Peg Pennyworth.

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume 31, Issue 9220, 15 June 1900, Page 4

Peg Pennyworth.

/ 'Margaret Wharton, an unmarried lady, ■of great wealth and ancient family, wa3 one of the Yorkshire oddities of last century (says the Rev. S. Baring-Gould in ■his book on •'Yorkshire Oddities"). She belonged to the family of the W'hartons of Skelton Castle, in Cleveland, and possessed a fortune of £200,000, of which, with rare liberality, she' made a nephew #. present of £IOO,OOO. Her charities were liberal, but always private; and if she heard that a recipient of her bounty had disclosed the good deed, that person never received another penny from her.. She was a short, stout lady, dressed fashionably, had an aristocratic air, and liked to be respected as rich and of good family. For some time .she resided at York, and visited Scarborough in the season, where she was. well known on account of her eccentricities. She used to- send for a "pennyworth of strawberries" and a "pennyworth, of cream" .at a time, and pay down her penny, as she had an aversion to tradesmen's bills. From this she obtained the name of "Peg Pennyworth," which stuck to her through life.

An incident occurred at Scarborough in which she displayed her aversion to public charities. She was solicited by some gentlemen to give a subscription to a charity on behalf of which they were making a collection. Peg pulled out her purse ,-with an ominous frown, and turned out its contents into her palm. This was in, or about, 1774, when light guineas were in disgrace. She •deliberately selected from among the coins the lightest guinea she could find, and handed it to the gentlemen. The celebrated FV>ote laid hold of this incident, and drew her character in a farce, "under the name of "Peg Pennyworth." When informed of this she exclaimed with a smile: "X will see it acted, as I live." She did, and expressed her satisfaction that the character in the play did her justice. She frequently catered for herself, making, her own purchases, and taking . them home in her carriage. Once, 'having purchased some eels, she put them in her pocket, entered her coach, and called on a lady friend, and invited her to come out with her for an airing. The warmth of Peg's pocket revived the seemingly dead eels, and they began to -wriggle out enjoy a little fresh air. The lady who was sitting beside Peg, happening to look down, saw what she thought was a serpent just writhing into her lap, and. several hideous heads breaking out of the side of Mrs. Margaret Wharton. She uttered an awful shriek, bounded to her feet, pulling the check-string, and cried: "Madam! madam! you are swarming with adders! Coachman, stop! Let me out! Let me out!" Mrs. .Wharton coolly looked at the eels, now escaping rapidly from her pocket, gathered them up, and shoved them into her reticule, saying: "I protest, madam, it is only my eels come to life. . Sit you down again, and don't be frightened." One day at Scarborough she had ordered a large meat pie to be baked for dinner. It was a very large one—to serve for herself, some visitors, and all the servants. When it 'was made she ordered the footman to" take it to the bakehouse; but ihe declined, saying it was not his place, neither did it comport with his dignity to be seen in Scarborough stalking through the streets in plush and tags bearing a huge meat pie. Mistress Margaret 'then ordered the coachman to take it; but he declined. "Bring out the carriage, then," said Peg Pennyworth. The horses were harnessed; the coachman put on his powdered wig, and mounted the box; the footman took his place behind; and Mistress Margaret Whirr ton, bearing the meat pie, sat in state in the carriage. "Drive to the bakehouse," was her order. So the coachman whipped up his horses, and the meat pie was carried thus to the baker's. An hour or two later the carriage was ordered out again, the coachman remounted the box, the footman took his stand behind, and the lady drove to the bakehouse to fetch her pie, which she carried back thus to her house. "Now," said She to the coachman, "you have kept your place, which is to drive; and you," turing to the footman, "have kept yours, which is to wait; and now we shall all have some of the pie." Mistress Wharton had a visiting acquaintance with a lady, a clergyman's -•wife, in Tork. On* the death of her husband, the widow retired with her four daughters to Thirsk, and she invited Peg Pennyworth to visit her. To her dismay, one day, up drove Mistress Wharton in her carriage, with coachman, footman, and lady's maid. The widow, whose means were not very ample, endured 'having all these people quartered on her for a month; but at the expiration of that time she was obliged to hint to the nephew of her guest that "the pressure on her means ; was rather greater than she could bear." "Let my aunt have her way," said Mr. Wharton; "I will pay you two hundred a year dur-. ing her * life, and one hundred during your own, should you survive her." Mistress Margaret Wharton never left the house of the widow, but died there • after some years, in the one hundred and third year of 'her age, in 1791. The annuity was-regularly paid to the widow lady up to the day of her death.His Sister. We read about the Prodigal Son, and the Prodigal Son's father and brother, but no mention is made of the Prodigal Son's sister. Of course he had a sister ; most prodigal sons have. And sometimes they entertain a great affection for the wild, wayward boy, which no amount of reckless conduct can "wholly estrange. ... And the respect and love in which the prodigal holds that sister is often the one redeeming trait in his character. He angrily resents the mention of her name among ribald and profligate companions, should such a thing occur, and he would as soon think of presenting the Evil One to her as one of them. Instead of angrily upbraiding him for his irregularities, as his father does, or . scornfully alluding to * them in the manner peculiar to • a moral and highly respectable brother, she remonstrates with him gently, and endeavours to win him back to virtue's ways through the tender influence of a sister's love. He may not seem to heed her at the time, but perhaps good seed is sown that may sprout beneficially in after years. - Who knows how much his recollections of a sister at home, good and pure, may - have aided in bringing the prodigal back to his father's house, meek and repentant. True, there is no record of her haying rushed out to meet and embrace him, but perhaps she was married and living in another part of the country. Had - she been at home her sisterly instinct would have been the first to recognise him in his tramp's disguise, and she would have outdone even her father's * greeting. SoaietMßg Sew. • The poet mused. In addition he racked his brain. "Twas with one of those patent racks, but never mind that. - ~" " H I could only think of a rhyme !" he muttered, with poised pen, ready to dash upon the smooth, white, demi-rep that glistened helplessly in the candle : light. " Oh, I love to see the tigerOn the Congo or the Niger." "No, no." he broke off hoarsely; " that has been done before. Let me see. Tiger Liger, Miger, Piger, Quiger. Riger, Siger—ah, I have it !" and the pen dashed like lightning upon .its prey, and it was but the work of a moment to perpetrate the following outrage upon society, after which the poet rested, the perspiration streaming from every pore. He bad written : " Oh, I love to see the tiger 'Smoke a cigaret or cigar:" New Tork has an Irish populaJtion^of 130,418, the largest of any city in the United States. Privaite companies In Japan have subk . mitted to the Government plans for ' over 2000 miles oi£ new railroavis.