a tickle upon

THE OLD POACHER
Dan s palate Two ounces made th e price o f th ese
’
.
re mini sc ences .
Dan wa s a striking pe rsonality when he ta lked .
O n a d ull winter day th e fire l ig h t played upon the

whi te was hed wal ls decorated with pictorial almanacs
-
and on th e bl ue stone floor It lit up h is face and

'
h is g rey stubbly h ea rd o f a week s growth with a

’
, ,
yellow tobacco stain u nder th e lips It glistened on

-
.
h is sw eating clay pipe smoked bowl downward s with

no t more than two inches o f stem A short wi ry .
,
ma n he h a d kept a wonderful head o f ha i r to h is old

,
a g e but it gave to his counten a nce a wild rather than

,
a ven erable aspect A love o f beer togeth er with .

,
the parsimony o f the pious founder reduced Dan to ,
the necessity o f cu tting i t himsel f Any unduly .
obtrus ive lock be doubled ba ck o n th e blade and

sawed through wi th hi s po cket kni fe This admirable -
.
method gave to h is mafi a ? th e appea ranc e o f having

been eaten in places by rats .
His ex u ltation wa s merrier than the fire l ig h t .
Ho ! ho ! ho ! Th e things I ha ve a picked up in -
my time An never on c e in g aol o r I shouldn t be

.
’ ’
here Fined times out 0 number but la ! th e more

.
’
,
need to tu rn to th e next night That never daun ted .

.
I I had a love fo r it so there ! I couldn t keep

.
,
’
away from it no ways a t all I do hold ti s G o d .

’
A mig h ty s h are fi rst an then hi s that can catch h er

’ ’ ’
.
,
Gentlefolk don t want h er so bad a s a poor man

’
.
An there if you be sharp yo u don t run fo r it on c e

’ ’
,
in a win ter I didn t very often lay down no wi res

.
’
.
You got to g o a n pick em up I did love the night

’ ’
. .
1 02 BOOK OF CR AFT S AND C HAR ACTER
Take a so ft mild night just after bar est when the

,
’
,
crops be hauled in A s yo u do stand ag ain st the

.
hed g e an listen what wi the late h o neysuc ks

’
,
’
the air s so sweet a s a bottle 0 sc ent Then i f ti s

’ ’
.
,
’
all quiet an nobody moving down w i your wire o r

’
,
’
you r net u nder th e gate o r you do know where .
Get on old chap l Ti s wonderful what yo u can

’
,
hear by night I co uld u se to hear the O ld do g

.
rattl e a s he did gallop on th e long stu bble yea rs

, ,
a gone a fore th e machine did cut it so close

, He did .
know what he had to do better than many a fool do .
He did do i t to o an that s more a n many a man

’ ’ ’
,
will Whack ! bang into n et so hard a s a bullet I

. .
did d rop u pon h er an p u ll h er neck out afore sh e ’
had time to c ry B u t la l Hares have a got terr ble

.
-
’
scarc e s ince th e gro u nd game law I ne ver didn t ’

-
.
hold wi thik ground ga me law B ut there most

’
-
.
,
laws do take something o r nother from a poor

”
l a bo u ren man .
His fellow pen sioners c huckled assent to thi s well

-
established tru th and h e went on ,
O r ta ke a d a rk nigh t in S eptember early o r the ,
end O th e last week in Aug ust afore the shooters do

’
begin Yo u do know where the coveys be You

. .
can hear the old cock leading the you ng birds home
toward s twiligh t o r i f they have a been separated
,
-
like he ll call to em fit to bust h is dro a t You can

,
’ ’
.
find o u t on th e ground where they have a roosted a ll -

,
close together a s a cluster o f nuts You can g uess .
a mo st to the yard where they be Then you an a

’ ’
.
good neighbour mus walk a cross so quiet a s mice ’

THE OLD POACHER
on the gra ss a n dra w a net ove r em I ve
so ft
’ ’
.
’
a c la pped fi ftee n in one po cket a y an hea rd th e

’
-
, ,
sho o ters wond er n ext day where the bi rd s co u ld
ha g o t to I did laugh to myse l f: There s nothen

’
.
’
c a n stop it unless the keeper do bush the grou nd .
I ve a been out h u nde rds 0 times an no t a sou l pon

’ ’ ’ ’
-
ea rth th e wi ser B u t ho ! h o ! did make a man cu ss

.
to see they little thorn bush es a stu c kt u p in a likely -
”
g r as s g round though
-
.
”
I ll wa rr n t did sa i d each o f the oth er five wi th
’ ’
,
wa rm approval .
Po n my li fe so did sa id Dan
’
.
, ,
Conscious o f greatness a n d that all o f us were ,
waiting on h is words wi th slow deliberation be ,
knocked out th e ashes and refilled h is pipe .
Or ta ke a wild windy night when the hea d s 0

’
, ,
th e h ig h el m s do sway and h i s limbs do creak an

’
crack a y a n break 0 6 and fall to o No bird c a n

— — ’
.
roo s t high s uch a ni gh t He d be carried o ff h i s

’
.
perch The phea sa nts in wood do go up no higher

.
’
a n thi s ceili n g Ho w many a time I ve a laid fo r
.
’
-
h ours in wa it maybe in a bit 0 furze to li sten to

— — ’
’
em j ust in the dimmet an mark em up Then ’ ’
.
at midnight I did creep into th e wood yo u can —
see well en ough i f you r eye s h e u sed to th e dark .
I did carr the g u n stock in my pocket a n a short

’
-
’
barrel down my trouser lag Did take but a thimble -

.
fu l 0 powder an hal f this baccy bo wl 0 shot There

’ ’ ’
-
.
he d be close in again st the trunk on a lo w bra nch

’
, , .
If you did but pu t up the muzzle and whi s per in h i s

c a r down he d come There s nothing like a wi nd
’ ’
.
1 04 B OOK OF CR AFT S AND CHAR A CTER
to d rown sou nd DO blow it away D O choke up . .
a man s heari ng to o I ve a had em close u p to

’
.
’
-
’
keeper s hou se I ve a had a wagon load in my

’
.
’
- -
time B ut i f I could bu t be young again I d

.
,
’
Id
’
He pau sed and looked around upon that li ttle

,
circle o f wooden coun tenances open eyed with ,

-
wonder a s to what wa s to come next .
”
“
I d have two
’
.
Five wrinkled faces grinned with delight upo n thi s

un repentant sinner He still had the best o f it . .
”
Yo u hardened old law breaker said I ; the -
,
”
devil will have yo u a s sure a s the light .
That isn t o ne hal f I ve a done in my time

’
-
’
-
,
“
lau ghed he I ve a baited fish hook s wi raisin s
.
’
- -
’
bu t n o t to catch eels I ve a pu t down boiled pea s ’

-
.
w i hog s bristl es in em alongside a sta ck The pea s

’ ' ’
-
.
be soft an the bri stles do stick in a bird s dro a t an

’ ’ ’
choke worse a n a fishbo ne I could tell a score 0

’
.
’
ways i f I wa s a minded and twut worth while Bu t

-
’
.
—
what good is i t P Tis all gon e all gone an past ” ’ ’
.
He gave a sigh then tossed h is head and sneered ,
upon th e five .
B u t fo r all that master if th e devil i s the man , ,
I do take n u fo r he ll find the wit to poach one o r ,

’
tw o O these here sleek fa th ea ds what wa s wa rm

’
,
”
a bed whilst I wa s out in th e wind to work
-
.
A GAM EKEEPER
A G AME K EE ER P
TA LL
, pright ma n and a s tough a s th e
u ,
grou nd a sh stick he carries in h is han d

-
.
The light activi ty O f early manhood he h a s lost .
He no longer vau l ts th e gate into th e wood bu t ,
no you th o f twen ty could walk do wn the ride wi th

a spring ier step .
I have never seen him indoors .
I pictu re him only in th e open a i r wi th th e sky ,
above h is head and th e turf o n th e mossy woodland

glade beneath h is feet E ven within the wall s o f h is
.
thatc hed cottage clo se by th e larch plan tation he

, ,
wo u ld seem like a bi rd in a cage A n d to be .
su re
, from sun ri se to ev ening he i s rarely there ,
a n d some times n o t a t night .
He is a head keeper bu t not o n one o f th e great

-
,
estates .
He wa s born in that cottage and played in in fa ncy ,
on th e plot where th e spaniel s and th e grea t wavy

coated retriever a re chained and set up su c h a choru s
o f ba rking when a stranger comes to th e doo r H is .
father lived there and wa s k eeper be fore him ; and

1 07
1 08 BOOK OF CR AFT S AND CHAR AC TE R
Jack th e you n ges t O f a lo ng family o f sons stayed
, ,
a t home and in th e end took h is place

, .
So from boyhood every nook o f every field and

s pinney o f the domain h a s been famili a r to him He .
knows them all by heart and th e ways o f every living

,
thing th at inhabi ts them L ike them al so he h a s

.
, ,
grown into harmony wi th h i s env ironment ; and a s in ,
h is grey green jac ket with th e d u ll meta l b utton s he

-
,
passes along th e hedgerows o r th rou gh th e wood ,
whether th e hazel be in leaf o r ba re he imperceptibly ,
melts into th e landscape .
I h ave been m any a walk wi th John B eale .
I have strolled with him in su mmer where the

coops o n some heal thy slope bes ide th e wood stand
, ,
together ye t apart like villa residen c es a t a heal th

,
reso rt ; and tramped a ro u nd th e bo u ndary late in fall ,
when pheasants steal away after the ripe blackberries

and falling acorn s ; a n d a long th e winter g u tters O f
an early morning when snipe a re in th e meadows .
I have heard him marshalling h i s hea te rs into line

”
wi th a peremptory Hold back here
,
K eep u p ,
”
there on the le ft amongst th e rabbi t bi tten dog
,
-
woo d a n d foot en snaring briars Of the coppic e

-
.
My heart ha s gladdened at his shou t away over

the broad stu bble Mark before th e d riven coveys
,
came like a whirlwind over th e hedge .
B u t best o f all I like to go upon his h ea t about

nesting time w hen fu ll blown prim roses a re fading
,
-
and bluebells grow i n strips and patches under th e

trees ; when bu t fo r th e stoat th e egg stea ling hedge
,
-
h o g and ra t with now and then a jay o r a sparrow

,
A GAME KEE PER
h awk, young li fe is to be fostered and slaughter h a s

c eased .
John Beale either by habit o r natu re is reserved

, ,
bu t then he will ta l k Then it is easy to recog nise

.
that if born a t the H all in stead O f th e cottage he

, ,
might ha ve been a s brave a soldier o r a s su btle a

diplomatis t a s any squire s so n ’
.
He speaks in a low voice and all h i s u tterances ,
so u nd confidential B u t indeed some o f them a re

.
, ,
not to be repeated wi th time and place .
The keynote o f h i s ch aracter i s a respect fo r

rights and a determination to defend them As .
he talk s o f trespassers o r oth er lawbreakers and

offenders h is brows contract in to a frown beg otten
, ,
pa rtl y from a habit o f constan t observation in th e

open a i r When he h a s had h is sa y h is mouth sh u ts
.
,
like a steel trap with an a ir O f That s my opinion

,
’
”
and I hold to it .
O f one thi ng he i s qui te certain He is not an .
arbitra ry man .
” “
No said be one day
,
I see no need to tell all
, .
Tis wis er much to use you r judgment and some

’
times to keep a still ton g ue You see the li ttle .
homestead away there on the bill I stood o n .
thi s very spot one aftern o o n and the farmer s so n

’
, ,
a sort o f hobble de hoy fella r took a pop over th e

- -
,
hedge and knocked down two birds He pick ed .
’
em up clapped em in h is pocket and wa s back
,
’
out o sight again in hal f a min u te He could get

’
.
home before I co u ld meet with him B u t I had a .
g lass in my pock et S o I stopped wh ere I wa s a n d

.
1 10 BOOK OF CR AFT S AND CHAR ACTER
watc hed th e house My gen tleman wen t through .
the gate climbed up on th e wagon sha ft and hid

,
-
,
th e bi rd s o n th e ra fter o f th e shed Then I knew all .
”
about i t .
He stood in the ride and smiled .
Yo u knew he would le ave the m there u ntil

evening ? I asked
I knew he wa s acting o n h is o wn I f th e Old
.
“
.
people had known h is g ame he would have g one

straigh t indoo rs a s pro u d a s a tu rkey cock So I -
.
walked straight down He and h is father s tood there .
talking togethe r j us by the po u n dh o use doo r SO

’
.
,
I ta xed th e boy wi th th e shooting straight o u t He , .
s wore I m u st ha made a mi stake and h is father took

’
,
his part to o B u t he didn t know how m u ch I had

’
.
,
seen till I catched u n hold by th e e l bow an l ed u n

’
,
ro u nd an pulled the bi rd s O ff 0 th e beam H is

’ ’
.
father wa s in a terrible w a y I said What righ t have .

,
y o u g o t to kill bi rd s ? I s aid Wha t righ t wo u ld ’

,
‘
y o u have anywhe r e wi thou t a ce rtificate P Tha t lad ’
turned so whi te a s a ghost He sa w him sel f The re . .

,
h is father wa s really a mo st in tea rs No w I m paid

’ ’
.
to catc h poa chers Wh at did I ough t to ha do zze P ’

.
He asked th e q u estion wi th deep seriou sness and ,
a perception that he wa s propo unding a very di fli c u lt

ethical problem .
I also perceived the whole matter a s between

Justice and Mercy to be involved in it .
Well now I do n t mind telling you I held my

, ,
’
,
tongue . Many a man would have told to prove h is

sharpn ess B ut the lad g o t ri d o th e g un and
’
.
mi sed it pa ss He s gro wn up no w
a nd I let
’
pro , . ,
a nd g o t th e fa rm a n d a very ha rd wo rking man

,
- .
Yo u see tha t wa s no real po a c her Yo u don t wa n t

’
.
il l will o n a pla c e
- I tell yo u a wise keeper doesn t
.
qua rrel with g ood tena nts Gi ve a young ch a p 0 .

’
tha t c lass o ne chance I sa y I m not a a rbi tra ry , .

’
ma n . I never wa s B u t if a ma n won t heed dro p

.
’
,
o n hi m sti fl Drop on hi m a ll yo u c a n That s ’

'
. .
We stro l le d on wards d o wn the slope a n d thro ugh

th e cov er S ometimes he tu rned to glan c e at a
.
vermi n tra p No w a nd a g a in where the coppic e

.
,
ha d been cut we loo ked at a phea sa nt s nest be nea th

’
,
the sprawli ng bra mbl es o r under th e shel ter o f a

fa ll en limb a nd coun ted th e o live bro wn egg s Then -
.
we got back in to th e ri de .
“
It isn t every ma n c a n keep g a me sa id be
’
, .
He m ust ha ve a n eye fo r ev ery little thing You .
see that tra ck P Tha t s n ew to me I know the ’

.
fo o tpri nt o f everybody wi th a right in this wood .
Any hurdle maker o r wo odman that comes here I

-
n ote Th ere s so me men below strippi ng ba rk

’
. .
They a re ri ght en ough a nd we pa y fo r e very nest ,
they find a nd sh ow B ut th at tra c k now . Whose .
is it ? No w I c a n tel l yo u That wa s the missus o f .
the u nd er keeper up here wa l ked to church 0 S unday

’
-
,
in a new pa i r o f bo ots Sh e ve a got a goodi sh size

’
-
.
ho o f o f h er o wn mi nd And that s th e way sh e

’
.
,
”
turn s o ut her feet .
We ca me to the edge o f th e wo od and he stood ,
ba ck o ut o f sig ht a nd lo oked a cro ss the l a ndscape .

112 B OO K OF CR AFTS AND CHAR ACTER
A man to be a keeper m us t have it in him to
Observe Did yo u see that pigeon come out o f the
.
clump o f firs beyond the lake ? Sh e ca me o u t in a

h urry Off h er nest Tis near a road a nd th e chi ldren
.
’
,
creep in to pick flowers o r to search fo r nests The .
man that side must look round an hunt em o u t ’ ’

.
No ; they can t do much h a rm but theyve got no

’ ’
,
right there In winter the pigeon s d rop in to roost

.
i n tho se trees They come in two s a n d threes and

.
circ le round a nd then se ttle in I wa s sta nding here .
last December and I sa w one after another take a ,
couple o f turns and then make O ff S omehow o r .
o ther I guessed what wa s u p I nipped down and .

,
came upon a couple o f fella rs a ferreting They -

.
bu nked o ff Bu t I knew who they were C ost

. .
'
em two po u nd a piece B u t la ! they ll be here -
.
’
a ga in next win te r There s no cu re fo r a d run kard ’

.
o r a poa che r — that s my opinion And I m not a

’ ’
.
arbitrary man .
I su ppose if they know a place to be well

”
watched they go el sewhe re .
I ll tell yo u a tale about being frightened

’
,
laughed John B eale A fu nny th ing happened .
down to that lake years a g o I caught a young , .
carter putting down a ra t g i n fo r a n eel I ha d my -

.
doubts about that chap before I could sca rce keep .
a sober fa ce but I did He had got the tra p under

, .
water tiled with a dead g udgeo n a nd made fast

, ,
with a bit 0 c o rd I put o n a fierc ish look a nd

’
.
I said What right have yo u got a t thi s ?

,
‘
I ’
sa id Yo u ll hea r mo re 0 this matter Th at wa s ’

’ ’
.
,
A GAME KEE PER
tr ue enou gh thou gh I only meant a lesson and

, ,
no harm to th e chap Fo r though I sa y it mysel f

.
, ,
I m no t a arbitrary man B u t he served seven

’
.
”
years fo r that .
S even ye ars ! Fo r putting down a ra t trap to -
catch an eel ? Why he ou ght to have had a medal

”
fo r th e origin a li ty o f the idea .
“
Well I su ppose I did speak a bit sh arp Bu t i t
, .
frigh tened him and no mi sta ke In the night he ra n .
o ff and enlisted S o I always said he served seven

.
year fo r that However no harm wa s done He

.
, .
sta yed on a n d h e s a fu ll se rgean t n o w on th e road

’
,
”
fo r a pen sion .
A n d what about these thorough in cu rable

poach ers P They a re a crafty lot a re they n o t P ,
said I.
John Beale tucked the ground a sh stick fi rmly -
under h is a rm and looke d u p a t the sky .
What I do know abou t poachers and their

”
tricks and ways I tell no man replied be with ,
a laugh .
“
B u t least o f all one who migh t se t i t
”
down in prin t .
THE CAR TER
TH E C A RTER
CO UL
D he ar th e j i ngling o f bel l s in the lane
a n d see th e ta p o f th e load s lowly m o vi n g
above th e hedgero ws, fo r he ha d been to the wood

to fe tch hu rdles .
Wh en they presen tl y came in to view h e wa s o n th e

near side O f the sh aft horse wi th one ha nd on th e
-
,
rein. He a nd h is tea m had a j o urne y be fore them .
Th e na me on th e wagon announced them from th e

larg e sh ee p farm ten miles away wi th th e fine old
W
-
,
homestea d under the down He looked bac k at th e .
wh eel shouted
, a g o f? to the wise old mare
between the sh a fts and a s soon a s th e gate post wa s
,
-
”
safel y cleared Mither wa y Then be crac ked h is
,
-
.
whi p so that they tu rned up into th e high roa d in

,
-
prou d style .
”
Whoa !
They stopped .
The travel l ing throug h copse a n d lane had been

rough and bad a n d in th e fresh clea r a i r the swea ti ng
,
horses were so o n wrapt in a clou d o f brea th and

steam They were bo th bright ba ys a nd eac h had
. ,
1 18 BOO K OF CR AF TS AND CHAR ACTER
a white stocking on the o ff hind leg fo r the young ,
one wa s bred out o f th e old mare a n d matched h er

to a hair .
Then the ca rter hung his brass ringed whip on to -
”
one o f the h a meses a nd took out hi s box to l o a d ,
”
another bit 0 ba ccy into hi s black clay pipe He
’
.
s tru ck a match s heltered it wi th his two h a nd s a nd

, ,
blew out volumes o f grey smoke .
A ltogether they made an old world pictu re ; fo r -
the la rg e yellow wagon built on graceful l ines by ,
so me O l d villa ge wheel wright who took a pride ,
in his c raft had seen o u t more than one genera

,
tion Having a thought to the villa ges through

.
which they must pass the carter had spent an ,
extra hal f hour that morning on horses a n d gea r

-
,
so that everything i n th e eyes o f a l l who sa w, ,
might be a credit to himsel f and the place whenc e

he came The brass ornamen ts on the ha rness
.
shone like gold The old fashion ed bo ard o f bells

.
-
towering above the collar o f the fore horse wa s -
cu rta ined by a ro w o f woollen tassels o f crimson

and yellow The long leading rein hung a long the
.
-
s ide o f th e fore horse ready to h i s hand -

E very , .
th ing bo re an appearance o f simple but substantial

pro sperity and th e carter wa s a go od match fo r th e
,
rest. He wa s an elderly ma n wi th a thin weather ,
wrinkled respectable face and he wore a short linen

,
smock now rarely to be seen that re ached sca rcely

, ,
to th e buckle bones -
.
G ood morning c a rter You have a g ood tea m , . .
Ah ! You show me a better Why they be .

,
THE CAR TER
pretty a s a picture a n both so so un a s a hel l 0 bra ss
,
’ ’ ’
,
”
I ll warran t em
’ ’
.
You mu st take goo d c are o f them o r they ,
wouldn t look so well

’
.
The word o f pra i se wen t stra ight to h is hea rt and

l o o sened h i s tongue at once .
Tes my delig ht There s a plenty o K irstia ns

’ ’ ’
.
not so se nsible a s what th ey be They do know .
my voice They do know my step an whi cker o

.
,
’ ’
ma rnens afore I do get to sta ble door B u t la ! I .
do look to they fi rst Always did I d sooner go to . .

’
bed w i a empty bel ly any night 0 th e wick than they

’ ’
shou ld hu rt No w what sort 0 li fe mu s a ca rter

’ ’
.
,
lead wr a poor ha l f starved team ? Why tes double -

,
’
the work Mus be An what pride c a n th e man

.
’
.
’
take to walk on by the side 0 em P B ut they don t ’ ’ ’
gie I n o trouble an they be so gentle a s lambs You

’
.
Why thik Old mare

,
see they be always up in heart

, .
, ,
her s so sta u nch i f you did hitch sh e on to a mou n

’
,
ta in her d hau l and strive ti ll h er did d rop N0 bill

’
.
have ever a stopped they though mid be so stickle

-
,
a s a roo f A n never won t Ith o ut somebody o r

’ ’ ’
. .
”
anoth er should witch em ’
.
He stopped and laughed .
Clea rly he did not go in fear o f any such mishap

, .
Yet the re m a rk wa s natura l enough sinc e in olden ,
time th e ho rse wa s eve r the easy vic tim o f secret

malicious spells The little brass ornaments th e
.
,
cresc en t on the forehead and the swinging disc

about th e head that still adorn many a set o f
,
wagon ha rness were in th e fi rst place protective

,
1 20 BOOK OF CRAFT S AND CHAR AC TER
charm s ; a nd th e ro w o f bells co mmon ly believe d to ,
so u nd a warning o f approach when wa ys w ere

narrow served indee d to frighten OK th e pixies
, , , ,
who had a way o f meddling with horses both in the

sta ble a t n igh t o r a fter dark upon th e roa d .
“
I have not heard o f anythin g o f that sort fo r a
”
long ti me .
Tes gone o u t said be with a wi se shake o f th e

’
, ,
hea d . There I don t believe in i t mysel f Though

,
’
.
,
fo r all that my brother he did a n do fo r a ll I do

— ’
, , ,
know .
He pau sed and pu shed th e rising tobacco deeper

,
into the bowl wi th his finger .
An tes a fu nny thing to o look at i t how you will

’ ’
.
,
B u t my brothe r he w u r carte r to a miller an one

’
, ,
time broad dayligh t to o he passed a wom a n po n

, ,
’
th e way Well they did sa y h e r did do a li ttle to i t

.
, ,
bu t whe er h er did o r no tidden fo r I to sa y A n

’ ’
.
,
he thou gh t h e r looked a t u n a bi t s traigh t like Well .

,
a s a body will then n o w an again po n th e road that

’ ’
, ,
do wan t a li ft an ha n t g o t face to up an as k
’ ’
But
’ ’
.
he never ope d h i s lips A n then he wished like

’
.
’
, ,
that he had Fo r he verily thou ght th at h er ba d th e

.
power to do harm an pa rtic la r i f h er wu r a flro n ted

'
’ ’
.
,
Wel l he hadn t a g o t on more than a mile — a n a

,
’
-
’
ro ad mind
,
me so level a s a gun ba rrel
,
— when h is -
bo sse s stopped sho rt There they did q u ivery an did

’
.
,
tre mmley all over l i ke a popl a r tree in a th u nde r ,
sto rm nu th e s wea t did ru n O ff O em in rive rs

’ ’ ’
, B ut .
wu r H e n e ve r touched o em wi
‘
.
’ ’
o ugh t th e old wi tch did mean to

THE C AR TER
es teb un up a n ride Bu t h er n ever comed by O r

’
. .
if h er did he sa id mus be in some sh a pe he c ou ldn t ’ ’

,
rec o n i se she An he had to h ide there a hou r an

’ ’ ’
.
,
then they bo sses we nt o ff 0 their own selves a y so ’

, ,
well a s ever ma n c ould wish No w I do know that s .

’
go spel M ind I don t believe in non e 0 it my o wn

.
,
’ ’
zel f B u t twur a very fu nny thi ng a s you m us t

’
.
,
o wn — a very funny thing Do ee h appen to have .

’
s uch a thing a s a lucifer about c c P— i f mid make

’
I provided him with a match ; and there wa s

silen ce but fo r h is p uffin g a s he li g hte d h is pipe
, ,
onc e m o re and drew i t into a glow .
No w I ll tell c c a bit more My bro ther s first

’ ’ ’
.
—
missu s a n he ve a had three were a to o kt most
’ ’
- - -
terrible bad w i a hesita tion in h er in zide Her ’

.
victual s could n t do sh e no good an h e r fell away

’
,
’
an wur like to die So my brother he went up ten

’
.
,
mile to the c onj u rer He rode on wi one Tran ter .

’
L u c ksto ne if you shou ld hap to know th e name

, .
A n the conj u rer corned o u t to door an he said

’ ’
, ,
You needn t to tell me what you be a comed about

’
-
,
fo r I do know You r miss us i s mos t terrible ba d

. .
B ut you ve a left it too long Tes a wonderfu l

’ ’
-
.
strong S pell a pu t pon the poo r soul bu t I sh a l l do

’
-
,
my best fo r h er No w if you should ride along in .

,
s a fe ty a s I do hope yo u mid look well about an ’

, , ,
li sten fo r a gi rt black c row An i f yo u should hear .

’
o n e croak th re e times zend fo r passon to once fo r , ,
the time i s n o t long B ut if than three more o r less .

,
I ve a — hop
’ ’
g o t e s .
1 22 BOOK OF CR AFT S AND CHAR AC TER
Well my brother an Tranter wu r a riding on
,
’
-
toge ther a thinking 0 no thing a t all when wi o u t

’ ’
-
,
so m u ch a s a lumpe r o r a stu mble down d ropped
Tra n ter s Old hoss They nipped down so qu ick a s

,
’
.
they co u ld an g o t u n up po n hi s lag s B u t mind

’ ’
, .
,
me when they corn ed to eye u n over he hadn a g o t

, ,
’
-
so m u ch a s a scratch an n o t a thing a bro kt n o t

’
-
, ,
buckle no r strap SO I do think— leastways my .

,
brother do believe— that conj urer s spell w u r scarce ’
strong enou gh to ove rc ome t o ther like bu t only to

’
,
stop harm B u t j u st a s they stoo d a l o o ke n th e wold

.
-
hoss over like there corned a crow so big a s a raven

,
an perched in a elem tree n o t zo very fu r away

’
-
.
An he croaked twice Then T ran ter he chucked u p

’
.
h i s h a t to frigh t nu o ff B u t T ran ter wu r wrong . .
Thik c row gi ed o ne more croak an fled No w i f he

’ ’
.
had a bec n let alone he mid ha croaked a dozen

-
’
.
A n h i s missu s h er lived si x year an

’ ’ ’
B u t zo twu t .
,
the n w ur c a rr d o fl wi a sq u i n zy No w I cou ld
'
’ ’
.
take my B ible a te rda vy O th e fac s Mind I don t

’ ’ ’ ’
.
,
believe in no su c h things B ut tw ur a very fu nny .

