The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1851-05-14
A Yankee Pedler.

lar built Yankee pedler equipage. w
had, indeed, previously seen some speci
mems of those travelling go-catts con
tanning combs, cigars. whips, mouse
traps, &c, which perambuate the re
gions of Down East but Of the regular
scientific, itiperant Yankee trader, re
Gently from the land Of blue laws, thi
was the first 10 meet our astonlshed ant
admiting eyes. The vehicle itself nigh
pass for quite a respectable stage-coach
and was, together with the horses, a,
article Of traffic. 1t is principle will
our genuine Yankees to sell cucry thing
with the single exception of soul ant
body; and there are not wanting those
who doubt even the validity Of this ex
ception. Our peder gentleman had con
tracted to sell his coach at Pittsburgh fol
three hundred dollars, after the ternina,
tion of his adventure. His horses ht
had sold at great profits, to be delivered
also when he had completed his voyage
We were sitting in a small tavern when
our hero made his appearance, and asked
the landlady if she wished TO buy any
knick.knacks to which question he re-
ceived an immediate and decided--No
An ordinary man would have been dis,
comiitied by such a reception, but il fell
on the Yankee as Intellectually
As lightning on an iceberg. when
On the impassive ice The lightnings play
With perfect GOODNESS and deliberate
step he marched to his locomotive shop,
andfeappeared with tin box about four.
teen inches square aud as many deep,
which he placed on the bar counter the
lady all the while protesting tha, she
wanted none OF his kick-shaws.
Without noticing in the slightest de-
gree these vehement EXPLANATIONS, our
Connecticut philosopher, who seemed
mentally to reside at an elevation abso-
lutely inaccessible to The gusts and blasts
of petty emotions, proceeded to unpack
his box and spread its contents in orderly
array over the counter. We there saw
an illustration Of the maxim that fact
is stranger than fiction" eff we we're
in the habit of betting" we would wager
any reasonable sum that no mortal man,
seeing that innumerabe variety OF arli>
cles, would believe that they all came
out of the TIN box, or could all be re-
placed in it. But so it was. There
were htlle cells for ihimbles, pins, bod.
kns, needles, jewelry combs. tapes, silks,
threads, laces, bobbins, and an endless
variety of ct ceteras, which have passed
from our recollection. That Connects
cut gentleman must have had a great
memory. He knew the place for every
thing, and when he got hold Of an lem
to repack it, it went by instinct to its ap.
propriate receptacle and when they
were all repackcd, aud one could no
longer doubt the capability of the box,
the spectators felt as the people of old
did in regard to Goldsmiih's schoolmas-
ter, who wondered
That one small head could carry all he
To resume our narrative. The gilt
Iering articles were all arrayed on the
counter of the bar. The females of the
household were speedily congregaied,
and, charitable as we constitutionally
are, we must admit that they violated
that portion of the decalogue which for
bids us to covet any thing tina, is our
The landlady herself, |
strong as she felt herself to be before |
being tempted. soon evinced her legil,
mate descent from mother Eve and,
hostess though she was, she found that
she had counted without her host"
A change came DER her economic
nind," and she was among the busies,
n negotiating the terms of a bargain.
In a word, she fell before the combined
charms of regular assortment of yam.
zee notions.
To cap the climax, a slaid old bach
'lor. who esteemed himself vanity proof,
md Oft exclaimed from the bottom of his
leart-
"Vain pomp and glory of this world, l
hate ye,"
melted away before the meridian sun Of
emPiation. lie purchased cashmere
est of fine qualiiy-ior the tin box coa-
aimed but small part of the stock in
rade, and the coach itself was a COM
'leie shop, continuing articles adapted
IS well To masccline as to female occa-
ions. We may as well say, in this
lace, that we there first saw Webster's
Iuarlo dictionary in two volumes.
What queer event, to encounter the
rudite, the recondile. the venerable,
nd never enough.io-be-recommended
Soab, at shanty in the woods of the
Vest.
But, as we perceive that we are spin>
ing !org yarn, we conclude by in
urminu our raadars tha, /, - f,rf and