The Cleveland leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1865-1865, 1865-07-22
MI TWO DERBIEs.
By cHAs. DICKENS.
[From All the Year BOund.I

grocere van, with an eighteen gallon caak
ofstout hanging over the taiL-bosrd; on TIE
second occasion-two Wednesdays ago-I
went as Q swell, in a bArouche and pair,
with 8 champagne hamper under the coach
mans box. 1 believe l Am justified, from
the barouche point of view, in regarding
the occupant of the green-grocers b IS a
snob; and equally, from the q poiRt of
view, in regarding the occupant of the ba-
rouche as a swell. I will not say which
character 1 assumed for the occasion
whether, being q swell, l pretended to be 8
snob, OF, being q snob, I pretended to be 8
swell. Suffice it, that on both occasions
the part 1 undertook, at very snort notice,
was adequately sustained"
cannot BY mentioning the name of the
winner, indicate TO my sporting readers the
exact year when 1 travelled 10 Epson
Downs in q green-grocer's van but it was
s good many Dsrbies ago. The green-gro-
GERS pretty daughter, who was courted all
the Wal down by a young man (of whom
l did not spprove), is now q mstrOnly per-
son with S considerable family, all the hid
esus imsge Of that young man, who is vet
Urinary, of a morOse disposition, and subject
to spasms of drink. l sigh when 1 think
of that pretty girl, so fair, so gay and light
hearted then; so csrewOrn, so toll, BURDEN
ed now. She married that young man for
happiD ess-as if she had not been happy
then-snd now shs HDever sees any pleas
ure." Her Derby days are over long ago.
The company began to assemble in Lit
tie Green street st q o'clock in the morn
ing. The vans-there were two of them
were ready 10 start and Mr.. Povey, the
proprietor, resplsndent in a red plush vel
vet waistcost-whoss lustre, by the way,
was considerably dimmed by a very dingy
white hat-was pacing up and down on the
pavement opposite the shop, all anxiety to
mount the kox and be OF. The excur-
sionisis arrived generally in the order OBJ.
served by the animals on entering the ark
that is TO cay, two and two, male and fe-
male; and this arrangement ins"-ea 30
much natural discipliaOl tnat there Would
have Deem no difficulty whatever In making
an immediate start, had it not bean for the
eighteen gallon cask OF stout, subscribed
for by q section of The party, which, rely.
ing upon our utter ignorance of the prin-
ciple Of the inclined plane, gave itself up
TO inert ~obstinscy. and for some time re-
sisted all our efforts to lift it on to the tail
board of the front van. 1t was got there
At length, but some further delay was oc-
casioned in consequence of an energetic
young man, exhibiting q large eHpanse OF
shirt front, Tashly volunteering to knock
in the tap with half Of a paving stone.
Here sgsin the wGnL of scientific knowl-
edge was keenly fat, particularly by the
energetic young man with the shirt front,
and his sweetheart in q new white muslin
with blue spots, who, owing to the tap not
having been previously turned of, receiv-
ed the first pint of stout sll over their
hnsrv, q mishsp which established q cause
of quarrel between the pair for the rest Of
the day, and may, for sl I know, have led
10 the final cuttirg of their loves in two
In such small incidents doth lurk our hu.
man fste-which sounds like q poetics
quotation, but it isn't at least not that
know of.
Well, We got into the vans two and two,
ss if we had been paring.ef for wholesale
matrimony, slowed away our stone-b bag
and nose bottles under the seats, Lighted
our pipes, put our arms around our sweet
hearts5 waists, and away we went rafting
up little Green street, with a crowd OF boyi
round US hurrshing like mad. II was 1
very fine start; but unhsppily for tht
ecLGt of tearing by the opposition green
grocers in 8 manner TO make the opposition
enyious, q halt was suddenly called. Their
, were eighteen gallons in the advance gusrC
: vsn, but there was nothing TO drink it GU
of. Our groom in waiting, who was tn
gr~eengrocer's boy, went back for the yes
sci, and returned presently with the goose
berry measure, which, at q more brillisn
period Of its career, had been what is pub
iicly known as 8 pint pot It lad not bee
secured lately and Wss rather battered, bu
a Young man af the company, who sp
reared TO be familiar with the operation
defly gave it a rubbing up with 8 handfu
r of straw gathered from the foor Of the val
! and OH we 20 sgain; q young man on th
box with Mr.. PoVey signaling our triumph
- ant departure TO the early risers of Tot
d tingham-court road by unfurling q blu
cotton pocket. handkerchief to the breez
4 didn't know on what p%retence Of neee
sitv or convenience it Wss that We called
80 many PLACES between Nottingham couI
road and Oharing Gross; but certain 1t
that we did pull up at 8 great mAnyplsc'
, mostly public and were q very long tin
, on the way. Possibly MI. Povey was AM
ious 70 show his acqsintsnces that he, b
family, and the nobility, gentry, and pul
:. lie in general, his patrons, were going
the Derby in style. l was getting rath'
. uneasy ST Charing Cross. It was DRAWN
very a the time when stSid busine
men, with whom We all have some q
ousintanee, are in the habit of mskin
their way toward the city, and here 1 81
% in q R~reengrocer's open van, the driv
smoking a short pipe, each young ma
with his arm around his young woman
waist all joining in 8 popular chorus 81
the groom in attendance running 0eniI
the front van, and drawing stout from u
eighteen gallon cssk into the gooseberl
measured What if the respectable N
Jones, of the respectable firm Of joni
Jones & Co. should see me2 1 think
was nv Suspicious attempts to get We
close TO Matilda, and 90 hide myself fro
the public view, that first aroused the jei
e ousy of Matthias young man, and event
p. ally, as the sequel will show, nearly led
blood.
The festivities began early. It was, i
remember rightly, when We hove Ia sig
= of st. Giles church, and marked the fig
of time by the clock of that fsshionsl
- fame that we began to pull the nose b
from under the sests. Generally, the
Election was brisket of beef with q GO
proportion of fat, mortared in between t
in substantial slices of bread, with q lick
mustard. At q point nearer st. Georg
il would have been a Ia fowrchettei ne
under the shadow of st. Giles 1t was q
clssp-knife. Our Ganymede, on sccol
esd of the heat and his onerous duties IN r
ming backward and forward TO the I
= board OF the leading van for beer, b
asked permission 20 divGst himself Of
shoes and stockings. Permission is gl7
by Mr.. Povey, who draws up at the Ho
of Parliament 70 have s drop Of 1t
81" beer that's going so literally behind.
Pevey recognizes his own measure, lo
suspicionsly into the depths of the stout
rye tops and tails of ~gooseberries, but not bG
g able to detect them owing to the g