Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-12-23
HULLED CORN MAN
ONE OF NEW ENGLAND's UNIQUE
TYPES OF STREET PEDLERs.
The Hot Tamale Vender Of the South
west and the Warm Frankfurter
Merchant Of the East.

Just as various sections of the country
have dialects OF their own, from Yankee
twang to southern drawl, certain states,
grouped into separate divisions by their
geographical positions, have street pedlers
of edibles who are not to be found in the
others. The south has its hot tamale man,
the north the hot frankfurter pedler. The
not frankfurter vender, with his portable
stove, has come to stay in New England
but the "hot tamale" crier has not yet APP
peared on the horizon Of the Pilgrim faith
ers and Roger Williams. Though the hot
dog barks' nightly in Westminster street,
ne Is not, nor will he ever be, able to dis
place the hulled corn man.
Inc huIied corn man Is peculiarly a New
England institution. He has none of the
raklsh. peppery airs of the hot tamale man;
none of the resonance and white can and
apron of the hot waffles man who stumps
the BoWefy; none of the mustard besmear-
ed apron of the hot frankfurt yender nor
the not corn on the ear seller. He is Sc
date the hulled corn man, generally over
the fifty mark in years and is addicted to
whiskers and other inexpensive unobtru-
slve ornaments. He dsturbs not the peace
OF sleeping men and babes with those rau-
cous yoWlings that rend the air when the
huckster or the old clothes man or the Junk
man makes his din from house to house
nor does he give forth those doleful sounds
tnat herald the approach of the umbrella
mender or the scissors grinder His ap-
pearance is more that of the patriarch than
the pedler. He goes from house to house
and raps at the back door. When it is
opened ne asks, Hulled corn today"
Nutritive Food.
IL the answer is NO" he turns on his
heel and goes upstairs or to the next house.
II 1t Is Yes he sets down his two pals
they always, shine-takes the cover from
one Of them and measures out i'm a quart
measure the required quantity Health
food and faddists are making a great hue
ana cry now about the nutritive and n.y.
glenlc qualities of hulled corn as though
IL were new discovery. Why, the hulled
corn man has been going his rounds for
haif century, and the children of men
ana women who. as children pulled their
thi ,,m skirts and besought them to buy
hulleu corn, are now eating their hulled
corn and milk as often as the huIled corn
man and his kettles stop at their door.
Another street pedler distinctive of the
smaller new England cities is the catnip
man. What he has to sell speaks for itseIf
to those who like it. and he does not even
open his mouth to gain custom He selects
nelgnporhood containing houses wherein
are well fed, well kept tabbies of high de-
gree; tabbies who are pampered and whose
desire is law. He places his basket on the
edge OF the curhstone. raises the cover. puts
his hands in his pockets and waits for the
scent OF the catn1p to permeate the air.
Soon cats begin coming from all directions
gray cats. tiger cats. black cats, white cats
nondescripf cats; tails waving in the air
with emotion and noses shifting the catnin
scented breeze. They circle round the CAT
MP man and rub against his legs and sound
ripping purrs. The gathering attracts at
tention from some one at a window and
soon the word goes round that the catnip
man is on hand. Presently women and chill
dren issue forth and surround the catnip
man and when he goes away with his
empty basket troop of cats may be seen
disappearing into the doors of the surround
ing houses. their eyes glistening at the
sight of the green sprigs before them.
The Catnip Man.
tender-hearted man is the catnip man.
and the story is told of how his sympathy
for the hurts Of creature kind proved his
undoing In one instance. One day, when
this particular catnip man took his stand in
his accustomed place, no one appeared to
buy ,cafnip for the group of tabbies which
as usual surrounded him. The catnip scent
was stronger than usual that day and never
had the cats desired catnip so much. But
despite their purrs and arched backs, there
was no eatnip forthcoming. The catnip man
saw them get together little distance from
him and heard an animated mewing and
saw waving of tails. One cat mewed an
other cat mewed and then they all mewed
together and held up their right forepaws.
The catnip mans attention was turned from
the cats for moment and when he looked
at them again he saw one cat limping off
on three legs, trailing one of it's hind sup
ports on the ground. as If that member We're
broken. On mercy bent. he left the basket
and went after the limping tabby, which
waited until he put his hand out and then
limped on little further So limping the cat
drew him some fifty feet away from his
basket. Then it suddenly regained the use
of the fourth leg and when the catnip man
turned round in wonderment he saw it
Ii atvt,, Ip1t
basket. from which the cats were pulling
catnip. When he reached the basket his
stock in trade and the cats had disappeared.
Still another peder possessed almost ex-
clusively by New England is the honey man.
He wears long, white apron and white
jacket and chefs cap. On top of the cap
he balances a square board wherein are
combs. taken from the hive short time
before, filled with honey.
Mr. Stubb-"Here is another woman who