The Placer herald., 1857-06-27
Doesticks HELPS Move. "

grlels--a day which popular superstition has
set apart for universal changing of domi-
ellis, general moving day." and has made
1t religious observance not be neglected by
any man on pain of being considered an
infidel and heather. The individual who
does not move on the first Of May is looked
upon as tree-thlnker, propagator Of bold
opinions, hereto and a dangerous man.
What a pleasant world will this be when
some ingenious individual patents an inven-
ton by which people shall all carry their
houses with them, like happy mud turtles or
blessed snals-when every man shall be his
own brown stone front, and every woman
her own cottage, with all the modern i'm
provements, and the GAS always turned on.
But until that Utopian epoch we must go on
as we have, and do our yearly penance. On
this day the cartmen rule the city and carry
matters with high hand--it is their festival,
their harvest, their grand carnival, their joy
Gus jubilee
Sole monarchs of horse and dray,
Their prices one disputes.
They are kings on the lst day Of May.
And they treat all their subjects like brutes.
On this particular occasion, better is cart
and jackass with it, than house full cf goods
and nothing to move them with. A regular
dray is luxury that can only be afforded by
millionares, while to ordinary men, hand
cart is an inestimable treasure, and wheel
barrow is pearl Of price. Everybody wants
to move at the same time; vehicles must be
procured. Stern necessity levels all ordinary
distinctions-many time have | seen the
Aldermen Of the city PROSTATE themselves
in the dust before obdurate Irishmen, who
refused to move his household goods without
fourfod pay, cash in advance-and have
even behed the Mayor Of this goodly town
on his knees before a wealthy Dutchman
who owned a milk wagon, pleading for his
assistance to move his cooking stove around
the corner.
My new landlady, Mrs Bumpfeld, was to
move, and in rash moment | volunteered
my aid-she had obtained the privilege of
going into her new house a few days in ad-
vance, so as to escape as far as possible the
great rush. A week before the time, Mrs.
b. began to get read dy--carpets came up,
curtains came down, everything was syste-
maticalIy displaced and conscientiousy put
where nobody could get what he wanted
not a dish was washed for five days, and on
my last meal in the old house ray plate had
on one side bit of poiled pork of three
days before and slice of ham from last week
on the other; a reminscence Of fried EGG was
also there, with butter Of an unknown date
suspicion of mustard and certainty of
boiled Onions completed the vas'iety. On
these days people are expected to eat and
drink out of whatever improbable and incon-
IL +1 la,,
not be surprised to find his coffee served in a
tin Jelly mould, or his steak and potatoes
brought up in a cake basket; toast in soup
tureen is an ordinary occurrence, and black
tea in water bucket or chaing dish is
nothing to be surprised at Things were in
this Interesting condition for weeh--we
slept wherever we could find room to lie
down-my particular bed was monopolized
by the cat, who had stolen leg of mutton
and transported it thitber and invited hume
rous ether fellnes to dine with her in honor
Of the occasion. At last the eventful day
arrived, our things were piled in the middle
of the floors, Mrs. B. was in fidget, but the
carman didn't come--the Bigby's, the other
people VINO were coming to occupy the house
we left, began to move in their things, and
in an hour thanks to the children of the two
families, the things were most inextricably
mixed up-the drayman came at noon; he
was intoxicated; all draymen are on moving
day-he insisted en- being paid over again;
all draymen do--then when he loaded his
dray he wanted to put the mirrors under the
bedsteads, and insisted upon planting the
paror stove on top of basket Of crockery;
his nefarious designs were frustrated by Mrs.
B., but all her vigilance could not prevent
his breaking China vase by putting fire
shovel III it, and dropping a French clock
under the wheels and scrunchng it like an
egr-shell--after every load he insisted on
glass Of spirits and more money, but as Mrs.
B. soon got into the way Of paying him with
counterfeit bills, she didn't mind this so
much-with great labor we got the piano
on his cart and took it to the new house,
and while we were putting it in position in
the parlor, that dabolical drayman brought
two loads Of Bigby's things before he was
discovered--then we gave him orders to take
them back, and Mrs. Bumpfeld and went
no stairs to arrange the chambers while he
did it--heard a tremendous shouting down
stairs, bat didn't mind it for while, but at
| last went down to see what it was and found
that that Unsuitable drayman had procured
the aid of five Irishmen, and had just sue
ceeded in getting the piano out Of the paror
again and loading it on the dray bottomside
up, ia the course OF which he had knocked
off corner and broken four Of the middle
strings--then he refused 10 have it taken
into the house again until he had been paid
double for carrying it both ways-then Mrs.
Bigby, who is a Tartar, and had just dis
covered that some Of her things had been
brought to our house, came over and at
once accused Mrs. Bumpfeld Of trying to
steal-Mrs. Bump replied by hitting Mrs.
Big with rolling pin, wheleupon there was
an ndiscrimnate -interfered and got
my head punched by both parties-let them