The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1914-10-15
Dickens People of Old
Gloucester.
Some of the Quaint Characters Who Might
Have Craced the Masters's Pages.

Have Craced the Masters's Pages.
IAlfred Eden in the Boston Transcript
He swung his legs over the capsill at
the end of T Wharf and stolidy putfed
his pipe as he looked off on the harbor
or shifted his gaze to an occasional Slci-
liam fisherman chugging out of the dock
in his dingy motor boat. His face was
scanned with the wrinkles that come
from long exposure to the winds and the
suns of the Atlantic, while brown moth
patches of age speckled the acks OF his
horny hands. But despite this. faint
glow of healthful pink tinged his bronzed
cheeks and the twinkle in his clear blue
eyes was merry and inviting.
'I'm an old Glosterman, re vouch-
safed. "B'long down on Cape Ann now,
but like to run up to town once IN a
while. I've been over a wanderln round
TIL new fish wharf. Gosh, but it's
dandy! But do you know it don't seem
home-like to me, so come along to this
old wharf where I've pitched out so
many hundredweight of cod and haddick
that | don't dare to try and figure up
how much they would all amount to.
'I'm lust turnin' seventy now and my
DAVIS at sea are over, but tn smell of
this old fish-wharf is tn same to my
nose that pinch of catnip is to our old
tomcat down to Gloster. Makes me feel
like jumpin' up and down and rollin'
over and dom all sorts of capers just as
l did when l was youngster.
Ever been down to Gloster, son!
Wa'al, it's a good old town and there's
some of tn best folks ever that come
away from there and helped fill tn i'm
portant places in this country of ourn.
Jewhillikins! 1t makes me realize I'm
on tn home stretch when stop to think
| can remember things that happened
fifty years ago just as plain as IT they
was yesterday.
"But, say, son, there was some funny
folks down to Gloster when | was a
youngster. Leastwise they seemed fu:l-
ny then and they do now, although sup
pose I'm just as funny to tn youngsters
that prance aroun' there today. l re-
member two old maid sisters, Emily and
Abigail. Eve rybody called 'em Nabby
and Emily. Emily was tn youngest and
tn tallest, while Nabby was tn Oldest
and shortest. Jewhillikins! But they
did say til queer things. Like to hear
about 'em? Wa'al. their home was in
tn old Madam Collins schoolhouse which
of two rooms for Twin purposes, a kitchen
and a bedroom. In their late years
neither one of 'em scarcely ever left tn
house even to do errands. In fact they
didn't need to for tn neighborhood chill
dren was all glad to run their legs off for
tn two old women.
81 remember leetle gal called Caddie
who was a great favorite with tn Sis
tiers. They allus give Caddie tn trusted
errands to do, such as when Nabby want
ed some particular Kind of snuff, or
Emily some partic lar food stuff from
tn grocer where they d traded all their
lives Now, Caddie, would say Nabby,
whisperin' so My wouldn' hear, "you
take this tin box up tn hill to Jemmimy
Boynton's and get me five cents worth of
cid Maccaboy snuff, and for tn lands
sake, Caddie, on tn peril of your life
don't let that critter of a sister of mine
know it' You see Emily had horrid
aversion to snuff takin' and was forever
citin' tn case of an old lady who had
died from this cause, havin' large ball
of snuff removed from her scalp, which
was cut open by tn doctors. However,
nothin' that Emily said ever discouraged
Nabby from takin' her Maccaboy."
The old Gloucesterman chuckled audi
DIV. lie Udu DSCOIuc HlleIOSteu III Hlo
own story now and it needed no prompt
ing to awaken further recollections of
C!oucester's odd folks and their charac
teristic sayings of half century back.
Yes" he continued, ''Nabby was a
great one. 1 remember hearin' her tell
on many occasions what purity baby
she was. Why, she'd explain, when
was but an hour old | was as fat as d
butter ball, washed in rose water and
carried aroun' and exhibited from house
to house.
'Nabby and Emily had cat that they
set heap by. 1t was just common,
plain black and white critter, but they
give it tn high falutin' name of Polly
pot-paler- on- a-railer. although nobody
never knew where they got such ham
die or what it meant. | remember tn
two old spinsters was Industrious souls.
Emily was quite reader, while Nabby
was more practical. She was great at
knittin' wooden yarn hand nippers for tn
fishermen, and they sold like hot cakes,
all she could turn out of 'em. One day
heard Nabby say to little Caddie, conf
dental like: Now, Cad, you go down to
Mansfeld's and exchange these air nip
pers for nice dun fish but on your life
don't bring me no strong, lily pollock
"On extra rare occasions Nabby would
go a-shoppin' herself all dressed up in
punkin' hood, blue bingham apron and
a little Vandyke shawl over her Shout
ders. She ailus carried a big tapestry
carpet bag that closed with stout brass
lock and had stuffed leather handles.
Nabby was sure to invest in some Egrod
crackers, and little tea, and generally
she also replenished tn tin snuff box of
its contents. Emily did not allus ap-
prove of Nabby's purchases and some
controversy of more or less heated
character was likely to result. They
even were known to do a leetle cap pull
lin at times!
''Nabby was sort of superstitious old
soul, as l recall her. She allus wore
danglin' from her waist dingy bag filled
with shiny, well-worn stones and lucky
bones. She would say to Caddie, why,
gal, | wouldn't be without these ere
lucky bones for anythin'. If l should
part with 'em l wouldn't have a silver
dollar left.
Butcher Cressy would drive up to tn
door on his regular rounds and shout out,
ANY meat today, Aunt Nabby?' Where
upon Nabby world repair to tn butchers
cart and begin pokin' over tn various
cuts of meat to find a tender piece of
steak. Cressy would protest at this sort
of investigation in angry tones, but Nab
hwy han EMopo of foloo