The Arkansaw traveler., 1885-06-20

the house facing my hotel. ani he was asleep. l moved away rejoicing, but, rememb mbering my VOW, returned softly and dropped i've rei piece into his can As l was escaping again this sentinel awoke, saw me, and, with a wild whoop, began to rattle his tin on the pavement Where they came from don't know, but in a moment the street was a heavins mass of Iipples, idiots, hunchhacks, sores, wounds, empty eye sockets, stumps of arms and legs, bodies without legs scurrying along on wee go-carts, beggars male, beggars female, baby beggaEs. beggars almost too old to be alive, living. whining, shrivelled mummies. And was in the midst. My horrible VOW was be- fore me, and, filing my hands with cop pers. 1 hurled them over the beg yars heads down the street to distract the ter rible crowd Away they went aitez the coins, rolling, cursing, fighting Gehenna of diseases and deformities. and away 1 went on an opposite track, fleeing, not from the torments to come, but those that were come. My mission was one of business, but when l reached the office l was bound for, could do little else than take reviving nips of curacoa, and moan in an unintelligible way. When was better took one of the usual two- horse cabs back to my hotel, secreting myself in its recesses, and dashing from it to the hotel like an escaping assassin. When l was Tn my room some one knocked softly, and requested the knocker to enter. It was the manager. He came to remon- strate, politely but firmly. It was giving his house bad name, he said, to have uproars before his door. Would refrain in future? From what? l asked. From bestowing aims on those beastsS re- gretted it, 1 said, but couldn't l couldn't? And why? Because l was under a VOW, said. Then would l kindly withdraw my patronage from tha, hotel, the manager asked; and said l would go next day, wherewith VIC parted, polite but distant
 That night l was reused from sleep by a gentle rapping at my window. got up ard undid the shutters, and saw-that horrible face smiling at me from my ve- randa. shook my fist at him savagely
 He bowed, and began a passionate speech, frequently pointing down to the road below. My curiosity was reused opened the window, and stepped out be- side the beggar. The street was full of silent sea of faces, such as Dante saw in the seventh circle of his hell | faces every one with the hoof-stamp of the devil on it; Gains all, and never an Abel among them. A murmur went up when stepped out; my companion tuned to them and began speech to them, but evidently aimed at me. When he had concluded the first part of an impas. stoned, hoarsely-whispered ora,ion, he paused, and pointed me out proudly to the crowd. A little recovered from my first shock of surprise, 1 filled up the pause by leaning over the rail and in- quiring of the fierce, bad faces lifted to mine-though in cautious stage whis- per, for fear of rousing the manager again" What the devil do you want here this time O night7"
 A Ihurmur of enthusiastic applause came up from that horrible throng. They must have understood me to say some thing vastly more fattering than what l had intended, for the murmur went on swelling till it mounted to a demoniac yell Of delight Lights began to appear in windows, and doors to be unbolted |; not moment was to be lost my only chance was that some further largesse of gun-metal would induce them to disperse dashed into my room, with the first 6e9gar and cause of all my woe follow ing me, orating and gesticulating like an M. P. before general dissolution. emptied my copper-pocket, he helping me Iealously, carried forth the bullion, and hurled it down on top of the seeth. ing crowd. l shall hear that yell on my death-bed, if have Thermopylses and any number of Waterloos. The frag- ments of what had been beggars in hap. pier days were unacceptable as human things at all. And the cost of the battle was barely sixteen shillings in copper. Contrast this with tho costliness of the so-called glorious engagements of any empire you like A paltTy sixteen shill- ings-in copper!
 l spent the remains of that night in the city jail on charge of "lnciting of Mobs to Unlawful Rebellion "-I, who knew not . word of their tongue When the case came up in private was proved to have bribed the beggars by large pres ents of cash. In vain asked for an in- terpreter to explain matters the magis- trate said such silly subterfuge as pre- tending to be ignorant ot Portuguese when it was proved had addressed the mob from the veranda, and had reused them to fury by my words, would not take him in. So was undefended, and, but for the timely intervention of my bus ineSs friends, might have gone to the galleys as great state criminal As it vas, when ! was le. out received broad hint from the authorities to lab sent myself hom felicity-and Lisbon awhile"
 Mandy had won. was in Lisbon barely four days. telegraphed the re- suit to him to the Cape de Verd Islands, where the vessel would touch. wrote by the next mail and said that l willingly gave the palm, before all men, dicants on the globe, to the Lisbon beggar.
 A Slight Evil in Comparison.