The Massachusetts spy, and Worcester County advertiser. [volume] ([Worcester, Mass.]) 1825-1831, 1830-11-03
WHOLE NO. 3OO5.
From the Boston Commentator.
THE SCOTCH PEDLAR.


ing out through skull-pan and pore man
was seen coming into a farm house. with
Dnnyan pack on his back. He was on the
wrong side of fifty, seemed fatigued, and look.
ed as though heat and humanity were at tre-
mondous variance. 1t may not be known gem
orally that no who is dry or hungry, by the
simple asking, will obtain meat and drink al.
most any where in our villages and the fact
Of giving or receiving is considered neither
charity nor begging. Ifyou ask for water, the
reply would be, would you not prefer cider
and one is rs free as the other, If a family are
at dinner, come and take seat with u.s. is tho
common invitation of every day, if you are a
stranger; and so common are these practices
that they are not put down to the credit of hospi.
ta'i.y, but considered as matters of course. Tho
pcdiar OF whom have spoken with but littIa
ceremony, disencnmbered himself of his nacs
IN 'he large Kitchen into which he had ushered
hilhseif, and after exercising his handkerchief
ABOUT MS nose, lace, and ears, with great indus
Try ior lew moments, inquired of lady some.
what near his age, who sat at wheel spinning
her pound of flax whether she dinna think
1t vera worm The day. She stopped the cir.
cungyratlons of her noisy help meet of indus.
Iy' elevated her spectacles and said she thought
IL was Cold water was asked for, and cider
was, as usual, produced. The STRANGER. with a
broad Scottish accent, inquired how far Il was
20 a tavern, Tor ne was hungry, and was follow
Gu by reply that it was five miles, and as il
was alter one,' he would be too late for dinner.
during which the table, span clean, of white
Plne' was spread, and the hostess placed on tho
board what had been left at dinner, Consisting
OF boiled salt beef and pork, potatoes, cooler
lhah me guest, brown bread, baked with care,
and the whole to be washed down by : old orch.
ara, alias cider. The stranger fell 10, and did
justice to each After this, was brougbt forth
(the pride of our dairy woman) cheese. Tho
stranger as he discussed each and all. wonId
throw curious and inquiring glances at the
guide woman as he called her, and he seemed
TO be peering about the room like thief or a
purchaser. Alter having his inner man re.
ireshed he observed, Madam n1aun nav now.
Tor the dinner, and the vinegar, and tie curds'
and You maun as we'll tell me how much O tbs
siiier We lack If You ever saw storm, now
1t was TO be seen in its violence. Curds =
quotii she, my best ncw-nlilk cheese TO ba
catled curds! Cheese fit for President and
my husbands cider called vinegar you black.
gnard Pedlar, go about your businessl' and then
she took pinch of snuff and resumed-siaJk
to me about payingi as though wanted noonav
Tor meal Of Victuals; I'll let YOU know who ia
who' and what is what! And let me tell YOU
my husbands name is Jonathan Twist. and
he ii twist you my fine fellow knew Won
was an outlandsh man the moment Won began
your lingo, and if there il any law, III have
you oelore the squire
lhe pedlar eyed her with most consummate
h0Hehafanee on the occasion, and with great
gravity said the curds whilk i gathered Doubt.
less were cheese, but being, as We term il. I'm
9utiahoixh mon, ga 1t the wrang name; and
foreoy the rest, that it nun ben made by
yer am sci. TO give TO a puir pedlar like, tho
ye winna TAX his money, beg you to foreis
me. he cider whilk is unknown ainaist our
bonnie oroes o Scotland, is very guide, even
MI
that hath weary pack o his shoulder. Had
We nae better tax the siller and let me eang
awa;' SIG
There was sofening in the good lady,s
oro"' and as she gathered up her dishes, she
seemed TO collect her good humor She ayow-
ed that The cheese might not have been SO
good as her last years, and offered that ba
might Try any that was cut in the cheese
room, and admitted that two DAYS before. she
told her husband TO tap new barrel, but be
could not find the spike gimblet.
Inc pediar declared " he dnna care az to tho
material o his dinner, for whilk he wur thank.
ia. and to the Teddy who had provided Butt
SAID ne, | wad like to ha glimp at yere gude
man; lie wad like TO hear from an auld frien'.
Did he no gang upon The seas in ither days?'
The dame rubbed her snectacles viii, ths
coTne; OF her apron, and said, yes hard times
he had too, and when married him stopped
ms seaaring' liie poor man, he had to 1.-Two on
salt beef and no tnrnips and cabbages, nor moth.
ing clso for months, and then instead of drink.
ing cold water right out of the spring, he was
obliged to take it out of cask where it had
been three months-and then on dark nights
had 10 climb up rope ladders to haul in his
sheet, aud that too when he was almost froze--
and then TO keep log book, when there was
no wood TO make fro in the shp-and then
10 see to the cook, when there was nothing 10
eat IN the vessel. And then, TO cap all, he
went TO Scotland where they stick up posts for
the people to rub their backs against, was him.
sell obliged 10 use sulphur, and came home
smelling terribly Of brinstone.'
During this speech the pediar looked serious
and humorous, and once OF twice rather winked
under some undefinable feeling. 'Weel, Teddy,
said he, tho people o. Scotland are not the
waur folk after e.. They like their kirk and
( inbred, and never fash theB,sel~~~ Abes. :thss
folk natter
In reply, she asked of what she termed the
outlandlsh man, whether he belonged to Scot.
land. Upon an affirmative answer, she then
told him that her Jonathan had received a great
favor in them are foreign parts--and if he
came from whereabouts he was welcome to-
stay month. While this conversation was
tn tTansifu, he was ransacking his wallet, and
finally produced silver thimble, which he Of
fercd 10 the woman, observing that the 'ane
she had on, was o brass and wad bring soyes'-
she declined and said she had worn her own
twenty years and did not like 10 change IT,.
She then went 10 what is called the sink room
door, and blew tin horn to summon her father
and progeny hoRe from their labors. a;e
In a short period the summons was oboyed
by sturdy wcather-beaten old man, Swapping
son Of about 30, six feet high, a blue-eyed youth
of about II, pale and sickly, and a young girl
of little more than fifteen, barefooted and
except that the sun had kissed her
checks too warmly. The old man when he
came in cast a look of inquiry upon his wife,
and then on the stranger. His wife said that
a pedlar (rointing him oul) had come from
Scotland, near where Donald M'Saunders lived
and she thought he might Ike to ask after the
man who had given him such lot Of money
when he had got but six cents in his pocket,
The old man shook hands with the strsnger-