If the cap fits…

It seems appropriate to share this today:

A  true story

One lunch time, as was his wont, Brian tootled along to his local The Waverley for a quiet pint and to sit undisturbed reading his latest book. It was showery and he’d put on his cap and jacket when he left home.
He had his quiet pint, or maybe it was two, enjoyed his book and sporadic conversation with other regulars and a couple of hours later he got ready to go. Putting his book in his coat pocket he noticed that the weather outside was glorious – an intermission between the occasional showers the forecast had predicted. Saying cheerio to his chums, Brian tootled home.
It was only a couple of days later that Brian realised he had left his cap on the bar. He bumped into the landlord who told him we found your cap! Nothing gets nicked in our pub! Don’t worry, we hung it on the peg for you!  A week or so later Brian tootled once more down to the Waverley, in full expectation of a nice pint (or two) a quiet read, a little conversation and the recovery of his cap.
Oh no! The pegs were empty, not a coat, not a scarf, not a cap, Brian’s or otherwise!
“I thought you said nothing gets nicked in here? Well, my hat has been nicked!” Brian was indignant, the landlord apologetic.
Back home Brian’s wife was not pleased… fancy someone taking Brian’s cap, it was not that old either, a decent sort of a hat! They went into town and a new hat was bought,
The new hat had the name ‘Failsworth’ on the label… but whether it was made by the Failsworth Hat Company, or whether it was a nod to the hundred year old hat-making firm, who can say.
Originally the hat company had been founded in 1875; the ‘Maypole Hat Works’ was taken over, and moved to Claremont Street in Failsworth six years later. In 1903 the company was incorporated under the name ‘The New Failsworth Hat Manufacturing Company’ and so it remained until it became Failsworth Hats Ltd. in 1940. The business remained in Claremont Street until 1998 when they moved to more appropriate premises…
Back to Brian’s hat; Brian was happy with his new hat but one day he bumped into the landlord of the pub once again.
“Guess what, Brian! Your hat is back!”
Brian went along to the Waverley, having eschewed it since his hat had gone missing, and there on the peg was his dear old hat! Apparently another person had been in the pub, having tootled down in lovely sunshine, only to find as he prepared to leave that outside the streets were awash with a downpour. Glancing round he saw the apparently abandoned hat which had been on the peg for a week or so, took it and went home with it, pleased that his head at least was dry.
The borrower dried the sodden hat and returned it to the pub, putting it on its peg… and there Brian found it. Now he has two hats which he wears alternately in case his wife decides to take one to the charity shop!
This is a true story… to find out more about Failsworth caps and hats:
http://www.failsworth1903.com/history/

Cheers Brian!