’
thing abo u t thik ho ss an a very fu nny thing abou t

’
,
thik crow a s yo u m u st o wn a very funny th ing

—
, .
H e gravely shook h is head a s he took h i s whip o ff

”
the h a meses .
Well tes time to wag I do su ppo se I do wi sh

’
.
Come u p Ge e O ff ah l
, ,
c c a good day
’
- - -
. .
A gain be cracked h is whip .
The chain s clinked th e wheels c reaked The bells , .
rang me rrily even a fter he wa s o u t o f sigh t .
In the li teratu re O f the sixteen th cen tu ry the carter

is often s po ken of ude ; a nd ca rterly and
as r
c a rterl i ke a re u sed a s terms o f reproa c h Yet he .
must a l ways ha ve undertaken respon sibility and

o c cu pie d a position o f tru st A mongst the humble
.
folk o f the village he took no doubt a leading place

, , .
B u t he a l one wa s ta ken by h is occupation into the

towns and cities when he hauled corn hay straw
, , , ,
a n d fi ring to m a rkets a n d fai rs An d so with hi s

.
,
rough country man n ers and being th e only ru ral

,
fig ure c ommonly seen he wa s perhaps too hastily

,
chosen a s the type o f the most uncouth .

TH E SN A I L -
M ERC HA NT
T wa s i n a Somerset lane that I sa w h i m o f a ,
morning in early win ter after th e leaf had ,
fallen from th e tall hedgerows and lay red and

sodden in th e di tch and among th e scan ty grass
o f the strip o f wayside waste He wa s a strange .
figure thi s grey haired man ; something past

,
-
middle age yet sti ll hal e and active a n d he looked

, ,
older than h is yea rs a s be stooped and clo sely

scanned the bank .
His c ostume o r equ ipmen t rathe r wa s also such

, ,
a s to attract atten tion .
His coa t wa s anci en t wea ther stained o f the dull

,
-
,
gre en tha t a dark cloth assumes after yea rs o f

expo s ure to alternate rain and sun a nd patched ,
with a daring that wa s beyond pra ise B u t patching .
clothes i s a lo st a rt everywhere except in places ,
mo st remote Over hi s shou lder he carried a sack

.
secu red by a piece o f window cord S lung from h i s

-
.
neck in front wa s a sort o f pocket o r satchel al so ,
made o f sa cking In hi s h and wa s an i ron ro d

.
slightly be nt into a crook with which he kept ,
1 37
1 28 B OOK OF C R AFTS AND C HAR A TER C
th rusting and probing among the ivy and under th e
hedgerow roots Then he would pick something u p
.
and drop it into h is satchel .
What could i t be
Nuts were gone and th e fe w pu rple sloes that still
,
clung to the leafless twigs high and o u t o f reach , ,
had been spoil t and shrivelled by the early frosts .
B esides these a re no t to be found down on th e

,
bank .
Curiosity triumphed and so I asked ,
Wh a t a re you looking fo r
”
S nails wa s th e rather short reply
, .
What do you want them fo r ?

”
Zell em ’
.
B u t almost at th e same moment he softened a

little and a dded I tho ught wi th a touc h o f pride
, , ,
That s my trade
’
.
No w every establi shed trade must have a name to

know i tsel f by and what might this indu stry be mo st
,
appropriately called To ta lk o f catc hi ng even a

su mmer s n a il when he i s on urge nt bu si ness a fter
a thunder sho wer with his horns o ut a n d h is ho u se

,
on the middle o f h i s ba c k doing h is best o n the ,
cinder trac k o f a ki tchen g arden pa th wa s absurd

- -
,
.
To speak o f ga thering sna ils on a bank that in

earliest spring will be covered thick wi th sweete st
pri m roses would be sheer profa nity .
“
Then what do yo u call yoursel f ? I ven tured
to a sk .
”
On the census I p u t s nail me rchant he a nswered
-
,
with d ig n ity .
THE SNAI L -
MER CHANT
A n d so a snai l merc hant let him be -
.
Hi s fi rst difli denc e overcome he had no objection ,
to ta lk abou t his trade He felt proud o f th e vast .
and in c reas ing magnitude to w hich commerce in

s nail s wa s attaining A ll that he could pick up and .
more would be taken by one house o f business in

B ri stol In fact at thi s time o f the yea r he could
.
,
never get enough .
B u t to wh at sort o f shop do they go i '
”
To an oyster ba r - .
A t once in respon se to a smile he hastened to

, ,
explain .
Oh but they don t zell em fo r oysters Ti s all

,
’ ’
.
’
fai r and open a s th e day They do zell em in the .

’
shell boiled and jus t a s they be

,
You zee and he
, .
-
waved th e snailing iron in structively ti s th e like-

’
0 thi s The glass blowers have always a made u se

’
.
- -
0
’ ’
em becau se they be so good fo r th e chest And .
folk wi weak lu ngs do eat em to o An d others have

’ ’
.
a l ea m t from they like and do ea t em fo r a reli sh

’
-
.
, ,
Oh there s a goodish trade I ve lived at it su mmer

,
’
.
’
and win ter ali ke fo r ten year Tis a growing trade .

’
,
To be sure gentry don t eat em in thi s

’ ’
to o .
country but ti s to be hoped that they wi ll Fo r

,
’
.
I ve a bin told and told by one that have a bin the re

‘
- -
, ,
to o that in furrin parts qu ality folk do eat em to

’
,
th eir meal s And why no t They be wonderfu l

.
good and stren g thening to o
W
.
,
What do they taste like wi nkles ,
i n kles l
The mere word filled him wi th scorn .
10
1 30 B OOK OF CR AF TS AND CHAR ACTER
They be bette r than best mutton .
And a re there other men in th e trade ?

P lenty B u t n o t about here
. No I f a man . .
should chance to come he re 20 zoon a s he knew I ,
wa s working thi s district he d go away again

’
.
P rofessional etiqu ette I su ppo se ,
He looked puzzled .
Then he said Yes yes , , .
B ut presently he added doubtfully Yo u zee he , ,
wou ldn t find so wonderful many where I d a been

’ ’
-
.
B u t thi s wa s wasting time and he tu rned ba ck to ,
h is work though now that h is tongue wa s loosened

he kept talking all th e while Into th e dark caverns .
under th e wrinkled roo ts o f a maple bu sh he th rust

h i s snailing i ron and tapped in all d irection s
-
.
”
There s a lo t here he said
’
, .
Ho w do you know
”
B y the sound .
He pulled away th e sandy earth and pu t in h i s

hand .
The only risk in this trade he told me wi th a ,
shake o f th e head i s from add ers No w an again

“ ’
, .
earlier in the season you do put you r hand in an

,
fee l so meth i n move Mid be a adder mid be only a

’
.
,
grass snake Yet do make ee creep like B ut th ey

.
’
.
”
be all in their winter sleep by now .
He d rew out a clu ster o f snail s hal f a s big ag a in a s

a cric ket ball .
There ! That s how they do cling together in

’
—
winter to keep warm I suppose No w you wouldn , .
’
su ppose a sn a i l to h a ve mu c h sen se but a sn a i l I tell , ,

THE S NAIL -
MER CH ANT
’
ee , a very c u nning thing A very intellectual
is .
crea tu re I do cal l un zo there He do know what

,
’
, .
he do like and where h e s safe from the th ru shes ’

.
H e do like maple and sycamore and n u t and as h .
B u t elder he can t abear and so he won t g o there

’ ’
,
think 0 that ! He do know h is own mind yo u zee

’
, .
A n d that better a n most men and all women — eh ?

’
A n d they ll c raw l th rough a c rack in a o ld stone

’
wall one to a time and then pack in side a h u nderd

, ,
o em where I can t hook em out A n d a snail do

’ ’
,
’ ’
.
know limestone from other stone to o He s partial , .

’
”
to limestone .
A ll thi s while the snail merchant kept picking -
snail s from among th e ivy from crevice s be twee n ,
stones and from the thick grass that fringed the

,
bottom o f the rou gh wall by th e meadow gate Al l .
th e li ttle ones he rel igiously put back There is no .
close time fo r snail s so i t behoved to be careful On

, .
th e bank lay an o l d black relic o f a boot .
A sn ail do dearly love an old boot qu oth th e ,
s nail merchant a s he picked o u t two dozen

-
.
His satchel being full he stopped to pou r the ,
contents into h is sa ck .
Ho w do you se nd them
T rain They pa ys ca rriage and returns the ba g
.
,
wa s th e bu siness like reply -

.
Don t th e shells g et broken ?

’
They be too strong Why see how a thru sh .

,
must keep knock knocking on a stone No w I ll tell

-
.
,
’
you a pretty th ing When th e frostes do come and

.
the ground i s so hard a s i ron th e thru shes do follow ,

1 32 B OOK OF CR AFT S AND CHARACTER
on beh ind a n d pick u p any I do ch ance to d rop and
th e small that I do th row back Yo u see a thing .
,
hal f starved do lose h i s fear fo r I do never see em

-
,
’
another time The robin s will come close u p where

.
I do move th e earth but they be more cu riou s than

,
sh y B u t talking o s nail shell s you can tell a sn a il s

’ ’
-
.
,
age by h is shell u p to five and then he do st0 p grow

,
ing and g o o u t 0 mark like a hoss at eight L ooky

’
.
,
see here — h e held up a snail and pointed to th e

bars upon its shell from ba r to ba r that s a year s
’ ’
growth but a t five h e do stop a g rowing and tu rn

,
-
back th e edge o f h i s shell Oh a snail shell is a .

,
-
”
strong thing .
I had never be fore thought o f it in that light .
Yet after all e ven an el egan t weight like my o wn

, ,
-
sa y twe lve s tone fo rmerly — is scarcely fai r on th e
snail .
AN OL D P R OJI CK ER
CLE AR blue sky ca nopied a J u ne garden a ,
sq u are plot o f good size extending from a
village street to th e steep bank o f a little strea m

shaded by pollard willows with he re and there an
,
o l d apple tree
-
.
A l o w thatched cottage stood a few ya rds from

,
the front hedge The roo f w a s thin in plac es bu t

.
,
newly patched in others with clean yellow straw , ,
that put th e older parts more o ut o f cou ntenanc e

than eve r . Yet the recent th a tc hi n g w a s but a
makeshi ft after all Just eno u gh had been done to
.
keep the place h a bitable but n o t a stroke more

, .
Dark weather stains running from the c a ves to th e

-
window gave unheeded warnings o f decay Some o f .
the little dia mond shaped panes were missing bu t

-
,
sheets o f paper had be en pa s te d over the gaps ;
some were cracked and the pieces o f b roken glass
held from falling by pats o f putty E vidently this

.
w a s a house which th e own er had determined to let

“
dow n .
1 36 B OOK OF CR AF TS AND CHAR ACTER
Ye t something pl easa nt in the aspect o f this o ld
world habita tion invited a closer attenti on .
I t seemed to s mile u pon the passe r by -

.
S tra nge flowering creepers old fashioned and n o

,
-
longer planted in these days ha l f covered th e mud

,
-
walls A well with bu cket and windlass wa s on o ne

.
, ,
side o f th e paved pathway near to the open doo r and ,
some th ree o r fo ur bee bu tts stood in rank at a safe

-
distance among th e flowers In th e flo wer knot .

-
were warriors fast going to seed pu rple g i ll a w ,
fers tall and straggling and tu fts o f w hite pink s

, ,
So .
the a ir wa s fu ll o f scent and h u mming A n d one .
ancient leaning apple tree bu ttressed in to secu rity by

-
,
mea ns o f a forked pole late in flowe r held i ts gigantic

, ,
nosegay o f delica te pink blossom to the bl u e s ky .
”
Wonderful plea san t weather piped the voice o f,
an old labou rer who bo o k in hand stopped trimming

, , ,
h is garden hedge when he sa w me loi ter .
Could you give me a d rink o f water

He hobbled towards the li ttle gate a n d held i t
open fo r me to enter .
He wa s a very old labourer lean a nd ben t a nd h i s

, ,
shi rt wa s unb u ttoned and open a t th e th roat Fo r .
the sake o f good manners he pu t on a rusty o ld green

jacket when he wen t indoors fo r th e c u p He dipped .
the fresh drawn water from the bucket a n d handed i t

-
to me .
Tis a beau ti fu l spring said he

’
.
,
His face m u st have been handsome in youth a n d ,
a li fe o f labour in the open a i r had not blunted the

well formed featu res no t uncommon among the very
-
,
AN OL D P R OJ I C K E R
humble in th e West Country He h a d an a ir o f .
refinemen t i nh erited i t may be from some long fo r

, , ,
-
gotten aristocracy and a finer head to look a t th a n ,
four fifths o f o ur leg i slators who a re wondering wh at

-
to do with him .
You have a u seful bit o f ga rden and so me n ice

”
flowers als o I suggested , .
Then do c c please to step round i f you will

’
, .
P leased a t this admi ration fo r h is flowers he led ,
th e way down th e garden path .
There I bain t no gardener he said in a tone o f

,
’
,
apology .B u t ti s my del igh t to watch things grow

’
.
An my liven too fo r the most pa rt so fu r a s that

—
’
, ,
do go I be to o wold in the bone a n too sti fl in the

'
’
.
j i n ts to get out to wo rk ve ry much S o I do bide .
here hou rs an pro j i c ky I bain t no scholar but I

’
.
’
,
”
be a terr ble one to pro j ic ky a lways wa s
’
— .
As he spoke he looked over h i s shoulder and

laughed wi th a twinkle in h is grey eye I t seemed .
to find a humou r even in th e limita tion s o f old age ,
when relieved by th e ingenious scheming expressed

by th e word pro j ic key .
The garden wa s a wonder o f heal thy growth .
P ota toes we re al ready neatly rou nd hoed and -
green pea s breaking in to flower There wa s no .
serrie d rank o f broad bean s but individ u a l plants ,
seemed to be s ki rmi shing a l l ov er th e ga rden and ,
the sc ent o f their blossom everywhere filled the a i r .
L ettuce al so were sprinkled in a l l directions But .
there were two good be d s o f onio ns a nd o ne each o f

”
carrots a n d pa smu ts .
1 38 B OOK OF CR AFTS AND CHAR ACTER
a tidy lo t 0 early teddies an they be sa fe
Ti s
’ ’
”
from th e frost no w said the o ld m a n wi th pride
,
“
I .
did stick a few hu rdles arou nd em a t nigh t to sort 0 ’ ’
shel ter em like That w u r my pro j ic k My missus

’
. .
did lau gh an sa y W hat be g wa i n e o u t to fold your

,
’
, ,
sheep then B u t I don t s ee bu t what it did a c t

’
very well I don t worrit mysel f abou t no early pea s

.
’
.
They don t pay fo r th e trouble to a poor man I do

’
.
wait till they c a n grow u p com fortable like Why .

,
th e room they do take u p i s wo rth more a h one li ttle

’
p icken th e s i ze 0 g un shot A n I don

’
t pu t in my .
’ ’
broad bean s in rank They do come all to o ne time .

,
an g et old an tou gh afore yo u can ea t em I do

’ ’ ’
.
wan t a thing soft an young fo r my wold gu ms I ’

.
do carry rou nd a fe w bean s in my pocket like an ,

’
now an th en I do make a li ttl e hole w i my walken

’ ’
stick in a likely place a n d rop o n e in They do do ’

.
better single than when they be so thick They ve .

’
a g o t mo re room an they do like th e a ir A mo st ’ ’

-
.
,
everything do like th e a ir I do mysel f Things . .
that be crowded bain t neve r so strong L ook at

’
.
folk in towns I do a c t th e s ame w a y wi th e lettu ces

’
. .
I do prick o u t o n e o r tw o here and there where I do

”
take the fancy .
H is eye cau ght sigh t o f a sl u g o n th e ou ts ide leaf

o f o ne o f th e lettuce s He stooped to pick it o ff . .
P inched i t be tween h is fingers and thumb and then ,
ru bbed them wi th a piece o f ground sel in a very
exemplary and clean ly manner .
Yo u ba in t neve r dull i f yo u be o n e to pro p c ky

’
.
There s always so meth en to do I ve a made a

’
.
’
-
AN OL D P R OJ ICKE R
dippen place down here to the bro ok to water my

-
g a r den D o. c c ze e P I ve a —
c u t t
’
w o o r d ree s tep s
’
down th e ban k an digged a hole an let in a old tu b ’

,
’
.
He i s bo u nd to be full so lon g a s water do ru n in th e

stream An I tell c c anothe r thing He do ca tch
’ ’
. .
a very fine sand I ve a g o t one o r two ren u nc lu ses .

’
-
up there to th e fron t an a ren un c l us i s a thin g do ,

’
dea rly love a bi t 0 fine sharp sand They do wonder ’

.
why mine be so big B u t I don t tell all I do do .

’
.
I do bide mu te When I ve a heard what o ne an .

’
-
’
another do zay I do only go back and pro j ic ky the

”
more .
He looked arou nd wi th p ride and s urveyed hi s

v ariou s c rops Then he poin ted them o u t one after
.
another .
“
I do live out 0 these here ga rden We can t ea t ’
.
’
a l l th e teddies so we ve a g o t a fe w to sell There s ’ ’

-
.
,
onions there to last to nex t s ummer an carrots an ,

’ ’
p a s m u ts to o mo r
,e a n eve r w e , s hall u se I s hall ’
.
have a few tu rmu ts there between th e hedge a n d th e

sca rlet ru nners
-
and a girt veg a ble m a rrer on the
,
-
heap in th e corner An I do se t a bo o k an line .

’ ’
down there u nder th e wi thy tree an ca tch a eel -

’
so su re a s th e light eve ry time th e re do come a
drop 0 rain ’
.
“
I catched one a pou n weight once ’
, .
I sold my apples last yea r fo r a poun a n d three ’
hal f c rowns a nd there were more blooth to year I

-
, .
picked te n quart o goo seberries o ff th ey bushes this ’
wee k a n las t Tis no good to try to keep em

’
.
’ ’
.
The blackbirds do ea t every one They do a ll laugh .

1 40 B OOK OF CR AFT S AND CHAR ACTER
at I They do sa y I be so well o ff An I don t
. .
’ ’
never complai n I d sooner turn u p these here bit 0 .

’ ’
ground an wa l k u p an down thik path an stud an

’ ’ ’ ’
”
pro j y
i c k .
“
I su ppose yo u do not go o ut to work at all
now
No w gai n I do crack a few stones An o n e
an
’
a .
’
an another do find me some li ttle job to e arn a

’
shi l le n B u t I can t g o so ve ry fa r n o w I be only ’

. .
fit to spu ddley an pro j i c ky I be in my fou rscore ’

. .
B ut there I c a n just manag e to g e t th e little I do

, ,
wan t You ll vi n d yo u don t want zo terr ble much

.
’ ’ ’
when yo u do g e t u p in years They do le t me hav e .
th e co ttage free n o w There s nobody bu t I wou ld ’

.
live in u n an when I do go they do mean ,

’
”
to pu ll u n down .
What do yo u think o f this talk about o ld age -
pen sion s
“
I don t spend much thou gh t pon things that be
’ ’
so fa r o ff I d sooner se t my mind po n this here

.
’ ’
yard o r two 0 grou nd and th e o n e o r two apple ’
trees I did hea r th e question as ked a s to wh o i s

.
going to pay these here pe nsio ns I don t meddle .

’
w i no such matters mysel f They don t never bear

’ ’
.
no c rops that I can se e If you do plan t a peck o .

’
teddies an dig ten yo u can see th e inc rease I f you

’
.
,
do d rop i n one bean a n pick hal f a pint they don t ’

,
’
eat so very ba d h o t o r cold wi a bi t 0 ba con an a ’ ’ ’
pinch o pepper a n salt B ut you can t fill a hungry

’ ’
.
’
belly wi word s I never cou ld I don t put no trust

’
. .
’
in i t To see th at I do rec kon I should have to l i ve

.
,
AN OL D P R OJ I C K E R
more years a n the old est man in the S c ri ptu re a n

W
’ ’
,
mankind don t do it nowadays

’
h o w ould pay it . ,
master ? An h o w m u ch wou ld i t be
’
”
They talked o f five shilling s said I Ou t o f , .
th e taxes .
Ay they talked B u t I don t know who d pay it

’ ’
.
,
in o ur pa rish There s sq u ire hav e a got nothin

.
’
-
’
left He don t know where to look fo r a fi po u nd

.
’ ’
note so th e tale i s An passon i s so poo r a s a crow

, .
’
by all accounts an h is o wn to o An my o l d master

,
’
.
’
down to farm why he v e a lost money to my know

,
’
-
ledge fo r five a n thi rty years an a s h is o ld father

-
’
-
,
’
never left so ve ry m u c h he mus be d rawing very ,

’
”
nea r th e end 0 i t now ’
.
He shook h i s head and the merry twinkle came ,
again in to h i s eye .
Theyve all a lost money bu t I master Bu t

’ -
, .
money didden never trou ble I much fo r I never had ,
none to lose S o I do su ppose I d bette r to bide

.
’
co n ten t so long a s I can knock on an pro j ic ky ” ’

.
THE OL D MOLE CATCHE R
X VI I
THE OL D M OL E A
C TC H ER
N old ma n crooked with rheumatism and pa st

A
, ,
work he lived with hi s old woman in th e

,
little cottag e by the co rner opposite th e disused

village pound .
What wi th h i s pension from the so ciety whic h to , ,
be su re wa s no t much bu t might be relied upon to

, ,
”
come in reg lar and the help o f one o r two wo n
'
,
”
derfu l good son s the neighbou rs accounte d Peter
,
S ims th e old mole catch er well o ff

, , .
He wa s always to be seen o u t o f doors .
O f a fine day he would stroll down the ro ad and

across th e footpath to c hoo se some conven ient gate
,
o r stile to lean aga in st by th e hou r He liked to .
bas k in th e su n and gaze u pon th e broad mea dows .
H is clothes were o f that ancie n t ru sset hue which i s

n either red no r b rown no r green a nd in the land sca pe ,
he wa s scarcely distin guishable Agai nst a green .
hedge a hazel c opse o r an arable field he wa s a s

, ,
little suspected a s a hare in h er form If you c ame .
upon hi m he showed n o inclination to talk He

11 “5
would c ivilly pas s the time o f day Then in a .
,
qu erulous voic e o f mourn fu l remon strance he a lways ,

”
added There s a te rr ble sight 0 wants abou t and
,
’ ’ ’
,
moved regretfully to another basking place -

.
B u t one a u tumn morning Pete r came o u t from h is

cottage door newly a rrayed .
The village wa s waiting fo r him The news ha d .
already be en carried aro u nd fo r a parcel bro ught by ,
post had been opened in th e presence o f the post

,
man He wore a beau ti fu l moles kin wai stco at and

.
,
crowning h i s grey lock s w a s an old fashioned mole -
s kin cap Nothing so complete had been seen in th e

.
parish fo r years and th e neighbours all crowded

,
a ro u nd .
Thou gh to be su re ti s what yo u wore a l l your ’
life Mr S ims a s mid sa y said they

, .
”
, ,
.
”
20 I did 20 I did . .
An where did it come vrom Mr S im s

’
.
,
O ur B o b sent it He s a wan t ca tcher up th e

’
.
coun try yo u know , .
With both hand s th e old man stroked th e

glossy fur .
He wa s a s delighted a s a child .
In th e livery o f h is ancien t occupation Peter S im s

wa s anothe r man The moleskin waistcoat like a
.
,
magi cian s robe brought h is mind once more in

’
,
touch wi th h is a rt He smiled on the failings o f the

.
present age A half indulgent note could be de

.
-
tec ted in h i s A te rr ble sight 0 wan ts abou t w hen

’ ’
I found him tha t day gazing a t th e ro ws o f brown

hillock s i n a piece o f a fter grass -
.
THE OL D MOLE CATCHE R
They seem to catch them elsewhere said I wi th , ,
a congratulatory tap on the third button .
O u r Bo b he do know the w a y crowed old P eter

, , ,
”
in his pride fo r I l a m ed th e boy my ownsel f
,
.
The old chap straightened himsel f and cleared h i s ,
th roat .
Moles yo u do call em don t ee They used to ’

,
’ ’
be called wants in my day No w I can tell c c all .

’
”
abou t moles said he “
I ve a catched h un derds and
, .
’
-
thou sa nd s fo r tis th e one th i ng in li fe I ve a gied

’ ’
-
,
tho ught to I f you do want to be a mole catcher

.
y o u m u s gie up yo
’
u r mind to it You m u s learn .
’
thei r ways an thei r natu re so a s to get round em a l l

’ ’
,
ways Tidde n a bit 0 good to catch hal f a do zen

.
’
- -
,
an then zit down That s what they do do n o w

’
.
’
.
There idden no rea l old fashioned want catchers -
nowadays No t one in twenty mile round here

. .
A la bo u re n man mid put dow n a few traps and pick

-
u p a sc ore o r two to perk u p in hedge fo r squire to
look a t a s he do ride by But if you do wan t to .
— —
keep wan ts I do mea n moles down you mu st ,
”
volley it I tell c c volley it
— ’
, .
He wa s so emphatic in the opinion that mole

catch ing must be followed and shook h is hea d so ,
l o ng that I thought the tal e wa s done B u t n o t a t

, .
all He sta rted afresh A glow o f colour brigh tened

. .
each word ; fo r a sun set illumines that o l d world -
speec h fo r which th e day i s almos t gone Mo re .
ov er he spo ke with th e wise simplicity o f th e

,
unlea rn ed .
Ay yo u mus volley em a ll mann ers a nd ways

’ ’
.
,
1 4 8 B OOK OF CR AFT S AN D CHAR ACTER
No w , like all liven things but man they mu st be ,
busiest in sprin g They do work a goodish bi t in

.
th e nigh t B u t so true a s th e ligh t they do a l ways

.
work u pon th e very tou c h 0 daybreak No w sa y ’

.
,
you ve a g o t nic e ope n weather an a light fine soil

’
-
’
in a pastu re field a n j u s avore th e glimmer o

,
’ ’ ’
ma rn en yo u be there What ll you zee The dew ’

.
maybe do lie around po n everything blade an leaf ,

’
,
’
,
bu t th e foot track s you ve j u st a made a mo st so

’ ’
-
,
whi te a s a sheet 0 frost First a blade do qu ivery

’
.
,
an then th e brown earth do heave u p an hal f cover

’ ’
the you ng grass in n o time Ti s a wonder h o w so .

’
s mall a c ri tter can wo rk so fast B u t he m u s a l ways

’
.
work away fro m home mind that So clap th e s pade , .
in behind u n like in h i s own hole Then you c a n

,
.
dig u n o u t like a tatie an gie u n a knock wi th e ’ ’
s pade . A li ttle thing do kill a wan t mas ter Why , .

,
a ta p po n th e sn ou t that wou ld little more a n crack

’
,
’
a d u nnock s egg a n h e s dead Oh ! yo u c a n

’
,
’ ’
.
destroy a sight 0 wants if yo u be u p avore light in

’
the ma rnen .
W ith
B u t what abou t th e
Eh ? T raps did ee zay

traps that yo u
I be a bi t hard 0
’
set
h e a re n He rai sed h i s hand to ea r

. Yo u do .
mean they little boughten snaps don t c c ,

’ ’
No The o ld fashioned sort with th e bent stick

.
-
”
stuck in to th e gro u nd .
When I wa s young we did zit ro u nd fire o f a

night an make o ur own traps I tell ee volk to day
’
.
’
-
do buy hal f th e things they u sed to make Why we .

,
THE OL D MOL E CATCHER
di dde n even use wi re whe n I wa s a boy Ah ! You .
go a n ba g a few stou t hai rs o ut o the sta llions tails

’ ’ ’
when th ey do travel roun an you don t wa nt no ’

,
’ ’
wire I wou ldn gie a tha nkee fo r ha i rs o ut o f a

.
’
mare s tail There idden no stren gth in it No t if

’
. .
ti s th e biggest m a re ever hitched in to a plo u gh

’
.
Then you c u t o u t a likely bit 0 smooth wood abou t ’

,
two fingers wide an so l o n g a s your pa l m ; a n bore ’ ’
the holes wi a red hot iro n when you do si t down

’
-
,
wi a d rop o ale o r cide r i f you ve a g o t i t an fit in

’ ’ ’ ’
-
,
you r two little wi thy bows ; an o ut o ut your peg to ’
hang down in th e way whil st he do ho ld th e nooses

s lack Then yo u lay he in the run w i a bit 0 string ’ ’
.
,
from th e n ooses on to th e g reen hazel stick yo u do

tell o a stu c kt in to th e grou nd fo r a spring Ah !
’
-
.
,
L et bu t a snou t touch thik peg That w ur G ood .
night to my little velvet coated g en le ma n Ah ! -

’
.
Wire never did so well They did smell wi re An . .

