The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1886-09-03
TIMES HAVE CHANGED.
The Little BootbIack's Lament
"Standing-up Shin es'-Not
Popular.


Times amt what they was" said
young bootblack sententously the other
day as he polished reporters boot in
an East River ferry house.
Why, what's gone wrong. sonny2'
20, nothin' pertiklar, but I was just
thinkin' how glad I am of this Job ano
them's terrible muddy boots. too, and
you don't wear Tom Thumbs neethe. -
and the young scapegrace took an eve
me- sure OF the reporters leather-clad
PEDALS.
You See" he went on chipping
BROOKLYN soil from his employers off
boot heel, e few years ago a sinner
only wanted a wooden box. som black
ing and couple of brashes, or if he
was real hard up, one brush, with a
smearin stick. would do for his whole
kit. Now. " contemptuously, "a fellow
Siauds no show with only them things.
Why, d you 'sDose Id be skuryin'
round the ferry house pickin' up coun-
try men and buffers if the bizneSs was
what 1t was few years ago2"
Pending rapid metal calculation as
to which class he was relegated the re-
porter made no response
You bel l wouldn t., went on the
0oOtblacK. WHY. IN them DAYS [ was
up by the Astor House and had my re-
gular customers, out-and cutters, too,
every one Of them. Now takes who |
can and ks no questions
And it's all along of the chairs It
you don't have a chair might Just as
well quit the business or make up your
mind to lake mighty poor pIckin's."
why don't you run chair?" sug
gested the reporter by way of keeping
up the conversation.
Now, your shoutin', " was the
prompt reply. Why don't l live on
oysters and ice cream? That's Wny l
don't run a chair. Cause l can't raise
one.'
There amt enuf to go ~ound. We
feIlers have calculated nights down to
the lOdgin' house where | bunk, that
one chair uses up ABOUT ten reg lars
that's me, you know. I'm a reg lar, a
reel old timer and you can see with half
an eye them fggers must wipe us out
In time"
4 see" responded the reporter sym
pstheticallY, "a case of the survival of
the fttest."
II dunno what you mean by that. It's
a revival, that amt no good. | tried the
religion racket, and 1t didn't WORK. The
men you want TO tackled the lager
beer fellers
Yes, sir" he repeated emphatically
that the way chairs is got. 4 sinner
hangs round a saloon swhile, does little
odd jobs for bartenders. borrys a chair
few times for some of the good Gus
toners to sit in, and finally gets one
left out all the time. Sometimes he
pays little bit for it, but not often. But
when be gets it that fixes him. You
won't see any more sinners round that
corner to divide custom, for everybody
wants chair, and the saloon is handy
by 10 wait for it if somebody's in.
Then a teller begins improving his
property. He gets a cushion for his
chair, rigs up an umbreliy over it for
rain and sun, ha; little broom to brush
the nobs off, and-begorra who'll stand
up against a lamp post for g'lar
shine in the face OF the likes of that2
And they'se gettin' more and more
bold. Theae'S a new bar-Toom -pened
up on Broadway, and there's a glass
| house built round the chair, and the
chair is made of red shiney wood, with
arms and cushions and low back, ike
them in the tooth crackers places.
And brushes till you can't rest all hung
round on hooks, and boxes of blackin'
! all set in jars like and all for five cents
/ like any of US. We can't stand sech
competition He finished giving the
| last bot final vigorous rub. az m
lookin' for job in Jersey, am"