The Potter journal. [volume] (Coudersport, Pa.) 1857-1872, 1861-10-16
T0PPERS.

week had fourteen days, and every day
eight-and, forty hours, | should not even
then be able to accomplish one half of
what I undertake Still, in the busiest
life there are moments of leisure, and as
even these ought to be turned to prof
liable purpose, you shall now have anoth-
er hint from Old Humphrey.
Many of you know London city, but as
to knowing a hundredth, part of the
strange things which take place there,
that is quite out of the question. My
method is, when witnessing multiplicity
/ of odd occurrences, to treat them as | do
blackberries-I pass By great many, and
pick out ouly those that l like best.
Whoever has been in London in the
fruit season must have heard men, women
and children crying ont in all directions,
"HautbGys, fine hautboys."
These hautboys are large strawberries,
land are sold in baskets called pottles,
which, tapering from the top, 60 off less
and lesser to the bottom.
l was passing along, on hot day, when
a pile of these pottles in fruiterer's shop
caught nv attention. There was one of
particularly fine fruit, and 1 soon had a
hold of it; but the man cried out in
hurry, Stop, stop, sir! | cannot sell
them"
| "Canuo; sell them p said I, " and for
what reason 7"
/ "Oh," replied he, II cannot sell them,
for they are toPpers."
Now, these toppers were the largest
sized berries, picked out on pur-
pose to put on the tops of the other pot
/ ties, to make the fruit look better than it
really was. Come" thinks | to myself,
''if you will not let NE have the toppers,
you canuot hinder me from taking away
the lesson they have taught me-" So |
walked Of, talking to myself about the
toppers.
At the corner Of the next street. at a
Diapers shop, some dozens Of good-look-
f ing habdkercbiefs were hanging at the
I door and marked at the low prlce Of four
4 pence each. Thinking thi. was no bad
opportunity Of laying in stock Of half-a-
dozen or d dozen good handkerchiefs, for
worthy but poor friend, | entered the
shop, but was told that they only sold
those hBndkerchiefs TO customers, and
that if | had any Of them ! must buy
something else with them. Old HUN
phrey was soon out Of the shop again,
thinking to himself that be should never
/ have gone into it. The haudkerchjefs
were potbiDg il the world but toppers,
and were hung ct the door 10 make peO.
4 pie believe that things were sold cheaper
at that shop than they really were.
One Of the objects had in view in my
walk, was TO bay leg Of mutton and
observing two very dDe legs hanging by
+ themselves at butchers shop, | told
hin to pull one Of them down, for that !
bad SCI Dy mind upon it.
"The legs are sold. sir" said be "but
you nay have the shoulders TO match
them"
'Sold" r. replied / "yhy, If they are
sol8, what is the ase of letting them hang
up there"
"Oniy to show what sort of mutton ]
sell, /" said the butcher. I saw IN mo
ment that the two legs Of mutton were
bis toppers, and that, Of course, he would
not part with them.
When / came TO Smithfeld, / stopped
awhile, for horse jockey was selling
horse to yoaB2 gentleman. who appeared
TO me 10 have more money in his pocket
than judgment or discretion 10 bis head.
The gentleman seemed disposed TO fancy
black horse, bat the jockey began to.
puff off brown one, and talked 50 much
Of thorough, bfed," ," courage" spirit TO
the back, bone" "high-actiob," "sure,
footed" @iast- going" Stree from vice,
"qnlet as laub," and fifty other putting
phrases, that ] thought 70 myself, "Ay !!
ay Mr. Horse. dealer, these high6ying
tefms are your toppefs, and will enable
you, 40 doubt, to get rid Of your brown
horse"
About aa hour after, saw two ladies
getting into coach, They were very
gayly dressed so much 50 that the scarf
Of one, aud the shawl Of the other, were
quite sufficient 10 attract attention bat
their head dresses struck me more than
either the scarf or the shawl, for 10 one
Of them was stuck bunch Of artificial
flowers, almost as big as besop, and 10
the other several ostrich feathers, a foot
OF two high. More toppefs," thought
|, hurryiPg along; "and those who are
caught by them may fad, perhaps, the
heads Of the weafeFs still lighter than the
feathers and the flowers"
Having occasion to call on tfadesgaD
to settle an account, / fopoq ban ip
yiqleat passion with bis sbopnlaa for
trifiog mistake; this grieged me tbe
tnore, because he had the credit Of beng
religious map and truly religious pap