Thomas Chandler Haliburton

[1] I had heard of Yankee clock pedlars, tin pedlars, and bible pedlars, especially of him who sold Polyglot Bibles (all in English) to the amount of sixteen thousand pounds.The house of every substantial farmer had three substantial ornaments, a wooden clock, a tin reflector, and a Polyglot Bible.How is it that an American can sell his wares, at whatever price he pleases, where a blue-nose would fail to make a sale at all? I will enquire of the Clockmaker the secret of his success.

[2] “What a pity it is, Mr.Slick” — for such was his name — “what a pity it is”, said I,“that you, who are so successful in teaching these people the value of clocks, could not also teach them the value of time.”

[3] “I guess,” said he, “they have got that ring to grow on their horns yet, which every four-year-old has in our country.We reckon hours and minutes to be dollars and cents.They do nothing in these parts, but eat, drink, smoke, sleep, ride about, lounge at taverns, make speeches at temperance meetings, and talk about ‘House of Assembly’.If a man doesn’t hoe his corn, and he doesn’t get a crop, he says it is all owing to the bank; and if he runs into debt and is sued, why he says the lawyers are a curse to the country.They are a most idle set of folks, I tell you.”

[4] “But how is it,” said I, “that you manage to sell such an immense number of clocks, which certainly cannot be called necessary articles, among a people with whom there seems to be so great a scarcity of money?”

[5] Mr.Slick paused, as if considering the propriety of answering the question, and looking me in the face, said in a confidential tone, “Why, I don’t care if I do tell you, for the market is glutted, and I shall quit this circuit.It is done by a knowledge of soft sawder and human nature.But here is Deacon Flint’s,” said he, “I have but one clock left, and I guess I will sell it to him.”

[6] At the gate of a most comfortable-looking farm-house stood Deacon Flint, a respectable old man, who had understood the value of time better than most of his neighbours, if one might judge from the appearance of everything about him.After the usual salutation, an invitation to “alight” was accepted by Mr.Slick, who said he wished to take leave of Mrs.Flint before he left Colchester.

[7] We had hardly entered the house, before the Clockmaker pointed to the view from the window, and addressing himself to me, said, “If I was to tell them in Connecticut there was such a farm as this away down east here in Nova Scotia, they wouldn’t believe me.Why there ain’t such a location in all New England.The Deacon has a hundred acres of dyke — ”

[8] “Seventy,” said the Deacon, “only seventy.”

[9] “Well, seventy; but then there is your fine deep bottom, why I could run a ramrod into it — ”

[10] “Interval, we call it,” said the Deacon, who though evidently pleased at this eulogium, seemed to wish the experiment of the ramrod to be tried in the right place.

[11] “Well, interval if you please — though Professor Eleazer Cumstick, in his work on Ohio, calls them bottoms — is just as good as dyke.Then there is that water privilege, worth three or four thousand dollars, twice as good as what Governor Cass paid fifteen dollars for.I wonder, Deacon, you don’t put up a carding mill on it: the same works would carry a turning lathe, a shingle machine, a circular saw, grind bark, and — ”

[12] “Too old,” said the Deacon, “too old for all those speculations — ”

[13] “Old,” repeated the Clockmaker, “not you; why you are worth half a dozen of the young men we see nowadays.You are young enough to have — ” Here he said something in a lower tone of voice, which I did not distinctly hear; but whatever it was, the Deacon was pleased.He smiled and said he did not think of such things now.

[14] “But your beasts, dear me, your beasts must be put in and have a feed”; saying which, he went out to order them to be taken to the stable.

[15] As the old gentleman closed the door after him, Mr.Slick drew near to me and said in an under tone, “That is what I call ‘soft sawder’.An Englishman would pass that man as a sheep passes a hog in a pasture without looking at him; or”, said he, looking rather archly, “if he was mounted on a pretty smart horse, I guess he’d trot away, if he could.Now I find — ” Here his lecture on “soft sawder” was cut short by the entrance of Mrs.Flint.

[16] “Jist come to say goodbye, Mrs.Flint.”

[17] “What, have you sold all your clocks?”

[18] “Yes, and very low, too, for money is scarce, and I wished to close the consarn; no, I am wrong in saying all, for I have just one left.Neighbor Steel’s wife asked to have the refusal of it, but I guess I won’t sell it; I had but two of them, this one and the feller of it that I sold Governor Lincoln.General Green, the Secretary of State for Maine, said he’d give me 50 dollars for this here one — it has composition wheels and patent axles; it is a beautiful article, a real first chop, no mistake, genuine superfine —but I guess I’ll take it back; and besides, Squire Hawk might think kinder hard that I did not give him the offer.

