Knoxville journal. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1874-1986, 1875-02-18
The Beggar.

INV ASSS"As
BEGGING IL profeshion. Begging liz
science, and haz its arts and rules.
Whether a man begs for moldy bread,
decayed boots, damaged pantaloons,
seedy coats, old hats, or even begs for
mummy to bid church with, he haz got
to understand hiz Dizziness to make days
wages at it.
1t even requires certain kind ov deli
kasy and medesty to be an adept in the
profeshun.
The fust attempts at begging show the
awkwardness in the practitioner just az
plainly az the fust lesson at dancing
skool duz. Each beggar haz a kind ov
originality in hiz or her programme
which shows talent, and in some cases
even approaches genius.
Sharp beggars hav been known to git
rtch in the trade. Like gambling, once
beggar allwuss beggar.
Thare IL az mulch novelty and excite
ment in asking aims az in playing draw
poker, and the same kind ov frauds and
cheats are in it. Beggars take az mulch
pride in their Successes az emmy other
spectators. They are regular opera
tors, and Bull and Bear the market and
chuckle over corner like emmy other ov
the financiers.
They are ov all ages, sexes and condi-
shuns, from five years old up to seventy.
Sum ov them attak their customers with
their voice, sum with the weeping eye,
and sum ov them with palsyed legs, arms
and boddys.
i hav seen them in the morning go
half and limping to their day work,
and at evening start off briskly, whistlng
lively catch, to count over the assets
ov the day in some rickety garnet, or be-
meath sum shelter in undergrad.
Beggars are allwuss luxurious, and a
big days work liz sure TO end in feast
Or frolik.
They hav their distrikts in the large
citys, which are sakred against all inter
lopers, and if one ov them is kaught on
the beat ov another he gifts beat bi the
rest oy them.
They hay their bilaws and constitu-
shuh, and change begging grounds with
each other quite often.
Thee changes enable an old veteran,
with bandaged foot, and praktikal
limp to attak nu sett ov benevolents,
giving up hiz place to middle-aged
widow, with tale ov sorrow, and two
infants at the brest, both ov which hav
been borrowed for days begging from
sum ov her associates.
IL IL better than a comedy to watch
theze Spectators. Now yu are met bi
neatly -drest girl crying piteously she
waz sent out bi her mother, or mis-
tress, to buy bottle of kastor oil for the
baby, and haz lost 25 cents that was
given her to make the purchase with.
She IL sure to git whipt for her care
lessness on her return home, and God
will bless yu If yu will only CIV her ten
cents TO help make up what she haz
lost.
BY this pityful lie she squeezes dime
out ov yu, and darts into sum alleyway to
arrange her tears and story for the next
credulous martyr that falls In her way.
Here, on corner, yu are met by a
meek looking man, in the very blush ov
life, az helthy az Quaker, and more
able to earn dollar at emmy labour than
yu are, with hiz coat buttoned up tite at
the throat, and are most piteously told
oy the loss ov hiz pockctbook with
eIghty.three dollars in II, Just az he step,
of from the kars last night, and not a
cent Nv mummy haz he got TO buy him d
breakfast, or TIC pay hiz fare back to hi2
home, in Sullivan County.
Right away ahead ov yu, at the next
corner, with hiz eye already fastened
| on yu NJ yu approach, shaking from hec
TO foot, like an ague, with sum artifshal
disseaze, IL planted u gray headed old
hummer, with eye lids az raw az beet
stake, and a noze on him like picked
blood beet, with hiz hat in hiz hand, and
| a nasal twang, In which he lies about the
starvashun ov himself and wife, and nc
Goals to keep them from freezing
AZ yu turn sum corner yu are suddenly
met by what seems to be sum honest
hard.working labourer, with hiz coat of,
biz sleeves rolled up, and he on the run
he stops in front ov yu and shows tele.
graphik dispatch, got up all right, on one
oy the Western Union blanks, which
calls him Immediately to Rochester to
see hiz dicing wife, and he haz not got q
cent ov mummy to undertake the journey
II would require more than double the
space OF the spice-box collum to write up
the thousand and one lodges, ded beats
and sharp iniquitous frauds ov this army
OF impostors.
waz once begged bi man Ia New
York for 25 cents at the corner ov 49tl
street and 9th avenue, who had eaten
nothing for 30 hours, and pretending to
pity hiz sad condishion, told him that
had but one dollar myself and II he could
give me the change back should be
happy 10 relieve hiz wants. He mistook
me for country brother, and changed
mi bill for me.
Among all this crew thare may be one
in thousand that don't lie and are
worthy.-Josh Biitings, in N. y. Weekly