by Alex Brooks
In the last episode, George went to considerable trouble to prepare for peddling cider and cake at a religious camp meeting. He walked to Pittsfield to make arrangements with the Methodists to allow him to sell on the meeting ground. He was to get a recommendation from a lawyer in Pittsfield to one of the Methodist organizers named Foot. He even bought a keg of “Molaga wine” to sell at the meeting. However, these preparations soon went awry…
Tuesday, June 23, 1829: I called in Pittsfield to C. Martin’s to get the before-mentioned recommend, but he had gone to Lenox and his wife looked in his office but could not find it where he directed, and she stated a few lines to said Foot the situation, but all to no purpose, the Methodists did not admit peddlers on their ground. We got there about ten. We sold but little today for it was quite rainy. Tonight we put our cake and baggage into a house near, and brother Sylvester stayed with it and went to bed, and Mr. Newton and I went on to the camp ground and stayed til nearly midnight. We were requested to leave the camp at ten, but it rained quite hard and we stayed until we were almost forced away. It was dark and rainy and we took shelter in an old sawmill two or three hours until the moonrise and then we went to the house where Sylvester was and our baggage was and took a little rest on the floor by the fire where a number had taken up their lodging.
Wednesday: quite cold, not much peddling until towards night, but a large concourse of people passing to and from the camp. Today Mr. Newton got discouraged peddling and I went to camp a spell and then went home. Tonight brother Sylvester and I went a little further off and put our baggage into a barn and took lodging on the floor with a number of others.
Thursday: This morning we returned to our peddling ground and sold considerable, but did not sell out by a greater part, and tonight we started for home. My horse keeping was 25 cts during the time in Mr. Merry’s orchard. On the way home Sylvester left the cake with Mr. Ross in Pittsfield, what we did not sell, and part my beer and part my homemade cake, and a few glasses my Malaga wine, and the Methodists came and threatened suing if I sold any more and I stopped selling the said wine. It was after midnight before I got home.