Cheap Jack Zita

Name: Cheap Jack Zita
Author: Baring-Gould, S. (Sabine)

Baring-Gould, S. (Sabine)

Great Britain -- History -- 19th century -- Fiction; Peddlers -- Fiction; Riots -- England -- Fens, The -- Fiction

'Why, Jim, this is sheer delirium—tremenjous, as your mother would
say. There is Prickwillow empty, waiting for you, whenever you marry.'

'And the epergne for the breakfast-table,' added Zita.

'I do not want to marry, father! The epergne must wait, mother dear! I
haven't found the right one yet,' answered James, hanging his head.

'But, good gracious! why should you go? Have not I been kind to you?
Have not you been allowed your own way in all that is right?'

'Never was there a better father,' answered the young man, with
emotion, 'and never, never a dearer, better mother! It is not that. I
love home. I love my parents and my brothers and sisters. I dote on the
baby. I love the Fens. I cannot believe that any other portion of God's
world can be worth living in. I am sure none will be more beautiful
in my eyes than the fens of Ely. Nevertheless, give me the portion of
goods that falleth to me, and let me go.'

'But for what do you want to be off?'

'Why, father, mother,' says the young man, 'I want to be a Cheap Jack.
Ever since I was a child I have loved to drive bargains.'

'Let him go,' says Zita. 'There are some things we have never found a
use for here. There's that box of scents; there's the garden syringe.
It is a sad pity so much capital should lie idle.'

'Father,' says the young man, 'I feel as though I must go. I do not say
I shall be a Cheap Jack all my days.'

'Why, I had such grand views for you, Jim; I thought I would send
you to college, and I hoped some day you might even try and get into
Parliament.'

'Mark,'—it is Zita who speaks,—'I was a rambling girl once, a sort of
a vagabond, going over the country selling my goods; but I have become
stationary, like the van, stuck in the fen peat. I have not stirred for
many a year, and have never desired to rove out of the Fens any more.
It will be the same with Jim. He has it in his bones. It will do him
an amazing lot of good. He'll get to know the General Public.'

'That is it, father,' says James. 'I seems as if I never could be happy
and easy in my mind till I've done a stroke of business with that there
Public. And I sees my way to it. There's abundance of thistles growing
about the edges of the drains. I wants to cut 'em down.'

'Well, cut 'em. That need not take you away.'

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

Opening the text

Cheap Jack ZitaBaring-Gould, S. (Sabine)

History

Cheap Jack Zita

Baring-Gould, S. (Sabine)

Great Britain -- History -- 19th century -- Fiction; Peddlers -- Fiction; Riots -- England -- Fens, The -- Fiction

'Why, Jim, this is sheer delirium—tremenjous, as your mother would
say. There is Prickwillow empty, waiting for you, whenever you marry.'

'And the epergne for the breakfast-table,' added Zita.

'I do not want to marry, father! The epergne must wait, mother dear! I
haven't found the right one yet,' answered James, hanging his head.

'But, good gracious! why should you go? Have not I been kind to you?
Have not you been allowed your own way in all that is right?'

'Never was there a better father,' answered the young man, with
emotion, 'and never, never a dearer, better mother! It is not that. I
love home. I love my parents and my brothers and sisters. I dote on the
baby. I love the Fens. I cannot believe that any other portion of God's
world can be worth living in. I am sure none will be more beautiful
in my eyes than the fens of Ely. Nevertheless, give me the portion of
goods that falleth to me, and let me go.'

'But for what do you want to be off?'

'Why, father, mother,' says the young man, 'I want to be a Cheap Jack.
Ever since I was a child I have loved to drive bargains.'

'Let him go,' says Zita. 'There are some things we have never found a
use for here. There's that box of scents; there's the garden syringe.
It is a sad pity so much capital should lie idle.'

'Father,' says the young man, 'I feel as though I must go. I do not say
I shall be a Cheap Jack all my days.'

'Why, I had such grand views for you, Jim; I thought I would send
you to college, and I hoped some day you might even try and get into
Parliament.'

'Mark,'—it is Zita who speaks,—'I was a rambling girl once, a sort of
a vagabond, going over the country selling my goods; but I have become
stationary, like the van, stuck in the fen peat. I have not stirred for
many a year, and have never desired to rove out of the Fens any more.
It will be the same with Jim. He has it in his bones. It will do him
an amazing lot of good. He'll get to know the General Public.'

'That is it, father,' says James. 'I seems as if I never could be happy
and easy in my mind till I've done a stroke of business with that there
Public. And I sees my way to it. There's abundance of thistles growing
about the edges of the drains. I wants to cut 'em down.'

'Well, cut 'em. That need not take you away.'

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

Cheap Jack Zita

Cheap Jack Zita

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