New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1872-08-01
TALK ON THE STREET.

MONDAY morning IN summer, when thu
street, having slept twenty-fOur hours witt
its eyelids down, gradually wakes up
shakes itself languidly and opens it's win
dowed eyes again, comes only to remind us
that the shadow not the substance of trade
| is upon US. The period when the street
calmly but mOodily waits for the cotton
! crop to pronounce itself is now in full
burst. The tide of business has swept oct,
| leaving our warehouses closed and gaunt,
retail stores vacant of hvliness and whole
sale places occupied By clerks holding a
humping head in their hands on the cOun-
tiers, as when the tide-ebb leaves behind
the Shiny piers, Rfoss-grown docks and a
muddy bottom where but short time be-
fore ships and water craft danced on its
bosom aud multitudes swarmed about the
watery fringe.
Were idle, here" sighed an old mer-
chant, -four months In the year for the
privilege of doing business the remaining
eight" This seemed rational, yet it was a
bOmbshelI to the old parties.
ut varies in different kinds of business"
was the reply of the other oldster, one of
those kind Of men who had been accused
OF never agreeing to anything anybody
said; of whom it was repeated, did any one
tell him the sun would rise tomorrow, he
would say don't be too sure, there have
been instances known where the sun didn't
rise on the next day." and being pressed
further to tell when that was since the
world began, replied; "Well do you take
me for fool" This old gentleman, as
usual, started discussion by saying that
the greater portion Of business houses are
at work all the year round, anyhow, and if
they are not, they ought to be. The argu-
ment waxed warm.
An outsider who would look on the bat
tie which ensued would have supposed
these two old gray boards were about to
engage in mortal combat, but when the
smoke cleared away the two old fellows
stood precisely where they begun, but ex-
hausted and sitting down in chairs, tanning
and Tuning, their batteries both taken and
their guns spiked
While the argument was going on be- |
tween the two seniors of the house, the |
younger employees knowing the habit of |
both members of the firm to go for them |
whenever angered themselves, kept a rigid |
silence, working away like school for the
deaf and dumb.
The way those two old fellows do toward
US, said clerk, puts me in mind of an
incident that happened in cur own house
Pa grOwled at table and angered ma, who
would go for John that's mel and would
step out and give it to Jim, the black boy,
ne would salt down the cook, she would
give the chambermaidfts, the chambermaid
would give that sassy thing, the nurse, a
smack on the jawsRnd the nurse would
bitch into the dog, and the dog would ever
astingly pitch into the cat. 1t finally got
O," urged the clerk with solemn face.
that whenever that cat sat down near the
breakfast table and saw the old man going
or ma, he lit was a Thomas catl would
tart up and scamper away from that dog
With all his might. lie knew the graduation,
nd how the blows would descend from one
o another until it reached the dog, who,
'ou know, would catch it from the nurse,
iN Vi'G 0''I AWAY sINeu AiuSell whenever !
e saw the row begin"
Great good humor followed this rally, as
he.repOrters say, and the clerk proceeded:
That's the reason 1 got cut of the way
7hen saw those two old fellows go for
ne another this morning. knew I'd have
D take my turn, sure as shootin'."
1t may be announced as a fact that all
usiness people remaining are discussing
he point of dullness and lack of business,
lough not in. the precise way mentioned
ere, and that such a conversation is one of
sample. :