The Grenada gazette. (Grenada, Miss.) 1885-18??, 1886-01-02
BUYING HIS TURKEY.
Luke Sharp's Struggles After a
New Years Fowl.


This was a couple of years ago. We
had been in the habit of buying our
New Years turkey in America, and in
comparison the pricesin West End Lon
don seemed simply extortionate.
AS Colonel Sellers says about hogs,
turkeys were jewelry. A Londoner
always carries home his turkey
because the fact of his being able
to buy one sort of establishes
his financial credit for the coming
year. 1t is a good rating by a COM
mercial agency,
However we thought the regular
dealers were trying to impose on our
American greenness, and so my wife
said; You go to %Smithtield Market
and buy a turkey"
my DEAR replied, 1.-THE martyrs
used to 90 to Smithfield, but this mar
tyr don't 60. Marketing comes within
the province of a 'woman's spear as
Betsy Bobbet used to say
Nevertheless | had to 60. although I
protested that did not know a young
turkey from one of the prehistoric
variety.
Il know | expostulated, THAT
after trying my best to pick out a
young turkey will get n so tough
hat hone of the family can eatit.'
well, in that case try to get a
tough turkey and you will bring home
nice one. It's a poor rule that won't
work both ways
After six that evening l went along
he crowded Strand, down Fleet street,
Ludgate Hill, along Harrington street,
lnder the O'burn Viaduct bridge, and
turning to the right speedily found the
great building called Smithfeld Mar
ket. This market place looks some
what like the main building of an ex-
position, but on the last day of the
year, large as it was, it was so crowded
that a man had some difficulty in
squeezing through, The whole place
was a blaze of light and a Babel of
sound. The blessed company Of mar
tyrs hung in tempting array at every
stall, prepared for the fire, and thou
sands of people were pressing forward
to get to the steak. So far it was very
like any other large market, but the
Smithfield butchers had a way of rush
ing sales that is peculiar to London.
At each stall was a man with a great
envelope of an apron covering him all
but his head. He held in his hand a
long knife and a steel for sharpening
it. Every now and then he would
clash these terrible weapons together
rapidly a dozen times or so and shout
at the top of his voice: Buy! Buy!
Buzz" He never seemed to do any
thing but clash and shout. Busy as
sistants did the cutting. The roar of
conversation, the shouts of the clash
ers, and the good-natured, pushing,
iostling crowd, all made up an expert
3nce that would be difficult to forget.
Not content with loudly inviting Gus
tom, some of the vendors got up on the
stands and auctioned off the fowls.
"Now, then, now, then, now, them
cried the one in front of me, as he took
his place on the counter above the
struggling mass. 'Now, then, now,
them He seized a plump dressed
goose by the legs and swung it up be-
fore the crowd. Now, then; now's
the time and 'ere's the spot. 'Ere's
the VERY spot. I know you've been
waiting for me and ere I am. 'Ere's
The spot where ye gets yer goose for
less than the cost of a pickin' on EN-.
Cos wy' Wy, orr 'ouse is a feather
'ouse. We don't go for to make profits
On the birds; u profits is in the feath-
ers. We've picked this ere goose and
we'll sell the feathers and give away
tiIe birds. But | know ye. You're in
dependent-you are. You don't want
nothink fur nothink. You SEE, SEE you,
give us a fair price, Podgers, and we
takes the goose. Now who SEE ten
shillin' fur this prime young goose; not
a better in hall Smithfield, if do say it.
There's two men now a tramplin' in
nercent children under foot to get here
and get this goose fur ten shillin'.
Cawn't sell it to both on We; first mans
money takes it. Ten shillin' do l hear.
Then nine and six. No? Nine
and take it. Do l hear
and sixp Eight and six for
the finest, tenderest, juciest, plumpest
goose in Smithfeld Market tonight.
Yes, I'll give it away for eight shillin's'
Don't break down the stall a rushia'.
ave it for three 'alf crowns,
seven shillin's and sixpence for this ere
poose. Make it the even sever shillin's
Ind take it with you. I'm glad this
ere goose ism t alive to ear itself sold
or six and sixpence. Who takes It for
he even SKIP Thank you, sir; took a