The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1864-09-22
A Corner Lounger's Story.

a COTu6E AOuuSCI OGOhys
: The loungers who rendezvous in from
5 of the Row on Chestnut street, between
: Fifth and Sixth, are peculiar people
, John b. Cough forgot to introduce then
/ into his lecture on eccentric specimens o
the genus homo but he could have founc
material on the broad pavements of the
State House Row, and in the people who
there do congregate, for racier descrip
tions and more original incidents than he
has collated into his amusing lecture
The veritable lounger selects the shadiest
spot in summer, and the sunniest brick
in winter. He is always fluent in speech
fertile in resources, empty in pocket, and
migratory in habit Their peculiarities,
if collated in velvet and gold, would ex,
haust an edition equal to all the copies Of
Joe Miller's wittieisms ever published
In their nomedia movements over the city
and country they collect an infinite fund
of story and anecdote, which is duly de-
livered to the Lounger's Club at its next
gathering on the steps of the State House.
An oddity was on the stump yesterday
scending brick had converted its perpen-
dicularity into a stage of semi-demolition,
a coat that had worn its polish in days
when Abraham Lincoln padded fat
boat on the waters of the West, and pair
of trousers that would not descend to the
ragged tops Of the dilapidated shoes, and
that wore as many rents as the smoke
stack of the little Monitor carried after
the battle with the Merrimac-he was a
fit candidate for magistrate commitment
for vagrancy. But he wasn't beggar,
if he was seedy. AS he told his admir-
ing audience, he lived by his wits and he
had plenty of them.
\ Reserve policeman, with heavy
corporosity and q movement of majestic
bearing, collared the lounger just as he
commenced one of his spread eagle flights.
"Come, l guess we have had enough
of this. You have collected a crowd and
obstructed the highway. You had better
come to the Station"
Guess not, police and see here, [
amt obstructing any highway This
here's as low as any street in the town,
and lower, too. I'll bet my pile on that" "
"Well, we'll talk that over before AL
derman Better. But you must come a
long now"
Hold on, old blue coat and brass but
tons, and I'll tell you story about Old
Pub Func, and Harry Clay first, and
we'll 90 then. You see all my friends
here waiting to hear it, and I'd finish
ed it afore now, but you stopped me-"
1t was when began to coax my chin
whiskers with pound of CASTLE soap and
flint lock razor, when went into Wash
ington one morning, and | walked into
the Senate Old Buck, of Pennsylvania,
had the floor, and was argufying on mil
itary bill to encourage home militia, and
to pay pension to the soldiers Of 1872
Old Buck waxed eloquent, too but Hen
ry Clay took him down, as III tell you
Y You see Buck fourished his rhetoric and
said he, "Mr. President, | am speaking
from personal knowledge of the soldiers
of 1912. [ gained my knowledge in their
camps, sir. When the British tread was
upon the shore of Maryland, my own
blood leaped with patriotic impulse, and
I took my old musket from its place and
marched to Bladensburg, entered the
ranks, and tramped into Baltimore when
the red coats left it, sir"
You see, police, he was on a speechify-
ing bender, and when he finished, Harry
Clay got up and fixed his eyes on the
sleek looking embryotic President, and
says he, "Mr PRESIDENT am grateful
to the gentleman for the little scrap OF
personal history he has given to the cham
Der. 1t deserves to be perpetuated among
! the Senatorial records. 1t is valua-
BILE, not only to show how patriotic the
gentleman has been, but it is valuable Tor
its chronological information. But, sir,
there is one point which the Senator Tor
got to mention. | will put the question
Sir: Did the gentleman from Pennsyl-
vania enter Baltimore because he heard
that the British had left or, did the
British leave because they heard that the
gentleman was coming
The group cachinated extensively
Policeman laughed as heartily as the rest
His face broadened till his eyes were
closed, aud when he opened them again
the lounger was gone. No one regretted
that he had made his escape.-Phlia
News.
! s@- Teacher. Charles, spell axe.
Row Ava