’
mind me wan ts be that terr ble c u n n en i f they ve

,
’
,
’
a g o t bu t a i n kle n o it they ll sho ve o n a bi t 0 earth

’ ’ ’
-
,
”
an knock o ut thik peg all fo r nothen
’
.
Do yo u think they know what they a re doing

I do know they do They ve a done i t to I too .
’
-
”
many times fo r chance work -
.
When I smiled h e grew more determined .
A h ! They little wan ts small a s they be have , ,
a g o t wi sdom beyond thei r size

-
They do bu ild a .
fine home mind to rear their you ng They ve a got

, , .
’
-
a upstai rs a n a down stai rs to u n in a manner 0

’
,
’
spea ke n an a girt heap 0 leaves in the middle

,
’ ’
a mo st so so ft a s a fea ther bed They ve a g o t main

’ ’
- -
.
1 5 0 B OO K OF CR AFTS AND CHAR ACTER
road an by ways,
s
’
-
an a man mu s know where to
’ ’
pu t h i s trap B.u t clever a s th Almighty made em

’ ’
,
I mysel f have a catched h unde rds an thou sands o ’ ’
em h u nde rds a n thou sands

’
— ’
He pa used .
Thou gh he still kept stroking the waistcoa t there ,
wa s no more to tell .
Once more he gazed out u pon the landscape .
”
Tes a terr ble sight 0 wants about said he
’ ' ’
.
,
X VI I I
T HE T RU L FF E H U N TE R
HE N the leaf h a s fallen abou t the time that

,
gam e pie and boa r s hea d first beg in to loo m

-
’
u pon a still di stan t C h ri stma s ho rizon th e E nglish ,
tru ffle h u nter takes to th e field .
The locality in which th e tru ffle may be fou nd i n

thi s co un try in a quan ti ty sufl
, i c ien t to make i t worth
th e hunting i s n o t ex ten sive
, Unsuspected a nd
.
,
there fore u n sought fo r this rem a rkable fu ngu s may

,
no d o u bt ex ist elsewhere ; but i n parts o f Do rse t a n d

o f Wil ts i t i s regu larly gathered and al tho u gh the ,
market is chiefly supplied from th e Continent some

,
few persons a re able to ea rn a livelihood during th e

early win ter months by th e sea rch fo r it .
The tru ffle hu nter is a man by himsel f He knows .
no competition i n h i s q u ain t and brief avocation .
Fo r the tru fll e grows m o st plenti fu lly on a chalk so il

and only under trees The stately beech wi th
.
,
sprea di ng, drooping bra n c hes i n early summer

—
th ickly clad in glossy lea ves and falling like a s ki rt

,
ligh tly to tou ch th e ground i s i ts favo u ri te tree

—
,
al though it i s al so to be found in less abundanc e

1 53
154 B OOK OF CRAFTS AND CHAR ACTER
unde the oak and the h n t The finel y timbere d
r c est u .
-
park therefore afford s th e ha ppiest hu nti ng ground

, ,
-
,
and to en ter this permission m ust be obtained .
In the S outh o f Fran c e where truffles a re very ,
abu ndant th e pig i s chiefly used to discover them

,
and thus in stead o f enjoying a li fe o f ea se and

,
elegant gentility a s he does with u s in E ngland the

, ,
hog i s made to work a nd earn h is living like a ma n .
B ut here where the game i s scarc e th e pig could

, ,
make no show at all a t the bu siness E ven the most .
exemplary so w experienced in telligent willing

, , , ,
motherly and endowed wi th all the many vi rtues and

,
excel lences o f h er se x and race i s a t best but a poor ,
ranger Thoughtful deliberation characteri ses all h er

.
movements but there i s a certain lack o f dash

, .
When there i s ground to be covered sh e cannot be

relied upo n to ri se to th e occas ion With u s it is .
necessary to u se dogs and therefore a tru ffle hunter

,
must be o f a trans pa rent res pecta bility that c a n win

and retain th e confidenc e even o f a head keeper -
.
The privilege to walk over the estate may very

likely have descended to him from his fathe r and ,
from childhood he h a s u nderstood the value o f it .
His son s and daughters u ndis tu rbed by th e prevailing

,
desire to run away from the locality in which they

were brought up go into service at the great house
, .
He belongs to the countrys ide and i s kn o wn to ,
everybody around His tru flle hun ting holds him to

‘
.
the place o f h is bi rth S carcely an ywhere else can

.
it be ca rried on and like most men who follow an

, ,
odd occ u pa tion he h a s more o f the old world spirit

,
-
THE TR UFFLE HUNTER
than many o f h is neighbou rs S o the squire stops to

.
have a word with him whenev er they meet listening ,
a l l th e while wi th a smile to hi s qu ain t phrase s Well .
awa re that he i s in favou r the tru flle hu nter i s free

,
‘
o f spee ch He h a s nobody el se to think o f no

.
,
employer to please and he freely enjoys a broad

,
hunting g round from which every intruder is severely

-
excl uded .
It wa s a dull morning very ea rly in winter and o u r ,
trysting place wa s by an o l d di su sed chalk pit now

- -
,
overshadowed and a lmost hi dden u nder trees o f hal f

a ce ntu ry .
Underfoot the turf wa s soft and springy and th e

gra ss wet fo r it i s no ti me to hu n t fo r truffles when
,
the ground i s bou nd by frost Upon every side the .
well wooded landscape melted away in to a grey mist

-
.
Fro m every twig and bud hung a d rop o f shining

moistu re imperceptibly increasing to fall at last
, ,
u pon the sodden leaves so bright in the early

,
stag es o f thei r decay tha t they could give a glea m o f
ruddy warm th even to the bare cheerlessn es s o f a
wi nter day .
The a ir wa s so ft and mild in its h u midity A .
squ i rrel awakening to an hou r o f activity betw ee n

,
h is win ter naps ra n o u t u pon a branch stopped and

, , ,
stoo d a t attention with h is tail cu rled ov er h i s ba ck .
S uddenly he tu rned lea ped to another limb and ra n

, ,
shyly back to hide him sel f behind the trunk Yet .
presently he wa s o n th e ground moving to and fro ,
in gracefu l leaps in h i s search fo r some odd beech

n u t i f by cha n ce the bi rds might ha ve left o n e here
,
156 B OOK O F CR AFTS AND CHAR ACTER
a nd here so late in th e yea r The squ i rrel al so i s no t
t .
a bove reg a li n g him sel f with a tru ffle s hou l d he

happen u pon one d u ring hi s excu rs ion to the earth .
B u t di stu rbed by th e sound o f a footstep he aga in ,
rai sed him sel f to watch and li ste n Then h i s ta il .

,
und u lating a s he wen t h e wa s o ff and o u t o f sig ht,
behind a branch o f th e tree once more a s the truffle ,
hu n ter came in view with three w hite pood les close

to h is heel .
A qu ain t gro u p they were a s they q u ickly advanced

down the g rove .
The man in a fu stian c oat and gaiters and with a

, ,
stou t g rou nd a sh s tick in h is hand looked like an

-
,
under keepe r A n d th e coat had l a rge g ame pockets

-
.
-
to o which were full and bu lging u pon each s ide

, .
The little poo dles fo r they a re m u ch smaller

—
than their carefully trimmed ari stocratic c ousin s -
who move in th e best ci rcles looked like a small

—
trou pe o f performing dogs They appeared to take .
a su bdued and seriou s view o f li fe They looked .
more thou ghtfu l even than comic a rti sts waiting

fo r thei r tu rn s .
“
I don t hardly believe I can be behind ti me
’
,
s aid h e .
O h no I a m early Did yo u find many on the .
way here
“
I ha n t a h u n ted I comed straight o n zo vast
’ ’
-
.
,
”
a s I cou ld B u t in a momen t divini ng th e mean
.
,
i n g o f th e qu estion he d rew fro m h i s pocket a ,
hand fu l o f li ttle block s o f dry bre ad a nd held th em ,
out to show me .
W Tes to hea rte n up th e dogs he explained
e h a d a long day s tra mp be fore u s a n d we
started a t on c e .
’
,
,
.
We w ere a lmost strangers but h is sim plicity wa s ,
so direct that he wa s q u ite ready to talk to me fro m
th e fi rs t and hi s one s ubject wa s the myste riou s

,
beha viour o f th e tru fll e .
No w to my mind a tru ffle i s a very fu nny thing

, ,
sa i d he
“
Yo u mid find em i n one place thick a n ’ ’
.
plen ty ; an hard by where th e eye can find no

’
,
di fference and in reason yo u w ou ld look to see

j us t so many there idden a single one to be had
,
”
no t fo r love n o r money .
P erhaps they would sta nd tran splanting .
B ut I ve a tried that I ve a to o kt up little u ns

’ ’ ’
- -
.
an set em in a likely spot but come nex t time there

’ ’
,
”
were no truffles the re neve r th e more .
Th en why do yo u hu n t fo r them over new ground

s in ce yo u know where they a re
B ec au se fo r all that they do die o u t an start

’
, ,
fresh 0 thei rselves like My father fo und em

’ ’
.
where there s n one n o w an yet they be where no

’
,
’
dog o f h i s ever stopped to scrape in h i s life So .
I do allow there is so meth en in th e natu re o f a

truffle more than th e mind 0 man have eve r
’
a wormed o u t o r ever will A n that s easy to think

’ ’
-
.
,
”
when all their growth is o ut o si ght u ndergrou nd ’
.
All th e while we were trudging to and fro ac ross

tu rf a s fine a s a lawn now to a s ingle tree and then
,
to a gro u p cl u stered tog e ther o n the a wa rd like a

con ste llation in the heaven s .
158 B OOK OF CR AFT S AND CHAR ACTER
and again a rabbit ra n a c ross in front o f u s
No w .
Once in a little hollow where the grass wa s rou gh

,
and long a hare jumped up at o ur feet

, .
These wise poodles took no notice o f th e one o r

the other Only u nder th e trees when th e tru ffle
.
,
hu nter waved h is hand fo r them to range did they ,
show a n y exci temen t Then they gallo ped abou t

.
with eager jealousy each a n xious to be th e fi rst

,
to find B u t fo r more tha n an hou r noth ing came

.
o f it
.
We went in to th e corner o f a beech wood where -

,
there wa s no copse and th e g round thickly covered

, ,
wi th the brown waste from a wildly extrava gan t

shower o f m as t w a s bare o f vegetation a s a fl
, oo r .
We pa ssed down a narrow glade between two

covers The po odles ranged like spaniel s u pon
.
each side o f u s a s we wa lked on and no w and ,
again when they loi tered we stopped to watch them .
P resen tly one o f them raised h is nose and sni ffed

the wind then cantered forwa rd in doubt then
, ,
galloped some twen ty yards and bega n to sc rape

a hole i n the g rou nd The trufll e hun te r ra n a s .
hard a s he could ; fo r n o t only may a do g inj u re

th e preciou s fungu s by inordinate sc raping bu t he ,
i s apt in time to acqui re a taste fo r i t and will then ,
s wa llow it himsel f In this instance there wa s no

.
lamentable waste o f thi s sort ; and to the envy o f ,
h is companion s the fortunate poodle wa s rewarded

,
with a c ube o f brea d .
I t wa s a most interes ting exhibition o f keenness o f

nose fo r the trume wa s quite three inches u nder th e
,
THE TR UFFLE HUNTER
’
grou n d a n d th is one a s it happe ned wa s scarc ely

, , ,
larger tha n a hazel n u t - .
Th e tru fl l e hun ter h anded i t to me fo r e x a m i

nati on .
There i s nothing attractive in the personal appear

ance o f a trufll e noth ing impressive to s upport a
,
ti tle to the res pec t in which it h a s been held A .
fine tru ffle c losely resembles a moderate sized -
potato o f infirm con stitu tion and wi th a ruined

complexi on It is like a walnut blacken ed by
.
sto rag e in a damp cellar and affl icted with warts .
From i ts ex terior th e animating sou l that can ,
impa rt a su btle spi ritu a li ty even to brawn could ,
never be divined B ut i t is good fu n searching fo r

.
the trufll e ‘
.
The morn ing clea red and by noon a gen tle su n

,
light fell u pon th e glistening trees and dewy grass .
We wen t into th e valley by th e ban k o f a broa d cl ear

river and there w e fo und them thick and fast
,
We .
ra n f or ou r lives both o f u
,
s— o r fo r th e live s o f the
tru ffle s— u ntil the bread w a s all di s tributed and th e ,
fu stian pockets bu lged more than ever .
A nd when th e win ter su n d ropped like a red di sc

throu gh th e level clou d o f grey mi st that h u ng along
th e western sky and pa s sed quickly o u t o f sight
,
below th e hori zon th e truffle man followed by h is

, ,
poodles tru dged home well la den from h is bloodless

,
hu n t
S OL P R I DDLE , THE DEALER
SOL P RI B L
B E, THE DE AL R E
W AS tramping upon a high road some miles

from ho me when good fortune fi rst made me
,
personally acquainted with Mr S olomon P riddle .

,
th e dealer .
I had often seen him before He i s a very .
busy man a nd u biquitous in o u r part o f th e

cou ntry being celebrated a s the possesso r o f the
,
”
most wo nderfu l trapper ever man sa t behind .
On that day he came spinning along a stretch

o f straight level road and w hen he overtook me
, , ,
he d rew up .
Will yo u take a li ft
The invitation wa s attractiv e I wa s a s free a s a .
knight errant in search o f ad ven ture

-
.
Ho w fa r a re yo u going ? I asked .
Oh ! farther tha n yo u I ll bet a guinea All the

,
’
.
”
way u p to Farmer John B uck s ’
.
”
“
I know Farmer John B uck .
What You do know John B uck Then yo u

do know the be st heart that e ve r th u mped a
waistcoat The world don t breed th at sort no w
.
’
.
1 63
1 64 B OOK OF CRAFTS AND C HAR AC TE R
Why; I m just o ff to his place Jump u p an come

’
.
’
a long Eh No t expec ted That s a fool tale I ’

-
.
,
do call it A friend unloc ked fo r i s so much the

.
-
greater j o y Yo u can t come a wrong day to John

.
’
B uck s unless h e s out

— An I m there by appoint
’ ’ ’ ’
.
men t J u mp up I tell c c
. Don t bide there
,
’
.
’
”
a h a m c a mm n g
-
h i — wasting my ti me .
”
The wonderfu l trapper lean from work yet ,
res tless to be a t i t agai n tossed h is head and ,
s truck h is hoo f upon th e road The yellow wheels .
o f th e high s m a ll bodied gig moved backward a nd

,
-
forward a s I pu t my foo t upo n th e step and spran g

to the empty seat beside th e man who a s Fa rmer , ,
John Bu ck him sel f o nce told me had bou ght more ,
bee f tha n any man in thi s coun try —mean ing o f ,
co urse in that neighbou rhood

, .
Mr S o l P riddle moved over to give me more

.
roo m and shook th e rein s Fo r one se cond the .
wing on th e O H side j u st sc raped upon th e wheel .
Then we bowled away a t a good sling trot .
Mr So l Priddle i s a man o f w eight and s ubstance

. .
He i s tall enough to be a g renadier bu t old and ,
stou t e n ough to tu rn th e scale a t twen ty stone He .
h a s ligh t hai r that tu rns in a c u rl beneath th e brim

o f a high wh i te h a t worn a t a raki sh a ngle which
,
gives an a i r o f meaning prompt bu siness a n d nothing

el se He bears what i s called a fresh coloured
.
-
complexion and is rosy from h is forehea d to hi s

,
poll A m utton chop whisker adorns ea c h ch eek

.
-
.
Mr So l Priddle is a d ressy man

. .
He wears a th in Ches terfield overcoat o f lig ht

SOL P RI DDLE , THE DEAL ER 1 65
colou r a n d lo ng en ough when he al ights to rea ch

, , ,
hal f way down h is brown gai ters The less fortunate .
world which neither buys bullock s no r h a s them

,
to sell catches only glimpses o f Mr 8 0 1 Friddle

, .
a s he whi s k s by on th e road to some di stant deal .
It i s universa lly esta blished that he is a wonderfu l

business man .
Hi s conversation that mo rning wa s o f fa t stock

and th e degen eracy o f th e age .
So yo u know John B u ck What a man sir ! .

,
What a Chu rchman ! What a judge o f a fa t beas t !

Dear dear dear !
, ,
I g athered from his m a nner that thi s lament wa s

over the falling o ff o f sou nd j udgment so cha rac teristic
o f mode rn tim es L ater conversation proved that in
.
th e opinion o f Mr S o l P ri ddle mankind no longer

.
displays that nice disc rimination in th e estimation

o f the weight o f a fa t bu llock which di stinguish ed
o u r forefathers The subject touched him deeply

. .
After a pause he wen t on with feeling so deep ,
tha t i t made his voice quaver .
In moments o f sober emotion Mr So l Priddle .
is wont to clothe a seriou s thou ght o r fine senti

me nt in languag e o f grea t refinement elegantly
pronounced until in impatience in the last sentence
,
he someti mes forgets him sel f and rel apses into

bro a dest dia lect .
”
No no sir said he impressively
, , , Th e repo si .
tory a nd th e auction mart ha ve sounded the dea th

kn ell i f yo u take my mea ning o f individual
, ,
judgment Understand me I do not intimate to you

.
,
1 66 B OO K OF CRAFTS AN D CHAR ACTER
that men can not make beef B etter beef h a s never .
been made at any time in th e h istory o f this

cou ntry Yet here a re men to day si r who shal l
.
-
, ,
estimate twenty beasts one wi th another and never

come wi thin three score There a re men sir wi th .
, ,
only ability enough to bid after a good j u dge I .

‘
can t be wrong to advance a crown after Farmer

’
John Buck That s their tale An d s uch an one

.
’ ’
.
do think he ve a bough t cheap on h i s o wn j u dgment

’
-
,
when thik beast do come a bu ndlen into barton -
wi a trumpe ry li ttle ticke t a stuc kt on pon the

’ ’
-
rump o u n
’
.
Mile after mile the wonderful trapper went on ,
never varying h i s pace unless the hill were stee p ,
never swerving o r even pricking u p h i s c a rs at any

thing he might pass upon th e road .
B e fore mid day we reached th e hom estead and

-
,
again th e wing scraped upon th e wheel a s we tu rned

in to the open gate in fine style .
Farmer Joh n B u ck wa s bu sily occ u pied watching

the blacksmith po msteri ng up th e old d rill agai nst
th e barley sowing -
.
He left h is work at once and came to welcome u s .
Here boy ! Ta ke Mr S olomon Pri ddle s horse

’
. .
,
Come i n both 0 c c — come in

” ’ ’
.
Talking all th e time he led th e way to th e open ,
door .
Wal k in Sit down Have a thimble ful a fter

. .
”
you r ride .
We took the thimbleful in a whisky and soda - -
glas s and then it wa s Come S olomon Priddle

,
“
, , .
SOL P RI B B LE , THE D EALE R 1 67
You must just wet t other eye o r you won t see they
’ ’
”
bullock s straight .
Vis u a l equilibri um a fter many thimblefuls having

been at length satisfactorily established So l Friddle ,
fetched from h i s gig a heavy yellow walking stic k o f -
o a k and we strolled wi th com fortable lei sure ac ross

,
the fiel ds .
We did no t go direct We stopped to look at .
everything a s we went— a t th e you ng stock in the

rough grou nd wi th th e gorse in th e corner and th e ,
col ts running on the hill side L a rk s sang overhead

-
. .
R ook s rose from the spring wheat and pe rched o n

the hedg erow trees a s we pa ssed Nothing could be .
fu rthe r from o u r mind s than th e bu llock s but a t last ,

”
we came round to eight acres a s mall mea dow ,
shelte red by high hedgerows and nea r to th e home
stead .
Three red oxen a n d two ba rreners lying in th e

sunlight on the fresh spring g rass blinked at u s a s
they ruminated in so lemn contentment .
Farmer John B uck slowly approaching gently

, ,
ta pped the nearest with h is stick .
The bea st lazily rose .
There S olomon Friddle cried he with enth usi

, ,
a sm i s a s tidy a bullock a s you eve r c lapped eye s

,
”
on That is i f I do know anything abou t it
.
, .
We slowly wal ked rou nd gazing upon each ox ,
with the silen t gravi ty o f owl s in the dayligh t No w .
and again So l Priddle advanced and wi th inexcusable ,
familiarity indelicate ly pinched the fa t in strange

pla c es .
1 68 B OOK O F CR AFTS AND CHAR ACTE R
At last he spoke wi th quiet decision
”
I ve se en be tter
’
.
The qu estion came short and sharp a s a collie s ’
bark
Where
Mr S o l Friddle pondered awhile
. .
”
At Farmer John B uck s replied he with deter
’
,
mination .
Farmer John B uck stroked h is shaven chin and let

that pass .
That whi te faced steer will turn forty five score

- -
,
said he in a cas u al sort o f way .
When Farmer John B u ck uses h is judgment he

hold s h is head on one side ha l f closes h is eyes and , ,
moves only h i s lips .
”
S a y forty th ree snapped S o l Friddle
-
,
.
Farmer John B u ck walked away in di sgust from

su ch frivolou s conversation .
Howev er a fter three steps he c a me back and

,
cha nged th e su bjec t .
—
S tock wen t high a t Hu ngerton Fai r so they do
”
tell me said he with smiling optimis m
, , .
”
B u t look a t Hinton Monday last .
Noting S olomon s depression Farmer John B uck

’
,
d rew o u t h is watch B less my heart ! well we .

,
can t deal I see Come in and have a bit 0 dinner

’
, .
” ’
,
cried he hastily .
We dined Mr So ! P riddle having co me by a p

. .
pointment we had a spare ri b o f s mall pork and a

,
big plum pu dding left ove r from Ch ristmas After

-
.
wards we sa t by a wood fire and smoked and wetted ,

S OL PRI D D L E , THE DE ALE R 1 69
the other eye until both felt watery and no man

could have declare d wi th certainty which had bee n
mois tened last .
Nothing wa s fu rther from o u r mind s than bu siness ,
and we might have bee n there still only by lucky ,
chance Fa rmer John B uck bec ame afflicted with a

”
terrible desi re to stretch h i s lags .
Would c c like to take a little bi t o f a tu rn out

’
ro u nd again suggested he with an a i r o f o ffe ring a

,
very novel and unexpected idea .
S o l P riddle thought there could be no harm in that

wh atever So we circ u mnavigated th e farm a nd
.
,
a fter some tacki n g bro u ght u p in eight acres in

the mo st accidental way in the world .
Well well They be tidy beasts I don t sa y no ’
W
, .
,
”
otherwise conceded S o l Friddle As a matter o f
, .
form he add ed hat do yo u as k

,
H underd an twen ty to S o ! Pri ddl e

’
cried ,
Fa rmer Joh n B uck with sudden generosity after a

, ,
long pause .
“
I should ro b my family at a hundred John ,
”
B uck .
A dea l being clearly out o f the question we went ,
home to tea Du ring a three cornered game o f

.
-
cribba ge which followed we came to a hundred and

,
fi fteen and a hund red and five between th e deals and ,
finally sa t down to supper with only five pou nds

between u s Bu t a t that business came to an end
. .
Under the mel lowing in fluences o f hot grog we talked

o n ly o f th e sa d conditi on o f th e coun try .
So l Friddle at last determined to go We put the .

1 7 0 B OOK OF CR AFTS AND CHAR ACTER
wonde l trapper to th e yellow wheeled g ig by
rfu -
th e ligh t o f a stable lantern and th e full moon We .
said G ood night and started bu t by the gate we

-
pulled up .
“
John B uck ! Is that you r last word ? a s ked So l
Friddle with feeling
, .
Well a h u n de rd a n leben then

, .
Here a minute .
Farmer John B u ck ra n up to th e back o f th e gig .
”
A pound to l u ck ? whi spered S o l Priddl e .
I heard their palm s slap a s they shook h a nd s over

”
th e deal I ll send to fetc h em to morrow cried
“ ’ ’
-
,
So l Priddl e and we went o ff in earnest

,
.
”
Are they cheap ? I ven tu red to inqui re .
Ti s a fai r price replied S o l Fridd l e bu t John

’
, ,
B uck i s a wonderful judge .
Thus a hard day s work w a s fini shed As we

’
.
whi rled down th e village street in th e moonlight th e

cloc k in th e chu rch tower wa s striking twelve .
LOR D W
HAMME R D O N
LO R D HAMMERDO W N
E AR to the junction o f two railways but quite ,
in the fields wi th a background o f tall trees

,
and dark hedgerows I came upon a sort o f temple

, ,
enclosed by stou t rails o f timbe r more than breast

,
high and whitewashed to a dazzling purity that ,
ch allenged th e eye boldly even in a distan t

landscape .
R i s ing high in th e centre sto o d a dome o r

By zan tine cupola o f fai r si ze and unbroken sym
metry An d from a l l poin ts o f the compass slowly
.
,
wending towa rds it pas sed straggling processions o f

,
small herds and patient solitary bea sts

, .
There were calves that ra n all ways with ingen ious

perversity and maiden hei fers that fris ked l ike the
s portive young girl s they were ; and now a n d then , ,
fa t sac rificia l oxen that lowered their horns a s i f to

,
invi te a garland and often pause d to gaze reverently

,
at ea ch other a nd consider the a dvisability o f lyi ng

do wn .
Their bright red colou r en riched th e grassy lanes

and added a warmth to th e pa le dusty roads a s they
,
‘73
174 B OOK OF C R AFTS AND CHARACTER
all converged upon thi s sac red edifice to be placed
wi thin squ are pens bu il t o ne beside th e other after
,
th e manne r o f o ld fashioned pews in the pa ri sh ch u rch

-
.
I watched them all g o by wi th lazy d rovers

saun te ring behind A n d later c ame a stream o f
.
vehicles gigs and two wheeled traps then Farm er

, ,
-
,
John B u ck jogg ing c om fortably o n h i s sto ut c o b

, ,
and a t last Mr So l P riddle in haste wi th h is yellow

.
wheels .
H u llo ! shou ted he .
Where a re yo u going ? cried I “

To chu rch .
To John C lac k s R e posi tory

”
Ho p up
’
. .
I n fiv e min u tes w e were there .
He con sign ed h i s horse to the care o f o u r o ld

friend Jack Never sweat wh o wa s waiting fo r him
,
-
, ,
and we strode into th e sacred prec incts .
The rails n o l o nger looke d so white The dome .
wa s fo u nd to shel ter a sale ring wi th tie rs o f seats -

,
all rou nd a s in a ci rc us The au ction had al ready .
begun Be twee n men a n d cattle Mr So l Friddle

. .
stu rdily elbow ed and p u shed h is w a y and I fo llowed ,
in h is broad w a ke w i th c a se He stood i n th e pit .
close to th e cattle bu t I we n t u p the steps and fou n d

,
a seat in what w e w ill c all th e fron t ro w o f th e d res s

ci rc le
.
In th e cen tre stood a man o f what i s some times

”
c all e d a rem arkable presence B y h i s s ide th e .
clerk w i th book and pencil wh o wa s only th e

, ,
average h u man be ing became red u ced to i n sig n i fi

,
c a nc e .
He wore the ti ghtest l eath ern g ai ters and th

L OR D HAMME R DO W N
baggiest o f knickerbockers H is suit wa s o f a hand .
some broad check pattern bu t th e delicate fancy o f

-
,
the man found expression in a bl u e spotted waistcoat -
with brass buttons As the weathe r wa s warm h i s

.
,
h a t wa s a broad P anama wi th th e brim tu rned down

,
on o ne side B u t he had pushed it o n th e back o f

.
h is hea d and h is black ha i r cou ld be seen about h is

,
fore hea d .As becomes a n orator h i s face wa s clean ,
shaven . As will happen sometimes even to a man

o f fo rty hi s figu re inclined to roundness
,
and h is ,
c h ec ks were fa t B u t only ju st to that degree w hich

.
add s di g nity and weight to a man s u tterances He ’

.
scarcely tu rned h is head but h i s eye kep t roving ,
aro u nd the compan y His lips moved a s i t were

.
au tomatically and withou t ceasing His vo ice wa s .
lo ud and high and he kept u pon o n e ras ping note

,
withou t so m uc h a s a comma o r a pau se fo r

breath .
Lo t 1 6 A Capital S horthorn Yearling B u ll will

.
,
y o u do me the favou r gen tl emen to honou r me with

, ,
a sta rt fo r th is Ca pital Shorthorn Yearling B u ll i t is

o f no con seq u en c e to me where yo u be gin gen tlemen
the only thing requ isite i s that yo u shou ld co n tinu e
W
to a n adeq u ate figu re what shall I sa y gentlemen P
h o will volun teer th e first bidding fo r th is Capi tal
S horthorn Yearling B u ll ? N o matter h o w s mall
gen tlemen it will give me a start and many a lowly
start in li fe h a s led to affluence and the Wool sac k what
shal l I sa y gen tl em en I repeat what shall I sa y

There is n o necessi ty to be so backward and c o y w e
a re a c qu a inted gentlemen and have me t o n previou s
1 7 6 B OOK OF CR AFT S AND CHAR ACTER
occasions altho u gh Mr S olo mon Friddle appea rs to
.
avoid my eye and stands there blu shing like a you ng

maiden o f sixteen fo r a C apital S horthorn Yearl ing
B u ll what shall I sa y ? Thank yo u si r Ten pou nds
, .
,
ten pound s i s bid by the only gen tleman prese nt

possesse d o f a tong ue Ten pound s I am bid ten
.
pound five i s th e next bidding th ank yo u sir ten

pound and a crown ten pound and a crown i s ten
po u nd te n thank yo u sir ten pou nd te n i s ten pound
fi fteen ten pound fi fteen I have ten pound fi fteen is
eleven pou nd eleven I have eleven is el even po und
and a crown
S uddenly the vo ice stopped A pained expression
.
u pon h i s broad face the a u c tioneer gazed solemnly

,
u pon the little crowd Having regard to th e moral

.
aspect o f the case he expostu lated with kindness but

, ,
wi th deep feeling.
G en tlemen thi s i s not right Thi s cannot be

.
righ t
. This i s discredi table to you rselves and
humilia ting to me eleven pou nds and a c rown fo r
—
a capi tal S h o rth o m thank yo u si r eleven ten eleven

—
fiftee n
Thus encou raged again he rai sed h is voice The
, .
bidding con tin u ed wi th increa s ing briskness u ntil at

last i t lagged and ceased Disdaining th e use o f a
.
hammer he slapped th e Capital S horthorn B ull on

,
th e rump and cried

”
Nex t lo t
.
The sh o rth o m bull vanished a s by magic Th re e .
heifers came charging into the arena but a d rover o r ,
two ke pt them in place with a ta p o r so upon the

L ORD HAMME RD O W N
muzzle and with th e same phrases the oratory

,
recommen c ed .
Ten pound is ten pou nd and a c rown ten pound

five thank you si r is ten pound ten
S o it went on fo r a cou ple o f hours and by that ,
time th e c attle h a d all c h anged hand s and so me o f ,
th e herds were slowly jou rneying away upon the

road s again .
Come a long cried Mr S o l Friddle

, . .
He debated wi th the d rover about th e price fo r

d riving some stock he had bou ght bu t very qu ic kly ,
th e yellow wheel s were s pinning along a t te n miles
W
an hour .
ho w a s th e auctioneer
”
Lo rd Ha mmerdo wn lau ghed he
as ked I
, .
.
”
Who ?
John C lack himsel f he explained respec tfu lly
, .
Folk c a l l him that because well beca use he i s a

—
,
little larg e in h is ways Bu t la ! We m ust expect

.
th at o f a grea t pu blic man !

