Scotland -- Social life and customs -- 19th century -- Fiction
Books and pamphlets were brought into the town by the flying stationers,
as they were called, who visited the square periodically carrying their
wares on their backs, except at the Muckly, when they had their stall
and even sold books by auction. The flying stationer best known to
Thrums was Sandersy Riaca, who was stricken from head to foot with
the palsy, and could only speak with a quaver in consequence. Sandersy
brought to the members of the club all the great books he could get
second-hand, but his stock in trade was Thrummy Cap and Akenstaff, the
Fishwives of Buckhaven, the Devil upon Two Sticks, Gilderoy, Sir James
the Rose, the Brownie of Badenoch, the Ghaist of Firenden, and the like.
It was from Sandersy that Tammas Haggart bought his copy of Shakespeare,
whom Mr. Dishart could never abide. Tammas kept what he had done from
his wife, but Chirsty saw a deterioration setting in and told the
minister of her suspicions. Mr. Dishart was newly placed at the time and
very vigorous, and the way he shook the truth out of Tammas was grand.
The minister pulled Tammas the one way and Gavin pulled him the other,
but Mr. Dishart was not the man to be beaten, and he landed Tammas in
the Auld Licht kirk before the year was out. Chirsty buried Shakespeare
in the yard.
End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Auld Licht Idyls, by J. M. Barrie
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account