The Penn's Grove record., 1888-04-14
METROPOLITAN SCENES.
Glimpses OF Loa1ng Life Revealed
in New York STREETS.

In a street In Boston, through which
l pass daily some old buildings we're
recently torn down. A plank cause
way Vas built over the sidewalk while
the cellar was being e~xcavated. Foul
weather or fair this bridge would be
packed with idleIs until one had often
to take the other side Of the way In de
SPAR OF forcing a passage. There was
nothing to be seen at best but a lot of
Irishmen and Italians digging dirt and
weary c~art-horses hauling it away. In
wet weather the work was suspended.
But in the wettest weather, when the
rain was pouring in p~ailfuls, the bridge
would still have its unresting force col
lected. in a triple rank of wide-eyed
stupidity, Immersed in the absorbing
employment of looking at some muddy
puddles down in a pit. One streaming
morning. when the icy rain was freez-
Ing as it fell, l asked a man whose
overcoat had been turned into a sheet
of mail by the congealing downpour,
what he was looking at SO earnestly.
lie replied, in a hOarse and awful tone
of voice, nodding at the pit the while
"They're diggin' a sullar."
"Well," said |, ''what if they areP"
"It's too wet for 'em TO work." he
responded ~irreleyantly, but solemnly.
1t was not too wet for him to remain
On guard Eel the deserted digging,
though, and | left him, one of many
who were gradually stiffening into icy
p~etrifaction for the pleasure of doing
nothing, or not being called upon to
think while they were doing it.
l have a friend of the clubS-as mad
a wag as ever lived when the humOr of
his before.dinner absinthe is upon him.
We were crossing a public square, n
balmy evening last Spring; 6 O'Clock
had Just been screeched at US by every
factory whistle within hearing, and the
sidewalks were aswarm.
''I'll lay o the dinners" said my
farceur. 'that l can create a riot here
inside of five minutes"
He stopped at the public drinking
fountain, and took up the lineup that
was chained to it. The passers-by
started a little to see so elegant a gen.
tleman stop to drink at a common
fount of cheap refreshment. Several
halted, after going on a few PAGES, TO
look back. He filled the cup deliOer
ately. The waiting several had become
a score. He raised the cup slowly
toward his lips. The score grew to
fifty. Suddenly he dashed the water
into the basin and filed the cup again.
only to empty it untouched. BY this
time we were encircled by SO many peo-
pie that they could not be counted. and
l could hear such observations and In
quiries all around us as:
"He'l drink it this time"
"Bet you the drinks lie don't"
"Must be dirty"
"What is tip
"Maybe the cup leaks"
SHE must be some crank"
"What ais him, anYhow?"
"Maybe common water isn't good
enough for him."
There were also addressed to him,
| through this running fire of comment,
many more or less friendly and dIsin-
terested suggestions and instructions,
like
Wrench the cup out" from a
motherly fat woman, poking her UNI
brella at him.
l IldtC otIth III ~, ~ d bidu Will
a shiny black hat and a shiny red
nose.
Tell the waiter to open another bot
tie"
This sally, which proceeded from a
young man In cross barred trousers,
with a very large and massive cane,
which he carried like a yardstick, was
hailed with such applause that a park
| policeman fodnd himself called upon to
interfere, whereupon my friend hurled
the cup into the basin with an expires.
| sion of the face nd.cative CT great dis
gust and loathing, and showed his way
out of the crowd as quickly as he
could. We could hear the a of Vol
ces and the sharp rappiIg of the police
| mans club when he turned into the
I restaurant, a block and more away;
and l learned by the papers the next
| day that the shiny red nose and the
| shiny black hat slept in a statiOn-house
| cell on a general charge of d~isorderly
| conduct and the utterance Of murdeous
threats against some person or persons
unknown.