He does i t well I su ppose ,
Capital ! cried Mr So l Friddle wi th enthusiasm

”
.
, .
K eeps it lively and no wa s te o f time B u t that s

’
.
nothing to day Stock gi ves a man n o opening to

-
You should hear John Clack pu t

.
show him se l f o ff .
u p hou sehold fu rnitu re It s a treat ! S u ch language !

’
.
S uch a flo w ! Yo u s hou ld j u st hear John C lack pu t

up a couple 0 Chippendale chairs My Go d
’
.
HE DG I NG AND DI TCHI NG
H EDG I NG A ND I
D TC H I NG
N the minds o f most o f us there is proba bly a
ta cit assumption tha t the toil o f the a g ri c u l
tu ra l labou rer makes a less demand u pon intelligence
and skill than th e perform a nces o f h is bri sker fellow
worker who spends hi s days within th e fou r wall s o f
a factory o r worksh op Closer observation however
.
, ,
must con vince u s tha t this i s not the case .
The short process whic h the factory hand repea ts

time after time a t last acqui ring a dexterity li ttle
,
less than m a g ical is frequently so ingeniou s that i t

,
stri kes the imagi nation o f the beholder Ye t practic e

.
h a s made i t nearly automatical The simple ru ral

.
crafts howev er ca rried on fo r cen tu ries withou t

c hange and without se c recy in the O pen field s have
, ,
bec o me so familiar that they fail to attract atten tion .
Yet so me o f them a re full o f variety and call fo r

deliberation and the exercise o f j u dgment at every
step . The a rt o f hedging and ditching i s one o f
these a s any one may prove who will take th e
,
trou ble to watch the hedger a n d di tcher a t h is

work .
1 82 B OOK OF CRA FT S AND C HAR AC TE R
W hen gales a n d early frosts have swept the la s t

gleam o f gold fro m th e maple and the glory o f ,
au tumn h a s departed from th e tall hedgerow ; when

th e fall o f th e lea f h a s discovered a hund red n u
su spec ted ne sts from wh ich the su mmer brood s
,
have flo wn in safe ty long ago ; when yo u can see

o n th e u nder s ide o f eve ry hazel
-
twig the little
catkins that will grow and O pen in to a yellow
tasselled fringe to quiver in th e breeze o f ea rl y
spring ; when hips a re c rim s on sloes pu rple bl a ck,
-
u nde r thei r g rey bloom and th e dee p red ha ws ha ve

,
a s yet been le ft un touched by th e flock s o f newly
arrived fie ld fa res in th e meadows ; when yo u can

-
fi rst watch the wren creeping wi th the shy qu ickness

,
o f a mou se among the ba re stick s along th e bank
then th e hedge r can see to g e t at h i s work .
The high overgrown hedgerow alone demand s his

,
atten tion .
Neglec ted fo r years it may be i t h a s g rown u p

, ,
out o f all reason It h a s pa ssed beyond the a dva n

.
tage o f a ffo rding to cattle shel ter from wind a n d

rain and on o n e side at least now kee ps away to o
,
muc h su n .
Moreover there a re gaps where th e bo unds have

,
”
come throu gh shard s a s th e hedger call s them
,
tempo rarily stopped wi th bundl es o f thorn s ; and

thin places where th e strength h a s run to th e top
and shee p can easily push thei r way through
between th e stem s below .
A nd lastly the water lies sta gnant in the ditch

, , ,
which no longer is o f any service a s a d rai n u nder ,

G G
HED IN AND DI TCHI NG
th e tangle o f brambles a nd briars that close it in a nd
s prawl o u t into th e field .
S ometimes th e regu lar labourer on the farm is set

to the hedging and ditching but even then the job ,
i s frequen tly taken by the rope — that is piec ework , ,
a rope being a measure o f twenty feet Then the .
farmer and the hedger meet by the hedgerow and all

the aforesaid faults they cri tically survey .
—
Fo r a time there is silen c e the silence o f deep
th ought .
”
No w then, says, the farmer wi th sudden ,
bri skness speak up What do you want to make

, .
a nd lay
Tis well wo th says the h edg er deliberately

’ ’
,
ninepen ce a rope .
Th e farm er gives a sn i fl and turns h i s back

'
Ought to ha been done years agone master Tis

’
, .
’
—
most terrible o verg ro wed But now but now what .
—
did you th ink

I thou ght seven pence There I l l sa y eightpen ce
’
. .
,
”
I neve r did n give no mo re and I never shan t cries
’ ’
, ,
the farmer with emphatic redundancy o f n egatives .
Then the hed ger wi th feigned relucta nce supposes

, ,
he mu st .
Then go on to once says the farmer , .
E ach o f them had intended eightpence from th e

fi rst but this is a little old world ceremony without
,
-
which hedging ca nnot be co mmen ced .
The hedger comes with high legg ings and thi ck

lea ther gloves to save him from the thorns He .
bri ng s no to ols but a bill hook a hatchet when the -

,
1 84 B OOK OF CR AFT S AND CHAR AC TER
wo od ha s grown big and a spade to dig the ,
ditch .
The fi rst thing to be done i s to clea r awa y th e

rubbi sh — tru mpery he call s it— until the ba nk is quite
c l e an Yet this apparently use less trash i s not to be
.
wasted By and by all th e briars and bram bles upon

.
- -
,
which wild roses grew and blackberries hung so thick

a short time ago will be tied into small fag gots o r ,
bu ndles m fiky wa dr they a re so meti mes called

— -
,
and hauled to th e mo w barton o r stackyard close -

,
be ide the homes ead They a re ex c ellen t to lig ht a

s t l .
wood fire o r may be kept fo r use a s staddling to go

,
u nder next year s rick s a n d keep them from the

’
dam p g round .
Thi s done the hedg er can begin in ea rnest

, .
He takes g reat pride in h i s work and like most ,
labourers is very sen sitive to the criticism s o f h is

fellow men -
B u t he i s quite willing to talk
. .
A hedger he explain s can t go on blind like

’
-
, , .
He mu st see h i s work afore nu He mu st know what .
to c u t o u t a n d what to lay An d he m u st lea ve a .
likely you ng sapling here and there to grow into a

tree Tis no good to c u t i t o ff to want it after No
.
’
.
,
no. That won t do Choose o ut you r likely pla sh ers

’
.
fi rst and twice so many a s you do wan t then cut o ut

, ,
the rest and go back and lay what you ve a left

,
’
-
”
standing .
Whilst he speak s h is eye is glancing at the hedge

ro w and he scan s th e grey a sh tha t sil vers toward s
,
the light th e rich brown hazel th e pu rple rind o f th e

, ,
black thorn and the maple wi th its ribbed bark

, .
And mind this yo u mu st keep goo d
, he
None 0 your elder That s no goo d
’
Th e ’
sa ys. . .
bi rds do brin g it Get ri d 0 all that That s no

.
’
.
’
a l —
good at l not even to burn ”
.
And he laughs outri ght at th e mere th ou ght o f

su ch pithy stu ff l n a od h ed e ow
g o g r .
Which bush makes the best hedge yo u a sk .
He is dogmati c at on c e
Gie I whitethorn he says a nd lo oks determined
.
”
,
en ough to shed h i s bloo d fo r th e O pinion

,
Ay G ie . .
I whitethorn .
B ut in laying i s where he shows h i s skill

“
.
Wherever th e hedge i s thick and goo d he merely

cu ts it down close to the bank ; but where i t i s thin ,
” ”
and across every shard he mu st lay a plasher ,
.
I n the old days an upward stroke wa s in sisted u pon

”
fo r cutting a plasher so that the spli t might be
,
protected from wet after the stick wa s laid No w .

,
th e hedger cu ts th e c hosen s tick hal f th rough on the

si de away from the gap then he d rags it down and
,
se cu res i t in i ts place S ometimes he drives a wooden

.
wedge into th e split to prevent the plasher from

s pringing ba ck and cuts a crook to i t ho i o ntal
, p g
e r z
to the bank S ometi mes he binds it down bu t wha t

. ,
he likes best is to see it neatly wattled between
W
stumps on th e o ther side o f th e gap
hen this is done he tu rn s to making th e ditch

He digs i t o u t th rows the mud up into the hedge
,
.
and with the firmer sods c u t into shape he build s up

tbe ban k as i f i t were a wa ll .
”
Whe n this is fin ished the he dge is “
made and laid .
1 86 B OOK OF C R AFT S AND CHAR ACTE R
People o ften wonder how a stem cut through nearly

to th e rind can live B u t next s pring th e sa p runs
.
u p th e plasher throws o u t strong shoots and i s a

,
good fence fo r years .
B u t th e hedger h a s also to make up the wood a ,
d u ty n o t incl u ded in h is contract but paid fo r extra

,
”
a t the invariable rate o f s ixpence a sco re .
A s he goes on he pick s out the straight sticks o f

th e hazel th e a sh and th e be st o f th e maple and
, , ,
afterwards sorts them into va riou s lengths and binds

them in to bu ndles to be sold fo r garden sticking fo r -
peas and bean s An d he m ust trim u p a n d lay aside

.
all serviceable poles to be saved fo r rails o f wh ich so ,
many a re wan ted on a fa rm A n d some o f the .
straigh t hazel and willow wand s may be in demand
to be S pli t and sharpened in to thatchers spars to

’
,
hold fast the golden reed upon nex t yea r s sta cks ’
.
A ll th e res t he mu st bind up in to fa ggots to find thei r

way to th e baker s oven o r the homestead hea rth ;
’
thou gh th e thorn s he may often lay in th e ditch

to keep cattle from getting in a n d trampling down
the new made bank
-
.
An d every evening toward s du sk the hedger makes

up a fa ggot fo r him sel f .
He i s en ti tled to th e dead wood and he does not ,
mean to wan t fo r fi ring yo u may be su re He , .
chooses a good sto ut pole that will afterward s cut

in to a log o r two on which to ca rry h i s faggot over
,
h is shoulder Thu s wi th h is
. nitch on h is back ,
when th e last gleam o f day is fading in th e west and ,
a flock o f linnets i s singi ng a winter chorus fro m th e

HE DGI NG AND DITCHI NG
head o f an old hed g erow elm he plods homeward to
,
th e villag e in th e combe.
It is a cu stom a s old a s th e hill s that th e hedger

ma y carry home a ni tch o f fi ring fo r h i s own u se .
”
“
I hope you ve left a bit jokes the farmer i f they
’
, ,
meet a t dusk in the village street .
”
They laugh Go od nigh t l and pass on one to th e
“ -
,
homestead and the other to th e cottag e .

XX I I
R
TH ESH IN G
HE umbles heavily down the village street

r ,
making th e floors and windows o f th e n ew

jerry built cotta ges tremble and shake The hand
-
.
some stone hou se a t th e corner ! once the homes tead
o f a substan ti a l yeoman but n o w c u t u into poo r

, p
te nements) with wall s three feet thick and a moss
,
sodden roo f o f ancien t th atch u pon which gro u nd,
se l and some tall stal k s o f w ild oats a re growing ,
watches h er pass by unmoved I s th e old place to o

.
experienced and to o wise any longer to vibrate with

emoti on Or do those mullioned windows with a ,
boa rd bea ring the legen d Milk Hou se under one

o f them look down with cold con tempt upon thi s
,
oily panti ng engine with a shackling threshing

,
machine hitched on to h er ta il ? This new fangled -
thing o f less than a cen tury which d rove the merry

,
thumping o f the flail from th e bam s fl oo r and h a s

’
,
—
been the enemy o f good thatch which swallows
stack s o f straight unbroken wheaten ree d to cast
,
forth a heap o f c rumpled straw unfi t to set u pon the

,
hea d o f any sel f respecting dwelling house ! B u t it

- -
so:
1 92 B OO K OF CRAFT S AND C HAR A TER C
may be that this dignified attitude marks moral dis
appro va l Fo r that engine i s a most inveterate
.
s moker , and worse than that avails hersel f o f

, ,
every opportunity to stop fo r a d rink S he will .
stop now at th e corner where th e silvery mill

stream takes a su dden bend and fo r a short dis ,
fia nc e pra ttles a long upon i ts way in compan y with
the high roa d There she will extend a long pro

.
bo sc is hi therto concea l ed d rop i t where th e running

, ,
brook pou rs foaming and bubbling in to i ts g ravel

pool to spa rkle in th e sunlight brighter tha n the
fine vin g es
s t ta o f Epe nay
r a n —
d R h ei ms a n d d ri nk .
I f thi s we re all no rea sona ble bein g nee d sa y a

wo rd Bu t a t the foot o f th e hi ll the di ssol ute
.
hu zzy will stop again and absol utely beg fo r

liquo r A grimy u nderling ! o r i t may be the head
.
c ha ufl eu r him sel f if th e farm i s good fo r cide r) w ill

'
run u p to th e hou se and a s k pe rm iss ion to fill u p .
Then that shameless crea ture will se t h e r hose k nee ,
deep i nto th e ba rto n pond where pigs wallow and

,
—
ducks fo r ever stir up th e mud a n d drink S till i f .
,
y o u d e te rmine to engage h er I mu s t sa
, y sh e i s
willi ng and in d ustrious a n d a g ood gi rl at her

,
work A li ttle c loser atten tion to pe rsona l c lea nl i

.
ness might perhaps be fo r th e bes t B ut between .

,
oursel ves th o ugh I would not fo r the world ha ve it

,
repea te d i t i s hopeless to try to rec la im a co n fi rm ed

,
dipsomaniac like that .
A fter th e fros ts have come to s tay when th e l a st ,
ye llow lea ves a re dri fting a s softly a s snowflakes

from th e wood s and hedgerow trees a n d th e grey ,
THR ES HI NGr
haze o f Indian su mmer is mel ting into the colder

mist o f win ter from the hill to p th at overlooks th e
,
-
broad valley yo u may se e th e cou ntry side dotted -
with jets o f puffing steam Th e fi rst th ought is o f .
a rail wa y ac ross th e pl a in blessed wi th an i n c o n ,
c e i va ble weal th o f tra fl i c o r ru nning a su perflu ity o f

excu rsion trains C loser observation proves each
.
whi te rising clou d thou gh it may d ri ft u pon the ,
breeze to be otherw ise sta tionary S ometimes it i s

, .
at th e homestead so meti mes beside th e stacks in the

,
stu bble fiel d but in any cas e i t mark s th e threshing

-
,
mac hine a t work The modern bu siness spi ri t h a s .
fou nd i ts way even in to th e arable grou nd A gri .
c u l tu re h a s c au ght o n to the idea o f quick retu rn s .
A h u m louder and more m u sical than that o f th e

,
mill wheel fills th e au tumn a i r Here to day there

-
, .
-
,
to morrow th e thresher passes from whea t stack to

-
,
-
barlow mo w like some gigan tic honey see king

-
,
-
working bee sen t o u t from th e distan t hive o f

-
comme rce It i s n o goo d to hold corn fo r a

.
famine pri c e now ; th e days o f dearth a re gone .
Thresh a t once and turn into money That i s the .
wises t plan S o a walk across th e stubble fie ld i s

.
-
often th e way to where the engi n e i s at work In .
th e di stance th e plo u gh i s slowly plodding to and

fro , wi th rooks ci rc ling overhead and wa g tail s
running o n th e n ewly tu rned fu rrow The stu bble
-
.
i s no l o nger cri sp a s i t w as i n S e ptember a n d your

, ,
steps a re almost noise les s Yet scarcely do yo u se t .
foot upo n i t be fore a covey o f partridges ri ses at th e

fa r end o f the ground and goes skimming over the
14
1 94 B OOK OF CR AFT S AND C HAR AC TER
hedge The birds have lea rnt no t to fear th e plough

. .
They did n o t pay great hee d to th e th reshing aw ay

in th e co rner ; bu t a t th e distant clink o f hobnail
u pon flin t th e whole l o t o f them rai sed thei r heads ,
ra n a yard o r so and then too k wing a t once

,
P re .
se n tl y a flock o f lark s ri ses u in f ro n t to swerve

p ,
and settle again upon o ne side o f you r track The .
s catte red corn o f h a rvest h a s been eaten s ome time

,
a go , bu t still th ere a re worm s a nd insec ts to sa y ,
nothing o f th e millions o f see ds that weeds have

throw n broadcast everywhere Then a party o f .
linnets gets u p w i th u ndu lating fligh t ; then a hare ,
that sa t close u n til yo u r fo ot w a s al most u pon h e r .
A n d so yo u come to th e sta ck s o n th e stubble .
—
Here eve rything is haste and business the pi tch
ing in o f sheaves th e c arrying awa y o f straw th e
, ,
raking bac k o f th e h u s k s dowst they c a l l i t in

— “ ”
th e West Co u n try fo r the re chopped fodder only i s

\
called c h a fl The whirring o f th e fl y wheel never

’
-
.
ceases and th e grain flows in Yi ny cascades in to

,
th e open mou ths o f a ro w o f sack s The whole

.
picture al thou gh bright i n th e autu mn su n is

, ,
so ftened in a cloud o f d u st — real choking dust

,
.
A n d o ld A be a labo urer wh o h a s worked all hi s

,
li fe u pon th e farm i s all th e while going to a nd fro

,
hau ling wa ter fo r th e engine from th e nea rest pit .
No w and again betwee n whiles yo u may find

poli tics o n th e engine and th e enginee r is apt to
,
chaff o ld Abe The engineer h a s been about a bit

. .
He h a s see n di fferen t sorts o f men read papers , ,
and hea rd spee ches I t may be he i s n o t better

.
i n fo rmed, th a n the rest but h e i s certa inly more ,
cock sure In a li fe o f nearly fourscore yea rN be

.
h a s sca rcely been o u t o f th e vill a ge except to a fa i r

o r a m a rket in the nearest town He h a s seen many .
changes in h is time and in you th beat o u t many a ,
shea f wi th h is dra shl e o n the barn s floor He i s ’

.
slow to accept n e w ideas and hi s mental a tti tude all ,
throu gh li fe h a s been o n e o f s peec hless wonder Two .
firm convi ction s Abe h a s held in S pi te o f all The .
land did ou ght to be kept u p We do n t wan t so .

’
m u ch caddle wi a l ey fo reigners
’
.
Come on Abe slack twi sted o l d slug you

, ,
-
, .
They a l l ma ke a bu tt o f th e o ld man bu t th e chaff i s ,
Come o n yo u o ld Meth usa

\
qu ite good humoured -

.
,
l u m— yo u o l d Tory yo u Yo u do wan t bread a

, .
shill a n a loaf y o u do know yo u do

, .
Ah ! I ve a heard a many tales in my time

’
- .
An nothen no sen se— both zides O n y catch

’ ’
.
penny cries to catch a vote o r two I do think .
everyth ing n wa da ys do wan t to be real proper

a -
dras h ed ou
at last t sheaves come slower fo r the

B ut ,
pitchers have th e goodly sta ck by morsels into

the thresher and a re almost down upon the
,
sta ddling — that foundation o f thorn s and hedge

ro w rubbi sh that rai ses th e stack from th e damp
ground A ra t j u m ps o u t The terrier that follows

. .
th e en gi n e darts o u t and h a s him in a trice A nothe r .

,
but th e old sheepdog gets th at Then th e du sty men .
begin to d raw round every o n e with a stick in h i s ,
hand The last sheaf i s gone a n d the engine ceases

.
,
1 96 B OOK OF C R AFTS AND CHAR AC TER
to pan t The pitchers a re at leisure and so the
.
,
staddling i s q u ietly li fted a faggot a t a time B ut .
th e frigh tened rats cannot s tand that movemen t o f

th e shelte r over thei r head s Old and you ng big .
,
and li ttle that have h a rboured u nder th e stack o r

, ,
we re bred there i f i t be an o ld o ne ru n o u t u pon all ,
s ides . Then follow a great thumping o f stick s and ,
rapid dashes o f th e terrie r who neve r sh ake s a ra t

,
”
twice and a,
Here B oxer B oxer to hurry th e
, , ,
sheepd o g wh o never shak es one less than twenty

,
times When all th e fag gots a re moved th e dogs

.
s till scen t ra ts hidden in th ei r bu rrows u nder th e
gro u nd ; bu t these a re soon dug u p and killed .
S o l emnly th e rats a re laid o u t in a ro w and coun ted ,
and so th e ceremony end s .
Come along my lad s Waste no time, . .
Come Abe P ic k up you r ga me You ll wan t ’

. .
,
”
em w i bread a sh il l en a loa f
’
.
”
Do n t yo u talk to I says A be
’ “
, I ve a hea rd .
’
-
th ik tale avore What I do zay i s there idden n o

.
,
wi sdo m in to o many thou ghtless words Do want .
to - —
be all a dra sh ed o ut proper like I do ca ll .
Zo do .
B IR D -
CHAR MI NG
XXI I I
B IRD CHARMI N G
-
NE winter night we were sitting John S pracklin

,
and I be fore a blazing fire in th e hou se a s

, ,
th e great farm kitchen is u sually called in remote

c o u n try places .
L ike so many o f th e form s and qua int phrases

that linger in dialect thi s u se o f the word possesses
,
an unsu spected significance .
In th e evolution o f th e dwelling house from the

-
,
simple enclosu re s u rrounding th e primitive hearth
to th e complex structu re o f a modern habitation all ,
other apartments have been a ddition s to fu lfil the

req u i remen ts of an advancing civilisation The .
”
c h i m me r
, the upper room above the groun d floo r ,
”
came later than the hou se The parlou r a place
.
,
fo r familiar conversation i s a modern refinemen t

, ,
even no w in remote farmhouses kept relig iously shut

up except upon occasions o f social importance
, .
Everything h a s grown upon and around this m a in

room the dwelling room which once absolutel y wa s
,
-
,
”
and still in name remain s the ho use .
A jolly place when there i s frost in the a ir i s the

zoo
hou se with i ts great ope n hearth and pile o f blazing
,
logs which th e o ld i ron brass headed dogs only hold

,
-
u p bu t do n o t see k to re strain
, A n d on that night .
the wood pil ed high wa s roaring i ts merriest in the

broad chimney Dan c ing firelig h t played u pon th e
.
stone floor and th e heavy oaken be am across th e

.
ceiling from which h u ng g ood store o f smoked ham s

,
and bu ndles o f d ried herbs I t made the lamp u po n .
th e table dim B u t i t li t u p th e hearty c ou n tenan c e

.
o f John S pracklin and gli ste ned u pon hi s bald c rown

,
a s he leaned fo rward to tal k .
We had been friend s fo r many a year .
He wa s merry that n ight We had tram ped since .
morning over hill and moor a n d me t wi th spo rt , .
The keen a ir o f th e u pland s had redde ned h is sha ven

chee k Hi s round face rippled with smiles and th e
.
,
fringe o f silver hai r above h i s ea rs appe ared to have

a c risper cu rl than ev er We were so happy wi th .
o u r c u p and pipes tha t we had neve r a tho u gh t o f
moving from that fire u ntil i t w a s time to roost .
B u t Joh n S pra c klin h a s li v ed th ro u gh many social

changes and i s fu ll to th e lips w ith o ld world lo re
,
-
.
There i s nothi n g h e l o v es so m u ch to talk abou t

a s th e almost fo rgotten c u stom s and pas times o f h i s
-
you th and i f he shou ld live to fourscore he will still

,
be a bo y .
That evening th e conversation had been o f bi rd

catching and i ts m a ny arts and devices Of bird .
lime made by boiling holly rind smeared o n th e

,
-
,
ou tside twigs o f bu shes wi th a stu ffed owl pe rc hed

,
in th e middle to tempt th e sm a ll bi rds to flock

arou nd and tease the hal f blind wanderer into th e -
dayligh t ; o f tole calls made o f sycamore ba rk and

-
,
o f vocal imitati on s so a rti sti c that they were n o t to
be resisted ; o f limed straw motes laid down fo r -
fieldfa res to walk upon which wou ld s tick fi rst to a ,
claw then to a wing and final ly wear th e poo r

, ,
vi ctim o u t wi th h is agita ted stru ggles to g et free .
A t th e recollection o f each o f these qu aint

ingen u ities John S pracklin threw bac k hi s head
and laughed .
B u t look here ! cried he Did ee ever hear ’

.
o c harmen birds o f a d a rk night when they be po n

’ ’
th e bo u ghs to roo st
I shook my head .
Tes the easiest thing in li fe 20 tes Al l yo u do

’ ’
, .
wan t i s a night a s black a s pitch a lan tern an a bell ,

’
.
Then yo u can pick em o ff like apples o ff a spa lier ’ ’
tree They be that pl e ased w i th e m u sic an dazed

.
’
,
’
wi th e ligh t they ll l e t a man put hi s han po n em

’ ’ ’ ’ ’
,
w i o u t so m u c h a s a flu tter B u t yo u can t do i t
’ ’
.
secret yo u know ,
Yo u mu st ring th e bell a l l th e
.
time Ting a ting ting a ting fo r all th e w o rld to

.
- -
,
- -
,
hear Never le t thik little clapper stop L a w hen

. .
,
I w a s a bo y I ve a catc hed blackbirds an th rushes

’
-
’
o f a nigh t — a string 0 em dozen s B u t tes all

— ’
.
’
forgotten an passed away n o w Twou ld make

’ ’
.
folk s in this pa ri sh wonder to hea r a bell g o o n

by th e hou r in the still 0 nigh t I ll wa rr n t ’ ’ ’
.
tw ould
’
.
He stopped and sa t ch u ckling a s be imagi ned th e

s u rpri se o f th e neighbo u rs .
202 B OO K OF CRAFT S AND C HAR ACTE R
“
In wha t sort o f plac es did you catc h th em I
asked him .
In any thick bush o r in a hedg erow O r in a .
nice laurel sh rubbery now where the leaves do g i e

, ,
’
a lewth aga i nst th e wi nd I d bet a guinea any .

