The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1884-05-23

large enough from one days trade to
keep them and their families until the |
next market day comes around, are
keeniy alive TO the old proverb about
the early bird.
They begin to set up their stands
early in the evening of the preceding
day, and get things ready for the proper
display of their goods along in the
gray of early morning, when the Leip
sic housewives, determined to get the
pick of everything. start out, basket in
hand. to lay in their supplies of edibles
for the next two or three days. There
is something amusing in standing
around In the market place on the
evening before a market day and see-
ing the peasants make their prepare
tons for the next days business. About
ten O'Clock the advance guard of those
who live in the near vicinity of tho
town come Gathering down the side
streets, the little wagon, drawn by a
dog and woman, loaded with boards,
carpenters horses and shelving, and
with a man pushing behind, rafting
over the stones and keeping a rude
sort of accompaniment to the sharp
clatter of the wooden-soled shoes worn
by the owners of the establishment.
Each peasant has his appointed spot
given to him by that most august and
powerful body. the City Council. and
for the use of which he pays a certain
rental into the privy Golfers of the mu-
nicipality.
The earlier arrivals go straight to the
spots belonging to them and begin te
unload their wagons. varying the
monotony of this work by stopping now
and then to heap reproaches upon the
uneasy dog or to indulge in a little
family jar But as the half-hours are
successfully struck by the changing bell
up there in the low tower of the old
Rathhaus, the stream of corners grow,
steadily larger, so that at midnight the
marketplaee is pretty thickly populated
by gruff-voiced men, gossiping women
and snarling. quarreiing dogs. Those
who came earliest have already gotten
their stands in order and now have a
little time to spare in talking with those
about them or in patronizing the woman
who sells hot soup and hot sausages.
And all this hubbub, this minging of
laughs, shouts, snarls, banks, this
banging of boards and jarring of shriil-
voiced, limber-tongued women. this
rapping of wooden soles against the
stones, this swearing of Understanding
but in reality most innocent German
oaths-all these sounds echo about in
the hooks and corners of the old build
ings surrounding the market place and
set the spectator from the New World
to imagining how this same market
place used to look three or four hun
drcd years ago, before it was paved
with stone and lighted with gas.
| But an hour or so after midnight
most of the stands are up and the pro.
| prietors have either gone back home to
help along the loads of goods, or. over
powered by the drowsy god, are nod.
ding and snoring in the center of the
fragile Enclosures they have erected for
the days business, so that for an hour
or two comparative quiet takes the
| place of the previous turmoil
| Now and then, to be sure, there
arises q dispute between q couple
of CANNES tethered within sIarling dis
lance of each other. and which Is the
signal for yolley of innocent curses
from those who happen to be in the
near vicinity; now and then some be
lated peasant comes fastening into the
square with his rafting wagon ant
gathering shoes, and causes momen
tary disturbance as he picks his cautiOu
way around dogs, wagons, stands ana
sleeping peasants to his own propel
place. But beyond these few disturb
ances the market place is COMPARATIVELY
quiet until after three o'clock. Thei
the large wagons come rumbling along
loaded with the goods to be sold tina
day. At first they come singly and tn
noise caused by the arrival Of one ha
ample time to subside before anothe
one turns the corner. But it is not Ion;
before there is a constant stream o
them pouring in from all sides and ,
new hubbub arises as the unloading
begins. e.,
The air is then full of cabbages, pc
tatoes. barrels Of salt fish, bundles O
brooms, stacks of wooden-ware, bundle
of door-mats, piles of baskets, loaves o
= bread, cages OF live pigeons, crates 0
eggs, pots of butter, live fowls and deal
ones all being unloaded from tn,
wagons and placed upon the stands
And all this work of unloading AMI
placing is, of course, accompanied by
regular babel Of tongues. Words Q
command, shouts of laughter, til,
sounds of shrill-tongsed disputes be
| 4uaa,, holl;oaso,,+ fSts ar,A rara+all,
. wives, the objections poured forth b.
a some volnble peasant who finds hi
rights and his toes being trampled upoi
both at the same time by some incon
: siderate neighbor, the shouting q
horses. the yeiings of dogs being trod
den upon and kicked, the sLoutet
greetings passing from one group t.
another-all these sounds mingle to
gether into strange compound of in
harmonious sounds and FIJI the chill,
morning air.-Leipstc Cor. San Fran