Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1885-08-09
THE USEFUL MESSENGER.
Tho Endless Variety ~ Work Imposed
Upon Him Does Not Help Ills
Morals.

Morals.
A dissipated-looking young man.
who was perfectly dressed and languid,
alighted from hanson in front OF tho
Hoffman house, looked up at the driv-
er, and said:
GLOW muchp"
"Two dollars" said tho driver,
promptly.
The youth passed up a dollar bill,
smiled, turned on his heel, and walked
into the hotel. The driver protested
for moment, and then drove surlily
away. The young man rang for mes
scngcr, and when pale, round-shoul-
dered, and sickly-looking lad stumbled
into the corridor, the young man took
him aside and said:
Johnny. have n friend who lives
in Twenty-sevcnth street, between
Broadway and Sixth avenue; but
cant remember his number Here's
the name on slip Of paper. Go and
ring every bell ON the block until you
find the man, and be quick about it.
I'll wait here"
The boy was gone about half an
hour, and when he returned he looked
even more sickly than when he de-
parted. But he had found the num-
Der, and he pocketed the 5O-cent piece
and departed cumbrously.
The superintendent of the telegraph
company. to whom the incident was
related shortly after this, said:
They use our messenger boys now
for every sort Of disagreeable service.
As rule, when something turns up
that man doesn't feel like doing him
self, the idea Of messenger-boy oc-
ours to him instantly. The dudes no
longer think of waiting at the stage
doors themselves, but send our BOYS
around to tell their charmers where
they will meet them for supper after
the play is over. That's why so many
messenger-boys are to be seen about
stagc-doors every night. Not long
ago little chap in our employ came
crying into the Office aftor having been
tossed down the steps OF Wallack's
Theatre. On investigation we found
that the boy had been called to the
Gilsey House billiard-room by q young
man who is violently smitten BY the
charms of one of tho chorus girls at
Wallack's Theatre. He wrote her an
affectionatc and gushing letter. and
made an appointment for supper and
sent the boy around to the theatre with
1t. The letter was read by the actress
husband, and the boy was promptly
fired out. The following night the
same precocious dude repeated the ex-
pertinent, and another boy was slightly
abused. heard nothing more OF the
case after that, and suppose the love-
sick swain got tired Of writing to the
girl. Perhaps, however, he is still
sending messages to her by the boys
of other Offices. You see, there is no
way of regulating such thing as this.
because we have no means of knowing
what is in letters that customers send
by the boys. 1t is u very safe thing
for the dude, too, for he goes away as
soon as he has sent the boy. and so tho
angry husband cannot reach him. Al
together. the messenger boys are a
great thing for mashcrs. The boys are
smart and trustworthy. and they will
undergo any sort of peril for a quar-
ter A very fly specimen of boy. who
had been with us for three years, re-
Gently got u position as valet and con-
tidential servant to club man who is
very we'll known in New York. The
boy went down to the Union Club one
day to answer the call Of this bachelor,
and was sent up town on Il delicate
mission. He was to deliver a note
to II young lady without her family's
finding out anything about it, And
he did it by waiting across the street
three mortal hours until she went out
to drive with her mother, and then
he slipped it into her hand quietly as
he closed the door Of the carriage. The
boy is very proud of his livery and but
tons now. and he has been around
here several times to SHOW them to us.
He says that his duties consist of put
ting his master to bed at 1 o'clock in
the morning and Of pulling him out
again at 2 o'clock the next afternoon.
"All this must have more or less
effect upon the morals Of the boys"
at has," said the superintendent,
"arAl a very bad effect at that Boys
are quick to learn by example. and the
mildest and grecnest boy imaginable
becomes a very knowing sort of a
young sport before he has been in this
business long. There seems to be no
tHu W tuc uSCS W Which lucSScuSCI
boys are put. Take yesterday as an
instance. 1t 8 o'clock in the morning
we had call from Thirtieth street.
We sent little shaver and he came
back and said they wanted a bigger
boy, and so we sent a stronger speci-
men, and found out that it was the
landlady in Il boarding-housc moving
furniture from one hoor to another.
Another boy about II o'clock went up
here to bachelors apartment-house
and helped young man who had been
out two or three nights, get through
his bath and thoroughly dressed be-
fore he went downtown. Two boys
were called in the afternoon to assist
family in packing trunks before they
went to the country, and another boy
took charge of an old lady in trip to
Coney Island and back. Take it all