’
h eddy could take a pocketfu l this very night in the

old yew hedges along the path between th e bi t 0 ’
”
lawn an th e kitchen garden
’
.
B u t wh at sort o f he ll did yo u u se ?
Oh any bel l short 0 o n e o u t 0 chu rch tower
,
’ ’
,
lau ghed he “
I used to have a li ttle dinner bell an
.
-
’
”
a stable l a n tern .
”
“
I suppose su gg ested I thou ghtfu lly
, I su ppo se
”
y o u have no t got that li ttle dinne r bell now ? -
What ? cried th e o l d boy j u mping up from h is , ,
chair . Wou ld yo u like to g o an try you r han at ’ ’
it ? So should I to o ; be hanged i f I shou ldn t

,
’
.
B ut be dashed i f I do thin k there i s a bell There .
he a plen ty o lanterns fo r what cou ld be better a n

’ ’
,
a bicycle lamp B ut tes not one mossel bi t 0 good ’

-
’
wi o u t a bell No yo u can t catch em wi o ut a

’ ’ ’ ’
.
,
”
bell .
He sa t down depre ssed and g azed into th e fire .
He wa s really disappointed even to postpone un til ,
to morrow this remini scence o f his boyhood Fo r

-
.
a short time he did n o t speak ; bu t presently he

g o t up again a n d I ca
, u ght s ight o f that familia r ,
humorous twinkle in h is eye which I ha ve found to

mark the inception o f a practical joke .
Come along said he Let u s just see what

”
, .
”
c a n be done .
BIR D C HAR MING
-
We did no t go into the garden It wa s a dark .
night and the bicycle lamp served to show us th e

,
way into the village street .
Nobody wa s moving th e alehouse wa s closed and , ,
only here and there did a light shine in some

upsta irs cottage window .
Ho w a re you going to ma n age it

B u t to my ques tion s he wou ld make no reply and ,
we walked on in silen c e until we reached the vill ag e

shop . It wa s clo sed and shuttered The house .
wa s a s still as a midnight sleep .
John S pracklin rapped sh arply u pon the door .
The window above o u r heads partly opened and a
W
,
voice cried out in al a rm :

h o i s there Is anything th e matter ? What
do you want
Tes I John S pra cklin Tes tro u blen you Miss
’ ’
.
, ,
B rooke I do know
, B u t could yo u be so kind a s to
.
oblige me wi a pint o linseed o il ? h e beg ged in a

’ ’
,
voice fu ll o f anxiety .
L a ! Mr Spracklin to be su re I can an no
’
.
, ,
trouble a t all I ll j u s come down What ? I s

.
’ ’
.
some 0 you r stock a to o kt bad

’
-
”
Well well I want it by me fo r a precaution
, .
,
explain ed John S pracklin .
Dea dea
r r ! There I ll j
,
u s strike a light a n
— ,
’ ’ ’
slip o n s —
my ki rt a n then wi my shawl over my ’ ’
shoulde rs
Th e good soul who kept the shop thus robed

herse l f in haste and came down solicitous to oblige .
S h e even found a bottle fo r the oil and wen t into

204 B OOK OF C R AFTS AN D C HAR AC TER
h er parlou r to sea rch fo r l as t wee k s newspaper to ’
wrap i t in .
John S pracklin wa s profuse i n gratitu de .
Ti s giving yo u a lot 0 trouble I m su re bu t

’ ’ ’
, ,
there
No t a t all Mr S pracklin La !
,
I f a body
. .
co u ldn j us ru n down to obl ige a neighbour there

’ ’
—
th at would be so methe n— d e ar I
S h e shivered a s sh e re locked th e door behind u s -
.
“
I ve a ba g ged th e hel l that do gi e wa rnen o f
’
-
,
’
a c ustomer from th e bac k o f th e o ld lady s ha l f

,
’
”
hatch ,whispe red John S pracklin covering h is ,
mou th wi th h is hand to restrain hi s mirth and keep

i t ina u dible .
S o we w e re provided .
We wen t into a field and walked a long a n o ld ,
hedgerow .
The au tu mn leaf wa s gone all bu t here a nd the re ,
a spot o f brigh t yellow when the light flashed u pon a

hazel bu sh Bu t th e privet wa s still green and
-
.
,
i ts c l u ste rs o f shining be rries glistened in th e flas h

o f th e lan tern .
I rang that sho p bell poised o n i ts sem ici rcu lar

-
,
s pring mo re pe rs is tently than the most indus trio u s

,
m u ffin man w h o ever wandered down a stre et ; and

-
n o w and again pe rched on th e limb o f some tho rn o r

,
maple John S pracklin fou nd a bird

, .
Then we stood and looked a t it .
S ometimes th e light fell on the yel low spotted -
breast o f a song th ru sh and then perhaps on th e-

,
ru sty b; own o f a hen blackbird B u t none .

attempted to get away so long a s th e bell rang The .
bird had the appearance o f being a lert yet allowed ,
itsel f to be quite easily taken by th e hand Ye t .
when th e h el l wa s silen t n o t a single o ne wou ld

,
s tay. B lackbi rd s thrus hes robin s c ha fli n c h es hedge

, , , ,
sparrow s and fi h we f ound them all and

,g re e n n c es , ,
freq u en tly they were no t fa r apart We took some

.
o f ea ch ,
loo ked a t them and let them fly in to th e
,
n igh t . What sort o f roosting place they cou ld-
selec t fo r them se l ves in the darkness I cannot tell ,
bu t most likely th ey rema i ned upon th e ground un til

morning .
We wen t into a wood to explore an o ld la urel

sh ru bbery u nderneath th e foliage o f which w e co u ld
,
g e t abo u t a n d look up among s t th e b ran c hes O n .
th e way we c ross ed an open place w here th e copse

had bee n c u t and th e more we stu mbled over th e
,
st u mps th e loude r th e o ld bo y lau ghed .
S tarlings had taken the lau rel s fo r a roosting pl a ce -

.
Thousands o f them m u st have bee n there fo r th ey ,
were packed close together o n every possible bough

and where there wa s a good level stick they covered
it in an even ro w like seamen on an o ld sailing shi p
,
-
when the yards were manned .
We co uld have taken a sack fu l i f it had bee n

any good to do so ; fo r those u pon whi c h th e light
fell remai n ed still and li stened to the bell O thers
.
o u t o f sigh t in the darkness we co u ld hea r ta king
alarm and fluttering away .
I t wa s clear that th e bell alon e did n o t fascinate

them .
206 B OO K O F CR AFT S AND C HAR ACTER
You must have both bel l a nd ca ndle i f you

would work this spell u pon roosting bird s .
S o that s the o ld sport 0

’ ’
bi rd charmen
-
,
exclaimed John S pracklin . An d n o w let s get

’
back to hou se an have another pipe by the fire

’
.
”
The wind I seem is most terr ble nippy
, ,
’
.
XX I V
T HE O L D ES I
‘ ‘
I N HA I B TA NT
S T R A NG E thinghappened to a vi l lage a fe w
miles from u s called L ittle Abington .
Fo r centu ries i t lay almost u nnoti c ed in th e q u iet

vale below th e moor Fa r away from th e ou tside
.
world i t lived sel f con tained and con ten ted The
,
-
.
ch urch th e in n th e forge with th e wheelwright s yard

, ,
’
close by and th e little sh op su ppli ed all i ts various

wants An d though th e w ell to do migh t ride away
.
- -
o f a Tuesday and a Friday to th e nea rest markets
and return merry from th e wilder di ssipations o f a

country town the masses ! that is to sa y th e adul t
, ,
men folk o f a population o f 20 3) had never wandered

over th e hill o r got d runk o n any fierc e r beverag e
than thei r o w n good homely cide r .
At last th e wo nder came .
A novelist o f di stinction di scovered L ittle Abing

ton He did no t find i t in its plea sant shel tered
.
combe A s a matter o f fa c t he wen t searching

.
,
fo r a name— well a name with an easy simple

, ,
sound , pleasan t to th e ea r bu t no t sig n i fic a nt

,
15
21 0 B OOK O F CR AFTS A ND CHAR ACTER
a
th t i s to sa
y n o t a me re label
,
bu t a name well —
, ,
a name
He fou nd i t u nder A A bington ! L i ttle) in th e
.
-
,
G azetteer .
Thi s i s pe rh aps n o t remarkabl e The w onder

, ,
.
came some years later w hen th e co bbler o f L ittle ,
Abing ton discovered th e c elebrated novelist B u t .
th e c obbler o f L i ttl e Abing ton w a s al w ays a terrible

man fo r print He read th e local paper e very week
. .
Moreover he posse ssed an o dd vol u me o f S ! name s

,
’
M a g a zi ne The Pilgri m s P rogress and an o ld ’ ”
book en ti tled The T ravel s o f Cyru s

, ,
”
He read .
h is library th ro u gh e ach year within the twelvem o n th ,
and s pent th e o dd time in th ou ght .
Thu s th e c obbler al ready posse ssed litera ry ex

p e ri en c e w hen he fe ll ac ro ss The C h ronic l es o f
L i ttle A bington He fou nd eve rything there and
.
all c orrec t The c h u rc h th e inn th e forge and

.
, ,
whee lwrigh t s yard w ere the ve ry moral 0 what

’ ’
they really an tru ly be A n d so w ere th e fo lks

’
.
,
to o. The c obbler recogni sed them all in spite o f errors

fo r there were o n e o r two li ttle th ings w rong To .
be su re th e wri ter did n o t give anybody h is right

name An d th e sex ton o f L i ttle Abington wa s no
.
c rip ple Tho ugh th e sexton before th e last did once

.
”
stu mp abo u t fo r u p a month w ith a game lag -
,
that wa s only throu gh falling over a g ravesto ne when

h u nting Peter To o p s fowls o ut o f th e ch u rchyard
’
.
”
No ; th e sex ton o f that day w a s a c ross eyed man -
,
with th e advantage o f being able to squin t down

both ai sles to once but hi s legs were a s straight a s
THE OL D EST IN HAB I TANT
the church pillars S ti ll to be s ure anybo dy could

.
, ,
se e how that mi sta ke w a s brought abou t .
There wa s ta lk in th e village afte r the cobbler s ’
discovery a nd the news sprea d that L ittle A bington

,
h a d been pu t in a book .
The villagers cou ld remember a bunchy little

feller wi gold spa r ti c les and a h ead so bald a s a
’
bladder o l a r ’
wh o stayed abou t the pl a ce a
” ”
goodish time He did
. fo r ce rtain s ure The .
theory wa s accepted in the neighbou rhood and su p

ported i n th e coun ty paper L ater o n i t hardened .
i nto as certained fact To day th e church th e inn

.
-
, ,
th e forge with the wheel wright s ya rd may be bou ght

’
on picture post cards and pilgrim s come to L ittle

-
,
Abin gton even from across th e seas .
These th ings happened when Cobbler Trip wa s

young No w he is Mr Trip and th e oldest inh a bi
. .
ta n t o f L ittl e A bington fo r hi s name h a s been ,
mentioned in a topograph ical vol u me o f the di strict ,
and sin c e then he show s th e strangers round .
The oldest inhabi tan t o f L ittle Abington says

thi s auth ority i s Cobbler T rip and he lives in a
,
“
, ,
whitewashed cotta g e ha l f covered wi th roses The .
veteran o f Li ttle Abington is o f medium statu re but ,
bent with age His scanty locks a re long a n d silvery

.
,
but he wea rs a grizzly beard clipped sh ort A l though .
nea rly fou rscore yea rs o f a g e hi s grey eye is still ,
clear and alert He takes o ff and w aves a s it were

.
,
fo r the punctuation o f h is conversation th e tortoise ,
shell spectacles which he fin d s necessary only w hen
reading o r a t work He we ll remembers the vi si t

.
21 2 B OOK OF CR AFT S AND CHAR ACTER
o f th e novelist to L ittle A bin gton and i s proud to ,
have tapped and heeled a pair o f shoes worn sadly

in need o f repair by constant walking I t w a s .
in teresting to learn that th e great romance r wore

ro u nd holes in th e very c entre o f hi s so les a su re ,
sign o f di stin c tion and fo rtu ne M r T rip aecom . .
p a n i e d m e a round th e village pointed o u t,the garden

gate where Au rora fi rst me t Thomas and th e c hink ,
in the shu tter th rou gh whic h Uncle Jeremy wi tnessed

th e theft o f th e fami ly B ible from th e th ree cornered -
cu pboard The precipice from whi c h Thomas fell

.
,
m ust however be an invention There is n o dee p

, ,
.
quarry within several miles o f L ittle Abingto n a s ,
serviceable stone i s no t to be foun d in the neighbou r

”
hood .
Consciou s o f scholarship and raised u pon this

,
pinnacle o f fame li ttle w onder i f Cobbler Trip h a s

,
become a proud man To d ay he does little ta pping

.
and hee ling Fro m ea rly s pring to th e e n d o f

.
O c to ber visitors pour in to L ittle A bington o n fo o t ,
on bicycles and o n motor cars Most o f them

,
- .
inq u ire fo r Mr Trip B u t h is position a s cicerone

. .
h a s become so well es tabli shed that a village u rc hin

asked to poin t o u t th e home o f A u ro ra wou ld merely
point to the rose covered co tta ge and sa y Cobbler
-
,
”
Trip he do know most about that
,
.
When I stayed in L i ttle A bington this su mmer he

wa s o ut to me et me in th e garden be fore I had time
to ra p u pon th e co ttage doo r He i s a th in spare
.
,
”
man in a ki ttle smock wi th a sh re wd countenance
-
,
and l egs th e shape o f a ho rse collar -

.
THE O L D ES T IN HAB I TANT
I rea d about you in a bo ok Mr Trip said I , .

,
gaily
Ay to be su re that wu r I
, .
He stopped and scanned me with attention Then .
h i s voice d ropped into a mysteriou s confidential

whi sper He appeared to fea r lest th e sparrows on
.
hi s thatch should overhea r h is question .
B aint you a au thor 0 book s yo urzel f ? B ecause

’
,
looky zee i f yo u be yo u do know Don t he o we I

, .
’
zu m th e n vo r what I told n u to w ri te down I did

dictate to u n a n he did zu ck h is pencil an then pu t
,
’ ’
i t all down in a li ttle book They do tell I down to

.
The A corn that a book is wo th d ree thou sand ’
poun I ciphered i t o u t one a ivle n quiet like an I

’ ’
W
.
,
do call he do o we I ten pou n I tell c c there s ’ ’ ’

.
,
million s have a read thik book -

h y there s never .
,
’
a Eas ter Monday o r a A u gust B ank Holiday but

what d ree o r vower o r may be up vive o r zi x do
, ,
come to L ittle Abington an they ve all a rea d what

,
’ ’
-
I told he to put in thik book Thik feller do owe I .
”
money in good right I do know he do . .
I ha s tened to explain tha t th e market value o f Mr .
T rip s contribu tion wa s n o t so high and that perhaps

’
,
a shilling o r two a t the most

,
The old man s face brightened at once

’
.
A t mention o f th e word shilling he appeared to see

a probability o f coming to bu siness at once .
Hea rky here L e t that pass Twut but a page ’

. .
-
h e made the word rhyme to badge — “
I do kn o w .
B ut mind me i f I could vall across zome other au thor

,
chap zome g en n el ma n I do mean that did want to

, , ,
21 4 B OOK OF C R AFT S AN D CHAR ACTER
write anoth er bo o k about L ittle A bin g ton an abo u t ’
I I coul d tell he a plenty vo r two S top a minute

, . .
Hea rky to thi s now Here s a li ttle bi t .

’
Yea rs a g one th ere wu r a cobbler l ived to

A bin gton a m o st terr ble g ra spe n nip c h eese fel ler
,
’
- .
He werden con ten t wi zi x wicked da ys but mu s ’ ’

,
needs work 0 Zu nda y too He wu r a zo t busy to

’
.
-
wo rk a zu mmer Zu nday a n the bell s a chimen vo r

’
-
church most bea u di fu l when a g en ne l ma n in bla ck ,
wa lked into hou se

Could c c make me a pair 0 sto ut bo ots ? he
.
’ ’
a x ed
W
.
I cou ld zo th e cobbler made reply

‘
,
’
.
i good thick soles bu t no ho bs

’ ’
.
— b wa e p oo f I id the ’
J
’
u s zo u t t r r spw o se sa , ,
’
Tes no matter vo r that ’
,
zed the foreigner very ,
civil like .
Then let s measure your vo o t zed the cobbler

’ ’
, ,
an dropped pon one knee like to pul l 0 6 the

’ ’
c u stomer s shoe B u t L au k a massy ! The wold

’
.
- -
m mu s ha had h i s tail a winded roun th e

’ ’ ’
g e n n e l a n -
middle 0 nu o r hid away in the bag 0 h is burc h es

’
,
’
like ; bu t no hose pon earth could hide the sh ape 0 ’ ’
th ik cloven vo o t .
What ll em come to zes th e devil

’ ’
.
Dree c rowns zes th e co bbler all to a trem lc ’

, ,
’
Then bring em to Abington bu rge this day wick ’

,
ten a t night an you shall ha the money A n th e

’ ’ ’ ’
, .
devil walked o u t zo quiet an well behaved a s you o r I ’

.
THE OL D E S T I NHABI TANT
Well the cobbler w ur to sich a flo wstermen t

, ,
he cou ldn t think n o r speak He wu r a feared to

’
.
-
make em an eet he wu r a feared to brea k word o r

’
,
’
-
time Zo he wen t an told pa sson an axed what he

’ ’
.
had better to do .
You mus make em zaid passon ’

Vo r th e wold
’ ’
, .
g e n ne l m a n u l l neve r l e f c
’
c in peace till yo u do B u t
’
.
don t c c touch 0 th e money i f yo u do fear hell vi re

’ ’ ’
,
-
.
I ll tell c c what Cu t a hole in th e crown 0 your ba t

’ ’
.
’
,
an hold n u o u t fo r th e wold g en n e l ma n to dro p th e

’
c rown s in to B u t zee yo u do hold u n over th e zide

.
o th e burge zo a s th e money mid drop in to river

’
.
’
20 the cobbler he done it an zo zoon a s the crown s

’
,
vell splash po n th e water there comed a clap o’ ’
th u nde r like o u t o f a clear sky an the devil wu r

’
,
a snatched u p in a ball 0 v i re boots and all

’
An
’
-
, .
that s how th e cobbler o Abington lost by a wo rken

’ ’
-
’
p o n a Z un da y N o w idden tha t a lit tle
. b i t ?
I hasten ed to explain that my work did not
concern i tsel f with th e ancient myth olog y o f A bing
ton bu t with people o f to day
,
-
.
I moved towards th e gate .
He wen t nimbly u pon h is semici rcular legs and

stood in fron t o f me .
S top a minu te I ll tell c c another little bi t John

’ ’
. .
Higgin s over here to Littl ec ro p Farm h e s a liven

’
-
,
an well now Years agon e he wu r a walken home

’
.
-
close pon midnight vrom a little randy u p to neigh

’
bou r T00 p s an he zeed afore u n two little pixies

’
,
’
a stood a g ri n n e n one po n each zide o f th e road

’
- -
20 .
he sort 0 kee ped a eye pon em like to zee what they

’ ’ ’
21 6 B OO K OF C R AF TS AN D C HAR AC TER
'
mid do . An
’
they ru nn e d o u t a n ’
cz tc h ed rm h o ld by
the a n kl e la g a piec e a n o hn
J he ll ed do wn po n
’ ’
a va
th e fa c e o
’
u n zo vla t s
’
a pa n ea ke . H e rr e r a fe a re d
-
to mo v e h ke He bid stil l ti ll da ylig h g a n th en h e

'
’
.
g o t u p a l l to a mizmaze l i ke Bu t h e c o uldn t ze e .
’
nothen at all 0 no pixies 20 so spra ck a he c o u l d

’
.
he walked 0 5 home No w idden th at a li ttl e bi t

.
I assu red Cobbler T rip tha t i t wa s i mpo ssible to

record true s to ri es o f li ving pe ople w ithou t fea r o f
i n cu rring dama g es fo r li bel I ste pped pa st hi m .
to wards the high ro a d .
”
S to p a minute cried h e and ra n and ho o ke d
, ,
the to rtoise shell spectacles between my two c en tra l

-
waistco at button s Here s another little bi t

.
” ’
.
B u t my dear Mr T rip i t i s no t my h abit to

, .
,
”
collaborate and I shall never do so
, .
I have never done so — u n til to day -

.
ANOTHE R MIL L ER S DAUGHTER
’
! ! V
AN O TH E R MI LL R S AUG HTER E
’
D
HE villag e called him a t ange and c a n

s r
ta n ke ro u s man ; ye t he wa s kind eno ugh

to me .
Fi sh To be su re you mid had been h i s reply ,
to my request B u t when yo u do come a long don t

.
,
’
you pass by the mill mind I f you do you sha n t , .

’
never come no more You nee dn t to knock to door

.
’
.
Walk in My da u g h ter ll put c c out a cru st o bread

.
’ ’ ’
”
an cheese an welcome
’ ’
.
I t wa s summer bu t the stream wa s running merrily

,
after rain and the distan t mill wheel kept humming

,
-
like a swarm o f bees Between the tree s above th e

.
winding brook peered the brown ridge and little red

brick chimney o f the old gri st mill breathing forth ,
a film o f blue smoke that melted into a grey sky .
S maller mill su rely never w a s bu ilt standing wi th ,
th e dwelling u nder one low roo f o f th atch Where .
th e ba ck stream join s the mill cou rse i s a broad

- -
,
gravel! y ford and near th e wheel a narrow wooden

,
footbri dge to a small is land plan ted arou nd wi th

pollard willows O n that a fternoon the front doo r
.
220 B OOK O F CR AFT S AND CHAR ACTE R
o f th e hou se w a s open B u t Miller Toop awa re o f
.
,
the approach o f a stranger stood looking o u t o f th e ,
hal hatc h th at s ma ller door which amongst other

f - —
,
u ses i s so conven ien t to lean u pon

, .
He wa s years past middle age clean shaven a nd ,

-
,
wi th hair long and grey L ike h is old mill he ha d .

,
seen the bes t o f h i s days bu t w a s se rv ic ea ble yet fo r

,
more than he could g e t to do He lifted th e latch .
and came o u t to welcome me w ith hospita ble wa rm th .
Well done ! You ve soon a found your way ’

-
”
down .
B u t perhaps yo u a re bu sy ?
B usy ! cried be with a sha ke o f th e hea d
, .
”
There s no such l u ck theas days
’
.
He wa s fo r leading th e way in to th e house bu t a s ,
he tu rned to speak he sa w my eyes dwell longingly

,
upon th e mill
Tes a ram shackle Old place
.
’
he laughed and , ,
pu shed th e hal f hatch wide open fo r me to g o in

-
.
Upo n th e wall in fu ll ligh t o f the do orway an

ancient ta ble o f c u stomary toll s wa s still hanging
The paint wa s worn and th e letters were Often
.
illegible ye t here and there a line might still be

,
Of every bush el of wh ea t, o ne q ua rt .
Of every bush el of mesl i n o n e q ua rt

, .
Of every bu sh el of ma l t, o n e pu rl .
We were back in to th e days O f good ho usewi fery ,
when th e loa f wa s baked and th e ale w a s brewed a t

ho me Th e meslin w a s an ec o nomy A n equal
. .
quanti ty o f rye being grou nd togethe r wi th w heat

ANOTHER MI L LER S ’
D AUGHTE R 221
e ved fo r an intermediate q u ality between the white

s r
and th e black .
Ah ! Ti s all gone o u t s ighed th e mille r

’
.
,
There s no g ri sti ng now adays We c an t grind flo u r

’
.
’
.
We can t make nothing here but pig s meat no w

’ ’
-
.
P ig s me at ’
-
Well barley meal laughed he

,
-
,
.
B u t the old toll bo a rd ca lled u p reminiscenc es o f -
old world rural l i fe and se t him ta lking o f th e days

-
when he wa s you ng .
Ay everythi ng is c h anged
, When I w ur a bo y .
,
why th e water wu r h el d to be gold No w fo r wan t .
0 work ti s hal f the time ru n n ing to w as te th ro u gh

’ ’
th e open hatch I w u r a miller yo u ng I shall

. .
never forget i f I do live to fou rscore Twu t su mmer .

’
time m u c h later in th e ye ar than this an h al f a

’
, ,
drou ght an father h a d a wen t away A n then

,
’
-
.
’
corned a th u nder storm wi fi rst big d rops an the n a -

,
’ ’
sheet 0 rain an p re tty s oon a he ad 0 wate r in th e

’ ’ ’
,
pond I wur bu t lebe m yea rs 0 age bu t I can see

.
’
i t n o w clearer a h yesterday The wate r dark u nder

’
.
,
the clou d just o n the flo w over th e brim o th e weir

,
’
.
An there wu r two moor hen s to o by th e rushes u p

’
-
th ere by the bend below th e alder bu sh -

.
I wu r brought up o n e bo y alone I wu r th e child .
0 theas wold mill He wu r v a th er mother sister

’
.
, , ,
an brother to me— a y an playmate to o I had

’
,
’
.
a he ard so m u ch abo u t th e wate r an o f a s udden it

’
-
,
s tru ck in to my bo y head like to grind a sack to save -
waste an help my vatha r ’

.
I had th e sen se to gie th e sc rew a turn an raise ’

222 B OOK OF CR AFT S AN D CHAR ACTER
th e tone an I cast my eye to see that there were
s ,
’
corn a plenty in th e h Opper An then I ra ised th e

-
.
’
hatch an le t th e water on I w ur so deep in ea rnest

’
.
I h a d no fear an I ru nned an watched an brough t

,
’ ’ ’
th e stone down closer like to its prope r feed An

’
.
then th e wold wheel he wen t o n ea sy like at th e , ,
fi rst an then faster an spra c ker ti l l he wu r a sin g ing

,
’ ’
-
h i s best .
G o d A mig h ty ! what hast a bin abou t bwo y

’
-
,
The re w u r my va th er wi eyes like a c o d fish an ’

-
’
cheeks so red a s a tu rkey cock He gi ed me j u s -

.
’ ’
one look B u t he wu r too frightened like to so m u ch

.
a s catch me a clo u t He ru nned to th e spout to test .
th e flo u r atween finger and thu mb He ru nned up ; .
he ru nned down ; he ru nned o u t to hatc h I stoo d .
there all to a tre m le whilst he did ru n to an vro ’

,
’
.
He w u r a staid heavy man an did blowy a n panky

’ ’
,
like a pai r 0 bellow s B u t he co rned ba ck wi h is

’
.
’
face a beaming like a zu n v lo we r vu ll blowed Hang

- - -
.
thee Miller Toop the yo u nger I couldn a done ’

-
, ,
bette r my own ze lf cri ed he A n I ve a bin Miller ,

’
.
’ ’
-
Toop ever since Fa rewell ch ildhoo d that wu r Fo r

. .
he put me to work th e very next day .
He paused A nd al though he laughed hi s head

.
, ,
nodded in serious recollection o f a boyhood lived in

th o se good o ld days .
An there wu r work then The humblest cotta ge

’
.
did bring a bit 0 corn Fo r little sooner wu r th e last

’
.
load a hau led than all the women folk and maidens
- -
,
from the wold grammer to th e yo u ngest c heel did ,
traipse in pon th e c rackling stubble to pick up every

’
AN OTHE R MI L LE R S ’
DAUG HTE R 223
mote an ea r P igs do ru n now where th e leasers

’
.
gleaners maybe you do call em — did step an stoop

, ,
’ ’
.
L awk ! A bo dy now wo u ld neve r learn the re have

-
”
a bin lease rs if tw e rden fo r th e B ook 0 R u th
’
-
.
We went o u t o f doors once more and loitered

beside a hatch to watch th e water spinning away
from th e wheel A grind stone stood nea r to th e
.
wa ll S ome duck were sporting and dipping in a

.
shallow below th e mill tail -

.
There s little to do here now said he

’ “
I do
Often sit down fo r an hou r an smoke a pipe an
.
,
’ ’
,
watch th e water ru n— a n ponder I do allow the ’

.
wold mill ll last j u st so long a s myzel f Then wh ile

’
.
I do go to bare bones he ll tumble to a heap o f loose ’
stones B u t here I ve a lived an here I do mean to

’ ’
-
.
,
die I shall bu y u n a bit 0 ba rley to kee p th e li fe in

.
’
h i s c reaking o l d join ts so long a s he do earn me a ,
crust I do owe u n that P o n my li fe I do B ut

. .
’
, .
”
please to step in to house .
He led me in to th e qu ain test pa rlo ur I have ever

seen small and low wi th a dark Open beam across
, ,
th e ceiling The embers o f a w ood fire lay on th e

.
hearth All th e old world fu rnitu re w a s shining

.
-
clean and th e stone floor wa s festooned around with

white freestone
W
.
Nance !
hat i s i t now ? replied a shrill voice from th e
kitchen .
“
Just pu t out a bit 0 brea d an cheese An d raw ’ ’
.
’
”
a c u p 0 cider Will c c now ?
’
.
’
In a minute .
224 B OOK OF CR AFTS AND CHAR ACTE R
The re w a s no sweetness n o promise o f roman c e in ,
th e abru pt re plies o f th e m ill e r s dau ghter

’
.
A fte r a brie f delay sh e came bringing a strangely ,
s ha en loa f o f h e r own ba king and a we dge o f c h ee se

p .
S h e laid th e cloth and se t th e ta ble in haste Th e .
knives we re buc k ho rn handl ed th e plates o f bl ue

-
,
w illow pattern and th e cider c u p w a s o rna m en ted

-
,
with sheaves and ve rses and a legend G o d speed ,

”
th e plo u gh S h e wa s ta ll gau n t and nea rly fo rty
.
, ,
years o f a g e He r fai r hai r brushed tightly bac k

.
,
from a broad forehead w a s knotted a t th e back o f ,
h e r head into a knob hal f the size o f a man s fist A

’
.
high bl ue apro n almost covered h er fa de d bro wn

woollen frock I co u ld find n o grace no roman c e o r
.
,
fe minine charm in thi s miller s dau ghte r Perhaps

’
.
,
these departe d w i th th e g ri sti n g s .
Th e mill e r ga ve m e a sec ret w i n k .
Here s a gen tle m an Nan c y my maid hal f

’
, , ,
”
a minded to take th e wo ld mill
-
.
S h e j ust glanced a t me .
He d better to bu rn n u sh e said wi tho u t a s mile

’
.
,
I fel t in tu i tively that li fe w a s fu ll o f bickering fo r

the two people i n thi s littl e mill .
I sa t with th e miller u n til dark and fo r th e most ,
pa rt he talked and I li s ten ed Do u btles s i t w a s a .
pleasu re to h i m to repeat alou d h is solitary medita

tion s by th e hatc h He did n o t wai t fo r c omment o r
.
an swer bu t smoked a long clay pipe and pu ffed o ff

, ,
wi sdom between th e w h i fls ’
Do c c th ink th e world i s better n o w master ?

