The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-05-02
FREE CREAM.
A Sixth-Street Confectionery Experience
with His N~ewsboy Patrons.

A Sixth-Street Confectioner's Experience
with His Newsboy Patrons.
st. Louis Post Dispatch.
A Sixth street confectioner has had an expert
ence which has thinned the hair on his head and
the memory of which is likely to stay with him
and haunt him. He opened his ice-cream season
yesterday and advertised by placard that he
would give a plate of ice cream to all of his
patrons to inaugurate the summer sale. 1t hap
pened that among his patrons were several
newsboys. Some Of them were standing around
when he opened up and stuck out his sign.
''Come in, come in. boys, and take a plate
said he in a CHEEKY, brisk way, as if the visions
OF a prosperous season were making the future
roseate with the golden hues of hard cash. The
boys did not wait for a second invitation, but
went for the cream with appetites which six
months abstinence had given a diamond edge.
The snap was too good to be kept, and the news
spread like wildire. Other boys dropped in to
enjoy the confectioner's hospitality, and they
were followed by still more. Then the same
boys dropped around to see him again, and
some of them returned a third time. In half an
hours time the shop was packed and the side
walk and street was black with urchins of all
descriptions, bowling for ice cream. The con-
fectioner stood it good naturedly for q while
and tried to smile pleasantly as empty
freezer after freezer went out on the side
walk. The boys not only came themselves,
but they brought their friends and brought
buckets and cans to take cream away with them
LOT uuleU cuJOyLu6Hu IHcu Cue contract began
to look big, and there was no evidence of the
popularity Of the shop diminishing. Soon he
caught a few of the boys on a return visit, and
his smile began to vanish. He hit on a happy
expedient. He thought he would mark those
who had been treated, so he made a cross on
their backs with chalk. Then interesting pro-
ceedings were instituted behind a neighboring
corner. AS fast as the boys were marked they
would run around the corner and rub against the
wall, or get some chum to brush them. mister,
dere amt no chalk on my back" ''Say, mister,
my coat amt marked" i'm one of yer patterns,
mister" II bought cream from yer last summer
were a few strong remarks which rose above the
hum of the voices. Tho confectioner secured
the services of two stalwart negroes to help
him, and they had their hands full. Then
he got two policemen, and they were kept
busy, and finally he was compelled to close the
Office and shut up shop. The boys still hung
around and blockaded the way, banged at the
door, ratified the empty cans, tied strings to the
freezers and tried to drag them away. Every
once and a while the confectioner and his aids
would make a sally and drive them off, but they
would come back like flies to a sugar bowl
When a reporter passed by the place about
noon the shop was still there, although damaged
badly; the two darkies were standing guard at
the door and a policeman was creeping down the
opposite side of the street trying to catch some
of the boys who were peeping from behind COR
ners, and were standing at a safe distance guy
ing the luckless confectioner
III says we can't git no cream cos we didn't
buy none from him last summer" remarked one
Of the boys to the reporter, as he balanced on a
curb and ratified his empty can against a post.