The Scrap Book, Volume 1, No. 6: August 1906Various
History
The Scrap Book, Volume 1, No. 6: August 1906
Various
Periodicals
At one period of its reverses, the House to Let fell into the hands of a
showman. He was found registered as its occupier, on the parish books of
the time when he rented the House; there was therefore no need of any clew
to his name. But he himself was less easy to find, for he had led a
wandering life, and settled people had lost sight of him, and people who
plumed themselves on being respectable were shy of admitting that they had
ever known him.
At last among the marsh lands near the river's level, that lie about
Deptford and the neighboring market-gardens, a grizzled personage in
velveteen, with a face so cut up by varieties of weather that he looked as
if he had been tattooed, was found smoking a pipe at the door of a wooden
house on wheels.
The wooden house was laid up in ordinary for the winter near the mouth of
a muddy creek; and everything near it--the foggy river, the misty marshes,
and the steaming market-gardens--smoked in company with the grizzled man.
In the midst of the smoking party, the funnel-chimney of the wooden house
on wheels was not remiss, but took its pipe with the rest in a
companionable manner.
On being asked if it were he who had once rented the House to Let,
Grizzled Velveteen looked surprised, and said yes. Then his name was
Magsman. That was it, Toby Magsman--which was lawfully christened Robert;
but called in the line, from an infant, Toby. There was nothing agin Toby
Magsman, he believed? If there was suspicion of such, mention it!
There was no suspicion of such, he might rest assured. But some inquiries
were making about that house, and would he object to say why he left it?
Not at all; why should he? He left it along of a dwarf.
Along of a dwarf?
Mr. Magsman repeated, deliberately and emphatically, "Along of a dwarf."
Might it be compatible with Mr. Magsman's inclination and convenience to
enter, as a favor, into a few particulars?
Mr. Magsman entered into the following particulars:
It was a long time ago to begin with--afore lotteries and a deal more was
done away with. Mr. Magsman was looking around for a good pitch, and he
see that house, and he says to himself, "I'll have you if you are to be
had. If money'll get you, I'll have you."
The neighbors cut up rough, and made complaints; but Mr. Magsman don't
know what they all would have had. It was a lovely thing.
First of all, there was the canvas representin' the pictur' of the Giant
in Spanish trunks and a ruff, who was half the height of the house, and
was run up with a line and pulley to a pole of the roof, so that his Ed
was coeval with the parapet.
Then there was the canvas representin' the pictur' of the Albina lady,
showin' her white 'air to the Army and Navy in correct uniform.
Then there was the canvas representin' the pictur' of the Wild Indian
scalpin' a member of some foreign nation.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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