Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1886-12-24
THE BANANA MAN.
CurbstOne Fruit Vendors and Their
Many Trials.

Curbstone Fruit Vendors and Their
Many Trials.
THE MYSTERY OF THE MOVING LIGHTs-PEDDLERs
DoDGING THE POIICE-A PIRATICAL LOOKING ITAL-
IAN DIsCoURsEs ON THE FRUIT TRADE TO STAR
REPORTER.
.Banan? Banana?"
italian John sat with one leg thrown over the
handle of his push cart. :Banan, banan; apple
orang-an-banan.' he cried, and all the while looked
up and down the street and In all directions nerv
ously. pe-Orang-an-bananr The little
smoky oil torch swinging at the front end OF his
cart fiickered and twisted itself into all sorts of
shapes, trying to dodge the wind. Half dozen
other smoky torches at regular intervals up the
street signaled and winked at each other, keeping
up community OF purpose and sort OF secret
fellowship.
John swung his leg laZily over the handle of the
cart lettering 1t up and down across its two wheels
and showing his white teeth every now and then
as he smiled to himself. On the board with little
rail around IL laid across the top Of the cart
spread out about a dozen punches OF little ba-
nanas, shr1velled up and black, as many bags OF
peanuts, half a peck OF apples and three or four
Occasionally he whistled some snatch of a tune
orange on top or to arrange the to appsr
more tempting. There was jolly pirate air about
him as he laziiy swung his leg over the bar and
cried:
ppl-orang-an-banan! Banan, ten cents
dozen.n
THE SMALL BOY.
Presently little boy stopped to get ga cents
worth of bananas" and stood with open-mOuthed
wonder at the pirate as he picked out the latest
of his store OF mummy bananas. As the boy de-
yOured the mummy with Juvenile delight, one of
the ffckering lights away of in the distance gave
sudden jerk and began to move. Then all the
other little lights gave significant wink and be-
gan 70 move, and the pirate unSwung his leg from
the bar and began pushing his cart lazily down
the street. While he whiStled an outlaw tune.
Presently policeman came along, the other lights
began 10 back, and the pirate backed also TO
where the boy stood with appetite for another
banana. As he settled his cart back under the
lamppoSt again. look of contentment passed over
MS lace and ne watched the row OF wnkng torches,
conscious that his light was winkilg back at
them.
He had out-witted the law and knew the law
had several squares yet to go before its brass but
tons could come along again. Meanwhile his
'out-iaW trade" could go uDdiSturbed. But the
tflde did not so on very prosperously. Even the
little boy who stood by admiring the picturesque
OUTLAW, could not stand more than two bananas.
Either his appetite had fed, or his finances had
sank too low TO warrant any further out lay. All
the other children hurried by see the gay things
in the SHOP window, and the poor pirate was
becoming down-hearted when a STAR reporter
stopped by his cart.
THE PIRATE TALKS
He offered TO sell anything and everything he
had at at 'half price" and wound up by Offering
him the whole wagon load for s.four dOlla." When
he found that the reporter had no appetite for
fruit or peanuts and did not want to buy out his
business with good will and fixtures, but was
merely disposed TO have little chat he seized very
quickly hold OF the business end OF the oppor-
tunlty Ind was very communicative. He confessed
cOntidentially that there was very little money in
the business and that the reporter wise to
Keep out OF It, There We're thirty or forty wagons
at IL already, and between the constant annoy
ance OF the police and the small sales it was hard
for them to make living. Even Christmas times
he said, did not improve trade. In fact quite the
their
principal Customers, were SO taken I'D with the
bright things in the windows and had other neo-
pie TO buy them so much more from the large
stores that poor John was quite deserted. But the
worst feature OF the business was the police, who
twenty-five dola' license" he said ssbuI must
m0Vey; al the time must MONEY!" II they stopped
he said, they had to watch out for the police or
they would be arrested and fined S. or be sent to
the wOrkhouSe. "But they no all catch me- Me
always moyey. For five yeah me sell all banan and
pay fine"
But there he added woefully that it was very
hard to put his younger brother in the business.
Every .'week or three" he got arrested and had to
pay a hne. He scarcely made enough 10 pay fines.
He was so young that he got to playing and did
| not notice the other lights. Lights? Oh when
one light moved it meant that Ii was moving out
OF the way OF policeman, and they all got into
motlon until the policeman passed. But, oh, the
little fellow was too small to dodge the law yet
He get older, maybe! The carts? oh, no; they did
not all belong TO one man. Sometimes one man
owned six or eight and hired men to SELL Some
tunes the men themselves owned the ones they
the wagon.
Bananas? No, they never get out OF season.
They are In all winter. only they cheaper when
most scarce. In season they sold for two dollars
and half bunch. Now with Shrug of the
shoulders they sold for only fifty cents and he
could Afford, sometimes, to sell them for tive cents
q dozen.
How much did he make? Not much. Enough to
live on (anOther shrug), but no sell much no live
much. Family? Not him; most OF the men had
though.
NOT IN HURRY.
oh, the reporter need not hurry He had plenty
OF time TO talk, would tell him all about It,
Others were stopping to listen. John had
want to let CO. The other lights began to wink
Violently and TO move, but John did not bulge
He was not afraid OF the police under the crcum-
stances. He had stopped merely to talk with a
gentleman. He had struck q streak OF luck Soon
the people would begin 10 buy.
But the reporter had acted as advertising agent
long enough All along 7th street and then down
each other as their owners carried on their outlaw
trade. Some carts were well stocked with Malaga
grapes, oranges, nuts and candies seeming quite
prosperous, While others had only the mtl!nmitied
bananas and little knotty oranges. One man with
cart load OF candy said he had eight carts ON the
street, and offered TO sell the reporter all the con-
tents OF one OF them for s He was not aware that
man, and the reporter did not break the news to
him. Another man, who said he was not afraid OF
the police, informed the reporter under his breath
that he had seen seven carts taken to the station
house at one time.
The men seem 10 like the lodging Of police. It
adds little adventure and excitement to their
business.