National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1886-01-23
Diary of Darius 7. skinner.

"FIFTn AVENUE HOTEL, New YORK,
Dec. 81, 1Ss5.-It hardly seems possible
that am here in New York, putting up at
hotel where it costs me S. or SO day to
just simply exist. l came here from my
faraway home entirely alone. l have no
business here, but / simply desired to rub
up ngainst greatness for awhile. need
polish, and am smart enough to know It..
~ write this entry In my diary to explain
who am and to help identify myselfin case
j should come to my room intoxicated some
night and blow out the gas.
"The reason / am here Is, that last sum-
mer while whacking bulls, which Is really
my business / grub-staked Alonzo Nc
Reddy, and forgot about 1t till got back,
and the boys told me that Lon had struck q
First National Bank in the shape Of the Sarah
Waters claim. He was then very low with
mountain fever, and so nobody felt like
jumping the claim. Saturday afternoon
Alonzo passed away and left me the Sarah
Waters. That's the only sad thing about
the whole business now. / am raised from
bull-whacking to anluence, but Alonzo is
not here. How we would take in the town
together II he'd lived, for the Sarah Waters
was enough to make us both well fixed.
81 can imagine Ions look Of surprise
and pride rs he looks over the outer battle
ments Of the New Jerusalem and watches
me paint the town. Little did Lon think
when pulled out across the fiat with my
whiskers full Of alkali dust and my cuticle
full of raw agency whisky that inside Of a
year would be a nabob, wearing billed
shirts every single day of my life, and
clothes made specially for me.
"Life is full Of sudden turns, and no one
knows here In America where he'll be in
two weeks from now. | may be back there
NJ ,,fr 80
and skinning the same bulls that j have
heretofore skun.
LAST evening | went to see THE Mi
kado,' kind Of singing theater and Chit
nese allS-around. 1t Is what would call
no good. 1t is acted out by different peo-
pie who claim they are Cinnamon, reckon.
They teeter around on the stage, and sing
In the English language, but their clothes
are peculiar. A homely man, who played
that he was the Lord High Executioner, and
Chinaman of the vigilance committee, wore
a pair of wide, red bandaua pants, which
came off during the first act. He was cool
and collected, though, and so caught them
before it was everlastingly too late. He
held them on by one hand, while he sang
the rest OF his piece, and when he left the
stage the audience heartlcssly whOoped for
him to come back.
THE Mikado' is not funny or instruct
i've as general thing but last night 1t was
accidentally facetious. II has too much
singing and not enough vocal music about
1t. There is also an overplus of conversa-
ton through the thing that seems like talk
ing at mark for 50 weOh. 1t may be
owing to my simple ways, but the MikadO'
is too rich for my blood.
ave live well here at the Fifth Avenue.
The man that owns the place puts two sill
yer forks and clean tablecloth on my table
every day, and the young fellows that pass
the grub around are so well dressed that 1t
seems sassy and presumptiOus for me to
bother them by asking them to bring me
stuff when I'd Just as soon go and get it
myself and nothing else in the world to do.
~ told the waiter at my table yesterday
that when he got time wished he would
come up to my room and we could have
game Of old sledge. Heis nice young man,
and puts himself out n good deal to make
me comfortable.
81 found something yesterday at the table
that bothered me. 1t was new kind of a
silver dingus, with two handles to 1t, for
getting n lump of sugar into your tea |
saw right away that II was for that, but
when took the two handles in my hand
like nut-cracker and tried to scoop up
lump Of sugar with 1t felt embarrassed.
Several people who were total strangers to
me smiled,
"After dinner the waiter brought me
little pink glass bowl of lemonade and
clean wipe to dry my mouth with, reckon,
after drank the lemonade. / do not pine
for lemonade much, anyhow, but this was
specially poor. 1t was just plain water,
with lemon rlnd and no sugar into It.
zone rural rooster from Plttshurg showed
his contempt for the blamed stuff by wash
ing his hands in 1t. may be rough and
uncouth In my style, but / hope will never
lower myself like that In company"