[19] “Dear me,” said Mrs.Flint, “I should like to see it; where is it?”

[20] “It is in a chest of mine over the way, at Tom Tape’s store.I guess he can ship it on to Eastport.”

[21] “That’s a good man,” said Mrs.Flint, “jist let’s look at it.”

[22] Mr.Slick, willing to oblige, yielded to these entreaties and soon produced the clock —a gawdy, highly varnished, trumpery-looking affair.He placed it on the chimney-piece where its beauties were pointed out and duly appreciated by Mrs.Flint, whose admiration was about ending in a proposal when Mr.Flint returned from giving his directions about the care of the horses.The Deacon praised the clock; he too thought it a handsome one.But the Deacon was a prudent man; he had a watch — he was sorry, but he had no occasion for a clock.

[23] “I guess you’re in the wrong furrow this time, Deacon.It ain’t for sale,” said Mr.Slick; “and if it was, I reckon neighbour Steel’s wife would have it, for she gives me no peace about it.” Mrs.Flint said that Mr.Steel had enough to do, poor man, to pay his interest without buying clocks for his wife.

[24] “It’s no concern of mine,” said Mr.Slick, “so long as he pays me, what he has to do, but I guess I don’t want to sell it, and besides it comes too high; that clock can’t be made at Rhode Island under forty dollars.Why it ain’t possible,” said the Clockmaker, in apparent surprise, looking at his watch, “why as I’m alive it is four o’clock, and if I haven’t been two hours here.How on earth shall I reach River Philip tonight? I’ll tell you what, Mrs.Flint, I’ll leave the clock in your care till I return on my way to the States.I’ll set it a-goin’ and put it to the right time.”

[25] As soon as this operation was performed, he delivered the key to the Deacon with a sort of serio-comic injunction to wind up the clock every Saturday night, which Mrs.Flint said she would take care should be done, and promised to remind her husband of it in case he should chance to forget it.

[26] “That,” said the Clockmaker, as soon as we were mounted, “that I call ‘human nature’! Now that clock is sold for forty dollars; it cost me just six dollars and fifty cents.Mrs.Flint will never let Mrs.Steel have the refusal, nor will the Deacon learn until I call for the clock that having once indulged in the use of a superfluity, how difficult it is to give it up.We can do without any article of luxury we have never had, but when once obtained, it is not ‘in human nature’ to surrender it voluntarily.Of fifteen thousand sold by myself and partners in this Province, twelve thousand were left in this manner, and only ten clocks were ever returned; when we called for them they invariably bought them.We trust to ‘soft sawder’ to get them into the house and to ‘human nature’ that they never come out of it.”

[1836]

Notes

1. Thomas Chandler Haliburton (1796-1865): He is one of Canada’s household authors.His popular ‘Sam Slick the Clockmaker’ character is created in 21 Sam Slick sketches by him, which is recognized as his great literary contribution.Exposure to human nature and expressive devices of humor and satire are main concerns of critics and readers in reading Haliburton’s works.

2. Yankee clock pedlars: Yankee or Yank in short, means northeastern Americans especially people from New England within U.S.or Americans in worldly reference.

3. Polyglot Bibles: It refers to Bible written in more than one language (e.g.Hebrew, Greek, and Latin languages).

4. a blue-nose: It originally was a racing and fishing ship in Nova Scotia in Canada and now becomes synonym of Nova Scotians.

5. temperance meetings: It is a kind of social movement aiming at reduction or prohibition of alcohol in countries like Canada, Ireland, Australia, etc.since the 19th century.

After You Read

Knowledge Focus

1.Discuss the following questions with your partner.

1) How do you understand the “three substantial ornaments” in house of farmers?

2) What did the Clockmaker say about farmers with little consciousness of value of time?

3) What makes Mr.Slick a frequent successful seller of clocks?

4) How did the Clockmaker describe his visit at Deacon Flint’s?

5) How did the Clockmaker begin his talk with Mr.Flint?

6) What did the Clockmaker comment on Mr.Flint’s age for?

7) How is the Clockmaker’s soft sawder illustrated?

8) Why did the Clockmaker mention other officials when describing his clock in hands?

9) What was the Clockmaker’s attempt when denying the clock was not for sale?

10) What did Mrs.Flint promise to do concerning the clock upon departure?

11) What is understood as human nature according to the Clockmaker?

2.Learn literary devices together with your partner.

Irony in literature refers to the way the author’s expression is understood far from itself, namely in the opposite way.

a.Discuss with your group members.

