Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1865-09-23
MISCELLANY.
PANTALO0N ENCORE.
By CHARLES DICKENS.

IN the world since I last had the pleas
-ure of seeing you, sir. Maybe You will
remember. It was in the Jug and bot
tie department of Joey's public hOuse
Joey, the clown, you know-nlgh
three years ago, though it seems but
last week, / dare say to you it seems a
long time, Tor you are young yet; but
with us elderly folks Time hurries so as
If he thought We were growing tired OF
it and wanted to get home. It, mis-
take ON Times part, though. Old peo-
pie are like young people So far as that
goes. They have a strong objection to
be sent to bed while there is single
companion left to sit mp with.
ION remember my telling you how
joey and L tossed up for our line, when
we were first coming to London to play
at the Bower, and how / won pantalocn
worse luck. 1t did hurt me bit that
night, when thought of joey coming
home from HOrEsey Wood House, where
he had been pigeon shooting with the
swells, to his pheasant supper in that
fine parlor of his, while was sitting
down to bit of cheese and an onion,
with missus and the kids behind the
shop. Madame POllonio. too, joey
better half, in her black satin gown,
and her gold watch and chain, drawing
the beer with those white fingers of
hers all diamonds and pearls
What a contrast to my poor mlssus IN
her old linsey-woOlSey. tOiling aud slay-
ing for me and the children, with never
q bit of iewelry to show hut the plain
ring 1 put upon her finger the day we
~,~.,,.o oDr.II NOT hahn thinE-
ing how different we might have been
If that half penny had turned up tails,
and l had won clown. L would have
been in JOey's place, and joey wOuld
have been In mine, though for the mat
ter of that, didn't wish joey any harm.
They were right, sir, in making out
Fortune to be woman. When she
takes thing in her head, she goes the
whole hog with it. If she gives you
butter to your bread at all, she lays it
on thick, sometimes on both sides; but
if you are no favorite with her she
won't allow you so much as a scrape.
What set me thinking in this way
was the very large family party had
that evening to partake of about quar-
ter of a pound of Dutch cheese-the
Dutch have no great talent for cheese L
think, strand half of stale half-quar-
tern loaf. There we're six of them
round the table, ali my own, with no
particular views in life, but with appe-
titles which / could describe as raging.
The three eldest were out doing some
thing for themselves; but here were
SIX OF the youngest all at home, doing
nothing, and demanding food at every
meal, with no consideration for the III
diculous inadequacy of sweet stuff as an
article of commerce. i have heard of
the philosophers stone, that turns any
kind OF rubbish into gold, but it is my
opinion that sweet stuff beats it all to
nothing. Think of turning hardbake,
jumbles and peppermint stick into a
joint of meat! 1t requires a sanguine
temperament to see clean slate as to
rent, in EOah's arks and you will al
low, think, that there is not much
suggestion of credit with the baker In
fsrthing kites. When L took to the
business there was nothing In all the
stock, considering the times and breech
leaders for the volunteers, that looked
SO unpromising as bows and arrows.
But you never know, sir. Bows and
arrows turned out better than sweet
stuff. 1t was what called afundament-
al mistake for a man with young
family to go into the sweet stuff line
The friend who recommended me to it
was in it himself, and he couldn't make
a do of it, though he had neither chick
nor child In winter he did pretty well,
but in summer the flies ate all the pro-
fits. But in my case, sir, what with
the flies and kids, il was dead loss. /
gave mp the sweet stuff department
shortly after saw you last, and substi-
tuted the periodicals, and found it to
answer better. Non, sir, 1t had never
struck me before, but on this evening
that ] am abiding to, when j had to
entertain so large party to supper, it
came across me all at once to question
the Justice of my being bnTdened with
SO large a family, while Joey had never
chick. He could afford to keep them,
and bring them up to something useful,
and 1 couldn't. knew very we'll how
his supper party would be conducted
Ther0 would be joey at one side of the
table, and madame at the other, and
and they'd divide the pheasant between
them, and when they had done give the
bones to madame's lap dog on china
plate. And here am / and the nlissus
with six two legged dogs around us, all
snarling and swapping at the heel of a
Dutch cheese. It's unequal, thought
to myself. 1t is highly necessary,
know, that the population should be
kept up; but why should so much OF
that important duty be thrown upon
those who can scarcely keep them
selves ? Children are hostages to flu
ture, I've heard say but it's rather a
shabby proceeding to take hostages and
make the enemy pay for their keep.
said that night, in the bitterness Of my
heart
'These children are a curse to u.s."
Goa don't say thai, Alf, my wife said,
and she looked so hurt that | was sorry
imme 1iately.
'frlink what it would be to lose one
of Them" she said.
''My love-" i said, 81 wouldn't lose
one OF those dear little wolves for the
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