Mary Price; or, The Adventures of a Servant Girl — page 9: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

G MARY PRICE. [ACT I. Boosy. (behind table) Well, I never likes to offend respect able customers. feplaces beer on table, takes sixpence, gives change, and exit, R. Nick. (seated R. of table) You're a good fellow, Bill. Here’s towards your very good health. Bitu. (seated L. of table) Thank you, Nick—arter you. (TOMMY sings without, L.) Nick. Holloa! who’s this ? Bit. Why, the poor idiot, Tommy. Everybody knows him through the whole County of Kent. Enter ToMMY, L., dancing and singing. Air, “ Sprig of Shillelah.” Kind gentleman, all, who sit here at your ease, Iinjoying your beer, lend an ear, if you please To poor Tommy the idiot, who ne’er went to school. I'll dance and I’)l sing for a brown all the day ; Or a tune on the bellows to please ye I’ll play. But my A, B, C, pray don’t ax me to say, | For I'm but a poor idiot, and don’t know the way ; | Still it takes a wise man, sure, to make a good fool. ee Bint. Right, Tommy; come, take a drink with us. See, here are two pots, one full and t’other empty, which will you have ? Tom. The full one, to be sure—ha, ha, ha! Tommy’s not quite such a fool as to drink out of an empty pot—not likely, © not likely. (drinks all the beer) Nick. (rising) Why, curse the fellow, he has swallowed the lot ata draught. I don’t believe he’s half such a fool as he pretends to be. BILL. (rising) Right you are, Nick. He’s as deep as awell, | though folks say he’s watery-headed. But he’d be just the | chap “for us. Whenever we cracked a crib, we could shove — him forward, you know, to face the danger. If he succeeded, all right ; we collars the swag. If he got took, we cuts, and leaves him in the lur ch, and he would be all richt, for no judge or jury would hang a idiot, you know. (Tommy has been catching flies, but listening ali the time) Nick. (r.) Good! Tommy, will you join our party, and go to London with us ? ne Tom. (L. c.) No, thank you; Tommy’s neck is very tender —not fond of choking. (feeling his throat) Shouldn’t much like to be scragged—not likely, not likely. < Sings and dances off, 1. door, appearing occasionally at — window, overhearing what follows. = =. ali, ai. ie ~ * , SP, ‘ ao ad ' ] * b ' ‘ te 4 » 6.4) wr re ag \ ~~. +e £ COMIE DOO KS. COla