Rambles about Portsmouth. Sketches of persons, localities, and incidents of two centuries: principally from tradition and unpublished documents. By Charles W. Brewster.

SAILOR ANECDOTE. 217
The store connected with the house on Mulberry street
under the Museum, was at one time occupied as a piece
goods store by Mr. Timothy Winn, the third, from Woburn,
Mass., who was esteemed a very estimable citizen, but by
some persons called "Three-penny Winn," because the
inscription on his sign was "TIMTITHY WINN, 3d." He
however enjoyed the joke, and woild not alter the sign.
The last occupant of this building was another Frenchman named Leonard Serat, a tailor. He used it for a shop
and residence. Over his door was an oval sign representing two sailors displaying clothes. with a ship between
them. There was a projecting sign with his name and
business-on one side " Taylor," on the other " Tailor."
When asked his motive, he replied-" If I have not spelt it
right on one side, it certainly will be on the other." He
used to say he could spell his name with one letter. He
might be seen explaining it, by placing a rat on the sidewalk, and making a C before it. He would say-" Dere is
de C and dere is de rat-and if dat don't spell Serat, what
does it spell?" Although the fire cleared away the property and his signs, as well as the weather-beaten "Museum "
sign, yet the old gentleman still lives in Mlelrose, Mass.,
works at his trade, and takes snuff as bountifully as he did
fifty years ago.
There is one little story illustrative of sailor character,
which occurred in this neighborhood. A sailor once called
on a female friend in the tailor's shop of MIr. Nathaniel Fernald on.the east, and chanced to break the eye.of a needle.
He made inquiry where he could have it mended, and was
pointed over the way to the blacksmith shop of a wag
named George Plaisted, who was asked if he could do the
job. Plaisted looked at it, pronounced it rather difficult,
but thought it might be done for ten cents. So he sent
George Beck to the next shop for a cent's worth of needles,
blued the eye of one-of them over the fire, rubbed it, and
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