, 1879-10-02
Street Workers.
Tho Sellers OF Lead Pencils.

he Guy GcQuenVly receive NlSllS HUH
them, and at all the ferries one or more
of these small tradesmen will be found
Atoward evening, when the crowd is great
est, crying Justify, as they thrust their
wares in your face, "there they are, only
five cents apiece"
One of my earliest interviews with the
street laborers of New York was with
one of the sellers of lead pencils. And
here let me say that do not vouch for
the truth of this, or Of any story ! may
relate 81 cannot tell how the truth
may be; | repeat the tale as twas told
to me-" | will not be sponsor for the
narrator. | have found that people
of this class, when interviewed" are
much given to romancing, but the judi
cious reader can generally tell for him.
self what is likely to be true and what
false.
| met this man on the street. He
was about thirty-two years of age, and
had, in his time, been fine looking.
He wore no overcoat, though the day
was bitterly cold. His dress was
seedy, but not ragged He was not
naturally very communicative. 1t was
only by dint of close and rapid question
ing that he told me the story which fol-
lows: ..a
eyes, sir as you say, I've seen better
days. I'm an American. You wouldn't
have thought who my father was, and
you'll get along without my telling you.
But in the war he was commissary,
and made plenty Of money, as most of
'em did, as you must know. Here he
smiled sadly but expressively. | can't
exactly tell you how I got down to doin'
what do now. Yes, L had a trade--I
am a carpenter; good one, too 1 can
make most anything that carpenter can.
Did try to get workl Oh, my, yes
tried until got tired of trying There
isn't any work. I'd 60 for it wherever
l thought I could get it, but couldn't
get any. So | got down to this Drink
Yes, sir, l suppose it had much to do
with my troubles, as it had with all the
rest in this line
Chow many are there that sell pen
cilsl Well, really. 1 couldn't tell you as
to the whole city; but down in the neigh
borhood around James, Cherry, Water
and Roosevelt streets, l can tell you Of
40 lodgih' houses, and nearly all of them
that lives there sells pencils-pencils
and little joke books sell pencils and
joke books, both. go to Offices, mostly
down town I've been up town, too
yes, sir-in the hotels, and tried to sell
to the people standing around in the bar
rooms; but you have to get leave of the
barkeeper before you can sell, and you
don't often get it, Yes, the fact is, the
business is very much like begging. The
people don't want your pencils, but they
buy of you to get rid of you, or to help
you along, and won't take the pencils or
the books from you, but let you sell 'em
again My gracious, sir, I've taken
three pencils around all day, and sold 'em
four or five times over, and brought 'em
back again at night.
"These pencils that we sell for FIVE
cents apiece, with bit of rubber on the
end of 'em, we buy of a man in Madi-
son street. He supplies nearly all the
peddlers. They cost eighteen cents a
dozen, SO we make three cents and half
apiece on EN-. Some peddlers pay
twenty.four cents a dozen. | don't
know why, unless it's because they
don't know where to buy cheaper No;
don't believe it's because they want to
give a better article for the money. L
guess they don't care anything about
that. Then there's cheaper kind that
they sell two for five cents. You can
buy them for eleven cents DOZEN The
books 1 sell are cheap jokes, l sell 'em
for five cents apiece; buy 'em for three.
They are mostly jokers that are played
out in the trade, and the publisher sells
lot of 'em off for mere song.
ooh, no, sir, I don't believe any OF
these men drift into crime. You see,
they haven't got the courage 1t takes
courage to pick pockets and rob- These
people amt smart enough, anyway, and,
as | say, they haven't got the courage to
go to work, even at that. Yes, you
might say the very life was all gone out
of them-no ambition to do anything
but just enough to get along There
may be, here and there, one in the busl-
ness who's sober, and works along with