’
,
Beca use I don t There s whi ter bread but no t so

—
’ ’
.
ANOTHE R MI LLER S ’
D AUG HTER 225
wholesome There s finer clothes— bu t they don t

.
’ ’
wea r so long There s more newspapers an more .

’
,
’
loud talk an more lunatics— o r so they do tell I

,
’
.
There s better hou sen a n eet I do rea d 0 slum s in

’
— ’ ’
town s packed wi folk so thick a s ca lves in a pen If

’
.
the e better vi ctuals there s no better appeti tes

—
’ ’
r s .
There s no better feel ing atw een neighbours There

’
.
idden n o more happiness An there idden n o g risti ng .

’
.
A s to poverty master by all accou nts they have , ,
but shi fted i t from country to town .
DO c c think n o w that mankind in the working an

’ ’
turmoil 0 li fe m u st s hed so m u ch poverty Zame

’
a s a gri st o wheat ta k e one w i ano the r must th row

’ ’
, ,
so m u ch bran
Do c c think master th at if there w a s tru e

’
, ,
wisdom there cou ld be want

Miller Toop thoughtfully shook h i s head .
I m da l led i f I do know he said and scratched h i s

’ ”
, ,
sh a ggy eyebrow wi th th e red tipped ste rn o f hi s pipe - .
I felt sorry fo r Miller Toop h is brain being so ,
plen ti fu lly provided wi th disturbing thou ghts His .
dau ghter could have no sym pathetic u nderstanding

o f h i s mind fo r certain He wa s glad to talk wi th a
, .
stranger and would n o t hear o f my going un til

,
quite late .
The fu ll moon had j u st risen when he came o u t to

se t me on my wa y I t shone on th e side o f the mill .
a n d silvered th e ru nning water and th e straight
wands o f th e pollard willow trees .
Tis a short c u t by th e footbridge said he a t

’
th e door .
226 B OOK OF CR AFTS AN D CHAR ACTER
B eyond th e island formed by th e bac k stream -
s tand s a s mall wicke t ga te s hel tered and darke ned -

,
by overhanging trees A man and woman were .
leaning again st it H is a rm was around h er waist and

.
h er head upon h is shou ld e r bu t a t my step they qu ickly ,
stood apa rt and he ope n e d th e gate fo r me to pa ss

, .
I recognised th e miller s daughter and bade h er ’

,
”
G ood night -
.
“
G ood nigh t sa id sh e a s th e gate closed behind
-
,
me bu t there wa s n o c ordiality in the w i sh

, .
G reat heaven s ! Ho w these poe ts ideali se ! Un til

to day th e mere word s th e miller s dau ghte r were
-
’
almost a poem .
My neighbou r Mrs S im o n G a ll in g h a m a s yo u will

,
.
,
understand when yo u know h e r better i s a shrewd ,
woman w h o tell s me many things

,
.
S h e w a s in h er garden th e next morning picking

the fi rst o f th e kidney bean s .
“
I had a talk to Miller Toop yesterday .
”
S illy o ld fo ol l said sh e .
On th e co n trary He appears to be a very .
”
though tfu l o ld man .
”
Thou ghtfu l ! cried sh e with impatience There s
“
.
’
a well to do smith h a s cou rted Nancy years and

- -
years Mill er wouldn t hear o f it then No w Nance

.
’
.
won t m a rry to leave him al o ne They offered him

’
.
a home bu t th e pig headed donkey will stay a t

,
-
th e mill .
I have replaced Nance Toop among st the maids

o f poe try .
CI DER MAKI NG
-
XX V I
C I R MA I N
DE -
K G
H ERE is an o ld West Country son g o f a

prodigiou s n u mber o f verses co vering a variety
o f topics bu t alway s ending w ith th e same re fra in
,
.
The repetition i s a s i rrelevant a s th e constan t

rei te rati o n o f th e golden ru le wi th which Con
fuc i u s in te rspe rsed h i s w ri tings and in si sts upo n a
,
tru th eq u ally u nass ailable That tru th i s dear to th e

.
ru s tic mind in all places whe re th e apple bloom s
Zo a d
ro p 0
’
g o o d id c er w o n t do
’
us n o h
a rm .
From time immemorial th e stalwart son s o f this

land o f orc hards have lived up to their be lief They .
ha ve put it to the sev erest proof o f daily experience ,
and i t h a s nobly stood the test The ever va rying .

-
occupations o f o pen a ir li fe like the verses o f the

-
,
o l d song have bee n interspersed with practica l illu s

,
tra ti o ns o f thi s chorus .
From th e tu rn ing o f th e fi rst autumn fu rrow in

230 B OOK OF C R AF TS AN D CHAR ACTE R
r eadiness fo r win ter wheat o n to the creaking o f th e
las t load o f g olden sh eaves there h a s al w ays been a
,
vl a g o n hidden among the cool grasses o f the ditch ,
o r a li ttle oaken vi rki n hu n g on the colla r o f one o f

“
th e horses a s th e team goes to th e field o r an owl ,
o u t o f s igh t and shel te red from th e s u n u nder the
leafy hedgerow .
An owl wa s an ea rthenware vessel o f primitive

shape having two
, littl e ridges like epau lets u pon
i ts shou lders wi th ho les th rou gh which to th read a
,
leathern thong—a good sto u t bootlac e might some

times serve the turn— whereby it might be h u ng up
o r carried .
“
I t may be this wa s th e origin o f the saying as
”
d runk a s an owl fo r the blinking bird o f wisdom
,
“
can su rely never have been addicted to any serio us

inebriatio n B ut al a s ! the owl i s no w a thing o f
.
,
the pas t .
The last o wl I ever had lamented an old carter ,
a s o n e day a t noon he s a t o n th e h edgerow ba nk

, ,
and sliced a large onion with h is pocket kni fe whil st -

,
th e pl o ugh rested a t th e e n d o f a fu rro w g o t ,
broke u p twen ty year ag one An d he were a

Odd sized o wl fo r he did hold vive qu art
.
-
”
.
,
Hi s re gret wa s pathetic .
One can think only with tenderness o f an ancien t

frie nd o f su ch unobtrusive modes ty that i t wa s
capable o f looking like a gallon while con taining five
quarts .
Then th e carter shook h is head and d rank out o f a

fraud u lent glass bottle w i th a small mou ntain c o n
C I D ER -
M AK I N G
at th e base
c ea l ed . It made only a fal se prete nce to
h old o ne q u art .
l o a d ro p 0
’
g o o d id
c er
'
w o n t do us no h a rm .
B u t thi s pleasant beverage, o f which th e whole

so me n ess h a s always been recogni sed , h a s o f late
years been th e subject o f c arefu l scien tifi c investiga

tion wi th th e res u l t tha t the re h a s been a new
,
departu re in th e making o f cider Th e c hange so .
apparen t in other matters h a s extended al so to this .
A quarter o f a c en tu ry a g o in every hou se beyo nd

th e town s h o me baked bread and home brewed ale
- -
were to be fou nd No w oven s and brewing plan ts .
a re gone and th e bake r s cart and brewe r s dray

’ ’
,
penetrate to th e most rem o te farm Tru e th e o ld .

,
c ide r mill s and pres se s a re still a t w ork a t most o f
the homestead s bu t factories h a ve spru ng u p provided

,
wi th every modern appliance and many farmers find ,
i t more c onve nien t to sell thei r appl e s than to grind

them .
The q uestio n o f di stribu tio n also h a s n o t bee n

overlooked Instead o f trou bling to pro c u re h is o wn
.
barrel always remembering to blow in to the bung

—
to make su re that all i s clean and sweet th e c us -
tomer now send s an o rder o n a postcard and even ,
tu a ll y retu rns the fa cto ry cas k Nothing can be .
simple r than to do that — i f he does not forget i t .
l o a dro p 0
’
g o o d id
c er wo n t do
’
us no h a rm .
If only fo r th e bea u ty o f th e or chards , th e lover o f

232 B OOK OF CR AFTS AND CHAR ACTER
Natu re will rejoice th at the futu re is more likely to
see new plan ting than decay One m u st live a mong .
them to know th e sweetn ess and charm o f those

mysteriou s glades E ven in leafless winte r their
.
moss cla d branches wi th the su n light from a clear

-
, ,
frosty s ky gli nting between th e twigs to mel t th e

d ripping rime a re full o f colou r Sometimes high
, .
u p the re grows a bough o f mi stletoe green a s a bu sh ,
in summer and spangled wi th berries that look like

pearl s Then co mes th e missel thru sh and si ngs h is
.
-
wild song even in th e rou ghest wind and rain In

, .
the first gleam o f spring he bu ilds there in th e fork

o f th e tree A li ttle later th e c h a ffin c h con trives that
.
nest o f li c hen and moss scarcely to be disti ngu ished

from th e limb o n which i t rests and bl u e ti ts c reep ,
abou t like mic e and cling back downward s to the -
branches and a t las t rear ridic u lo usly large families

,
in holes o f hollow tru nks Then th e blossom s spread .
over everything cove ring th e naked trees w i th a

,
mantle o f loveliest pink and w hite to be soon fo l ,
lowed by th e cool shade o f th e gree n lea f S lowly .
the young fru it grows a n d yellows and reddens u n til ,
in autumn th e whole orchard is aglow with gold and

bl ushes And how splendid a re th e ripe apples when
.
they lie in heaps rea dy to be hau led to the crusher !

“
l o a d
ro p 0
’
g o o d c id er wo n t do
’
us n o ha rm .
My friend Farmer J o hn B uck pre fe rs the goo d

old way .
Cider maki ng in th e old way h a s littl e science but

-
,
CI DER MAKI NG -
abo nd wi th pictu re making su bjec ts Wagon l o ad s

u s -
.
-
o f frui t o f all colou rs from pale yellow to dee p

purple a re hauled into the farmyard and u p to th e
pou nd house door Wi thin i s th e mill to grind
-
.
th e apples a n d outside an o l d ho rse plod s rou nd and

,
round u nc eas ingly to tu rn th e mill The grou nd .
apples a re called pu m my .
This pomace after standing a few hou rs i s taken to

th e press — a quaint o l d mach ine wi th a sc rew and ,
socke ts to take a ba r like a capstan

,
There it i s put .
u p between layers o f straw and a s m u ch a s th e press

,
”
can ta ke at o ne time i s calle d a c heese The ba r .
i s tu rned until th e press c reak s The sweet j u ice .
d rips in to the trough below and th e heavy ac id yet , , ,
su g ary smell o f i t fill s th e a i r As u nder pressu re .

, ,
th e chees e p ro trudes th e s ides a re s liced o ff and piled

,
u pon th e to p u n til a t last when squeezed dry i t h a s

, , ,
diminished to one qu arter the bul k o f the o riginal

-
”
p u mmy .
Th e new c ider i s pu t in bu tts ; a nd then follows

always a doubtful time fo r fermentation must n o t be
,
to o rapid There s nothen like a vro st a t th e right

’
”
moment is a maxim with Fa rmer John B uck A n d .
a l uc ky frost i s certa i nly a wonderfu lly fine cide r

maker Wi thout i t a good cider maker must be fo r
.
-
ever pu tting h is ea r against th e stave to li sten .
Is th e ferment h u mming — o r singing — Or
roaring
When there is too m u ch mirth in the barrel the

cider mu st be racked that i s d rawn o ff a t o nce
—
, .
Thus ferm entation i s stopped and h a s to sta rt again .

234 B OOK OF CR AFTS AND CHARACTE R
O c ean s o f excellent cider have been made in thi s
good O ld way .
Zo a d ro p 0
’
g o o d id c er wo n t do
’
u s no h a rm .
But in the new way a g reat deal more ca re i s

ta ken The apples a re selected wi th ca re and
.
scien tifica lly blended the j u ice o f al l th e bes t ,
varieties having been analysed The fru it is never .
allowe d to lie o n th e g rou n d is cru shed by steam ,
betwee n bell metal crushers and horse hair c loths

-
,
-
have replaced th e o ld laye rs O f straw Th e pomace .
never stand s bu t passes straight o u t O f th e mill in to

,
an hyd raulic press whi c h d rai n s it a t on ce to th e las t

d rop The j u ice run s away into kee v i ng ba rrels in
.
,
which fermentati on can be scientifically regulated .
Then i t i s racked i nto pipes o f large dimensions .
L ast o f a ll i t i s fil tered th rou gh sterili sed c o tto n

pu lp from w hich i t ru n s o u t fine in c olo ur and
,
u n i fo rm in c harac te r There a re brands fru i ty o r .
dry according to th e a pples u sed and th e manu

, ,
fac tu re i s so exac t that thei r qu a li ties scarcely va ry

a t all S ome a re u sed fo r bottli n g a n d th e s parkl e i s
.
,
qui te natu ral .
This fil tered cider i s said to be most u se fu l to

persons wi th a ten dency to gou t o r rheu matism .
Farmer J o h n B uck declares that i t h a s n o t th e

stren gth o f th e old fashioned make He says a -
.
bu cketfu l could never g e t u p in to any ma n s hea d ’

.
B u t what o f that ? Very soon like th e rest o f u s , ,
th e total abstainers will be hilariou sly s inging
l o a d ro p 0
’
g o o d id c er w o n t do
’
u s no ha rm .
A UTOL Y CUS , 1 900 A D
. .
XX V I I
AU LYC
TO US, rgo o AD . .
O ME out then all yo u lazy wimmin folk

,
-
Come
.
,
out ye wold ma ids a n show yo u r ’
pinched u p cherry topped noses Come out yo u

- -
.
buxom mothers O twen ty An all yo u pretty

’
.
’
maiden s in your bloom come o u t me sweet little

, ,
dears Here we be again Here he come s th e

. .
,
”
very mas terpiece o f a young man .
They all ra n o u t .
At every lilac sheltered garden hatch and at every

- -
Open doorway down th e village street stood one o r ,
two o r i t may be a li ttle grou p

,
They popped .
o u t a s th ey we re in apron s and with sleev es rolled

,
up They would have come fo r less B ut there wa s

. .
always an excitemen t when S ilas P ick ford passed

on h i s ro u nds through th e pari sh o f Hazelgrove .
A n outlandish place o f dwindling population i t i s ,
the genera l impression that nothing ever happen s a t

Hazelgrove S o people were glad o f any diversion
. .
A n d although the elder folk when they heard S ilas

halloo might ta p on thei r own spacious foreheads and
declare wi th myste ry that there wa s so methin g n o t
237
238 B OO K OF CR AFT S AN D C HAR AC TE R
qu i te right fo r certain su re the e there impu ta , r — — an
ti on often thrown at people o f gen i us— eve ry wom a n

su pported S ilas and w ou ld pour awry o u t o f a
,
chipped spou t a n d grumble fo r weeks rather than

lay o u t sixpence fo r a tea po t at th e sh Op in th e
market town Besides S ilas wa s always a penny
-
.
,
more rea sonable than the shop and more than ,
that might be beaten down Fo r S ilas mind wa s .

, ,
to be tru sted to sell i f he anyways could .
Come
”
out come o u t c ome out ! Here he i s
, ,
again .
Never su rely wa s another su ch a loud rau cous

, , ,
voic e and i t had none o f th e leisu rely u n d u lating

, ,
d raw! o f o u r dialect It cou ld be heard fa r away .
in th e landscape ; and S ilas always began to shou t

from the hill a s soon a s he had tu rned th e bend
,
and alighted to lead h is pony safely over th e rolling

s to nes down the steep knap .
There were some who called S ilas a gipsy bu t ,
that wa s a mi stake He wa s born in a li ttle o ld

.
world seaport so me fi fteen miles from Hazelgrove ,
th e so n o f that most versatile o f all merchan ts a ,
marine store dealer Yet h is appearance somewhat

-
.
favou red th e in ference When at last he reached .
th e village street we sa w a sharp featu red c lean -

,
faced li ttle man with black hai r and rings in h is

, ,
ears Around h is throat wa s a blue neckerchief

.
with white spots in a k n ot a s tight a s a bang

,
man s ’
.He wore a long sleeve waistcoat with - -
,
fla pped pockets a n d a s li t over each hip I t had .
more than a score o f bu tton s o f which abou t a ,

AUTO L Y CU S , 1 900
dozen at th e bo ttom had never made acquain t

ance w i th a bu tton hole His little bow legs gave
-
.
-
him a horsey appearance fo r h i s breec hes were ,
tight and so were hi s gaite rs al so Hi s two

, .
wheeled cart wa s piled high wi th pots pa n s , ,
bru shes crockery and all sorts o f wares The

, ,
.
harness glistened with brass fittings The shafts .
ro se in th e a i r and th e bellyban d th reate n ed to

,
li ft th e little pony o ff h is l egs And sometimes .
alo ng th e road side bu t more often over th e hedge

, ,
ra n a brindled lu rche r do g that came and laid

down u nder the cart whenever S ilas stopped in
the v illag e .
We knew that S ilas wa s a bi t o f a rog ue bu t ,
we liked him none th e w orse fo r that He did .
n o t take u s in We only winked a t each other

.
in proof that h is oddities did n o t pass u nnoti c ed

”
and said he wa s a fu nny customer .
We agreed that a man m us g et u p pretty early

“ ’
”
in the mo rn en to get u pzides wi S ilas B ut a s
’
.
all Hazelgrove jumped o u t o f bed a t th e first streak

o f dawn we were n o t disqualified o n the grou nd
,
o f late ri s ing .
When i t wa s sometimes whi spered with a wi se

shake o f th e head A h ! S ilas do know what to
,
do wi a hare o r a pheasan t an where to place a

’ ’
,
”
nest o r two o f a g g s in th e spring we only ,
lau ghed What business wa s that o f simple

.
cottagers like ourselves No ! G entry must look

after thei r own game S uch things did not come .
o u r way except by c h ance a n d no do ubt th ey deal ,

240 B OOK OF CR AFT S AND CHAR ACTE R
in a great many di fferen t sorts o f arti c les a t a
marine store An d then h i s manners were so eas y
. .
He knew everybody by name and had a word fo r

you ng and old He said nothing in rec o mme nda
.
tion o f h is wares bu t shou ted non sen se a t th e to p

,
o f h is voice to show he wa s there .
Here he is once more The yo u ng c rown pri n ce .

-
o f licen sed hawkers the wonde r o f th e a g e with h i s , ,
remarkable perfo rming pony on c e a racc orse

: b
’
u t , ,
now brought in to the tru e fold a vin g see n th e ,

’
error o f h i s ways and taken to the paths o f

ind u stry L ook a t i m ladies and gen tlemen
.
’
, .
L ook a t i m A orse that an archbi shop cou ld

’ ’
.
warrant sou nd A orse that h a s said h i s prayers

.
’
on th e ig h road wi th nobody nigh to see him

’
bu t h i s master A remark a ble O rse ladies and

’
.
,
gen tlemen that will ea t o ats o ut o f a n o se bag -
a s O ften a s th e oats a re there

,
bu t n o t otherwise ,
.
An d more than that a orse th at goes in a cart

’
,
that ru n s o n whee l s — G ood morning Mrs John , .
B ro oke Ho w i s Mrs J o hn B rooke ? I hope I

. .
see yo u well ma am wi th bo th ,
ha n d s o ut
’
,
of s igh t u nde r you r apron beca use yo u hold ,
coppers between you r finger and thumb bu t do ,
n o t wi sh to look prou d What i s it fo r yo u .

,
ma am A small b ucket to carry the ki tchen

’
stu fl to th e pig s meat ba rrel ? What yo u don t

' ' ’
-
,
keep a pig Don t mention it ma am I wou ld ’

,
’
.
sell you th e bu cke t all th e same Eh ! A namel

’
.
wash u p basin sevenpenny size ? A namel wash up

-
’
-
basin sevenpenny si ze fo r Mrs John B rooke I . .

AUTO L Y C US , 1 900 A . D .
commend th e choice but make i t ninepenny , ,
ma am N0 ? Sold again S old again and g o t

’
. .
”
the money .
There wa s no sec recy in o ur dealings wi th

S ilas Pick ford To hasten and stimula te loitering
.
customers he announced th e nature o f every purch ase

and th e pric e in h i s lou dest voice We gathered .
rou nd to care fully examine Mrs John B rooke s wash

’
.
u p basin and to look fo r flaws in the enamel The .
verdict wa s favourable Each one pronounced it

.
”
a very tidy wash u p ba s in I do call
-
, .
Fo r the larger wares which S ilas did n o t habitually

carry in h is cart i t wa s o nly necessary to give th e
orde r and wait until the next jou rney He wa s .
the u niversal provider fo r Hazelgrove but then o u r ,
wan ts were few and simple in th e extreme .
Mother send I o u t to tell c c to bri ng on a ’
bread pa n fo r ours is a bro kt

-
,
-
.
Pris cilla Cou rtney brought th e messa ge the prettiest ,
maid in o u r parish with h er black head in a c rimso n

,
Tam O S h a n ter h er slee ves tucked u p to h er elbows

’
, ,
and a red pinny straight from h er neck to h e r ski rt .
P ri scilla had re ached th e merry giggling age wa s , ,

”
swee theart big and yet heart whole fo r sh e -
,
wa lked u p and down the street O f an evening a rm

in a rm with anothe r gi rl a nd they laughed and ,
ta lked to the youths i n company with one eye ,
on the mill er s lad and an o ther on the cottage

’
,
door to see i f her mother should chance to

pop o u t .
So ld again T h is day three weeks at the same

17
242 B OOK OF CR AFTS AND C HAR A C TE R
hou r o f th e cloc k A glazed bread pa n fo r M rs -

.
Cou rtney An d what fo r yo u my tu lip ? What do

.
.
,
y o u wan t fo r you rsel f ? H e re s a b rooch o f g o l d

’
in a true love knot eighteen pence o r sa y o ne a n

-
,
’
four to wear when you wal k o u t wi th you r swee t

,
hea rt ; and a maid with su ch a brooc h under h er

chi n is a s sure o f kissing a s
”
Ge t o u t w i you r stu ff giggled Prisc il la “
I
’
.
,
”
ha n t a got n a a r a sweetheart no t eet
’ ’
- — ’
.
”
Sold again ! shou ted S ilas Sold aga i n th is
— .
day three weeks a sweetheart fo r Priscilla Cou rtney .
I ll bring him with th e bread pan A fine yo u ng

’
-
.
man a young ma n o f q u ali ty eq u al to mysel f w h o

—
, ,
d rives h i s carriage and

“
I shan t have u n i f I don t c hoose interrupted
’ ’ ’
,
Pri scilla with a toss o f th e hea d

, .
L eave the choice to me Priscilla What I bring , .
I guarantee As sure a s the light thi s day thre e

.
,
weeks a sweetheart you shall have O ne that ll

, .
’
wear Priscilla A fine young man a masterpiece

,
— .
,
s uch a s mysel f .
Oh to be su re there can t be no ha rm to bring

, ,
’
u n on giggled Priscilla Zo a s we c a n all zee

’
.
,
what he s like ’
.
S old aga in A young man fo r Priscilla Cou rtney

. .
Thre e weeks this day at the same hour o f the clock ”

.
And these were the last word s he shouted before he

passed out o f the village to climb in silence the hill
on th e other side .
There wa s a dea l o f talk about this fo r everybody ,
mu st have a joke with Priscilla Besides the fell o w .

,
AUTOL Y CU S , 1 900 A . D .
wou ld give some good tu rn to i t Hazelgrove cou ld ,
warran t he would One thought he might bri ng

.
the maid a chainey image like o r zo meth en 0 ,

’
”
that B u t they all declared to Priscilla fo r certain
.
s u re th e man mu st mea n himsel f S o the public .
curiosi ty increased un til th e hawker s day came ’
round again and hal f th e pari sh had one ea r

,
pricked a s th e saying is to listen fo r h is approa ch

, , .
B ut the morning passed .
What c ould have happened No t once in a

twelvemon th wa s S ilas even te n minu tes late .
The afternoon faded into du s k No t fo r ten yea rs .
had he bee n known to miss a jou rney And n o t .
a sou nd o f S ilas had bee n heard .
In th e cou rse o f a fortnight th e news wa s

brought from market that S ilas had been caught
appropriating coal from the heap set on the way
s ide i n readines s fo r the rolling machine -
.
Next we heard that S ilas wa s in ga ol .
”
He wa s a funny cu stomer we all sa w that and , ,
sly en ough to pick up anything that lay han dy a s he
pa ssed along the roa d yo u may depend upon it

, .
Yet the thought that S ilas wou ld now lose h is

licence and come no more cast a gloom u pon
Hazelgrove whenever i t w a s men ti oned We .
mo u rn firl ly a greed S ilas always zo ld fair en ou gh

to we And za y what a nybe ddy mid about th e
.
,
feller he did ca rr a tongue in th e head o un an no

’ ’ ’
, ,
”
mistake .
S i x months pa ssed Harvest came and he wa s

.
,
almost forgotte n .
244 B OOK OF CR AF TS AND CH AR ACTE R
Come out come o ut ! Here he is ag a in
,
— th e
very masterpiece o f a yo u ng man .
We popped o u t like rabbi ts We were exci te d

.
,
fo r the re creeping dow n th e hill side wa s th e pon y

and cart once more .
We all talke d a t once

Then they can t ha stopped h is licence
’ ’
.
We sh all see whe er o r no h i s hai r is a cropped

’
-
”
short .
Where s Priscilla
’
I wonder i f he have a brought Pri scil la th e

-
”
sweethea rt .
What good i s it to ta lk like that Why P ri scilla ,
w a s a walkin in the lane j u st in th e dimmet las t

’
-
,
nigh t a rm i n crook w i th e mi l ler s young ma n

,
- -
’ ’
.
OVE R A P AI R OF B ELL O W
S
XX V I I I
O VE R A AIR P OF B E LL O W
S
0 .in to house at this moment

He is no t .
He s u p to wood about th e fa g g o tti ng He

’
.
ca n t be so very long n o w fo r certa in su re The

’
,
.
a te m o o n s be zo short an tes mo st terr ble muggy

’ ’ ’ ’
,
to day I do si m Will c c please to walk in an ’ ’

-
.
,
wait
My ea r detec ted in the tone o f h er voice an
habitu a l melancholy intangible a s th e sadness o f
,
th e wind blowing through the pine tree s on the hill -

,
o r the loneliness o f a river winding th rou gh a deep
coombe Yet sh e did no t appear to be in trouble

. .
S h e might perhaps be o ne o f those very seriou s

, ,
person s to whom du ty becomes a nightmare and

who a lways fear th e worst As she spoke sh e .
stepped back from th e doorway to allow me to

pass a nd I wen t into the cottage
, .
I t wa s one o f th e old fashioned sort with a -

,
window looking o u t upon the front a n d another

at the back B oth were darkened by trees lofty
.
,
beech a nd oak that hid th e sky S h e wa s right

, . .
”
The afternoon wa s even more than muggy fo r ,
247
248 B OO K OF C R AFT S AND CHAR AC TE R
th e win ter mist wa s changing into a fine drizzl i n g ,
ra m .
She d rew an a rm chair closer to one side o f t h e -
hearth and punched u p th e flattened c ushion wi th

,
h er brown fist .
No w do c c please to pitch said sh e wi th th e

,
’
, ,
pleasant undulation o f h er dia l ect .
I seated mysel f in that com fortable resting pla ce -

.
The fire o f wood h a d fallen very lo w and wa s ,
littl e more tha n a red glow trying to peer o u t o f a

mou ntain o f grey whi te ash es B u t sh e brou ght a
-
.
ha nd fu l o f sticks piled th e charred logs anew and

, ,
p u t on mo re S h e d rew u p a.low ru s h bo ttom e d ,

-
chai r took a pa i r o f bellows from thei r nail upo n

,
the wall and sa t down to blow At once th e flames

, .
leapt u p and in the glowing light I could see her

face more clearly th a n in th e Obscu ri ty o f th e
,
A lthough in yea rs and h a d spent th e

sh e wa s up ,
best part o f h er li fe in this ou tlying woodman s ’
cotta ge there wa s nothing bu colic abou t h er J a ne

,
.
Tren t w a s still a comely w oman S he wa s nei ther .
tall n o r short stou t no r lean bu t easy and active in

,
h er movements and soft o f s peech Her fea tu res .
were both even and refined Sh e mu st have been .
quite beau ti fu l when a gi rl No w she wore a .
faded brown knitted shawl over h e r shoulders Her .
scan ty grey hai r wa s twi sted into a knob at the
back o f h er hea d skewered with a hairpin and , ,
confined wi thin a tig h t net o f chenille S h e sa t .
looking into th e fire with th e bellows resting u pon

OVE R A P AIR OF B ELL O W S 249
h er knee and blew with slow regular blasts No w

, , .
and then a d rop o f rain found i ts way down the

broad open chimney and fell hiss in g u pon th e
, ,
flames a nd heap o f red embers .
Yo u must find it very quiet here with no other ,

”
hou se near .
Tes a o u t O the way sort 0 place su re nough

’ ’ ’ ’
- - -
, ,
sh e refl ected still looking into the fire

, B ut lau k ! .
I be so well u sed to th e wood a s a stoat o r a

pheasan t I were born an bred handy to a wood
.
’
,
an wed to come to live here There were a plenty

’
.
0 li ttl e v ee t an a plen ty O voices about hou se then

’ ’ ’
v o r the nex t vo w yea rs B u t littl e vo et mind do .

