New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-07-29
AN AMBITIOUS WOMAN.
A NOVEL.
BY EDGAR FAwCETT.
.,,o, of "a Gentleman OF Leisure" "a Hopeless
Case" etc.
YI-CONTINUED.

,vb;cb Steffauone sang to assemblages where gen.
+,eman in evening dress lady without her bon
net was rare enough incident and nothing prophe-
sled the horse shoe of respondent boxes De1ore
which Patti and Nilsson have since shown MS their
.oaol charms. Soon afterward 1t came
% Third Avenue, easily betrayed by the
aare Of pasght in beei-saloon or liquor-shop, ana
thoroughfare in which night revelry seems 10 nave
claimed especial stronghold. Near at hand that
bideous monument of philanthropy, the cooper
Union froyns Its unavaillng displeasure upon the
malt of Schneider and the alcohol or Moriarty'
both of which project their noxious forces sou'h-
ward through the Bowery to the City Hail. aud
nothward across many reputable SIDE streets Oh W
the shabby vulgarity of Harlem
But Claire was naturally unprepared, just now
either to recognize ponder the Importance 'As
great popular boulevard which we call Ihlru ave-
nue.; how il blends our ruling Irish ana Oer man
claimants in one huge strand of commercial inter
ests, each petty by itself, yet ALL wheh inaSSeu
together of enormous metropolitan note; how It's
very name is pronounced with mild sheer ny ou
so-called better classes how 1t is held common and
of n, re,ute. how one must not speak of 1t
in Fifth Avenue drawing-room lest Ne
shall be suspected of having trodden It's
tainted payements; and yet how there pulses
through its big tough artery nearly all the hot I'M
pure politcal blood that feeds the venaity oil our
elective systems making it for this reason lacu W
be always deplored, but never lightly dismissed
Should the sombre growl against that SIN OF over
possession which we term monopoly, ever grow lhto
Revolutionary roar, it is very thlnRaoe thaI 'hc
Robespetre of such an event would DC poIn III
Third Avenue; but if not he might safely DE oe-
,oondad on for having near relations there. The
little car presently crossed Second Avenue. at its
most quiet portion. All the earlsh ordnance had
now unite vanished Once beloved of respectabillty,
Ellis hroad street here III what we designate lts
lower nortlou has preserved abundant souvenirs OF
perisbed fame. Many of the ro0my Ola lnauslons
that line 1t may be dispeopled OF tneT prIsun,e
Knickerbockers. but even these retain much
of their old stately repose Up Deyohu' 'he
tenement-house thrives and the tavern nauhls u
botte-decked easement ; but here, wlthln generous
iimits IL remains quarter full OF decent tn0ugn
not dismal gloom and touched with an occasional
solid grandeur. . d;eoroo, 70
cion Ii had reached one of the two long II not
deem RI which skirt the central domain OF
our wealth and thrift. That squalor when d0gs
the heel of poverty was eVeryWneIe its neisc,ad
flicker Night however, was kind, and spared from
view much unsghtly solure The high BRICK houses
thronped with inmates ON all degrees OF want
and al modes of toll OIL pressed lost themselves in
shadow: but now and then you caught gllnpses OF
The haud filth cloggDg the CUTTERS and perhaps OF
a baif-subInerged cabbage-leaf or more ouofyane
sgy-sbell TO heck its slime with baeful color Here
spoke a crying municipal disgrace Inc prosperous
part of our city has its streets kept Clearly through
ont the year but dread injustice is wreaked upon
these,hat are skirted byabodes OF penury ana need
Fat appropriations are OF no avall tne YAK money
slips into fingers that are deit III % - i ~
fraud and Encouragement meet as friends; ltls not
enough that our beautiful island must crowd her
shores with all the DISTRIBUTING accompahlineDs Vi
commerce. she is forced, as wen, 70 see tIe1 1
polluted far inland, by the touluess porn OF Oad
fepsatiOp This Is one OF the too frequent Cases
where, III our enlightened poty. democracy plays
wantonly into the hands OF monarchislni
A little la er the car came luto 4 wlde, airy eA-
peuse along two of whose sides IL ]ourheyeu lor q
considerable distance. Here was lompkIns Square
now lighted with Innumerable lamps, but Only
few years ago dark horror to all decent cltlzens
living near il. BY day set aside as parade-giounu
for the city militia which paraded there scarcely
twice a wear. its lam pleSs lapse or earth was Dy
night at least four good acres of brooding gloom,
which he who yentuIed TO cross STOOD tne fsk oil
thievlsh assault, if nothing more harmful what
added TO the unique repulsIveness OF tne
place for peace-iovlng denlZens OF us near
streets an occasional cOncouIsc VI gIomi-
ing and satunine German socialists, held with
stormy harangues and bieOdthlrsty dlatnbes under
noon star, and amid the congeDial envrohihg
shadow which was relieved, on these lurld 0cca-
sions. By torches whose iilful flames typehed the
feverlsh theories disclosed.
