The Wilmingtonian., 1886-12-11
Like Old Times.

he street.
Wilmington is in its regulation winter
Uniform of white. The sky alone 10 a dull
leaden hue affords the sole color contrast in
natu o. In the distant perspective of the
venue heavy laden blue horizon tells the
,tnry of still more unburdening Of ''tho
beautiful snow. This is how it louked Tues
lay morning.
The first intlmation of the heavy snow fall
# the previous night is the boarding hous,.
mistress, lachrymuse plant that mot a Sill
lie milkman has got around while yesterday
here Were five or SIX OF them in the alley. :"
Who can blame tine milkmenl Lacteous
duid is not altogether indispensable even on
one or two occasions in the year.
One OF these earliest of our early rising
business men remarked to tue writer, thai
snowy morning, while dissent angling his
blockaded speaking oriiice from numerous
10y stalactites and stalagmtes that thickly
diaped musache aud beard, made speaking
difficult aid tt transformed the midnight toiler
luto model Santa Claus, ''Comin' along
Newport Pike, the snow drifts were so deep
had to lift out my milkcans aud carry 'em
around, team want able to pull through" !"
Imagine being in that sort OF business at
two aud three o'clock in the cold clustering
snow stoim of Tuesday iast | Tbiuk OF tuat,
you citizens who were costly smuggling ur-
der your blankets and elder down quilts.
Inc OF you heard the plaiutiye wind whist
ling around the house corners that night.
AT those hours our gallant friend the milk
man was struggling in the dark through six
iUot snow dits with his heavy mIlkcans Oh
the road to the city.
Tuesday morning indeed illustrated ar old
fashioned " inter.
Sleighs and seds with jangling bells and
noisy, CHEEKY, red-faced drivers told the tale.
Au occasional wheeler, who,e silent noiseltss
motion, as the hubs sank spouge-lke iuto
the snow, and horses Struggled with an un-
accustomed weight, plainly showed how
uusnited that mode of conveyance is for tue
present season.
AS the stores are opened citizens emerge
aud Commence with that exaotltude seeu in
hardly another city in the country to clear
oil jisL that section of the deep DRIFT, and
not snow fake more, that lies in front Of
their own premises, The result is that, fol-
lowing heavy snow storm such as that OF
Tuesday morning, the early visitor to the
streets sees huge blocks of snow, like crev.
asses or miniature Colorado canons at each
few yards. in many instances 80 exactly
cut and piled up with snow shovel that the
spectator is odly reminded of the stacks oi
huge dry-goods boxes that may be seen at "a
certain season of the year ranged along that
portion of Broadway, New York, where the
large wholesale dry goods merchants make
their business habitat.
Along the tops of these snow blocks that
little Britisher, the sparrow, hops in a puz-
zled sort of way, every moment peering over
the crevasse apparently wondering what has
happened to the whole mundane creation and
in particular to the familiar ash barrel which
is so suddenly non inpentus. They evidently
never saw anything like this before.
'fhe snow harricades form famous play
grounds for the children. "Wash your face
in the snow !" is terrible threat even to the
adults, who, If the slightest familiarity is IN.
dicated fiud themselves unceremunuusy
pouuced upon by their young friends whose
numbers always give them the victory. How
brill ant compilations contact with the snoa
gives them. II is not the children alone
however who 9, joy the season. Older peo-
pie catch the invigorating influence aud
cpndescend to enjoy themselves. Que Of
our well-known city editors and prominent
court house Official had a laughabls time iu
the high snow bank at the corner of Seventh
and Market streets Tuesday morning. The
record is that the journalist drove the "limb
OF the law" into a neighboriDg store for rel
uge, from whence he had not the courage to
TO emerge until the editors craving for
boarding house steak coerced him into de-
sertion of further sentinel duty.
There is a serious side too, to this xtreme
weather. We must not forget the poor. The
Associated Charities have been preaching to
us most worthy sermon the last few months.
We are are at the commencement only, of a
hard winter. In the midst of our merriment,
holiday gifts, Christmas dinners aud general
jollity, the poor, especially the sick poor
should be remembered. There are large num-
bers of INDECENT people in the city. And
these numbers will not decrease as mid-win.