The Union. [volume] (Georgetown, Del.) 1863-1866, 1864-04-01


And 50, walking, smoking, and chatting 4
pleasantly together, an hour or more sped
quickly away and had hardly knew how
nearly. dark it was tillmy companion point
ed to a faint light shining in the distance,
and declared it must proceed fron the inn
of which we were in quest. have SAID
nothing hitherto as to the personal APP
pearance Of my pedlar friend. In person
he was thin and wiry, with keen mobile
features, sharpened and intensified by the
close bargaining of many years. In age,
he must be fifty or rather more and his
hair and beard, both of them long and
tangled, and once black, were now fast
becoming grey He wore small gold cir
clets through his ears He spoke good
English, but with slight foreign accent;
and, finally, 1 gathered from his brass let
tered box that his name. was Max jaoohy-
/ Toiling slowly upward, we at length
reached the summit of the hill, and found
ourselves close to the inn of which we were
in search. The light we had seen so far
away proceeded from a lantern suspended
from the roof Of a rude shed close to the
inn, where a tall brawny young savage, Of
most forbidding aspect, was efecting some
rude repairs to riekety tumble-down
cart. There was light, too, in at least
one room of the inn, as we saw through
chink in the wooden shutter with which
the window was jealousy guarded other
wise the place seemed dark, silent, and
tenantless On inquiring of the young
savage whether we could be accommodated
for the night, he replied that he did not
know, but that we had better knock at the
door and ask the master. Not being III
the habit Of knocking at the doors of
country inns, lifted the latch, intending
to walk in without ceremony but finding
the door would not yield to my efforts, |
was obliged, after all, to accept the sug-
gestion offered me, and knock. A delay
OF half minute or SO, and then the door
was opened as far as the chain within would
allow, and the landlord stood before us and
enQuirea what we wanted. Could he ac-
conmodate US for the night We asked
lie rubbed his hand slowly over his chin
, mused moment, and then replied that he
/ thought he could perhaps do 50, uniaatcn-
ing tie chain at the same time to adml
. Us.
q We found ourselves in 2 rosm Of con
; siderablo size, poorly furnishe3-with fev
!, chairs, and two tables of the conmones
! kind, but looking cheerful just then in TIN
q light Of the LARGE Are burning in a graf
); ~ nna end Of Che room Jaooby drew pt
"a p s- e --,5'-J
ment, and r9licve3 himself Of his box
/. pia4iug ie elose by his SIDE whSre he enuii
y koepa half-eye constantly upon i, reque9l
q .4+siiatg me al the same time to order whah-
I. pleased for .uppcr. The landlord ha
= disappeared in an inner room or kltcher
= from which there now issued, in answc
N 10 my summons, tall big-boned mulatt
IS woman, attired in check cotton gowr
o. and having red 'kerohief bound roun
10 her head This apparition was SO unel
- pected. and seemed to me so out of plac
n ina lonely Cornish inn, that i could NJ
a. help bursting into an irrepressible fit {
~ laughter as, the woman stepped torwar
rs into the room; but the dark scowl tn;
n chased away the good-natured grin wit
nd which she Just greeted me, warned me nj
n to carry my amusement too far. On stri
ce inquiry, the capabilities of the Rouse r
nd solved themselves into an unlimited SUI
he ply Of eggs and bacon so we were fain
ed give our orders accordingly. After Il
al remnants of the meal had been clearc
st. away, the landlord himself entered Il
of room to ask what we would like to drinl
k Certainly very low insinuating vote
he very different from that OF Il rude count
nv landlord He was a large-bu:lt feshy ma
i with red, fresh-coloured, whiskerle
err face, which gave you at the first CLAM
)m the idea of great good-nature, combine
ad with an equal amount Of stolid indolenc
TO but when those heavy oyerhanging Ii
I'll were fairly raised, and you caught fl
fas glance from the grey restless eyes benea
OF ohem-restless and treacheroug as those
ng tiger-then you felt there was SON
ng thing more than somnolent goodl-natu
ce. about this man,--that there was an il
ii will to do and to dare beneath that imp;
ect sive exterior.
he Jacoby chose some whiskey on the lai
- lords recommendation, and | ordered
md tumbler of the same, more for "the go
ght of the house, as the saying is, than
INV cause | cared to drink it. On Jacob
in invitation the landlord came and join
be- us for the pedlar was fond of society a
100 pfOpdply Thought nc saw soHle cndHco
his driving bargain; at all events, after
nee bibing glass or two of whiskey he gr
vas more talkative than ever, and at last lif
ed his box on to his knees, opened it, a
zen spread out on the table quantity Of che
ind jewellery, which looked very bright a
hat glittsring by candle light, but was in
was ality, Of very small intrinsic value; a
her endeavored by voluble and emerge
ac- harangue, to tempt the landlord into
be coming purchaser. That calm and S
npt tentious individual examined the bauh
fter one by one, replaced them carefully on
He table, and ended by expressing his opin
ant of them by little silent laugh, and
ing, or three extra vhifs from his pipe; the
or by intimating as though he had said &C
at a as many words, Rubbish, every bit Of
$ Of don't attempt to deceive me 2
his Jacoby, with a shrug, put away
ittle wares, closed his box, and resumed
bon pipe. A grateful space Of silcnce in
his vened. The pedlar was drinking heav
and and the. landlord took care to keep
ale e. glass constantly replcnished. Before !
JOSH the effects of the fiery LIQUOR begal