The Washington critic., 1888-08-18
SOMETHING OF CITY LIFE.
A Scene that Has Been Taken from
French Novel

Little indeed does one-holf the world know
Of how tho other half lives. The haut-ton
knows aud cares to know nothing OF the
cnnaie Avenue aud alley is as far separated
as the poles, the respectabllity Of the avenue
coaking the disreputabillty Of the alley in its
midst.
These tortuous alleys that honeyoomb most
OF the squares in the thickly-populated sec
tions Of tho city are the nurseries aud refugees
Of crime
The moonheams slanted down into one Of
these alleys Saturday night and lighted scene
in which the avenue and the alley met and
quarrcled and villled each other, and, as the
battle was waged on the ground OF the alley,
the alley was victorious.
On the east side OF the alley, bnthed IN the
moon's light, was q small house with three
windows aud q door, each one Of which bore
the stamp OF poverty-stricben dlsroputablity.
On the uneven cobblcstones OF the alley
stood n woman, middle-aged, neatly dressed
and lady-like In manner, her appearance bear
ing the unmistakable story OF respectabllity.
She had raped several times on tho greasy
door of the hovel and was finally answered by
n female voice from a WINDOW over the door.
The lady stepped back and asked in feign-
edly quiet voice II Mr. ---, mentioning her
husbands name, was there.
The figure in the window was thrown into
bold relief as II leaned on its elbows and
looked down from the window by o low
turned gas let in the room. The moon
strenmed over her black, crinkly hair and
whitened the deep yellow OF her bare, plump
shoulders and round neck. AS she heard the
mans name mentioned change came over
her face and she said mo What should he
be here for?" But the expression OF exultant
hate that shone in every line of her hand
somely-moulded face gave the lie to her own
words. The lady down on the cobblcstones
looked up and saw the sparkle of the black
eyes and the shining white teeth exposed by
the octoroon's hendish smile and lost her
composurc. She demanded admission to the
house so that she might satisfy herself OF her
husbands presence or absence.
The octoroon turned to whisper question
to some one In the room, and when she again
looked at the woman on the cobblestones It
was with an expression that was maddening to
the frenzled wife, and she taunted her with
the vllest things that such woman could say
to a wife. The wife lost all control of her
self, became hysterical, threw herself against
the locked and bolted door and sobbed and
prayed and blasphemed in the excess Of her
agony.
"If ] could only get inf could only find
him. she cried. "I know he is there; they
said he was there. Oh, II [ could only get
I'M
And all the time the octoroon looked down
from her window and taunted the wife, and
SNciy ihC VA Nhu 1OiiON lhNN1 buC Duic hCSh
and shoulders, the jetty eyes and hair, and the
white teeth grinning at her In the moonlight,
burned into the wife's brain like vitriol.
policeman passed through the alley, and
the wife ran to him and begged him, almost
on her knees, to break into the octoroon's
house and allow her to search for her husband.
But the policeman was powerless, and as the
woman would not be quiet and continued hel
bysterical raving, refusing to go home, he was
compelled to take her to the station-house.
Her arrest seemed to quiet her and clear her
brain, and her face settled into an expression
Of determined hatred that was startling in the
face that had been so pleasant in its quiet
matronlness.
She gave the station-keeper an assumed
name, and took So from her well-hlled pocket.
book and left 1t as collateral for her appear
ance In Police Court.
She lett the station-house quietly, and get
ting into cab on the Avenue, told the driver
number on q respectable street and asked
him to hurry. And as the cab rolled through
the quiet streets the ''cabby' heard her sob
bing as only heart-brokeu woman can sob.