Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1884-06-14
SUNDAY. SCENE IN ALEXANDRIA.
Where Some OF tie Visitors from Wash.
iRHtOn Go.
A DARK CELLAR WHERE THE TIGER Is FOUGHT
ON A SMALL sCALE-KENo AT TEN CENTS A
CARD-THE Way THE GAME Is PLAYED. AND
THE MEN WHO PLAY IT. ETC.

| ON SMALL sCALE-KENO AT TEN CENTS A
CARD-THE Way THE GAME Is PLAYED. AND
| THE MEN WHO PLAY IT, ETC.
| The little world confined within the limits of
an Alexandria ferry-b6at Sunday afternoon pos
sesses variety enough to prevent the half-hour
run from being tedious to one who finds inter-
est In studying the new types of human nature
winch every little eddy in the stream of lie
brings to view. There is always on the hurri-
| cane deck young husbands looking uncomfort
aoie In their Sunday clothes. young wives flying
great many gaudy ribbons in the breeze, and
young babies for whose especial benefit the
Young husbands and young wives designed the
trip, but who persist in being unhappy and ex-
pressing their misery in doleful shrieks. There
| are The families consisting of thin husbands
| ana fat wives with half a dozen half-grown
| chiluren each; a sprinkling of giggiing girls,
| VINO sit near the rail and nearly have Mysteries
Wnen one of their number comes near losing her
nat, and number of jolly looking Germans.
| Down below are the small boys who keep their
| mamas in state of uneasinesS tor fear they
will fall overheard: two or three heavy-eyed
| nal1-soDered inebriates, who have shipped for
| the voyage in the hope that the fresh air
Will help them ''brace up" and number
of lonngers, who take to the lower deck
| to smoke. About the little bar-room will settle
| before the boat has left the wharf q group OF
| young men. who seek a background of bottles,
| lemons. straws and beer-gasses. as being in
consonance with their style. Noticeable among
| them is the special friend of the barkeeper-a
young man in very tight lavender pantaloons
with very pronounced spring bottoms, who
| sWaggers through the cabin, carrying his arms
at that peculiar curve. and throwing his Shout
oers up, one after the other, as he walks, with
| that Well-understOod motion which means in
sign language, 81 am tough of the toughest
kind, and don't you forget it, Then there are
other young gentlemen who haven't risen to the
| prominence of being on the list of personal
friends of the barkeeper but who admire the
irlehu OF the barkeeper, and, in small way
| initiate his swagger, and. like him, carry their
cigars In their mouths at an angle that threatens
their eyes with extinction.
MYSTERIOUS PASSENGERS.
! Here and there about the boat may be seen
individuals alone, or in silent groups who seem
to derive no particular pleasure from the fresh
breeze or the river view. but wear the air of
impatient men in hurry to get to their desti-
nation. They are not mere Sunday loiterers
| When the boat nears the slip at Alexandria
| these silent men pressed eagerly to the bow OF
| the boat, SO as not to lose minute of time in
| landing. Come down to enjoy the Alexandria
| air. suppoSe!" STAR reporter ventured to
| remark to one Of these persons, q black-muz-
| zled, sury-looking man, who had elbOwed his
way to the front. The man looked at THE STAR
| reporter with an expression half Of pity and
4
~ a INT after no air, placing an emphasis on
the last word, which plainly signifed that he
was after something of far more Importance
to him than mere air. When the boat was
within jumping, distance the silent men
began to disernbark hurriedy and THE
| STAR reporter followed them. leaving the
babies, the men with their families, the
| Germans, and others, who came down merely
Tor air to disembark ieisurey and straggle slowly
| Oil the wharf and the old streets The silent
FASTENED ElDrlV mr. n bn
streets until they reached a certain square filed
| with tumbe-dGwn oldehOuses. when they began
to disappear from the street. Several Of them
| TOOK Weil-Worn pathiacross vacant lot. Some
| OF them went down an submitting alleyway and
| Others took various rqltes. leading into the in
| terror OF the square. These routes. The STAR
| reporter found all came to an end against q
dlngy board fence in the interior of the square,
| forming the boundary of the backyard of one of
block OF old brick houses. board gatein the
| fence kept swinging constantly to let silent men
In or out, and The STAR reporter passed
THROUGH THIS PORTAL.
! inside was long, narrow and somewhat
crooked passage, which led to rear door of the
! house. This door opened into sort Of cellar
or basement. All that was apparent to the
senses at first after entering the basement were
several dimly faring lights q low buzz of voices
and an almost intOlerable heat. The light of
day was carefully excluded from the place
| hhen the Visitors eyes had become accustomed
to the light he saw that the apartment was about
twenty feet wide and forty feet long. and mad d
low. upholstered ceiling. There We're three long
tables, at which groups OF men were sitting. At
the sides OF the room boards had been nailed up
forming shelves, at which those who could not
find room at the tables We're standing There
were over a hundred persons cOngregated in
! this apartment. Many were smoking. and added
! the fumes OF tobacco to the vile atmospbere
Near the center of the room, at one SIDE was a
table which contained some singular looking ap-
paratuS. over which a keen-eyed man with
quick, decided utterance presided An
elderly gentleman, of very respectable ap-
pearance, who wore white mOustache or
military cut, stood by the table and seemed
to exercise proprietary interest over a
box, In which were stacked a quantity of round
red "chps." and another box filled with but
tons OF that unr0mantic kind known as sus-
pender buttons. The only other person who
seemed to be part of the establishment
was a young man who was shuffiing about
the crowd distributing large pasteboard cards
and collecting dimes and "chips from the
men who took the cards. Every time a card
was disposed of the young man called out a
number and the keen-eyed man at the table
registered it on a large dial which hung On the
wall behind him. The guileless reporter was
Informed that
THE GAME KNOWN AS ''KENO'
was in progress. Each player takes a card, for
which he pays ten cents. This card contains
several rows of figures, there being five figures
in each row, and the figures on the different
cards being differently arranged. The man at
the table turns large globe, which swings on
pivots between two posts This globe is filled
with little balls the size of marbles, each of
which has number. When the large globe has
been turned one of these little balls comes out
and its number Is called out. The PLAYER who
finds the corresponding number on his card nuts
button on the card over the number The
globe is turned and turned until some PLAYER has
complete row of five buttoned numbers. This
fact he makes known by shouting shere" or
'kenO." or bringing his fist down with great
crash on the table. He wins the pot" or all
the money that has been paid in for the cards
less ten per cent, which is deducted for the BEN
eflt OF the keen-eyed man, and the elderly gen.
t.eman with the white mOustache. Thus the
game goes on. mOnOtonOusly O new collection
being made every ten or fifteen minutes There
were about ninety cards sold at each turn while
the reporter was present, giving the winner. in
each case, about 50 for an Investment of ten
cents.
THE PLAYERS.
The groups about the table made an interest,"
ing picture The players were absorbed In watch
ing their cards Zach one had little pile of but
tons on the table by his card and transferred one
quickly to the card Which a number was called
which he found On his. card. Their eager intent
faces got CHASTITY hue from the dim Pickering
light Along the table one could see as the
game progressed three or four who had made
rows OF four buttons, and who could hardly re-
no