The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1879-07-19
Yorick's Drawer.


AS arts give way to arms, so must this
column of idle thoughts and fancies, and
"reminiscences of by-gone days, and bright
correspondence, give way for the present to
all encroaching politics. The piping times
are over, and the stir and harsh sound of
party-confic. fill the air. The saunterer
is out of place in Maine papers these weeks
Of angry conflict. Graver matters than the
fashions of pipes, the witty sayings of dead
and gone humorists, the prevailing taste in
novels, or the reveries Of dreamers, claim the
attention of readers. The lounger must fall
back for space and the man of action come
to the front. Space becomes valuable, and
not to be given to airy nothings while stern
realities deservedly command the thoughts
of men. The reader doffs the smoking-cap
and dons the helmet, and has neither time
nor inclination for unconsidered trifes while
preparing for conflict or actually engaged in
battle.
So Yoricl closes the Drawer for time.
When the ballot-boXes have been filled and
emptied it shall be opened again. The Sep
tember breeze that fills the triumphant ban
ners of one of the contending parties will
bear on its wings relief and rest and leisure
for all of us. Then can we who have an in
terest in this column either as readers or
contributors, turn to our trifes. Meanwhile
let whoever can find time or inclination,
whoever has suggestions to offer or ques-
tions to ask, write to the Drawer. The
communications will be ticketed and put
aside until the Fall Opening Then shall
they be held up to the admiration of men.
-Loafng is irksome at its best. 1t is
especially difficult in small city like this.
In the great towns there is always something
to see. What is there to see here on a Sec
ond visit? What shall the visitor do when
he tires of walking the streets? There are
many pretty faces to be seen, it is sure, but
after time they have all been looked at
Then what is to be done? AT this season of
the year one may go to the islands; but the
season is short at its best, and if the visitor
is from the outlying towns or the interior it
isn't the country he is looking for. He has
enough of that at home When he goes
visiting he expects cake.
In truth the rural visitor misses the most
delightful of all lounging places, the country
store. Whoever knows not the country
store is unacquainted with the most deli
cious form of loafing ever invented by man.
But in order to fully enjoy it one must be to
the manner born, must have been nurtured
in the town or at least resident there long
enough to be acquainted with all its people.
All villages have their eccentric characters,
humorists, philosophers, fools, liars, and
these usually have nothing to do except to
gather at the village store, seat themselves
| on benches or in chairs under the protection
OF its shady side of warm afternoon, or
between the ''counters" in its cool depths,
and gossip of things they have seen or heard
of or imagined. Some wise things and many
witty ones are said at these conferences. In
the evening the habitual loungers are joined
by men who have been at work all day and
who bring the latest news from their farms
and workshops. The old men exchange
"reminiscences and tell wonderful things that
never happened; the young men talk over
prospects and prophesy things that never will
happen; while the boys, open-mouthed and
alert-eared, intently listen and gather much
information and more misinformation.
In Winter the loungers gather about the
stove and talk, with all the comfort of we'll
housed men, of the bitter weather without
Sometimes they play checkers. Occasion
ally one reads to his fellows from the weekly
paper. But usually they gossip and tell
stories which all affect to believe except the
small boy seated on a nail-keg in the corner
he smokers and perhaps is sent home Most
OF the talk is good-natured and harmless;
some OF it instructive. Even the romancing,
of which there is much, does no injury,
sometimes because no one gives it credit,
sometimes because it is as innocent as
fairy-stOry or one of Munchausen's tales.
Occasionally the gossip is il-natured or vul-
gar, and fair regulations are soiled; for
there are slanderers, malicious or careless,
in country as well as in town, and foul
mouthed men. But usually the talk is
wholesome.
On long Winter evenings the loungers stay
late, dreading to face the fierce cold without
or to plough their way through half-trodden
drifts. They tell more and longer stories
than usual, nibble at the cheese on the
counter" lift the cover of the cracker bar
rel, or peck at the raisins. Themo shame
less ones go to the tobacco-keg and break off
enough from the plug for chew or smoke.
Those who have worked hard during the day
fall to doing. Then the store-keeper bustles
about, puts up the shutters, turns down the
lights, and so drives his visitors out of
doors.
10 these loungers about the country store
the coming of a commercial runner is
treat. He always has new stories to tell,
and brings with him much gossip from the
city. They like to look at the spruce young
man and to listen to his rattling, sometimes
crisp and bright, speech. Their daughters
inherit this trait. In other times, not many
years ago, the runner was unknown.
The welcome visitor then was the peddler
who came on cart and brought knick-
knacks, or whips, or cigars, or candy.
Though scarcely as rapid as the runner he
was good story-teller, and in his cart as the
lids of the boxes were thrown back was
much to look at and speculate upon. 1t
was a favorite amusement to guess at the
price of the goods.
Yorick remembers one of these peddlers,
a bright-eyed, comical-looking fellow whose
tongue swung on pivot One day in the
long-ago he drove up to store in a fair and
green village in York county. He had anew
dog with him. Under the carts of these
peddlers dog almost always ran. On be-
ing asked the whereabouts of the dog he
brought on his previous visit he said it was
sold. One of the bystanders, prompted per-
haps more by hunger for converse than by
curiosity, professed ignorance of the dog
and affected great desire to learn how the
selling came about. Thereupon the peddler,
nothing loth broke with rapid utterance