The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1891-05-26
WHEN WE WERE BOYS.
iS4o-i85o.
no. 49,
DIR, STEPHEN GA


situated on the westerly side of Middle
street, just below Lime now Market street.
He was very bright, smart, quick, capable
man, very neat in his dress. and as recall
him always wore blue dress coat with large
brass buttons. white vest white stock neck
tie both summer and winter, and low slr-
pers. He was very eccentric man at times
but withal very polite and usually very
agreeable person to meet, but if once in a
while something happened that did not suit.
ne would let himself down with big, big
d., In a very energetic manner. A very
peculiar habit that the doctor had was the
fact OF his always tasting Of everything that
he sold, II 1t was possible for him to do so.
Squllls and paregoric, castor oil and opedil-
dock, arsenic or opium, insect powder or
for ne always caught the odd drops that
| flowed down the sides of the bottles as he
| filled them, and swallowed everything with
| apparent relish. For many years the DIR,
had no clerk, but was always on hand ready
for business long before seven in the morn
Ing, and until eleven at night, except about
twenty minutes each for dinner and supper
He resided on the corner of Pearl and Mid.
die streets. Ii there was one thing that the
Doctor did dislike it was pipe or cigar smoke:
but nevertheless he sold both pipes and
cigars. Well do recollect of being in his
store when gentleman came in and bought
a cigar and placing the same in his mouth,
struck match to light It, The Doctor, quick
as flash, sang out "Don't light that hereP
Don't light that heIep" The gentleman, who
by the way was stranger in the city seemed
very much surprised and said swell, that's
1G nhi sell man eigar and not let him
Doctor, 'funny-is it! If sell man cigar
is that any reason why he should STAY here
and smoke itp If | sell man an emetic, is
that any reason why he should stay here to
the gentleman, with a smile on his face
quietly took his departure and lit his cigar
on the sidewalk. The argument was IN
answerable. The Doctor remained at the
his shop AID house with all their contents
disappeared In the flames. After the fire,
the Doctor established himself In the same
business In frame building which he
erected on the corner of Middle and Deer
streets, but the fire broke his heart. Shortly
after. he gave up the business, went to Ban.
gor and there passed the remainder of his
years.
BASE BALL.
In those days the boys played base ball.
but not in so grand scale as at the present
time; nevertheless we enjoyed the sport
could most always be easily mustered to
join In the game. A little incident that I
happen to think of recalls one game In partic-
nlar. Itcame time for certain young man
w tdho Juo udt lOI u SLTlk6, LUlS liz Qlu with
| rather more than his usual vigor and the ball
went beyond all expected bounds and landed
| In the nearest parl0r window; Just at that
| moment the gentleman who lived in the
| house was coming out of the door, saw the
| boy drop the bat and run, and he did like
| WISE 1t was almost dark. Overhauling the
/ boy he caught him by the collar, saying to
him.. you young rascal, what do you mean?
t breaking square Of glass ssh in my house and
then Son running away away "oh replied the
to pay for 1t, which indeed he intended to
| do, and did do at once to the entire satisfact-
] ion OF the gentlemen. That boy has been
paving cut IL mSsasB 20 The present date as he
4 Is now cashier Of a National Bank on Mid
| die street.
| cAsCo STREET CHURCH.
Somewhere in the forties this church, To-
land streets, had a full attendance and was
In prosperous condition. The basement
located on the Cumberland street side, was
and for many years the ardent was dispensed
IN the rear; particularly "hot scotch" to the
| nrday night the following lines in large bold
letters were nailed up above the door of the
| store, which created quite an excitement at
the time, and as the report spread round
town the following Sunday, many diverted
their usual walk in that direction to see for
themselves. 1t ran as follows:
There's Spirit above, and Spirit below;
Th he ssplrit Of love and and the Spirit Of woes
And the Spirit below is the Spirit of wine."
| The OCCUPANTS of the store being out of the
| city, the eftuslon was not removed until the
next day. The public notice thus given of
tne sale OF, as pr. Ollipod used to call it.
THE balm of thousand flowers" proved to
be boomerang, for it brought the shop into
notice and business In that line seemed to
| increase year after year until the lease ex-
Plred, when the store was closed. The build
carriage mandatory.
THE OLD wooD-MARKET.
| By common consent from time immemo-
rial. Federal street from Exchange to Pearl
was set aside for wood market. At this
spot hooked the customers from all parts of
| the city, and here could be found at almost
any time a small load of wood all sawed and
split ready for use, and drawn to market by
one horse, up to load of split logs that
would require six oxen to haul it to market.
In good sleding in the winter time the street
would be fairly lined with teams on both
SIDES. In those days, saving wood by steam
power mad not come into vogue, and, some
twenty to twenty-five wood-sawers were al
ways waiting round for job, passing away
their spare time by filling their saws sharp.
Goal stoves we're not In such general use as
at the present time and furnaces not very
common. Very many large old fashioned
alright stoves with large door to take in
logs, or with cover on top that would lift
up ano admit OF almost any. size were the
houses; Halls and schoolhouses were gem
orally heated by large cast-irOn box stove.
and most of the boys thought themselves
lucky If they could have the privilege of get
and build fire In the schoolhouse, bringing
up out OF the cellar enough wood to last ali
DAY, Tor which he received-what ?-permis-
sion TO be absent the rest of the day, But
let us go back to the old wood market.
fret MI In, ii
Spring to make its appearance from the fact
That no snow-drifts we've allowed to accumu-
late IN the above mentioned limits, as the
countrymen would themselves level it down
70 make, It convenient to move round: be-
sides that the tramping Of men, cattle and
horses added to the dirt and litter that was
always made as the feed was put before
them, broke the back" of winter in that |
locality sooner than elsewhere in the city. |
Inc buildings on the Easterly side of Fed |
were mostly small frame buildings occupied |
as lunch rooms and eating houses One of /
the occupants was cobbler and In connec- |
ton with the same kept an oyster saloon and /
posted over his door:
Here pies and cake and beer sell:
GOOD oyster stew, and In the shell:
ana Tried ones too for them that choose
Ald with dispatch mend boots and shoes.
All among the leaves and treeses;
Sing, oh sing We heavenly muses.,
While mend your boots and shoeses."
The old wood market has taken its depart
IRE forever: all the principal wood-yards in
,he city have steam saw and work is done
much better, quicker and cheaper than in the
years that are past and gone. Most of the
wood that comes in the city now that is used
or fuel come on the different railroads from
lily to one hundred miles away, or by the
largo from Nova Scotia. The "black dia.
nonds" supply most Of the heat at the pres
OLD SKINNER
Old Skinner. as he called himself, was the
irst one in this city to peddle oysters ronnd
he streets particularly in the evening. He
lad very deep. base, sonorous voice which
,ould be heard several squares away and mn
cold winters evening when on the Street
With his cry of "Oyes, Dyes, Oysters" his
'oice sounded like tornado and children
would run to their mothers arms and timid ,
people would shake and tremble; it sounded ,
more like crazy man than any !
hing else and many people would run ,
md bolt and bar their doors to keep him
'ut, not knowing who he was. But in fact he
vas very quiet. mild-spoken man when
waiting upon his customers. Many people
io 10y, living will recollect how the streets of |
dad Sc 1