The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1857-08-01

keep stands for the older ones, and get two
or three shillings day for doing it. They
have their regular beats, and if one boy
comes upon anothcr's beat at the ferry or the
railroad, he rims the risk of being punched"
or having his head bumped and thumped
terribly But there is great deal offellow-
feeling among them, and when one has been
very unfortunate. the others come forward
and help him. They make three or four
shillings day, and OH Sundays often 4
great deal more. as much as dollar and 4
half, or even two dollars.
They have their slang language, like other
professions. Cumming means roaming
about the street all night without sleeping.
"Snoozing" is sleeping anywhere and any
how, i'll casks, boxes, entries, steps, markets,
etc. 'BluAing" is cheating by selling an
article for more than it is worth an old
extra for new one false jewelry for genuine.
''Grubbing" is begging.
There are no shrcwder, slyer traders in
the city than the news-boys. They study
stranger at once, and try how much they can
make out of him. If you offer to buy
paper of boy who does not know you-a
morning paper, say. of which the price is
two cents-and hand him three cent piece
the boy is watching you, as if all the pores
in his skin were eyes, to see if YOU arc expect
ing change. If YOU hold the paper in one
hand and look at it, while you hold out the
other for the change, he gives it to you
promptly. because he sees that YOU know the
price. But if you offer to pass on, as if YOU
supposed YOU had paid the proper sum, the
newsboy will not always call YOU back to
take your penny change.
The ncws-boy will buy.a box ofbrass rings
sometimes, for three or four shillings, and
taking out one of the rings put the rest in
his pocket. As he strolls along with his
bundle of papers under his arm. he will turn
the ring curiously over in his hand, as if he
had Just found it. and had no idea what to
do with it. Very often gentleman or lady
stops and says:
What have You there, boy:
a ring. ma am. have just found"
The lady thinks. perhaps, she may make q
good bargain, ard asks him carelessly what
he will take for it.
"Why. ma'am, suppose ought to have
five or six shillinss."
And the lady. who thinks the ring is gold
and worth two or three dollars. pays him
the money and the sly boy is off in u
moment. and lost in the crowd
There is another trick of blutfing which
was very much used at one time. When
steamer, the Co,ndu. for instance. had arrived
and the sale of the extras was over. a bov
would go and hu. up the unsold extras for Il
very little sum. These he would keep for
several weeks, until the Cuno,lu had gone to
England. ard had again arrived on this side
Then the boy would take some of the others
into the secret give them some of the old
extras at small price, and cutting out
the old paragraph of the arrival of the
Nono!a they would paste it upon tn" morn
ing paper. and hurr,ing into the street. they
would all below Justify:
Five days later from Europe. Extry.
arrival of the Cu"ady! Extry. Extry
The people in the street taking the paper
date, and the announcement of the arrival Of
the C"nada, and pay four or five cents and
long before they discovered the cheat, the
boys would be half up broadway. shouting
and screaming: "Extry arrival ofthc Conn,ly"
Of course, people gradually discovered the
cheat and then it became very hard to sell
all extra.
Such things were wrong but YOU must
never forget how exposed and lonely these
boys had been. and how they felt as if every
thing was fair which kept them from starry
ing.
The kind people Of whom have spoken
determined to make home for these bows.
and try to teach them to make their money
honestly, and save part of it instead of spend
ing it all in going to the theatre and pitching
cents. SO they procured the upper story of
the great building i'll which the Sun news
paper is printed, and there they fitted up
rooms for about ninety boys, with bathrooms
and school-rooms. Books and maps were
given to the rooms and lodgings were let
to the boys at six cents night. Tho cs-
Establishment was put under the charge of Mr..
c. c. Tracy. who was in every way admirably
fitted for the post and his reports containing
extracts from his journals and incidents in
the Lodging House and in the life of the
news-boys, are most interesting and in
structivc.
During the year ending in February, 1857,
there were 5,l57 dodgers, who paid S262,56.
SO, the news-boys get selfrespcct, they
become industrious and saving Some of
! them gradually extend their business and
become dealers in periodicals., and many 90
with Mr.. Tracy in trips which he frequently
makes to the West, and there they arc settled
iii farmefe' families and find pleasant homes.
OF course the work is slow. The yer,
business of the boys ia a wandering, exciting
business, and it is not easy for them TO settle