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Soon after this my mother lodged the money at Cox & Co.
army agents and my discharge was sent to me. I once more became a free agent of
my own actions, never more to dispose of them at the small price of one
shilling. I do not altogether regret having served in the army, as I think there
are many things that you learn which you could not otherwise gain the knowledge
of, unless you entered some branch of the military service. I have also to
thank one or two of my comrades for their exertions and instructions in my own
trade, although I did not leave with a thorough knowledge of it, I left fully
competent to get my living. And here my old propensity again occurred and I
commenced making shoes at Brixton Hill. Here an incident occurred, which I
cannot help relating, showing as it does what strange scenes one meets with in
their journey through life. A journeyman of my masters where I now worked,
entered into a negotiation to take the other half of himself “or that is his
other rib in partnership with him” and I was invited to give her away.
Accordingly I escorted the Brides maid to the church, an old lady about fifty,
we were dressed very smart and I was not altogether ashamed of her. We had
previously arranged to meet the Bride & Bridegroom there. We arrived there first
and presently, to our consternation, in he walks out of elbows, knees & wearing
a leather apron. This seemed a strange sort of costume for a wedding, but he
turned out to be a strange fish, for when he had signed the book in the vestry
he had not got enough money to pay the parson his fees and had to borrow of me.
After this strange affair I was cheered on leaving the church, the people
outside thinking I was the party married to the old dame I had on my arm, and he
and his wife, the parties we had picked up on our way to witness the interesting
ceremony. The wedding day was kept in a most singular manner, for after leaving
church, the ladies left us and as this happened on a Monday, we were not without
the company of a few staunch supporters of St. Crisben where we rattled away at
skittles until night when we found ourselves as most snobs are on a Monday night
tight and no money. The bridegroom I must say was in a nice predicament, having
no home to take his wife too so she accompanied him home to his lodgings, where
they turned the apprentice out of his bed and they tumbled in. This consisted of
an old cross bedstead and not being made to carry two, soon gave way when out
they tumbled on the floor in the night, waking up all the house. The governor,
finding it out, there was a row which was afterwards settled by their having
furnished apartments provided for them. The bride was afterwards employed on the
premises as boot closer and of course worked in the shop with us.
So one day in the absence of her husband, I was dancing and
flirting her round the shop when in he came and a skirmish ensued, which ended
in my leaving the premises and my occupation altogether.
My roving propensities over took me again and I started off
to go on tramp and see a little more life. I did not get farther than Wandsworth,
where I made application for work and “got it”. My new master had just returned
from American States and naturally enough was a staunch republican. From him I
imbibed some new ideas as to the corrupted state of our government and
determined to stick up for my rights. But about this time some slight difference
arose between me and my new lady love, which resulted in a cessation of
correspondence between us and another fair one entered the field and carried off
my roving affections for a short time. But here fate interposed, which caused me
to return to my former love. The proverb says the course of true love never did
run smooth and so it seems with me. I lodged, while at Wandsworth, with an old
lady whose name was “Marks” to whom I became very much attached. Many a good
scolding I have had from her, for persisting in sticking to the rules of St.
Crisbin by not working on Mondays and also many other little incidents to
numerous to mention, connected with the fair sex. I returned to Clapham again
after a stay of about eight months and resumed my former employment, but not
with the same master although this, like my former one, was a Chartist in
principal. Under such tuition, I like all other snobs became one, to and such
was the rapid progress I made in my new line of politics, that I thought myself
almost capable to occupy the Woolsack and a very good place to, for I verily
believe my head was stuffed with some of the same material. At that time my
master and myself, finding that we were not likely to overthrow the then
presiding government and use our fortunes that way, determined to seek a far
distant land where our grievances would be heard and a ear given to our numerous
complaints. My master started first and settled in Australia where I afterwards
heard from him. He still retains his old ideas and thinks the day is not far
distant when we shall be called upon to sit in counsel in Leaden Hall Street,
where we should find plenty of scope for our rising talents. I turned a deaf ear
to this and resolved if possible, to relinquish both snobbing and my new line of
politics and once more became a Royal subject to my Queen and Country.
About this time my brother John had arrived home from
Canada and brought news from the little black eyed damsel to this effect, that
she had proved constant to me by marrying a sergeant of the 71st
Regiment in my absence. He soon afterwards returned to Canada again, but only
for a short time as he had met with an accident on his way out by striking his
chest against the bulwarks of the vessel and not getting proper attention paid
to him by the medical officer on board. This resulted in his decline of health
and he was sent invalided home to this country, consumption claimed its hold
upon his broad manly frame and he was discharged from the army, but only to
linger a few weeks at home were he died a true soldier of Christ and regretted
and mourned by all. Previous to this my cousin, a tall fine looking lass,
arrived from the country and was the means of instilling a few higher notions in
my head, by persuading one to cast aside my propensities for snobbing and seek
something more suitable for my health. |