The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1885-01-15

the Boston Globe the following:
How old would yon set mep
The speaker was an English looking
person, we'll and warmly dressed, rather
small, with thick, white hair, white side
whisksrs, rather plump features, with q
gray eye still bright and sharp.
Say 75
Nonsense.
Seventy.
The old man laughed
I'm 9S, he said.
Can it be possible?
That's gospel an Bible truth. I'm 9s,
an still like apipe an drop of good hot
stuff to warm me-
| You are not tenn perance man, thenY
BY way Of reply the man Of nearly 100
years took out bottle from his pocket,
and with Your health, sir, inverted it
and took long and steady pull
I've used it all my life, he said. /
got drunk when was but 8, so I've had
my times for 80 years; aud many good
time I've had, too My name is Jacob
Held all the world over, an as my name
is Jacob Held. SO I've been quite a rover,
And he chuckled.
I'm London, born an bred, though I've
been almost every where, he resumed, A.
ter moments silence. was restless al
ways. an there's an old sayin that q roll
in stone gathers no moss. I've made
some money, an have some Of it nova
good solid fl 200 or 50, an that will do
me at my time Ct life, for 9S is a good old
age.
I've set Of Dickens books in my box,
l can read pretty we'll yet / knew
Charles Dickens. don't mean I've seen
him, but I've talked to him, an I've taken
mahy the glass with him. I knew him
when he was BOZ an before that. set
type when he was reporter. I've set .
good deal Of his copy first aud last, but
id .ype-setting. saysI.
The old man stopped and muttered
something TO himself and then he re
sumed.
] promised my son 10 years ago that
Id say the Lords prayer every time
swore an I've done it. I've repeated that
prayer thousands Of times, fret and last
! hope to be saved, but l don't see what
good there is in being sober faced all the
time
About the first time n saw Dickens /
left the printing shop an went with my
brother. who kept hotel, you call it. n
public it is with us. Dickens came to our
place good deal, Sometimes he'd pay.
but commonly he'd put it down in =
little book he carried. He always paid
all in the end; he never complained OF us
or We OF him.
How was ho with strangers2
laxative, I'd want him to take pri.
yate room, but he wouldn't He would
Insist on taking his seat with the rest.
We'd have almost all kinds OF people and
he'd talk with them all. Sailors, coach
men, farmers, no matter who. he'd talk
with EN- ] got used to bis ways after .
while. an when queer fish would turn
up I'd let him know. got Yankee for
him enc time. remember, an once got
reformed thief to call xrouxd, on Mr.
Dickens had long talk with him, don't
know what shout, bat knew it paid well
to have Mr. Dickens around
left England a few years after, an
never saw Mr.. Dickens ugsin. ! sent him
a lettor once, an got kind reply. ! was
down in Mexico then. was in the Is
land Of st. Thoma, when heard be WAS
dead. read some in .Pickwick" little
while ago, bat II made me sad. Issemed
To hear Mr.. Dickens say sgaip; Well.
Jacob, what have you got for me? ] knew
whom be said that be wanted 10 know
who'd bs IN. an what we'd have. He
was nice man every wsy-a real honest
man. He'd talk TO me just ~ II was bis
maie. guess, As they say over here, he'd
seen hard times.
You've sees other famous men, Of
coufsef
Hundreds Of thsm kings an all OF that.
saw Sir Walter Scott once. Was In
Scotland st the time.
Hsw did hs looky
Homely. He was lame al Scochmsn
all ever. never liked bis kin Give Toe
an EngIishman like Dickens. say
Are you recently from Englapl7