The Higgler” by A.E. Coppard #GBSS14/27

The Higgler” by A.E. Coppard

Number 14 of 27 Great British Short Stories 

Premise: A poor travelling salesman/buyer (a “Higgler”) misjudges a situation, to his cost.

Review: Lovely, but bitter/sad. Three consequential deaths – the mouse, the horse, the human.

Outa ten: 10

Keywords: Love, Poverty, Death

Quotes: 

“Mrs Sadgrove had been a widow for ten years – ad she was glad of it. Prattle Corner was her property, she owned it and farmed it with the aid of a little old ma and a large lad. The older this old man grew, and the less wages he received (for Eliabeth Sadbrove was reputed a ‘grinder’), the more ardently he worked the older the lad grew the less he laboured and the more he swore. She was thriving.” p 169

“You want a scholar for learning, but for the land…”p.175

“Education may be a fine thing, but it often costs a lot of foolish money.” p.175

Words: 

Greensward – GREENSWARD is turf that is green with growing grass

Teasy – easily irritated, bad -tempered

Gollan – Scottish dialect word for a yellow field flower, like a daisy or marigold, or a Scottish surname meaning “little foreigner” or “stranger,” derived from a Gaelic name

Mottal (possibly merely mortal)

Skep – a straw or wicker beehive.

Pilastered – very drunk

Impets – nowt

Trivet – an iron tripod or bracket for a cooking pot or kettle to stand on.

Mogue – ??

Bescambled – ??

Look up: nil

Afterlives of the story/connections to other stuff: As if David Copperfield not asking the right question at the end

Is it online? Yes – https://fullreads.com/literature/the-higgler/