Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-08-17

TRAVELLING COOK SHOPS AND CUSTOMERS.
Saturday is very busy day at the Center
market With from two 10 four hundred
country wagons and ~ many more huckster
and butcher wagons there 10 u continual Jam
on b street west Of 7th and east OF 18th street
Besides the large number Of vehicles,s thou
sands OF pedestrians pass over the ground dur
ing the market hours-from s a. m. TO IL a. m.
First come first served" is the motto of the
| dealers, and the first oomers appear often be-
fore the market doors are opened. From an
hour or 90 after business begins there Is con-
tinual rush until IL or o'clock, when most of
the huckster wagons have disappeared and the
country wagons are thinning out. Many of the
| countrymen, when sold out, leave their We
hicles about the market while they 60 out
shopping.
When the busy part of the day is over those
who occupy stands inside the building are
gwen breathing spell. During the two or
three hours afternoon business is not so brisk
and they then manage to clear away the rub
Dish and rearrange their stands for the night
! trade. Each day at the close OF the market the
refuse is collected and carted away before it
mas time to decay sufficiently to become Of
fensive.
PICKING Up SCRAPS.
The hay scattered about the street is picked
up by colored persons who have horses and
cows and also by boys who have goats. Then
during the day one can see people darting
about among the wagons. Among these are
many colored girls. They 60 about the coun-
| try wagons and huckster stands ostensibly for
the purpose OF picking up ''specked" apples,
aitnough they are not particular as to the spoils
they secure in this way. Included in this class
| are scores of old people, who carry
baskets sacks or boxes and gather all sorts of
vegetables. During the morning many of them
succeed in gathering enough vegetables for
| their use at home.
Outside, near the approaches of the market,
10 crowd OF boys looking for an odd Job of
some kind, such as carrying baskets, holding
horses or running errands. These boys, or
many OF them, sell papers in the morning and
then remain about the market until noon.
They often earn from 81 to 50 in day. Some
| of them also do other work in the afternoon
and are thereby able to care for their parents,
as many OF them have to do.
WATCHING THE P1cKPocKErs.
The crowded market Saturday morning
would give the pickpockets an excellent oppor-
tunity to scoop i'm few pocket books if it
were not for the vigilance of the market officers.
| An old game in the market is for the pick
pocket to get in the thickest of the crowd and
knock pocket book from a woman's hand
The pocket book drops to the pavement and
then the thief manages to pick it up in the
| scramble and sneak through the crowd into
the market before an officer can catch him.
Seldom, however, does the thief 60 unpublished
Tor any length OF time. Special Officer Mckay,
who Is in charge of the market corps of officers
and helpers, has thus far succeeded in captur-
| ing almost every thief who has operated about
the market Mr.. Mckay and his assistant Mr.
Capner. are familiar with the faces Of the
sneak thieves and pickpockets who appear
about the market
THE NIGHT SCENES
Before shutdown a grand Transformation
| scene takes place. The large mounds of choice
fruits have either entirely disappeared or been
nearly leveled to the ground, and the flower
| stands have been robbed. The butcher stands
are still there and there 10 meat upon them, but
the choicest Of roasts and steaks have gone
After all there 10 thing left that attracts the
eyes of those in search of cheap food. That is
the watermelons. They always make q good
appearance, and especially on Saturday nights,
when they are piled high above all other fruits
and vegetables. A red ripe watermelon, cut in
large slices, on one Of the stands attracted the
attention OF many persons as they entered the
building last Saturday night. Between the red
lights that showed off the luscious fruit With
good effect. Melons were cheaper than they
were the previous Saturday night. and much
larger number was sold. The slices Of melon
DrOu&nt from TWO &c ave GEMS, winnie the WnOie
melons sold at from ten to thirty cents The
dealers who are anxious to get rid Of their
small stock Of melons do so by slicing and SELL
Ing them in that way, the slices being in de-
mand by the small colored children who visit
the market One old man, with a small girl
visited the market. As he entered the child
discovered sliced watermelon enough to supply
the family for week.
"Oh, pappy," she said, as they entered the
door, buy me piece Of watermelon"
80 long, Lizzie" replied the old man; II
amt got money enough to buy meat and bread,
and de Lord knows l can't be buying dem
Watermelons."
But, pappy," said the little one, '.buy me
some watermelon and don't want meat and
bread. Its only three cents"
We'll, child" said the old man, counting
three pennies, "here's de money. Go and get
yosslfa slice, and you kin have some meat and
bread, too"
The little one did as told, and presently the
old man also stole back and bought slice for
himself. The old man and the little girl went
to secluded spot to enjoy the fruit The mar
ket closes at II p. M. and soon after that hour
the doors are locked and all IL darkness.
THE CONDITION OF STREET.
Sometimes street is not cleaned as nicely
rs it might be by Sunday morning, and the de-
cayed vegetation causes a stencil to arise that
Is not at all pleasant for persons travelling
condition for several years. There are several
large holes or sunken places where rain water
remains and becomes stagnant. During rainy
weather this condition of the street renders It
almost impossible for persons to cross from
one side to the other.
PORTABLE REsrAURANrs.
Probably the happiest set of people to be
seen in the city are about the market They
are along the north side Of B street between
10th and 18th streets. There are situated the
'West End" hotels Most of these hotels are
on wheels, although some Of them are portable
buildings. Among these, "hotel keepers" are
old ''uncles' and ''aunties'' who have more than
lived their three score and ten. As a rule these
eating places, or cook shops" as they are called
by the colored people, are constructed on small
wagons or push carts, so that at the close of
business there is no, trouble to move toward
home. Thus the hotels can be moved from one
place to another without even the trouble of
obtaining permit. This is the only class of
hotel keepers who do not have to pay heavy
rent and District revenue.
THAT'S Why" the old folks will say, 1--WE
can sell cheaper"
what can you get at these eating stands2"
asked STAR reporter.
Anything that you can get at frst-class
hotel II you don't mind the cooking and, per-
haps, little dirt"
These places are open for business az early
- o'clock in the morning, when breakfast is
ready. From then until the market day ends
there are busy times among them. These
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