Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1883-03-23


times, replied should just about think
did-many and many one. And now you
remind me, I'll just tell you about one /
played
Mr.. Hicks, having toasted himself to his
entire satisfaction, now condesCended to let
some of his companions see what the fire was
like, settled himself slowly and pondorously
down into the chair which, by prescriptive
right belonged to the senior traveller in the
room, took long sip at his grog, and with
preliminary clearing of the throat, began:
" II was in forty-two,' and it's strange
thing, but it was in this very identical place.
There was a oocky, stuck-up young fellow of
the name Of Brownsmith travelin' for Stokes
q Nokes Great Tower street, In the same
line as mine. He 'adn't been ere afore, and
didn't know who / was; 30 l says to myself,
I'll just take a rise out o. you, my young pop
Inlay; see If / don't
At that moment the great mans narrative
was interrupted by the entrance of little old
man dressed in black, who, observing that
the seats round the fire were occupied and
that nobody offered to make room for him,
sat down to a side table and commenced to
write letters.
Ahom :" said Mr.. Hicks. ~ beg your
pardon, sir; but was just agoing to begin a
tale but AS l see you are busy I'll wait until
you're finished"
mot at all, not at ALL" said the stranger.
Pray, don't let me interrupt you; you
won't disturb me 1 assure you. In fact I'm
not sure that not being u traveller, | ought
not to apologize to you for coming into the
commercial room but the fact is the fire in
the coffee room has gone out, and the waiter
said he thought you would not mind me com
ing in here
"Quit3 Welcome sir, quite welcome, said
! Mr. Hicks with almost monarchical grandeur.
d" It's against custom, l know, for strangers
to enter the commercial room but under the
circumstances, 1 don't think we'll mind.
! Will we, gentlemonl"
| The gentlemen chorused that they didn't
mind so the little man proceeded with his
writing, and Mr.. Hicks with his tale.
Well, as l was saying, gents, l made up
my mind to take this young Brownsmith
down peg or two. So what do you think /
does? goes to the stables, and l says to
| the hoster Bill il you'll get Mr. Brown
smiths cob and gig out Of the way the first
thing tomorrow morning, and when be or
| ders them, say you're very sorry, but you've
| let them out to another gent by mistake,
here's sovereign for you OF course it was
| worth good deal more than a sovereign to
me TO get the young chap out OF the way for
! ! saw he was pretty cute, and knew he'd be
after my customers. But that amt all for
Know IL was lue tdHltbl lAlLB lu Aut WI th AOi
! him to hire another cob and gig until his own
was returned. SO l goes down into the all
very late that night, where all the bags was
! bags in those days were very much more
| alike than they are now, aud used to be
| chalked with the numbers Of their owners
rooms, to distinguish them-and l quietly
rubs out his number and puts on another and
| puts him on to another lot Of bags, so that If
he did start he'd find himself in hole and
no mistake. Next morning | was uncom-
monty hafIable with him at breakfast, pre-
| tending, of course, not to know be was Ia the
| same line as me and starts of and does all
my business. When l came back found the
poor young chap running about like mad
man. He was satisfied that the gig business
| was mistake; but when he came to find
| that another man bad gone of with his bags.
and had left him with lot stuffed full Of
French frlling, l thought he'd have brought
the 'ouse down He got the landlord and the
all porter, and the chambermsids, and the
walters, and L5 threatened to have EN- up
before the magistrate aud all the time | was
GRIMM in my sleeve aud pretendn' to be rs
| concerned abou, II A. any ONE
"Well what happened? asked one of the
audience as the speaker paused.
What appened? Well, I'll tell you re-
piled Mr. Hicks. " The gent who had taken
Brownsnith's by mistake for his own 'ad
gone of to astings, and there was nothing to
| do but to wait till be came back. Aud when
the gent did come back you can imagine that
there was pretty row in the place, in which
| OF course Joined, saying that 1t was dis
graceful thing, and threatening the landlord
that Id take my custom over to the other
'otel if better watch wasn't kept for the fu-
ture. The poor young fellow took it very
ard, he did and when he got his gig and
bags and went round the next morning and
| found that all the business had been done, he
| came back, and be sat down in that corner
| there, and told me that it would ruin him,
cause it was his first job for Stokes ~ Nokes,
and he was on trial.
Weren't you very sorry you'd done it -
asked one OF the party.
Me sorry - said Mr. Hicks with con-
tempt Not me- Ans fair in love, war
and commerce and ii | hadn't done it, he'd
have done me by cutting me ont of a lot o
business As it was, l never set eyes on MIN
again, and I've card he got the sack from
| Stokes a N0kcs Sorry Not me
There was an expression on the faces If
some Of the young men if they thought IT
were rather a low trick but they made no
remarks, and after some further conversation
a general yawning and knocking out Of pipes
and draining of glasses proclaimed the hour
of bed. So the great Mr. Hicks took up his
candle and departed; his example was quick
| ly followed by the rest and the little old gen
tleman who had been writing his letters was
left alone.
When the door had closed upon the last
bedgoer he shut up his writing case aud took
up the position in front of the fire lately oc-
cupied by Mr. Hicks Something in the
story he had heard seemed to tickle his fancy
immensely for he stood there chucklng to
| himself and rubbing his hands in great glee.
"Clever chap, that Uncommonly clever
chap! he muttered to himself. Hes quite
right. Young Brownsmith did give up trav.
cling and if he hadn't he wouldn't be one of
the richest men in the country as he is now.
He rang the bell for the waiter. When the
man appeared the little old fellow said
"What time does Mr.. Hicks start upon busi
ness in the morning.
well l 'ardly know, sir" replied the
waiter. You see, he don't come here reg
'lar-in fact, can't call to mind hever 'ayin
seen him before. But the gents mostly goes
out about 10 o'clock"
"Tell the boots to call me at seven, will
you ?" said the old gentleman and taking
his candle he went to bed.
The next forenoon Mr.. Hicks sauntered
maiestically forth from the inn upon a round
of visits and as he walked along he seemed
absorbed in the contemplation of his owl
figure in the shop windows, as if anticipating
with no small degree of pleasure the sepsa
tion such a representative Of Hooker 4
Smoker would make in the shops of th'
humble tradesmen. He entered the establish
ment Of Mr.. Willow who said upon his door
that he was patronized by the Royal Family
but assuredly not to fifth part of the man
ner in which he was patronized by Mr.. Hicks
Anything in our way, Mr.. Willow saiC
the great man condescendingly. "Hookel
Il Smoker, you know"
Nothing for Hooker & Snooker," replied
Mr.. Willow, solemnly.
Nothing, Mr.. Willow, nothing? are yol
quite sure ?" asked Mr.. Hicks, somewhat as
tonished.
"rve said nothing, think" said Mr.. vii
low. I'm busy. Please 80 away there
a good man."
Mr. Hicks left the shop slowly and wonder
ingly. Surely" he thought, as he waddlet
on to his next customer, "surely no one
been interfering with Hooker q Smoker
No orders from Willow! It's unaccountable
He entered the shop of Mr. Burslem, who
not being patronized by Royalty, preferre
not to be patronized by any one, and who ha
the reputation of being curt, sharp, shor
man of business. Mr.. Hicks entered, and o.
tha y,rincipla that TINA IL unonav did nOt df