The Davenport gazette. [volume] (Davenport, Scott Co., Iowa) 1841-185?, 1853-09-29
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HOT CORN;
Or, Life in the City.

Or, Life in the City.
nHoT Corn! Here's your nice Hot Corn,
smoking hot, smoking hot, just from the
not," Hour after hour, last evening. as we
sat over the desk, this cry came up IL soft,
plaintiye voice under Our window which
told us of one of the ways ofthc poor to exc
out the means of subsistence in this over
burdened, lifted and worse-lodgcd home Of
misery-of so many without means, who are
constantly crowdinr into the drtiest pur-
l;eus of this notorious dirty City, where they
are exposed to the daily chance Of death
from some sudden outbrcaking epidemic Like
that now dcsolating the same kind of streets
in New-Oreans and swallowing up its thous-
ands Of victims from the same class If power
ty.stricken, uncomfortably provided hui
man beings, who know not how, or have not
the power to flee to the healthy hills and
Green fields of the country Here they live
barely live-in holes almost as hot as the
hot corn, the cry Of which rung in our ears
from darl, until midnight.
"Hot corn hot corn. here's your nice hot
corn" rose up in a faint chid-like voice,
which seemed to have been aroused By the
sound of our step as we were about entering
the Park, while the City Hall clock told the
hour when ghosts 90 forth upon their mid
nipht ramble We started as though a
spirit had given Us IA rap, for the sound seem
ed to come out of one OF the iron posts which
stand as sentinels over the main entrance,
forbidding all vehicles to enter, unless the
driver takes the trouble to pull up and tum-
BILE out of the way one OF the aforesaid posts.
which is not often done, because one Of
them often. if not always is out Of It's place,
giving free inrress to the court yard, or liy-
cry stable grounds of the City Hall, which,
in consideration of the growth Of few mis-
cradle dusty brown trees and doubtful col
ored grass patches, We call .'the Park. =
Looking over the posi- We discovered the
owner OF the hot corn cry, II the person OF
an emuciated little Girl about twelve years
old, whose dirty irock was nearly the color
Of the rusty iron, and VIII 5se face, lands and
feet, naturally white and delicate, were grim
med with dirt until nearly OF the same color
There were two white streaks running down
from the soft blue eyes, that told OF the hot
scalding tears that we're coursing their way
over that naturally beautiful face.
"Some corn sir" Ilsped The little sufferer,
as she saw We had stopped II look Al her,
hardly daring to speak to one who dad MOI
address her in rough tones Of command, such
as "give me some corn, you little VOL 4
whelp," or name still more opPFobnous
both to herself and mother. Seeingwe had
no look of contempt for her, she said, plte-
ously, "please buy some corn, sir
"No. nv dear. we Do not wish any It is
not very healthy in such warm weather as
this, and especially 50 late at night
..Oh dear, then, what shall dot'
"Why, 90 home. tits past midnight, and
such little Girls A. you ought not t. be in
the streets OF this bad city at this time OF
night
Il can't 90 hsme-aaa | am 50 tired
and sleepy @ dear"
sCann0t 90 home. Why R3it'
och, sir, my mother will whip me . | 60
90 home without selling ak my corn. On,
Sir, d buy one ear, and then | Wil have on
Is two lett, and am sure halnlght let little
IS and me eat them, for have not had any
thing to eat since morning, only one u2P!1
the man gave me, and one part Of one h
threw away. could have stole 4 tnrnip
az the grocery when went to gct--to get
something in the pitcher Tor mother, bat
dare not did use TO steal, but NJ. Pease
says it is naughty to steal, aud don't want
to be naughty indeed | don't; aad don't
wan, to be a bad girl, like Lizzy Smith and
she is only two years older than me. il she
does dress iinr, cause Mr.. Peasc says she
will be just like old drunken Kate, one OF
these days. Oh, dear, now there goes a
man and did not cry hot corn, what shall /
dor
DO! There, that is what you shall do"
as we dashed the corn III the gutter. Go
home: TIL your mother you have sold it all,
and here il the money"
Wont that be a lie, sir! Nj. Pcane
says @e mast not tel. HES.
No, my dear, that won't be a lie, because
maze bought jtaad thrown il away, instead
oicating it."
Bat Sir, may eat it if YOU don't want
it!''
NO, it is not good for you; good bread is
better, and here is s'Xpcnce to buy t2at,
and here is another to buy some nice cakes
for you and Sis. Now that is your money:
don't give it to your mother, and don't stay
out SO late again. Go home earlier, and
tell your mother you can't keep awake, and
if she is Il good mother she won't whip
you"
"Oh, sir, she Is good mother sometimes,
4 But | am sure the grocery man at the corner
is not good man or he would not sell my
Il mother rum. when he knOws-ior Mr. Peasc
told him so-that we poor children were
81 starving. on. WISH all JHt lllEl WIZ
good men like him. and then my moth'r
would not drink that nasty liquor and beat
and .tarvc Us, cause there would be nobody
Il to sell her any-and then We should have
plenty TO eat"
Away she ran down the street toward
that rocking center Of filth, poverty and
i misery, the noted five points of New
York
Il As we plodled up Broadway, looking IN
here and there upon the palat!ai sp!cnd2rs
& of metropolitan .saioonsi-we think that IS
I the word for fashionable upper class grog-
i shops-we almost Involuntary cried hot
4 corn as we saw the hot spirit Of that gran,
Il under the various guiscs of pure gin
u "old rum''-"pale brandy"-'purc port -
Al "leidsck''-or" Lager bier'-poured down
q the hot throats Of mcn-and all, yes, o!
q women, too, whose daughters may some day
Il sit at midnight upon the cold eurbstonc cry
"A ine shot CORN to gain penny for the pur-
u chase Of drink of the fiery dragon they are
n now inviting to home in their bosoms,
N whose cry in after years will be give, give,
A give" and still as unsatishcd as the horse
Il Ieach's daughters
u Again, as we passed onup that street, still
q busy and thronged at midnight, as a country
X,r,ii int n ( FhuFrl