The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1894-03-17
ALoapoN CHARACTER.
The CHEEKY Voiced BAKED Potato Man"
and fils cnstoTSrs-

and Iits tnatoVffN~
One Of the unique stree characters Of
London that interested me was "A baked
potato man lie stood IA front OF q
pub" ~ liquor saloon Is designated
here, calling out his wares In "A CHEEKY, in
vlting voios aud leaving on his "h's" In
reckless fashion.
lie had quite a little crowd about his
movable can, whence the steam whistled
upward from the receptacle, where these
wares were kept m hot as pepper. A few
Of the crowd were ravenoualy eating their
halfpenny or penny "tateI" salted and
buttered TO taste and consumed without
forks.
A few, having eaten their potatoes, were
Thirsty and rounded out the meal at the
pub" with glass Of ''bltter beer 4" And
there were Others, poor, hungry urohins,
who, with awful pathos, watched the more
opulent eating their simple meal and tried
TO satisfy hungeT's cravings on the odors
arising from "tho fruit OF earth"
The face OF this street merchant looked
like a well baked, mealy potato, and there
was general mir Of warmth and Snug
ness about him going well with bis honest
calling. My first query was ns TO the sue
cess Of his occupation in a pecuniary sense
"Well,' he replied, "'spuds, as the
people generally calls taters round ere.
Is allus a favOrite vegetable. But trade
as fell OFT TO wot II was. Trade starts in
middle o. Orgust and ends about last o.
April. A scorchin 'ot summer as last
was is awful bad for business Invent into
tnters as a boy bout Is years old. I'm five
aud thirty now, and make tidy Twin
out o. IL. Tho trade was Just stnrtin ns
reg lar calling when begun, so you see
it amt more'n 30 year old-that is, done
as it now Is. The female sect a'takin up
the line as 'urt us wonderful.
Here he sadly shook his head and felt
my face flushing up in shame for my sex
who are crowding the men out Of life s
race in occupations of all descriptions.
"But," he continued his optimism
coming to the rescue, you got to take the
sweet long o. the bitter, whether IL be feel
in's OF beer. A man has as a jolly cart
and gives hout "A cheerful call needn e
starve at anything lac turns hsself TO do
for Twin. l used to carry bigger can,
fitted with n charcoal stove, and did my
own baking, rs a many does now. But
this ere invention Is better You gets
your spuds baked at the bakers shop for
ninepence the 'undred weight. Then you
pops what you wants into your pot, which
hangs over your fire, close TO biler for
your 'ot water. The steam is wot keeps
your taters 'ot. Then at one end you car
ries your butter and salt, at t'other end
your extra Goals, and there you are las
roiRht as roine. "
The words l have spelled AZ pronounced
by my informant Translated into good
English, IL Is a favorite saying Of humble
Londoners and reads simply "as right as
rain "
learned that customers are Of all class
IS. Often the potatoes are purchased late
at night by good sort Of bohemisns for
a quiet midnight supper. But the major
ity of customers are Of the working peo-
pie. The little redhot bed Of charcoal seen
through the holes in the fire tin was a rud-
dy CLEAN "to illustrate" the atmospheric
dizziness. On my asking how many men
and women, all told, sell baked potatoes
in the London streets, the answer came,
"Well, there's about four 'underd Of us
all told. boston Herald.