, ,
wear o u t sh o elea th er An a little voice mind in a .

’
, ,
manner 0 spea kin have abou t so many words a s

’ ’
,
a vinger post po n the road to a belly An where

-
’
.
’
there s a belly mind the re s a call vo r victu als l o

’
, ,
’
.
I did za y manies 0 ti mes there w ere to o many

,
’
, .
B u t massy pon u s ! the o o ma n is no be tter a n a

’ ’ ’
fool that don t zay no more a n she do mean no w

’ ’
an a gain An I do vind it a bit lonesome no w

’
.
’
”
they be gone .
Sh e did no t s mile sh e did not look up but might , ,
have been S peaking to the crackling logs The .
wood wa s a little damp and the fl ames fell when ,
sh e ceased so sh e wen t on blowing in the same

,
steady way .
Ho w many o f them were there ?

There be bu t thi rteen sh e answered with ,
becoming mod esty a nd paused Then h er man ner , .
brigh tened almost into boa s ti ng B u t we never .

25 0 B OOK OF CR AFT S AND CHAR A C T
lost narn We reare d em a ll up straight a n t a
.
’ ’
l
An n a a r a one o em wouldn h ide i n t h
’ ’ ’ ’ ’
eet
country .
S h e only meant the neighbourhoo d fo r none h a d ,
gone in to foreign parts A nd although sh e fel t t h e .
loss o f th is baker s dozen in h er heart sh e wa s pro u d ’

,
o f thei r en terprise .
Yo u zee they all tu rned o ut sich scholars eve r y

, ,
one o em No t but what I wu r a scholar myse l f

’ ’
.
when I w u r a little maid Ay they lea rned I t o .

,
read an to write an to zu m m y to o bu t lau k ! I h a d

’ ’
,
no u se fo r i t all an pretty q u ick forgot it aga i n ,

’
.
Yo u zee za y there wu r a murder in th e Vri da y

,
pa per o r th e like 0 that here by the vi re a der

,
’
,
’
dark o r o u t in garden o f a zu mmer e ve n en when

,
’
,
John wu r a zo t pon to p 0 wa ll wi hi s pipe one o

-
’ ’ ’
,
’
the c h il dern u d rea d i t o ut You zee did amuse

’ ’
.
,
he an wonderful i mpro ve n fo r they to o Oh ! they

,
’
.
really an tru ly w a s bea uti fu l scholars That s why

’ ’
.
they wa s a o restless I do su ppo se an m u s needs go

’ ’
, ,
o fl h erevro m S till fo r all that they ve all a g o t on

'
’
-
.
,
most wonderfu l .
There s o u r John h e s handy po n fi fty now ; he

’
,
’ ’
do d rive o u t the van to a grocery stores He do get .
h is vowe r a n twen ty Tes di fferen t to sixteen idden

’ ’
- -
.
,
i t ? Mind h e s o u t all hou rs when he do g o pon

’ ’
,
a long rou nd He i s that B u t still vower a n . .

,
-
’
twenty i s wages yo u zee Zo tes A n eet I do , .

’
.
’
bide here an stud when I be a bit lonesome like

’
.
He ve a g o t to pay zeben shi llen s a wick vo r a li ttl e

’
-
bit o f a ho u se in a street an he can t rent narn

’ ’
,
O VER A P AI R O F B ELL O W S 25 1
ha ndy nough to h is work no t vo r less L auk ! Tes

’
.
’
sc a n d l o us I do cal l it A n he hant a got no g arden

’ ’
-
, .
— o r there I wu n t tell no lie nothe r— o nly a bit ’

yo u ,
o f a back plot about th e si ze o f a handkercher where

-
,
no then couldn ex pec to grow no sen se Wu ll ! h is

’ ’ ’
.
missus couldn put u p a cloth es line no not to save

’
-
, ,
h e r li fe There idden room a n more an that there s ’ ’ ’

.
, ,
nothen but coa l a burned an come a dill day the a ir -

,
’
is a smeech o sm u ts An they hant a g o t no vi ren

’
.
’
-
,
n o t zo much a s a h a n fu l 0 stick s to ligh t u p wi

’ ’ ’
,
i th o u t tes what they do buy in cou se B ut there I

’ ’ ’
, .
,
cou ldn abear to be w i o u t a garden I do sim I

’ ’
.
couldn live wi o u t a garden Thi ngs be zo much

’ ’
.
be tter v resh a picked A n la ! mu s be money o u t

- .
’ ’
0 pocket i f you do bu t w an t a c h i bbo le There o u r

’
. ,
John he do look down po n h is va th er s sixteen

,
’
.
’
.
B u t pon my li fe zo me ti mes when I do zit an s tu d

’ ’
, ,
”
-
I bea n t zo su re .
S h e g o t up and looked o u t o f the doo r then ,
lowered the kettle u pon the c himney crook and -

,
sa t down again wi th th e bellows .
Now there s my so n U rc h e tt he what wen t aw ay

’
,
in to Wales to work in th e mines there I don t ,

’
rightly k n ow what he do ea rn Tes a lo t 0 money

’ ’
.
,
by all account B u t he don t pu t nothen by I don t

.
’
,
’
believe He han t a bin home to zee us up ten year

.
-
.
He do zend a letter mid be once in a twelvemonth , ,
an I do S pell it o ut a bit to a time fo r a s I za id I

’
, ,
beant no scholar no w an then zo mebo dyo r another do ,

’
come on an rea d u n dro u g h to me No w U rc h ett do

’
.
a l ways mind what I told n u when he went U rc h e tt

’
.
,
25 2 B OOK OF CRAF TS AN D CHAR AC TE R
I told u n I d zo zoon be a ra bbu t to once i f I m u s
,
’ ’
live hal f my li fe u nde rgrou nd He do always h a v e .

’
a word bout that Mothe r he wrote i f I eve r

’
.
,
’
,
‘
should tu rn to a ra bbu t I ll live u nder a fa k ke t

’
pile I can t a bear to think 0 no man u nde r

.
’ ’
-
’
grou n avore h is time like I don t zee what they

’
.
’
do wan t 20 much c oa l vo r wi so much wo od about ,

’
a rotten L auk ! I d zo o n e r be o u t a t nigh t in th e

’
-
.
wo stest th u n de rsta rm eve r w u r a n down zo deep

’ ’
down B u t there U rc h e tt i s better o ff that we do

.
—
,
know A n eet zo me ti mes when I do blow the vire

.
’
, ,
”
an stu d I I bean t zo su re
’
—
, .
“
Did yo u have any dau ghters Mrs T rent I , .
asked h er by way o f a c hange , .
Vive maiden s They all wen t away o ut to sa r

vi c e Jinny th e Oldest sh e did wonderfu l well vo r
.
.
, ,
h erze l f S h e wen t to L u nnon and wed w i a cabinet

’
.
,
that do w o rk a t th e wood c arven S h e ve a g o t a

’
- -
.
parlour an wax v lo we rs u nder a glass case o h !

,
’
,
be au ti fu l ; an h e made th e things h is o w n ze l f in
’
h i s o w n time S till fo r all that he i s bu t a li ttl e

.
, ,
bit o f a feller abo u t zo big a s a gate post wi a fac e

’
-
, ,
zo thin a s a ha tche t and zo whi te a s a ghost An

’
.
th e c h i ldern do all enjoy ba d heal th P oo r wh i ndlen .
little smock faced atomies they do take a der he I -

,
’
,
coun t One 0 em i s a growed up a school ti c he r

.
’ ’
- -
n o w ; ve ry gen teel The li ttlest corn ed down here .
to h i de o ne tim e fo r th e cou n try a i r S h e picked up .
wonderful Tw u r the wheaten bread fo r certain

.
’
,
su re fo r th e brea d in L u nnon i s all alum a n ’

,
sta rch so I ve a heard tell B ut they didn let h er

’ ’
-
.
,
OVE R A P A IR OF B ELL O W S 25 3
come no more He r zister zaid w e larned h er to

.
ta lk zo ba d B u t la ! heal th s a blessen vo r g ro w e n
’
.
,
c h i l dern in pa rti c la r What is li fe wi o ut heal th

’ ’
.
whatever you ve a g o t o r wherever yo u be Oh

’
-
,
Jinny done wonderfu l well fo r h e rzel f S h e did zo

. .
A n eet i f you be fo c e d to ea t a lum an starch

’ ’ ’
there I can t tell When I do zit down wi my

’ ’
.
,
bellis to blow th e v ire an stud I bean t 20 sure

— ’
.
MALL
A S D
H OL ER
XX IX
A M ALL
S HO L DE R
O artificial prod u ction no deserter from the
,
land to be c oaxed ba ck by philanth ropy o r

legislation after he h a s been spoiled by the town wa s ,
thi s q u ain t relic o f a bygone world so o ften to be met ,
in th e lane and on th e hill .
Old Peter Barrow never ven tu red twenty miles

from th e village in h is li fe He gave me h i s word fo r
.
i t he had never wished to go .
”
No no !, chuckled he Ha ha ! L et I bide
.
,
where I do know where I be .
A kind o f wi sdom winked at me from behind

P eter s grinning stolidi ty claiming to know bu t one
’
,
t hing in li fe— when he was well o ff Hi s praise .
wo rthy aspiration though perhaps lacking in en ter

,
prise would have saved many a dull man from losing

,
h is way .
Peter will never wander now The las t obsolete.
specimen o f an expiring type even hi s memory will,
Peter wa s not born to fo rtune Peter s father put ’

.
Peter s li fe on th e property when he wa s but an

’
18 25 7
XXIX
A M ALL
S HO L DE R
O artificial production no deserter from the
,
land to be c oaxed ba ck by ph ilan thropy o r

legi slation after he h a s been spoiled by th e town wa s ,
this qu ain t relic o f a bygone wo rld so o ften to be met ,
in th e lane and o n th e hill .
Old Peter B arrow never ven tu red twenty miles

from the v illage in h i s li fe He gave me his word fo r
.
i t he had nev er wish e d to go .
No no !
”
, ch u ckled he Ha ha ! Le t I bide
.
,
where I do kn o w where I be .
A kind o f wi sdom w inked at me from behind

Peter s grinning stolidi ty claiming to know bu t o ne
’
,
thing in li fe — w hen he w a s well o ff Hi s praise .
wo rthy aspiration though perhaps lacking in en ter

,
prise wou ld have saved many a dull man from losing

,
h i s way .
P eter will never wander now The last obsolete .
s pecimen o f an expiring type even hi s memory will ,
soon be forgotten .
Peter wa s no t bo rn to fo rtune Peter s father pu t

’
.
Pe ter s li fe on th e property when he wa s bu t an

’
18 25 7
barked a t every passer by Fowls cl u ste red a round
-
.
th e po rch and sa t undistu rbed on th e stone se ats

wi thin fo r the fron t doo r wa s never O pened Du cks
, .
waddled in th e li ttle orchard A l o n g a narrow .
garden once filc h ed from th e wayside a clothes

, ,
line stretching from the Ol d apple tree nearly down

,
-
to th e sen try b -
B u t why laboriou sly accumulate thi s weal th o f

detail ? A sketch shou ld bu t s uggest and tickle ,
the imagination in to lively appreciation o f things

u ntold .
And from daybreak to s u ndown at any hou r o f ,
th e day yo u migh t have seen Pe ter abo u t th e place

, ,
a short sq uare figu re in a long milki ng apron that

,
-
reached from h i s d o uble chin almost d o wn to his
ankles H is face al so wa s sq u are Pe ter s haved it

. .
a lways o f a S u nday and now and then in th e wee k

,
shou ld occ asion req u i re Yo u migh t have watched

.
him to and fro ; n o w wi th a tru ss o f hay on h is bac k

then wi th a bu cket o f pig s meat in one hand
’
-
and th e othe r a rm extended And he wa s fo r e ver .
merry singing some o ld tu ne

, .
To find a hard working man so glad could lead to

-
”
only o n e concl usion— Peter mu st be pu tting by -
.
In th e pu blic belie f nothing bu t a growing hoard

cou ld make th e heart so merry The village wa s o f .
one mind Ah ! th ere s a fe w pounds a laid away

.
’
-
in some o ld stocking somewhere o r other N0 fear

, . .
We res pected Pe ter more fo r h is su spec ted savings

than fo r h i s ind u stry becau se after a ll a man may , ,
work ever so ha rd all h is li fe and die worth nothing .

A S MALL H OL DE R
If I had to paint a portrait o f P eter I shou ld

c hoose to ta ke him o f a su mme r S u nday afternoon ,
with th e village bells ringing fo r chu rch and th e

sti ll hot a i r o f mid day clingi ng around every leaf
,
-
o f the hedgerows alon g th e lane down th e hill side .
L e t u s have him in h i s S u nday suit c u t long ,
ago . Fashion had changed even a s P eter had

,
grown old and o ut o f date him sel f so the fit wa s

,
o f th e stran gest Ho w th e su n beat down u po n

.
that solemn black which fi rst mourned a t th e fu neral

,
when Peter came into th e land ! The lower bu tto n s

O f th e wai stcoat would n o longer meet ; yet when ,
he tu rn e d every eye wa s riv eted w i th admiration

,
u pon th e neat gore in th e back This masterpiec e o f

sarto rial economy wa s O pen to th e world fo r O f a
.
warm day P eter perspired in shi rt s leeves and -
carried h is S u nday coat upon h i s a rm Under th e.
trees he wou ld take o ff h is h a t als o though a la rge

,
Prayer boo k wi th a brass c las p wa s tu cked under

-
h is elbo w and the flies were most wonderfu lly

,
m eddleso me upon h is c rown There were never

.
fe we r than two cu ts o n P eter s chin O f a S u nday

’
afternoon In th e graveyard Peter resum ed h is

.
fu nera l garmen t be fore en tering th e porch and he ,
went on tiptoe to h i s seat behind th e door near to ,
th e sex ton The re he passed an hou r o f placid rest

. .
N0 spi ritu al nightmare ever distu rbed P eter s li fe

’
d ream No doc trinal indigestion ever kept him

.
awake d u ring a long sermon He merely nodded

.
an u ncon sciou s assent to all the parson said .
Th u s eve ry day o f the seven wa s fu lly oc c upied ,

262 B OOK OF CR AFT S AN D CHAR ACTE R
and Pete r desi red nothing more tha n h i s l o t a flo rded
'
ex c ept a littl e better weather now and then .
Yet once he w a s in th e greatest danger o f being

cau ght in th e whi rl o f politics On post and hoard .
ing and here and there on th e trunk o f so me tall

,
elm tree a s he jogged to a dista nt market Peter

-
, ,
sa w bill s He d rew rein before o n e O f them put on

. ,
h is s pec tacles and laboriou sly spelt o u t the word s

,
Vote fo r H u ffin g to n Th e Friend o f th e P oor

’
. .
By G a r then ! A n so I will cried P eter as ’

, ,
h e w hipped u p h i s old mare Fo r th e o l d S qu ire .
Hu fli n g to n topped the bri ef w i a g uinea when

’
”
G ra mfer s hoss died o f the glande rs
’
.
Fo r a week o r tw o h e wa s fu ll o f this in ten tion ,
and annou nced i t everywhere .
B u t you can t do i t P eter h i s fri end s all

’
, ,
told him .
B u t I shall replied Pete r warming in to a bi t

, ,
o f a hu ff .
B u t h e s no t fo r you r divi sion Peter they

’
, ,
all said .
He s fo r o u r cou n ty
’
.
B u t no t this part P eter , .
Very well then c ried Peter tu rning away in

, , ,
a sulk i f I can t v ote fo r he I sha n t vote fo r

“
,
’
,
’ ’
nobody; fo r all th e Parliamen t pu t toge ther wou ldn ’
”
never do I two pen n o rth 0 good ’ ’
.
No w don t yo u sa y that Peter they do con sid er

’
, ,
th e affa i rs 0 th e land an you r bi t 0 ground do stand

’ ’ ’
,
”
in wi th e rest
’
B u t Pe te r re mained Obd u rate

.
.
A S MAL L H OL DER
Zo do th e ooks up in Farm er P ike home trees

r
’
s -
,
bu t ti s thei r own bellies they ve a g o t in mind avore

’ ’
-
all said he
, .
I ca me ba ck to the vill age a day o r two ago

after a fortnight s absence and my friend Mrs
’
, .
S imon G a l l i n g h a m w a s standing o u t on the

causeway gazing in the di rec tion o f th e vill ag e
chu rchya rd .
Then u nder th e shadow o f the ancien t yew I

sa w si x dark figu res each one o f whom appeared
,
to be weari n g P eter s S u nday suit

’
.
Who is dea d I asked .
”
Old P eter Barrow replied sh e in a wh ispe r ,
.
So th e bit o f land on th e hill will go to P ike s

’
”
farm n o w a n d a good thing to o
, .
S h e seemed to regret P eter and shook h e r head ,
in doubt ; but wa s very hopefu l a s to the futu re o f

the property .
“
I am sorry B oth fo r the old man and the land
. .
What fo r
His simple li fe wa s happy Every day o f it . .
What more would you have

M rs S imon G a l l i n g h a m s miled
. .
“
I do lau gh to mysel f in the middle 0 th e night ’
sometime s when I remember th e things yo u sa y .
The o ld man slaved a l l hi s li fe and left nothing

bu t an old cow o r two The ne er do well ru n ’
- -
.
,
abou t so n h a s come down to th e fu neral He .
swears you ng P eter the s mith a s hones t a man

, ,
a s ever stepped m u st have fingered the money

”
.
,
MY NE I G HB OUR ,
MRS . S I MON G ALLI NG HAM

XXX
MY N EIG H BO U R , MR S S
. IMO N G A L L I NG H AM
OU have many times hea rd me refer to my

neighbou r Mrs S imon Ga llin g h a m bu t I have
, .
,
hesitated u ntil this last moment to attempt any

description o f so gi fted and fortu nate a personage .
From childhood a l l the even ts o f h er li fe have

con spi red to render h er latter days com fortable
bu t th e many advantages conve yed in that most
res pectable te rm n o pe n can hope to e n u merate .
At th e a g e o f eighteen Dorcas P atch fo r that wa s ,
h er maiden nam e married Mr S imon G a l l i n g h a m

,
.
,
a well to do farmer o f o u r neighbourhood and some

- -
ten yea rs a g o a t th e a g e o f fo rty five Mrs S imon

,
-
, .
G a l l i ng h a m wa s left a childles s widow sole legatee , ,
sole execu trix a n d with absol ute po ssession o f

,
S imon s esta te
’
.
There wa s a deal O f ta lk in th e parish abo u t

S imon s will It wo u ld be mere a fle c ta ti o n to d e ny
'
’
.
i t— there w a s cri ticis m B u t th e u l timate destina

.
tion o f property i s a se riou s matter a rou sing even ,
li velie r in terest than th e hereafte r o f th e deceased .
I t mu st never be forg otten that S imon had a brothe r

«57
268 B OOK OF CR AFTS AND CHAR ACTER
John wi th sons Al thou gh by reason o f a q u arrel
.
,
betwee n thei r wives S imon and J o hn had done n o

,
more than nod to each other fo r twen ty years i t ,
could never be right and proper to set aside the boys .
A man mu st provi de fo r h i s wi fe— certainly B ut .
property which may n o w and then quite j u stifiably

,
make a little excu rsion ou ght always to be tied u p

, ,
a n d in the end come home to the name It .
wa s n o t pleas an t to contemplate that G a l li n g h a m

money and fields might after some tw o score years ,
o r so find thei r way to a P atch

, The more so a s th e
.
G a lli n g h a ms had always had money and th e P atche s

s carcely a shilling to thei r name I do n o t like to
“
.
see the land in pa ri sh c hange hand s said Farmer ,
John B u ck .
How ever a t the time they were ma de Mrs S imon

, , .
G a l l i n g h a m heard none o f these c ommen ts .
Seeing how John had treated poor S imon in this

world sh e perceived something incongruou s in the
,
brothers lyi ng side by side in yea rs to come It had .
pleased G o d to call poor S imon and in His o wn good ,
time no dou bt He would c u t o ff John S h e cou ld no t.
fancy them resting in peace S imon so qu iet and

—
good a man a s ever walked and John al together so ,
qu arrelsome SO sh e selec ted a g rave fo r S imon dry

.
,
and su nny and fa r away from th e G a llin g h a m head

stones i n the co m er n e ar to where th e P atc hes were
,
lying a t res t S h e said seeing h o w intimate S imon

.
,
had bee n wi th th e Patches o f late years sh e felt poor ,
S imon would wi sh i t i f he could bu t speak Th u s .

,
y o u s ee M ,
rs S imon G a l.l i n g h a m i s a woman o f fine
MRS . SI M ON G AL LI NG HAM
feeli ngs When you hea r that th e kn u ckle bone o f

.
-
th e ham that graced Mr S imon G a l li n g h a m s funeral

’
.
feast in stead o f being decorated with th e u su al

,
frivolou s trimmings o f whi te paper wa s neatly and ,
decen tly enwrap ped in bla ck crape yo u will realise ,
th e thou gh tfu l delicacy o f mind whi ch cha racterises

my neighbour Mrs S imon G a ll in g ha m
, . .
S h e lives j u st at the en trance to th e village in h e r ,
own hou se a low thatched dwelling with a stone

, , ,
porch and windows o f Odd sh apes a n d sizes sprinkled

in u nexpec ted places on th e fron t Ye t i t h a s a
“
pleasan t look The creepers and roses o n the wal l

.
a re neatl y trimmed and nai led It faces the sou th .
and h a s a c heerfu l a spec t like many another plain ,
cou ntenance in which th e wan t o f symmetry is t e

,
deemed by s miles .
Be fore i t lies a sloping garden divided by a low

wall and a well trimmed hedge o f lau rel There
-
.
a re fo u r c ypres s tree s s tripped into fa u l tless shape

-
,
and smooth a s sugar con es one a t each c orner -

, ,
a n d one on each side o f the gate There a re .
bu shes o f lilac bo th pu rple and white an old labur ,
num a mulberry tree a qu ince a medlar and qui te a

,
-
, , ,
sprinkling o f apple trees beh ind the fl o we r borde rs

- -
and amongst th e vege ta bles An d the greater part .
o f th e year M rs S imon G a l l i n g h a m he rsel f i s daily

.
to be seen amongst h er cu linary and floral riches .
A tall stou t figu re in a fal se fron t a wid o w s cap a

’
, , ,
high apro n over h e r black gown and a pair o f ,
gardening gloves sh e is eternally clipping o r snip

, ,
ping o r thinning o r cu tting back o r rooting up o r

, , , ,
dividing qui rti n g o r watering with something
, or s ,
ofl e n si ve some un fortu na te plan t

'
S h e is fond o f talking and in momen ts o f soli tu de ,
ta l k s to hersel f Here yo u do pu sh yo u rsel f o u t 0

.
,
’
”
place says sh e when th e strawberry ru nners invade
,
”
th e pa th You ve g o t n o business he re says sh e
’
.
,
to th e wild briar that s prings from th e root o f th e

s tandard rose B u t a s l u g unde r a shady lea f is th e
.
object o f h er fines t irony “

S o yo u h a d i t in mind .
to walk o u t bimeby night an pay atten tion s to my

’
, ,
”
you ng lettuces didde n c c Then yo u w un t
,
’
.
B u t i f h er garden is a very pattern O f order th e ,
hou se is neatness itsel f The stone floor o f th e .
s mall en trance hall h a s a bo rder o f fre estone ; a n d

-
so h a s th e narrow stone s tai rcas e o f which th e s teps ,
down th e m iddle a re almost worn o n e into another .
The fu rnitu re is mostly o f plain o a k ; but i t is all

ancient and there is a ben c h and form s from some
,
o l d world farm
-
Only th e parlou r h a s mahogany
.
,
and there th e chairs and th e sofa all have shining

horseha ir seats Tw o samplers hang upon th e .
parlou r walls one o n each side o f a po rtrai t in wool

,
work o f L ot s wi fe after sh e h a d tu rned in to a pillar

’
,
o f sal t with two ci ties in fl

,
ames in th e distance It .
wa s wo rked by poor S imo n s aun t a maiden lady

’
, ,
and poor S imon wa s never ti re d o f looking a t i t On .
the mantelpiece and o n th e ca rd table a re pieces o f -
o l d c hina jugs bearing th e name o f G a l l i n g h a m and

, ,
quain t little figu res o f men and women in long

forgotten costumes o f c u rly whi te dogs with c hain s, ,
o f s ta g s be i ng d ragged down by hound s to sa y ,

MR S SI
. M ON G ALL I NG HAM
nothi ng o f several item s o f house property eligibly ,
s ituated o n th e le v el to o f a hand ome b ea

p s u r u .
Mrs S imon G a l l i n g h a m h a s al so a service o f pewter

.
on h er kitchen d resser and in th e spare room a four

,
po ster with a very handsome clothes chest a t th e -
foot o f it both o f carved o a k

,
'
These possessions sh e
.
”
always speak s o f a s h e r things No person o f .
s u fficient socia l dis tin c tion in the vill age ever en te r
tain s a vi sitor from to wn witho u t asking to be shown

Mrs S imon G a l li n g h a m s things
.
’
.
B u t la ! says s h e not wishing to be pro u d

, ,
They be more thou ght an work than anybody ’
could ever believe B u t there poor S imon wou ld

.
,
never wis h me to pa rt wi one o f em and we m u st’ ’

,
”
res pect th e wi shes o f th e dead .
To thi s refinement o f fee ling M rs S imon G alling .
ham is a con sta nt martyr A cottage o f two rooms .
i s all that sh e c ou ld ever req u i re i f sh e might do a s

sh e wo u ld and ye t sh e mu s t be d u sting and rubbing
,
and polishing o r running after the little mai d every

day o f h er li fe from morn to night .
The little maid is a fortunate village c hild o f

fourteen wi th h e r hai r in a knob and a cap o n h er
hea d S h e does th e ro ugh work and an swers the
.
door on those rare occ a s ion s when Mrs S imon .
G a l l i ng h a m fail s to intercept th e approa ching ca ller

on th e garden path B u t to be s ure sh e i s more
.
pl a gue than profit a n d th e worry o f h er mistress s ’
li fe There i s no respect and no grati tu de abou t

.
girl s o f the presen t day I t all comes o f so much

.
sc hooling fo r no t one in a sc ore will lis ten and

,
27 2 B OOK OF CR AFT S AND CHARACTER
re member and take any pains to learn Ye t th e .
li ttle maid i s a necessary ev il Fo r what wou ld poor

.
S imon think i f he should look down from where he

i s and see h is widow wan ting in tho ugh t to keep u p
h is nam e S O Mrs S imon G a ll in g h a m end u res h er
.
respon sibili ties a s bes t s h e may .
B u t h er k een sen se o f du ty also in flicts res tri c

tion s .
S h e fee ls u nable to ass ist at the c hild ren s treat

’
beca use poor S imon a l ways held th e opinion that

th e lower o rders w ere being cossetted u p to o much
to the ru inati on o f th e co u n try S h e really cou ld .
n o t su bsc ribe to th e Jubilee fo u n ta in becau se poo r
S imon u sed to sa y that the cottagers were so

ignoran t that they would rathe r d rink water o u t o f
a di rty well than ca rry a pi tcher ac ross th e street .
S h e could n o t approve o f th e improvement in th e

organ in the parish church becau se th e a l teration
,
would remove th e corner seat u pon which poor

