A' 'OO'—THE LATEST DODGE.

Observer, Volume 7, Issue 230, 7 February 1885, Page 3

A' 'OO'— THE LATEST DODGE.

Many readers of Punch will remember a joke which appeared a few years ago on the subject of Scotch woollen goods. A canny old Scotchman stands at a counter driving a douse bargain wifch a not less canny sou of the land of brown heath and shaggy wood. " 'Oo' ?" queries the dame. " Ayo, 'oo'," replies the shopkeeper. "A' 'oo'?" responds the .customer, and fclie reply is " Aye, a' 'oo'." There is a pious firm of drapers in Queenstreet which has adopted a remarkably cute dodge to induce customers to believe in the genuineness of goods' which are marked " a } 'oo'." The counter-jumpers are strictly enjoined to lay their hands on their hearts whenever the fact is challenged, and to asseverate that the veriest shoddy is all wool. The process is somethinglike this:— Customer: "Is this all wool?" Counter-jumper (impressively) : " Vt j s, ma'am, I can assure you on the word of a Sunday-school teacher and a regular attendant dt class meetings that such is the fact.' 1 Just ' at" this stage of the proceedings one of the principals, in the firm, who has been eagerly waiting for his cue, steps up and interjects, " Excuse me, young man, you are mistaken. Thissampleisnotall wool. It contains a slight — I may say, a very slight mixture." If this firm cannot do business without misrepresentation, we would prefer to shut up the establishment." And then that guileless and pious principal waltzes round the counter and produces for the customer's inspection a very inferior specimen of goods, which he is ready to back with an oath on a copy of "Eobinson Crusoe" to be "a' 'oo'."