The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1894-03-23
ALoNpoN CHARACTER.
The CHEEKY Voiced "BaEed Potato Man,
and His Customers.

- ISNLCN SE1FIlfAS L-Th
The CHEEKY Voiced "Baked Potato Man,
and His Customers.
One of the unique street characters of
London that interested me was "baked
potato man." He stood in front of a
t'pub," as a liquor saloon is designated
here, calling out his wares in CHEEKY, in
viting voice and leaving off his chs" in
a reckless fashion.
He had quite little crowd about his
movable can, whence the steam whistled
upward from the receptacle, where these
wares were kept as hot as pepper. A few
of the crowd were ravenously eating their
halfpenny or penny "tater," sailed and
buttered to taste and consumed without
forks.
A few, having eaten their potatoes, were
thirsty and rounded out the meal at the
stpub" with glass of "bitter beer" And
there were cthers, poor, hungry urchins,
who, with awful pathos, watched the more
opulent eating their simple meal and tried
to satisfy huDger's cravings on the odors
arising from "the fruit of earth.''
The face of this street merchant looked
like well baked, mealy potato, and there
was a general air of warmth and snug
ness about him going well with his honest
calling My first query was as to the sue
cess of his occupation in pecuniary sense.
"Well," he replied, "'spuds,' as the
people generally calls taters round ERE,
is allus favorite vegetable But trade
'as fell off to wot it 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
taters as boy bout Is years old. I'm five
and thirty now, and l make tidy Twin
out O. it. The trade was just a startin as
a regular calling when begun, so you see
it amt more'n 20 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 it be feel
ms or beer. A man has as jolly 'eart
and gives hout cheerful call needn It
starve at anything he turns hisself to do
for Twin. used to carry bigger can,
fitted with charcoal stove, and did my
own baking, as a many does now. But
this ere invention is better You gets
your spuds baked at the bakers shop for
ninepence the hundred weight. Then you
pops what you wants into your pot, which
hangs over your fire, close to biler fol
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
roight as roine."
The words have spelled as pronounced
by my informant. Translated into good
English, it is favorite saying of humble
Londoners and reads simply "as right as
rain"
learned that customers are of all class
es. Often the potatoes are purchased late
at night by a good sort of bohemians lOl
quiet midnight supper. But the major
ity of customers are of the working PEG
pie. The little redhot bed of charcoal seen
through the holes in the fire tin was rud
dy CLEAN Ito illustrate" the atmosphere,
dullness. On my asking how many mel
and women, all told, sell baked potatoe.
in the London streets, the answer came
"Well, there's about four 'underd of us
all told. "-Boston Herald.