The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1890-09-27
The LEATHER BOTTLE.
An American Tourist In tho Footsteps o
Mr.. PIckwick.

Mr.. Pickwick.
Finding myself in Gravesend, during
n recent visit TO England ! determined
to seek that hostlery where the too
amorous Tracy Tupman retired after
being Tilted by the spinster aunt, and
was run to earth by Mr.. Pickwick and
his friends and discovered eating roast
fowl and bacon, and not, as had been
expected, looking after the priming of
the suicidal pistols.
Somewhere across the fields I know
lay Gotham, whore the Leather Bottle
stands, and to which thereafter was con-
veyed, by the great founder of the club,
that stone bearing the mystic letters
which the caitiff Blotton had the audacity
to translate into bill Stumps His
Mark" Not very regretfully did 1 leave
Gravesend behind; and after an hours
walk, found myself in the diminutive
village of Gotham, where every thing is
on small scale, except the epitaphs on
the tombstones. Tho village has a
charming nesting air, with its little
gentle-winding street of quaint red
brick houses, at the furtherest end of
which stands the modest Leather Bot
tie opposite tho church. "And really"
added Mr.. Pickwicll, after half an hours
walking had brought them to the viii
lage: "really for misanthrope's choice
this is one of the prettiest and most de-
sirable places of residence / ever met
with" q statement which ! can fully
corroborate.
pretty, compact, white little tene-
ment it is, with sign swinging over
the door portraying Mr.. Pickwick, his
hand under his coat-tails, and the in
scription, Dickens Old Pickwicll
Leather Bottle Hotel" There is an
over-hanging, well-tiled roof, with a
lamp over the door, little shuttered
windows at each side and general air
of cosiness. The coffee-room, where the
fugitive Tupman was discovered, is un-
altered in feature. From the chronicle
which is with US we learn that: "a
stout country lad opened a door at the
end of the passage, and the three friends
entered a long, low-roofed room, fur
nished with large number of high
backed, leather-cushioned chairs of fan
tastic shapes, and embellished with a
great variety of old partraits and rough
ly colored prints of some antiquity. At
the upper end of the room was table
with white cloth upon it, well covered
with roast fowl, bacon, ale and etcete-
ras." And there it is still; the passage,
and the door at the end of the passage,
and charming old room of some size,
very low, and with a sort of framed coil
ing, its yellow walls grimed with the
smoke and steam of q hundred "ordi-
narys."
1t was pleasant, after more than fifty
years, to find every thing corresponding
so exactly to Dickens description.
There are half dozen or so of old high
back chairs, no doubt bought in Roches-
ter to add local color" and correspond
with the text; the old portrait of the
tea-board pattern and the ancient clock
the only addition to the collection of
artistic trophies being colored photo
graph Of Dickens two pictures of his
house at Gad's Hill, and copy of the
Empty Chair" of Luke Fides. Mine
host is a dapper and attentive little
man, wearing white apron. His liter
ary leanings, however, are not consid-
erable. Indeed, he admits, with engag-
ing frankness, that he is not well up in
Dickens, but as a great many people
make inquiries Of him, he has ordered
copy of "Pickwick. envied mine host
of the Leather Bottle the treat he had
before him, though question whether 1
ever before heard of. Dickens being
studied as matter of business. Once a