S imon u sed to si t and worship S h e wa s certai n .
he would never have held u p h i s ha nd fo r any suc h

change and th e tho ught o f thi s moved h e r to tea rs
,
.
Drat th e o o ma n ! c rie d Farmer John B u c k on

’
tha t occ as ion What ! Can t sh e remember th at ’
poor S imon never had a n Opinion to cal l his o wn

, ,
after he marri ed sh e an never more an one sixpence

,
’ ’
in h is pocket to any o ne time to buy h i szelf a glass

0 grog !
’
W
UN I N sno rn n s, LIMITED, TH!
'
Ow n m W
ON G AND LON W
N
The Boo k Of Si m ple D eli g ht s
B Y TH E S A M E A U TH OR
i ih g kill ill b d wi h
d bl W
It i s wr tten w t ra c e a n d s a nd it w
d b lik ly ll d
, e rea t
t c a re ; we n ever rea a o o k mo re e to be c a e
’
h a t is mo re, th e a u th o r h a s a n eye fo r c o un try
y hi g
rea a e .
men a nd wo men a nd c o un tr t n s
h h b k h ghl
.
T ere i s n o o t er o o th a t c o n c en tra tes so t o ro u y th e

j y d b i f h li f i h w
g i
o s a n ea u t es o t e c o u n try e a s t a ppea rs to t e to n s
”
ma n wh o is al so a en a l essa yi st The D a i ly Cfiro n iel e . .
“
I i k hi h h ymp h i d ill fi d i mply
t s a wo r w w
‘
d lig h f l f m h fi p g h l h ig
c t e s a t et c rea er n s
’
w ere, Ow n
mi d di g h h h d g fi d
e tu ro t e rst a es to t e a st, to a
f h
him lf mi k f g m Symp hy h m
sun ersta n p n , t e o c c u a nt o t e t a tc e c o tta e n s
‘ ’
d
k l dg h g h m ki g f m ly pl
se sta en or a rea t a n. at , u o ur, a n
no w e
b k TI D i ly T l g p l
e a ve o n e to t e a n o a n ex tre e ea sa n t
”
oo . re a e e ra / .
h ll b d d d ligh f l ly idylli h y
ih k h W
S f
weet, we
h mi g b k hi h ill b d i h i l
res ,
-
o serve , an e tu c, t e
m k w c w w t
i by d h i h k
a e a c ar n oo p , e rea a n es e c a
w w or w s no w
f E gl d
n terest rea ers o e t er no to t e e st
”—
o n anTfi S m . e co ts an .
K i dly f g fill d i h g d h m i i h m wt
mf i g mp i i m g i bl f p i i L d
n ,
ra ra n t, e ra c e a n c ar , t s t e o st
”
co o rt n co an on a na e or a r so ner n on on .
Tb M e i g L d
o rn n ea e r.
M R ym d i i h fi ymp hy i h wr tes w t d wt
k y f h pi q f l lif
r. a on ne s at n a ture, a n
h h f Hi
b k ill h lp b g i mpl d l gh m y T l D d
e as a een e e or t e c tures u e ea tu res o rura e . s
”—
oo w e to nn s e e i ts to an . /e u n ee
“
I i l b k ld fi d hi id y i
l l
g d f m h i m M R ym d h g p
t p s as ea sa n t a oo a s o ne c o u n , t s n a
h hi d g
c o un c o tta e, a n ro t e t e r . a on an s u a
h d h i m k f
h i di i h l h il ph d h i d
o rse s c c o ve r s o o r to t e a y e s i sta en or a rea t
m w t
li d h ill g i d ligh f l
an s sc o u rses rura o so e rs a n s a v en tu res
i f m I i
l m f ll f h m f g im idm f
n so tu e a re o o st t r in n teres t. t s a e tu
d h t e w s o
d T l T ib
vo u e, u o u o ur, ra ra n t sen t en t, a n o
”
h
t e wo o s. ie r u ne .
“
If h d we i i l h j m f
hi B k f S—i mpl D ligh w h ld y i i mply
p a g to exp ress
y n a s n e ra se o ur en o en t o
’ ’
ts,
d l ig h f l b k P m t
t s oo o e e e s ou sa ts a s
”
e tu oo . r c/
LO N D O N . HO D D E R 8: STO U G HTO N
19
J a c ob a n d J o h n
B Y THE S AM E A U TH OR
Cro wn 871 0, do “, 6s .
neo b a nd Jh o n w ill b e fo un d a rea ll y c a p ta i l sto ry .

"
“
I t is lo ng sto ry o f g d q li y wi h b esto we db h ot
h l
a oo ua t , t c a re
”
on c a ra c ter a n d p o t. Th Ti mes .
Ha nna h h l i h h d i ’
w
i i il g d ligh h
, t at pu re a n pa t e n t so u , s a c a ra c ter o se
i i d m k b
l h lf d h dmi bly d p i f
ac q u a n ta n c e t s a rv e a t to a e, ut t ere
p e an e
wn
ill g hi d p b h y lk i
are at ea st a a o zen o t er a ra -
ra o rtra ts o
wo rt w
h b i d h f i ibl
v a e es a n re ro a te s, o se ra c ta s a c o n sta n t
f hm ft h
f i li y h ih m m d li gl
re re s en t a er p t e a re ra n e c a tter o rre s o n s e
-
w e re w t k
hi d
r vo t o st o ern n o ve sts see to re a e
”
W
t e r Tb Sp
rea ers . e ec ta to r .
h hi g b p i f J b d J h I i ‘ ’
d l igh f l y f l E gl d i h igh h
e a ve n o t n ut ra se or aco an o n. t s a
h ill ly
e t u sto r o ruray n an n t e e teen t c en tu r .
Th f— m d m f wo
di di i li h gh h i li l
e c a ra c ters
yp tru e t es o en a n en , st o rtuna te
b f d —
ii h m d d i dm k h h
to e y o un n c o un tr str c ts v e, a n t ro u t e r tt e
W
m k ’
d d i g id i h h g d
va n t es, u o urs, a n e s re s un a e an a e ea c o t ers
h p i m f w t
d li h pl f hp i
a n ess, a n p , o n so , ro v e us so e o u rs o oo
i we e th s
dimm d mp f p i ill d h y h
rea ng . e n ee no t o ut ne t e ot; or o
w
lib y b k l b b b
un e tru o ra se c a u se rea ers to u rr to t e
”
b k h
oo ra r b yi
or
‘
to o rro w o r u t
qgi ly Ch
s , oo c u eg , .
Tli e o ro ni c l e.
Mr R a mo n y lk d ’
d So me rs e t i we l wn , we
h d b h J b J h Hi h i f
. s sto r es a re no an
‘
a nd
’
ld i l l g d f lly ll d l ly m d
a ve n ever rea a e tter t a n aco o n. s c o ce o
i wo n d we
h pl f h b k hi h i h mbi i i ll d
o v a e rs s g er u an n a tura a na e , an
oo , w t o u s, s n ever a o we
i g h i ld i
t e ot o t e c s ra t er a
to swa mp i h p
i i I H h M R ym d
o ur n te rest n t e e rso n a es, n o r to s e n
mp i h
d l d p h i fig f h
co e ten c e n c a ra c ter sa t o n n a nna r a on . .
h ra wn a no ve m
o n e o f t o se wo
h h l lif m d ib d i h li Sp d d b
as an a t et c u re o en
‘
w w
l h i b hi
o se o e e see s esc r e n t e ne en an e
S h i ’
h f h k f hf l
f ld J b dl y l dfi d J h hi g d
s en t
p . e s t e rea ero n e o t e oo , t s a rt u serva n t
”
o o ac o an o a nurse a n r en to o n, s ra n so n .
Ti e P a l l M a l l Ga zette .
LO N D O N . HO D D E R 8x STO U G HTO N
L ov e a nd Q u ie t L i fe
B Y THE SAM E A U TH OR
S O ME R S ET I D YL LS
Cro wn 81 10, do “, 3s 6d . .
h l d d ih i
T ey a re o a e w t ru st c fra gra n c e, a n d perva e wi t dd h
a n i dyll rc sim l ic i ty a n d pea c e, tra n u i l s n li i g o f ind
h l l l bi
even to rea
q
t ese a tter T h i m m i
i h h d y
y t a tt re a t o
s e s o r
y s . i e o u s,
ser o us, mo re a t e ti c t a n i ts pre ec esso rs, bu t it po rtra s n o
less del ig h h h h l d f hi d li
f h
i i i di l h g i y
y t a n t e y t e o a s o n e e , c a ra c ter s,
-
n sp ra t o n s a nd a ec t o f a S o mersets ire villa e, a so c e t

h d l l d
w ere a t th e a te o f th e ta e th e a n is fo r th e m o st pa rt st l il
h ld h i
by yeo m a n , a n d w ere sq u re s a nd terr to r a ma gn a tes i il
h ll i g
e
”
a ve a s yet sma fo o t n Til e Ti mes
l m i f h b k li i h di ily lif
. .
Th
lik p i fS T Thi i
e rea er t o t e oo es n t e ex tra o r na r e
d i f lk wn
ill g dg f S m hi m i i h bi d
e resen ta t on o u tto n o an ts o . s a n c en t
h
i h
v a e, set o n t e e e o a o erse ts re o o r, s n a te
by m f h m i i m i we
fi i i m h th h i m h
so e o t e o st c a t va t n g rus t c s a ve ev er et n
i f F h
‘
i
h i g q i hi D h i l g
ct on or n act e re . s uc at s t et c , uc
t at s d
h h li y l
ro tes u e, n t s u tc c ture ; au ter a n tea rs
j l i f T h m f d
d f h ld li g h b k hi h i
o st e ea c o t er a s n e .
p e e ar o c o u n tr a c es, a n
f h ld wo r w
l g h h di g Ti A h w
o t e o o r er o t e c n s to t e oo c s
M W
, ,
”
a to e t er wo rt rea n re t ena n
l ym d b k i l g h d ligh f l
. .
Ra ’
s n ew
l h l h b il d g
r. a ter on oo s a to e t er e tu .
C pi w b
d i k m mpl i h i h gh bi b h
a t o ns
p p eo e,
p o se p a a te sy a ve een s o e s tro n
a n t at
ill b h m d i h i d li fl Thi b k ill li
rn , ay co t a s n o t en o u te, ut o t e rs
w w t w
b i i f ll f h m i y O l L d Q i
e c ar e ts e c a te a vo ur . s oo ve
Li f ih g h y l l d f hi dg d i
e c a us e t s u o u an t . ne c o ses o ve a n u et
MA AR N i Th B i ! W
w t w en
h ligh ig i h p k I AN
e re ret, a s ou ea v e a n o -
as o ne a r en n
”—
t e f h t o t e sett n dd sun , a n o no t w s to s ea .
CL E n e w ru n ee/
A d ligh f l
W
.
”
e t u sto r
y T h S m e co ts an
l f bidi g h m h b d
. .
b i f h b k hi h m y Tl M
A n o ve o a n c ar . e a ve ut su aste
”
h
t e ea u t e s o t e oo , w c a re an . i e
“
h
Thi i
ra t er to o ra re
Th
sg
j
i
d
s a
i
d oo
i
T
ll
m
h
w
us t n o
l
W
i
d
m
b
an
i
f
w
k
h
.
”
G
f
b
we k i
di
d
g
hi
i
-
h
d
i r tten
es t
oo
nster
, o a
o s ette.
n w c s
i p i p g mi i i y g i ff
e sto r
y q s p ua n t, s e an res , a o un n n e
la r
h hm l db
sc r t ve a s sa es, n u te n ex ec u t o n , et e n e ec t .
Th h k d
id f b i g p l di f m l if Th D ily N w
e c a ra c ter s etc e s a re u o ro u s an na tura , an ea r
”
ev en c e o e n erso na stu es ro e . a e s.
LO N D O N . HO DD E R 8: S TO U G HTO N
The Bo ok o f the O pe n A ir
E DI TE D B Y E D W A R D TH OM A S
W i th Fifty Pl a tes in Co l o u r
I ssue di n Twel ve Mo n th ly Pa rts
P rice i
s. n et E a rl
On e o f th e mo st i n teres tin g el emen ts in mo d liern i tera ture s
h hi h
t at w c trea ts na ture a s th e no v eli st trea ts h m lif i h
u an e, w t
s m
y p hy fi at rst a n d sc i enc e a fterwa r s d . Th e Bo o k o f th e
Open Ai r i s ”
representa ti ve o f w h i b i
at s es t n th i s li tera ture .
It gi i id d lw y p
ves a v v , an a f a s i i imp i
rec s e ress o n o wi ld l i f e n
E gl d
n d y Thi i d
an to - a . s ti f y o es by m f ea n s o a ser es o essa s
on bi d im l
r s, o n a n d fl i
a s, o n trees a n p i l o wers, on n sec ts, re t es,
e tc by h b pi q i
.
, t e e st c tures l hi y i h ue wr ters o n na tura sto r , w t
ill i d il d b b if l d gg i d ig d
ustra t o ns eta e , ut ea u t u an su est ve, es ne to
i f m b ll d ligh d i m l
n or — a o ve a to e t an to st u a te .
Th b k i e oob p d d i l m hly p
s to e ro uc e h n twe ve o nt a rts, ea c
p a rt to i l b
c o n ta n i f l l
severa d pl i i
ea u t u ll y c o o ure a tes a rt st c a
m d d p i g l d p bi d im l b
o unte , an re resen t n a n sc a es, r s, a n a s, utter
fli es, etci bl h p i l i m f y I ll h
.
, su ta e to t e a rt c u a r t e o ea r . n a t ere
wi ll b fif y f he tl d ill i
o t ese c o o u re d h y wi l l u stra t o n s, an t e
i l d ph g phi p i d di by fi l
nc u e o to ra c o rtra ts a n i stu es rst- c a ss a rt sts
o f l p i
rea o bj m
en -a r na ture su f h m by h b
ec ts, so e o t e t e est
k w no n phna tu re
g p hi i o tof h d ray T h c p ar t sts o t e a . e a rts
will b b di d kg
e o un n a pp i h ar i bl reend i g wra er w t a su ta e es n.
E very l f h ild
o ver o ld f
t e f d
w h ld b
wo r m o o ut o - -
o o rs s o u ec o e
b ib
a su sc r h B k f h Op
er to t e Ai“
oo o t e en r.
”
LO N D O N . HO D D E R STO U G HTO N
Ev ery M a n hi s o wn G a rden e r
B Y j o H N H A L S HA M
W
i h ll t fu -
p g
a e
an d
il l ustra
R ev F C .
i
t o ns
. .
in
LA M
l
c o o urs
BERT,
by C AR IN E CADBY
MA . .
Cro w n 811 0, c l o tb,
Fo rms a s e d ligh l l b k h b
m
tfu a nd u sefu a
i i ig m f
oo as as ever een
wr tten fo r h e del c ta tio n 0 m ever
l t gé ighy
-
n c rea s n ar o
t w l m i by
g d i h g d l bl
eo
p p e o o a e n n g a p s a s a n en tra n c n o .
M r H a l sh a m s pa es a re pa c ke w t
’
di
. sa e an va u a e
a v ce
”
Tbe D a i l y M
. ess .
If y h m ll g d pl l m d i y
hi b k
ou a v e ever so s a a a r en ot et e a v se ou
T l M ”
i d R d
‘
to g et t s oo .i e et/ o zst eco r er .
All h w i i d l i d id d i g
ill pp i h w k by J h H l h m gi D i ly
q g
c o n c se a n uc u e to
a rt w
o re
rec a te
u re a
a ”
r en n
a t e or o n a s a . l e a
M H l h mh p d d f m d bl b k h
di y m ll g id g d i g I i i i yl
r. a s a as ro uc e a ar o re rea a e oo t an
h t s wr tten n a st e
hi h h m h d h h i id i g h
t e o r na r s a u e to a r en n .
w c c a r s t e rea e r ev en w en o w to
lp g bl kill l g Th M H l h m d i
e s c o ns er n
’
i l p i i id h gh
a n t v e eta es o r to s u s at r a s a s a v ce . .
b k W
h m f p
d ill d i fi l l
i s t e o u tc o e o ra c t c a ex er en c e s ev en t t ro u o ut,
d h m
t e a a teur a r en er w ro t a s w l
g
h i di di d b igh ly
an er v e p e as p
ea sure
f m h s trea te
d l ly— d h k h h lp gi p i
ro t e oo a te ver s . sc usse r t
t e s etc es h
i
an c ev er , a n e to ve o n t to t e
”
i nstru c t o n s 7 7 Gl g w H
ze as o. era ld .
Thi i
“
l ly w i d i p tten a n iig a rts, even en terta n n
b k f d i h wh d i hi g d
s s a c ea r r ,
n
to t o se t m e u on t e r
I i b if l ly i ll d d h ld b g f l ly l m
oo o a v ce o c a n s en
p p a r ens .
t s ea u t u ustra te , a n s ou e ra te u we c o e
”—
i m yq
n an u a rters R ec o rd . .
A m ly f l b k p i m il y d i g d f l
i h li l i h l
n ex tre e use u oo p p , r ar es ne or eo e
w h wt fi d m h t e se v es t e o ssesso rs
f b m h g d i g h y hi k h y
o, tt e o r n o ex
p er en c e,
p n
m as t e t n t e ca n
i gl h d d o l k
o a o ut a s uc a r en n g a na e
s n e -
an— e
”
ut o o .
W
.
Thi b k i ll f i ki d d d
s ex c e en t o di l ts
i
s oo n an eserves a c o r a
”—
rec e p ton Li . w y l d ter or .
LO N D O N . HODD E R 8: S TO U G HTO N
Ev e ry M an s Boo k f G a r de n
’
o
Fl o w e rs
BY I OH N HA LS HAM
New E di i
t on w ti h 8 Pl a tes l
in C o o ur, 1 28 I l ustra t o ns l i
fro m Ph g p h o to ra s by HENR Y IRVI NG .
d i b h db k
I t is a n a m ra le a n o o fo r th e ma n wh o po ssesses a
smal l d d i
a r en a n d es res to ma k e th e mo s t va r o us a nd m o st i
ta st use o f it di
Th e a v c e o flered is n o t o ver th e h ea ds o r
'
b d g l h di l
.
th e e nts o f a vera e mo rta s Mr Ha l s a m sp a ys

g d y h i l h
eyo n . .
o wle e in wa s t a t a re s m p e, a n d t e refo re
to be h f l d h l li h w d
h y i di h
p ,u a n e n o t o n y e x p a n s a t to o
a nd w en to do i t, bu t in m a n c a ses h e n c a te s w a t i t
wo u ld c o st i lh
Th e no v c e wh o ta kes M r Ha s a m a s h i s u e g id
ill d
. .
w i n th e c o u rse o f th e sea s o n fin d h is g a r en a c o n s ta n t
so u rc e o f d ligh
e t
”
Tfie Yo rksh re P o st
‘
J h b kf h m id ify fl
. .
“
h w wa n ts to o wers
d pl hi h m ki g h m l
u st t e oo or t e a a teu r o ent
i
'
a n ts w c w
b d ld
an a re u st no a n t e se v es se en n
fl we r d f h i m h m k w wo u
l i f fl lp i h h i pl g d I
o o r ers a n y cr , or or o a e a
ne w o wers to re
b i f b fii i d i p i l h gh i m l id
se ec t o n o en s s ea su re ro un . ts
h d d d bly l
re u t su c en t es c r t o ns , a t o u n o s t c a se s uc
f b f h m
h h h
en o u a re ren ere y toue a e c o u se u rea so n o
g ,
8 f h l k —
i i
t a t s,m i
h b d i
a n rn 12 o to ra t e a n ts , ta e n n s
p y g p g p s o p
m i h M
o reo ver, t e h l
ili y f h li l l m i g ly h d by h b i f
jus t a s o n e sees t e n t e o r er ra c t c a p .
tt e vo u e s
l l di i hi h h h J h H l h m gi
ut t o t e rea t en a nc e t e r e
W
rec t o ns w
g h ih h g pi
c u tu ra c t e a ut o r, o n a s a ves,
to et er w t t e a vera e t h
ro o ts m yh p
d —I m h h l p
r ce at a e ro
w m t
f mily i l i
c u re . n so e c a ses, ere t e a n t re resen ts a n r
f C nsta n c e,B l C ’
a rna t o n, etc
h pg d d h d ip i d di i
a a s, or y a n ter ur e , .
tw o o r t ree a es a re evo te to t e esc r t o n an t o n s,

hi h by h y g d l ph b i lly Th A m
rec
”
w c , t e wa , a re a rra n e a a et c a . a teu r
P fi g m fii
o to / er
ill p h dy mp i
.
I t w d f l h a n o n to t e o wner
g d lph b i lly
ro ve a an an u se u co
f m ll d Th fl o wers a re a rra n
h d i i g
o a s a en . e e a a et c a ,
d i b i ll f l f m i i f
h i l i i O h d d d y igh h g ph
an n p g p
r a ra ra s a nee u n or at on s ven or
twen t
fg i g i f hi p i l b k
t e r cu t va t o n. ne un re an -
e t o to ra s
o ro fl ww n o f
ers a re a n a ttra c t ve ea ture o t s tt e oo .
”
— Tke R ev i ew R evi ews

of .
L O N DO N . H O D D E R 8: S TO U G H TO N
Ev e ry M an ’
s B oo k o f
G a rde n D i ffic u l tie s
BY WI L LIA M j . 30 W LE S
“
hi
T s is a useful vo lume A a r ener h a s ma ny d
il k i g
.
it w l ta e a ll h is t me a n d a ll is i n n
l lhl
Here Mr R o w es wi l e p h im i
dd fi l d
. .
ten e in th e rst p a c e fo r g a r eners o n th e sma ll sc a l e Th e

h g
.
a ma teur, o r, fo r th e ma tter o f t a t, th e ro fessio na l, ro wer o f

fl i il
o wers a n d fru t w l find ma n l y fi g i
ig ii ii h il i
pr o ts e su g es t o n s a s to
c o un tera c t n o r m n m s ng th e fl
i bligh h ig
o st e n uenc es o
”—
fro st, n sec ts, t, a n d o t er ma l n po wers Tk .
Ev e ry M an s Boo kf the
’
o
G ree n h o u s e ! U n he at e d)
W
W BY A L TE R I R VI N G
W By
i h ll i
t h I
A LTER I RVI NG, o f
ustra t o n s
R o ya G a r ens, Kew
th e
h
fro m P o to gra p s by HENR Y I RVI N G
l d
h dg h m ki d h i f q ly
d Wh h
An ea te f o r o t er s re uen t
d hd b b i ll i h
un reen o use o so e n
f
h di g by i lf i h g d Th p b k
o un a tta c e to su ur a n v a s, e t er c o n nec te it t e
ili i h be d g W
n t e
i i d df h h p h g h
o use, o r sta n n tse a r en . e resent oo
t o se w o o ssess su c w od h
w ld l ik i h li l
s n ten e or a reen o use, a n
bl d m l l p i b y g pl b lb d d i
ou e to u t se t to t e st a van ta e t a tt e .
i m y b m d b igh ihfl d ig
tro u e, a n s a ex en se n u in a nts, u s, a n see s n
h p p t w t o wers
h g id h d li g
t e ro e r sea so n , t a e a e r ur n
f h
t e rea ter a rt o t e ea r B fl
es es o wers, a n so m f
lp lik idi p lm d f migh l b g
p y . e o a e,
ro wn ,
d h d b d i ll f h f d
a n ts e as stra s, a s, a n ern s t a so e
or t e
igh m d id fh y
an t ese c o e u se o c c a s o n a u o se o ec o ra
w n o ws o t e o u se i h id f
i
t n t e ro o s an t t e a o an .
il k h f i f i i
f h h high d
o o r a s sto ve to
g ee o u t t e ro st, even
p t s no t c o n ven en t
k p h mp era tu re o t e
d y k l h
to ee t e te o use u
p to a er e re e
g
fli i w ten er l m f
hi g d hl g i m d h f lik d
c en t to ro p a n ts, an sto c p a nts o
su
g su c
t n s a s a i a s, era n u s, a n o t ers o a
b ddi g m yb k p h gh h wi m h
e na ture, use
f mm e t t ro u
i g h d g
o r su er e n , a e t e n ter o nt s .
I h h
t e s r n t e o use m l b f i pl
f hi h q i y q i d i h by m f i g
n p a ya so e use p p g or ro a at n a n ts
o w c a ua nt t a re re u re , e t er ea ns o c u tt n s or
LO N DON . HODD ER 8: STOUG HTO N

W
S TE W ART E D W W
O R KS BY
AR D H IT E
T he M o u nta i n s
Wi h Si I ll i
t x teen u stra t o n s
c l o th, 7 s 6d
. .
The Silent Pl a c e s
I ll di C l u stra te n o o urs
Cro wn 8110, do “, 65 .
The C l a i m Ju m pe rs
Wi h F i pi i C l
t ro n t s ec e n o o ur
Cro w n 811 0, do t/z, 6s .
Bl a z e d T r a il Sto r ie s
Cro wn 81 m, c l o tlz, 6s .
The Pa ss
W
i h F i pi i C l
t ro n t s ec e n o o ur
Cro w n 80 0, do “,
T he M yst e ry
W
AR
B y STE W
AR T ED D W a r m a nd S H AD AMS
. .
P ri c e, d a rn, 61 .
LO N DO N . HODDE R STO U G HTO N

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B OO K O F SI MP L E D EL I G HTS

SEC OND E D I TI ON . Cro wn 8vo , 65 .

h e re esents i msel a s h a vi n li ved— fo r se vera l m o n th s a t

l ist th e tta g e re a ri ng h e sta e a t th e Ro se i n

L O ND O N : HO DDE R STO UG HTON

AN OLD STONE C RAC-

YO UNG BOB PATTI MORE

TRANTER LUC KSTONE

THE SNA L MERC AN

AN OLD PR OJI C KER

THE OL EST I N HA ITAN

AN OTH ER MI LLER S DAUGHTER

MY NEI GH OUR B , MR S . SI MON G AL L I NG HAM

RACK ! C ack ! C ack !

Seated upon h i s heap on the sward beside

u nbroken stone and arranged it conveniently between

h is feet ; and soon sharper and ﬁerc er than before

the blows began again .

S uddenly a s I drew near down came the pattering

Come an stan dry u nder the holmen bush he

shou ted to me with a merry wheezy little chuckle

DO happer down an no mis take But th ere ti s but

I stepped over the old hu rdles se t up to keep h is ,

the hea p o f sharp edged newly crack ed stones to

a c cept the h o s pitality o f hi s gli stening holly tree -

a s he hobbled by th e aid o f two stick s from h i s

cottage with th e ivy and th e straggling rose bu shes -

to h is square pile o f ﬂints I looked upon him a s .

the castaway o f agricu ltu ral labo ur abandoned in ,

dec repitude to a precariou s ignominy His face wa s .

wrinkled and crea sed S omething like a tear h u ng

hesitatingly in h is watery eye H is coat made fo r .

another man wa s green with age and cheq u ered with

pa tches He w a s ben t and h is limbs were c rooked

with rheumatism Yet fo r need o f a shilling u nless

the rain were heavy and incessant day after day he ,

migh t be fo und sitting on h is heap .

His heap wa s not always in the same place .

L ast autumn when th e maple bu shes in the hedge

rows were the colou r o f o l d gold and th e las t full ,

blown honeysuckle reluctant to be picked shed i ts

petal s at a touch he wa s in the lane Be fore winter

he had drawn down to the co rner where nettles g row ,

rank amo n gst th e c rumbling s tones o f th e di su sed

village pound And th ro u ghout th e spring mating

ﬁnches and returning mig ran ts sa w him daily nea r ,

the ﬁng er post at the fo ur cross roads upon th e

waste between the highway and the di tch It w a s .

here I interviewed him u nder h is holly bu sh -

A carpet thickly bestrewn with golden cela ndines

ban k cu shioned w ith prim roses and S prinkled h ere

distant hill s in patc hes and a ra inbow arched ,

the sky spreading its many colou red sca rf to hide

the frowning storm A robin came a mongst th e .

p rickly leave s a l mo st within a rm s reach cocked h i s

hea d peered a t us inquisi ti vely and sang Earth

a n d slan ting s ilver rain s miled upon each other wi th ,

unmixed delight E ven the pa s sing wind la ughed

within i tse l f a s it pel ted heavy raind rops again st the

G reat G o d ! I said in my hea rt an earth so ,

beau ti fu l could never have bee n mea n t to be a home

Fo r q u i te a long time I had pitied that poor man .

Yo u a re o u t in all sorts o f weather said I by