Osage Valley banner. (Tuscumbia, Miller County, Mo.) 1879-1881, 1880-07-08

the pressure of humanity from within
had caused those who were undefmOst.
and nearest the spout tO low ont and
occupy the sidcwalks, rs kerpels ~
wheat flow frtiii 4 break near the bottom
of the bin. At that hour the street sends
up continuous hum Of blending noises
the voices Of the grown persons
gathered Mt the dooryays, on the steps;
and at the entrarces ~ dark alleSways
the stipanine Of children at play in the
street, and the Efangllng Of noisy
groups at the Street corners. This
feature of teaemnn@ lie ls psculinI ~
the warmet scasont and thus, when the
dwellers IN tenements are enduring the
least crowding. the district appears the
most crowded TO the casual observer.
These groups are often picturesque,
but seldom beautiful. The queer little
figure that stands apart from the rest is
scarcely larger than the children who
dance so rOisily, vet sha seems to have
no thought Of Joining them, She is
about as tall as child Of ten years
The hem of her dress almost touches
the sidewalk The garment is gathered
ut the waist like the gowns worn by the
grandmothers of the girls OF to-day.
The waist is buttoned in front like that
of woman. Thick, heavy shoes are
on her feet. Her long, dark hair is
coled at tho back Of her head. She
has handsome black eyes The powder
on her face il that which rises from ash
barrels when their contents are dis
tributed by the iron hook that she
carries. She has the stature of child,
| but she Is the picture of a woman. Her
hands are grimy and scratched, and
! you wonder whether they are not
| little wrinkled. There is nothing of
the roundness and freshness of child
! features in her face. An attempt 10
| guess her age ends in deeper perplexity.
! She may be ten years old, but her dress
/ and department are. those of q woman
| of fortv-five. Outside OF the tenement
/ district she is seen bending over heaps
1 OF garbage or ash barrels, and picking
from them anything that is suitable to
90 into the coarse sack that she carries.
! The strangely-costumed figures of these
little child-woman ragpickers are among
the most curious seen in the streets OF
q great city.
The contrast is gueat between these
early evening groups in front OF tene-
menent houses and the family gather
ings in summer time at nightfall on the
4 verandas of suburban or village homes
of the well-to-do A man in ragged
\ garments, with bare head and bearded
face, hands blackened and hardened by
work, shoulders bent by toll, silent, and
looking ihtently at the brown bowl OF
the clay pipe he is smoking; two OF
three women, with infants in their
arms, wearing calico gowns, with
sleeves rolled up and neckband un-
fastened, and talking loudly among
themselves, or shouting to the children
I'm old woman crouched on the end OF
the threshold, holding q short clay pipe
in her mouth; two or three young iel'
lows leaning their backs against Goa
box and acquiescing In each other
propositions in tones that, to person
at distance, would seem TO indicate
that they were about to come to blows
couple of girls engaged in confidential
talk, of which " saws + aud says he'
form n prominent part; children o.
both sexes and many ages swarmini
the sidewalk and street, and serving a
chinks between the larger figures in Tho
group, all yelling in their highest key
and greatly disturbing the assortmen
of suspicious dogs aud cats in the neai
distance such would be characteristic
group for the stoop Of a tenement II
any of these streets; and its like may b'
seen thousand times in the course o
warm evenings stroll mp and dow
the streets beginning at Division stree
and ending at Houston. Except in tn
insuGerably hot scason--when the res
, cf these people from the close of on
days work to the beginning Of the mex
. is barely enough to enable them TO con
tinue work these groups are broke
up At an early hour, and the cats an
dogs stink through the streets, un
, affrighted, though still apprehensive.
The day begins early in the tene
ments. The workers on whom On
maintenance Of the family rests frC
: quently have TO GO long distances
, their work. They must have the
breakfasts before starting, and with th
cracked stoves on which the cooking
/ often done the starting OF a fire an
the preparing OF something warm
r eat requires more time than would ;
occupied If the stove were of healtl
/ Ter draft. The odor OF burning ia
; and the smoke from stoves that do n'
{ draw, pervade the halls at an ear
hour. The breakfast Is not a cheerfI
| one. II is frequently eaten in silenc
) with the sense Of poverty resting hea'
! lily on the spirits Of the partaker
1 and at the finish Of the meal the labor
: hurries away, to be gone in gre
S number Of cases, till be returns
night, fatigued, and in no condition
r take the recreation that health and
S reasonable enjoyment Of life requir
/ But these conditions of life keep Il
{ body fatigued and the mind employe
! and so they are vastly preferable to d