Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1876-03-16
SITTING DOWN In THE STREET.

sAucWSIkSs SplVe OI general ana varied
attempts to overcome it. Salt and ashes
were thrown upon it, but in vain. Salt
had no more effect upon it than it has
upon the tail Of bird, and it rose phoe.
nix.like from ashes and renewed itself
in all its former terrors above them.
Its influence on humanity was marked !;
it seemed to invest everybody with weari.
ness. landmarks crossing the area to re-
ceivc from tho hands Of the obliging d,,ry-
man the morning supply of milk and
water, would sit down for a moment on
tho way; fat market.women would repose
briefly on the jnhospitable crossing, pre-
paratory to entering car rosy maidens
on the way to school would throw their
little heels abruptly up and pouncc down
with girlish enthusiasm upon the glitter.
ing cover of a coal.hole: ladies in unyicld.
ing pin backs, incapable Of sitting, would
still: at intervals, recline upon their shout
der. blades and patiently wait for the first
policeman to come along and twist them
up again into a position of locomotive
possibility sharp, punctual business men
would sit with outsprcad legs on the
street tramway, and idly regard the de.
parture Of the elevated railway train
which they wished to take; all the out.
side town was strcwn about on the pave.
ments and roadways as if they had been
Turks and these had been luxurious di.
vans.
Incidents were numerous, of course.
"Hallo, said a gentleman, as he rose from
brief rest on the curbstone at the cor.
ner OF twenty.third street, to wag of a
friend who just then came along, "this is
ID rough" 81 think it is ID
smooth responded the other as he took
slide eff toward the Fifth Avenue Hotel.
A lady heard the remark and was con.
strained to laugh, but nobody could
laugh yesterday and stand up, and so
her bronzed bottincs few out, and she
did what people usually do when they are
tired and chair is offered to them. She
was gathered up by = policeman in rub
bers and slid away blushing.
Near the news.standat Broadway
and Twenty.ninta street, at about .
o'clock, the door Of one of the brown.
stone houses opened, and an elderly gen.
tieman in slippers appeared. lie survey.
cd the condition of things at first with
surprise and then seemingly with dis.
trust. He glanced at tho newsstand and
then at his slippers, and passed his hand
over his smooth.shaven chin IN evident
perplexity. Just thena bright young miss
Of Is or thcrcabout came tripping through
the hall. s'Pa,' she said, giving him a
kiss. III get the paper for you.' He
smiled and put the requisite pennies!into
her hand, and she started. She put a lit
tie foot cautiously on the upper step, and
<1>avn
tiously on the step below, and then the
first little foot again with still further
decreased caution on the third step down.
Alas that the ice should bctray one 50
young, and with such little feet, and on
the steps, too But one little boot slip.
ped, and the other little boot slipped, and
the little maiden, having nothing left on
which to stand, did not stand, but sat
down, yet still did not stop, and CRYING,
''Oh, pa J" reached the sidewalk with a
painful and undignified celebrity. The
father had watched tho progress of his
child with smile, but as she lost hcr
footing and descended the last six steps
with rude hurry that would have con.
cerned him in trunk or any other ar.
ticles of senselcss baggage, the smile van.
ished instanter and the alarmed parent
started incontiently to the succor Of his
offspring. He lost no time in reaching her.
The moment he placed his feet on the top
step the ice fled from tho soles of his slip.
pers and assaulted him elsewhere, and he
descended to his daughter much as he
might If he had taken passage in cata.
pult. Fortunate it was that neither was
much hurt. The daughter was the first
to regain her feet and the house, and the
father followed slowly. Then John ap.
appeared at the area door with load Of
ashes, and hc made path of safety for
himself to the news stand and returned
with the morning paper and the conscious
air Of man who had performed wise
action.
At the Hippodromc line had formed
for admission. The people in the line
were close together. and served to prop
one another up. All would have been
we'll if the first man, as the door was sud-
denly opened, had not started back and
slipped. He fell back ward, striking the
man behind him, who in his turn lost his
feet and extended the Generalization to
his next ncighbor back. 1t was hardly
the place or the time for such proceed
ing, but tho entire line, affected in the
same manner rs row of closely laid
bricks, which the first has fallen upon
the second, sat down on the pavement
of Madison avenue at the feet of the
winged grifins which guard the Hippo.
drome. Many ladies and gentlemen who
were sitting on the pavement round about
saw and pittied the performance. There
were many other incidents of a similar
nature in the city yesterday. But these
will serve to illustrate how universal and
irresistible the ice was.