Square from that OF old. Inc grim blank mas
become, since then, BRIGHTLY realm where tbe
tramp may fall prone some oil IT'S many neat-builL
benches but where the highwayman will hnd slim
chance 10 ply his fell trade. Alter quitting this
region there remained only brief space to be ira
versed before the ferry was reached. The avenues
by this time bad ceased to be numerically named
they had become alphabetical But Avenues a, -
G and are all quite homogeneous as regards doio-
Ious discOIn The city here hi les some OF It's
worst aiTs, and many desperado iDicsts them.
After little Journey, such as Clare now took, you
gain the small. dull-lookiug ferry.
Meanwhile seven or eight new passengers mad
entered tho car They were mostly Germans aud
OF both sexes Claire felt seHse OF protection.
One stout woman of truly colossal build. with
sleeping baby in her arms and an evident husband,
hollow checked aud ight that IL seemed wrong
for hun assume the responsibility OF paving
their double fare especially reassured her. The
rest were commonplace people enough. One was a
weary work giri; one a collier, grlmy with his
trade and drowsy from drink; one WAS dappcr,
bejewclied Hebrew. with Olly amber WHISPERS and
large, loose red lips still another was a handsome
young woman snartly geared, who had said good
night, on entering 10 a male escort, and who now
glanced uneaSily about her at Intervals. as though
fearful VI being known All this while Slocumbr re-
NAMED Oh the outer platform.
PRESENTLY the car stopped. Everybody alighted.
The lent street ferry was close at hand. Claire
knew that her hateful adheIent WAS close at band
also. She paid her toll to the ferryinap and glided
through the narrow bit of passage forth upon
the long dark dock beyond. She expected al every
new step, to he re-accostcd by Socumb A boat
had landed and was soon 10 disembark again From
the opposite dInness came an ominOus clank of
chains made by the men at either OF the TWO W heels
and a sudden all abOardW flung out in gruff tones
as a stimulating moDltioD. The other passengers
all fastened forward. Claire was among them,
though IN the rear of the bury. The foremost had
gained the boat when she felt strong clutch upon
her arm Compelled by sheer force TO pause, now,
she turned meeting Slocumbs fsce quite pear her
own. He at once spoke. IN the same intimate sort
OF whisper that she had before found SO distressing.
"Sayl 'Iaint right 7 shake me like this.
amt goin' stand II. either, Cone change your
mind Treat me square. Wiil yer
Claire driven TO bay, did what her sex is some
times held by lew renowned cyDics as having
special talent for doing, she employed siratagem:
Her shook as she SAID " Very well. What is
II You wish NE 10 DOT
She could feel the tense grasp upon her arm re-
lax little. This as just the kind OF result she
had aimee for.
want ys stay this side the river spell yet,
sn we'll eat s0inep'n somewhere. HeyP
=, The fingers ABOUT her arm had acquired fond
mig laxlty that half slckened her. But she waited
aiiitio They were good ten yards from the boat.
~ was possible that both their figures were too
enadowed ior the men 1T the chains TO see them.
selnaps, on the other hand, these wardens did not