1) How did The Clockmaker contain ironic expressions?

2) What is the effect of irony in the story?

b.Try to identify lines where ironic approaches are embodied in the story and make comments with your partner.

3.Discuss the following topic with your partner.

What will happen when the Clockmaker comes back? If the clock were not kept as planned, what would the Clockmaker do? Discuss the different ending with your partner.

Language Focus

1.Explain the following expressions to your classmates and try to translate them into proper Chinese.

2.Discuss the subtle difference of the words in each group and fill in the blanks with the right word.

substantial substantive substance

1) They are trying to remove harmful _______ from cigarettes.

2) The plans were fulfilled and the dream house became a________ building.

3) No details are yet known of the ________ of the talks.

4) The church is ________ enough to last a hundred years.

5) A ________ reduction in atomic weapons has been written into the proposal for the conference.

inquire require acquire

1) The police ________ into Mrs.Brown’s background.

2) The arduous task still ________ greater efforts.

3) Most people have the awareness that a good knowledge of English is ________ by a careful study.

4) It ________ all his authority to keep them in control.

5) I ________ of all that were present but had no clue where she was.

invariably variably

1) According to the weather forecast, it will be ________ cloudy tomorrow.

2) ________ he would forget his keys.

3) They ________ take the lead in battles against floods.

3.Fill in the blanks with the right form of the given word.

1) Thursday has ________ (assemble) and fire drill.

2) The ________ (scarce) of skilled workers is worrying the government.

3) They signed a ________ (confidential) agreement.

4) She always talks to her teacher in a ________ (respect) voice.

5) They heard her voice raised in lively ________ (salute).

6) They were offended by his ________ (refuse) to attend the party.

7) My decision to join the army was ________ (volunteer).

4.Read the following sentences and identify the adverbial clause.

1) As the old gentleman closed the door after him, Mr.Slick drew near to me and said in an under tone, ...

2) ...no, I am wrong in saying all, for I have just one left.

3) ...by Mrs.Flint, whose admiration was about ending in a proposal when Mr.Flint returned from giving his directions about the care of the horses.

4) ...and if it was, I reckon neighbor Steel’s wife would have it, for she gives me no peace about it.

5) “It’s no concern of mine,” said Mr.Slick, “so long as he pays me, ...”

6) I’ll tell you what, Mrs.Flint, I’ll leave the clock in your care till I return on my way to the States.

7) As soon as this operation was performed, he delivered the key to the Deacon with a sort of serio-comic injunction to wind up the clock every Saturday night, ...

8) Now that clock is sold for forty dollars; it cost me just six dollars and fifty cents.

9) ...but when once obtained, it is not ‘in human nature’ to surrender it voluntarily.

10) ...when we called for them they invariably bought them.

5.Fill in each blank with the correct form of the given word, paying attention to the adverbial clauses.

Richard A.Davies has been an ________ (authorize) on Thomas Chandler Haliburton for over 25 years.During this period he has published numerous essays and edited several books.His knowledge of Haliburton’s life is ________(equal), and this biography has long been awaited.It is a rich source of facts, a model of thorough archival research; yet I have to admit to disappointment.Just ________ Haliburton himself could write vivid sketches but failed to control an extended narrative, so Davies, with all the known facts at his fingertips, finds difficulty in making history flow.Several reasons suggest themselves.It is, to be sure, virtually impossible,________ writing the biography of someone who was both politician and writer, to please historians and ________ (literature) critics alike, especially ________ Canadian, British, and American issues are involved.One feels, however, that, had some of the less-significant facts been winnowed out, the resulting story would have been clearer and more ________ (compel).Moreover, ________ this cannot accurately be called a hostile biography, it is certainly an ________ (sympathy) one.Davies obviously finds the irrepressible but often shrewd Sam Slick more vulgar than funny.

Comprehensive Work

1.Group work: Dramatization.

Role-play the scene when the Clockmaker returns, claiming the clock.What might happen between Mrs.Flint and the Clockmaker?

2.Pair work.

Retell the story to your partner as if you were the Clockmaker and discuss with your partner the difference between the original text and the retold one.

3.Pair work.

Discuss with your partner:

If you were Mrs.Flint, what would you do when the Clockmaker first arrived at your door?

4.Group work.

Compare The Clockmaker (1836) to Remember that Time is Money in Advice to a Young Tradesman (1748) by Benjamin Franklin.Discuss the difference you find with your partners.

5.Writing.

Write a story depicting an art of sales you have read about.Make it as humorous as possible.

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