The Arkansaw traveler. (Little Rock, Ark.) 1882-1???, 1884-12-13
DIDN'T GO IN.
New York Graphic.l

New York Graphic.l
+ Baxter street and Chatham square are
the centres of the old clothes trade in
| New York. Dark cellars, stores uplighted
by anything excepting candles and back
rooms, in which ray of sunshine was
never known to penetrate, are the favorite
places for the storage of this class ofmer
chandise. The darker the room the
fewer flaws the unwary customer can pick
in the bargains, which is truism no one
| better understands than the astute indi-
viduals who control this line of trade
On Baxter street both sides of the thor
oughfares are thickly lined with clothing
stores, whose wares give the sidewalk the
appearance of an elongated backyard on
wash day. 1t is here that the trade
thrives. This is its home. The bucolic
visitor who is uraccustomed to the ways
Of the metropolis and happens to stray
into this neighborhood is lucky indeed if
he escapes without purchasing enough
clothes to dress regiment. The frs
stores he meets are where netting but
new garments are offered. The affable
and persistent proprietor stands outside
his door like the spider in his web. He
seizes the stranger by the hand and
| WdIIfly SICCtS AlC oShS oiACt his
family and his friends, and manages to
nsinuate a word in regard to the matter
of clothing. If the stranger is smaller
man than he is, or happens to be ofsn
inquisitive temperament, he is usually
induced to enter the building. From
that moment he is doomed. No one ever
goes in without buying. He might avos6'
purchasing, it is true, but he never
does. The age of miracles is unfortunately
past.
1t often happens that the proprietors of
these commercial dives make mistake
in the selection of customer. One
warm afternoon last summer a tall,
heavily built man, wearing an exceed
ingly badly fitting suit of clothes and
showing dissipation and i'll temper in his
| face, slowly sauntered down Baxter street
off the Bowery. 1t didn't seem to make
much difference to him where he went or
how soon he got there. He was evidently
walking chiefly for his own amusement,
and judging from the lowering scowl on
his face he was apparently extracting
very little pleasure from the exercise.
AS he slouched along the narrow thor
oughfare, he ran against a short man
with Hebraic cast of features and red
beard.
al beg yer PARDON" muttered the
stranger as he sided out into the gutter
to let the little man pass by.
Dot vhas all right, mine friend" re-
piled the lew, as bland smile became
visible under the shadow of his nose.
dot vhas all right, but What can do for
you dis beautiful day2"
~ don't want nothing" replied the
visitor with a surly growl, as he at
tempted to push his way past the mer-
chant, who had taken this means of in
viting his custom.
"Yaas, but can't | sell you nice bair
Of bantaloons? hat bair here dat will
yust fit you"
81 don't want no pantaloons," OBJ
served the stranger, and amt agoin' to
buy none. d yer hear?"
"Yust let me show you my beautiful
stock. Yust step in, yust for Won min
ute" and the merchant with ill-tmed |
zeal caught hold of his would-be Gus
temer's arms.
By this time large crowd Of idle mer-
chants sauntered out of their dens and
spread themselves along the sidewalk to
be of any assistance should their aid be
required, and to secure a portion of the
trade should the victim pan out largely
enough to go around.
Lead de shentleman into your store,
Jacob" shouted one of the spectators,
whose shop was the next in the line.
"Wot's that?" growled the stranger,
frightening up. "Wot yer goin' TO do
wild me ? Yer goin' ter lead me in, are
yer? Well (here he Strengthened out his
right arm and sent the merchant rolling
into the gutter guess have somethin'
to say about that"
AS the Hebrew struck the. gutter his
fellow-uadesmen swarmed around the
buriy visitor. Some rushed into their
stores and brought out long poles, used
to hang up clothes with ; others picked
up stools, and for moment it looked as
if it would fare badly with the stranger,
But wicked light came into his face and
bracing himself squarely he waded into
the mob and in less than half a minute
he was alone, and the sidewalk looked as
if private cyclone had struck the south
side of Baxter street.
Five minutes later a tall man with
faint smile on his face walked into
Bewery saloon and called for gin fzz
"You appear warm, Mr.. Sullivan p re-
marked the bar-keeper obsequiously.
"Yaas," replied the Boston champion.
"Pve been learning lot of chumps how
to treat a gentleman when they meet
him."
The Beautiful Hotel Clerk.
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