Traditions and Hearthside Stories of West Cornwall, Second SeriesBottrell, William
General
Traditions and Hearthside Stories of West Cornwall, Second Series
Bottrell, William
Cornwall (England : County) -- Social life and customs; Legends -- England -- Cornwall (County)
"When she arrived at Tom's door, contrary to custom she
found it shut, and, hearing voices within, her curiosity made her
peep through the finger-hole (latch-hole). Then she saw Tom
sitting on the chimney-stool, and his wife taking on the tip of
her finger from a croggan (limpet-shell) what appeared to be
salve, which she rubbed over her husband's eyes.
"The anointing finished, Jenny placed the croggan in the
mouth of the oven and covered it up with rags. An' Pee, seeing
Tom put on his hat, and come towards the door, lifted the latch
and entered. Tom didn't seem pleased at the old dame's abrupt
entrance, as he went out with a very black look, but his wife
made much of her, that she might speak a good word for them
to the Squire whenever they wanted any favour, which she was
ready enow to do for the sake of good liquor.
"'I am very glad to see 'e, An' Pee,' said Jenny, 'I have this
moment been thinking about 'e and wishing you would come
down to taste the choice cordials Tom and the boys brought home
by their last trip.'
"Whilst Jenny was in the spence after the liquor, An' Pee
took from the croggan the least bit of a greenish salve and
touched one eye with it. Before she had time to anoint the
other, out came Jenny with her hands full of jars and bottles.
'Now, what will 'e take, An' Pee?' said she, in placing the
liquor and drinking-horns on the board, 'Will 'e first of all
help yourself to some brandy from this jar, or some rum out of
that, before you try the Hollands in the case-bottle, and take
some of the sweet cordials afterwards? We have wine, too, in
the spence if you would like that better to begin with.'
"An' Pee took a drink of all the various kinds of liquors, just
to sample them. Jenny excused herself from going to town,
because, being Feasten eve, she had many churs (odd jobs) to do
that the place might be tidy against the morrow. Besides, she
expected many customers that evening, for a supply of drink to
pass the tide. She didn't choose to leave the selling of the liquor
to Tom, she said; he was too easily taken in.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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