Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-09-14
LUNCH ON THE CURBSTONE.
Dining Reduced to First Principles on
Pennsylvania Avenue.

George Washington Johnsing. youse . no
account niggahl Yo' credit am busted up wild
dis hyah institooshun. Tree weeks you've
been runnin' q bod bill for lunches at my
basket, on cheek an widout putin up nickle,
an just now 1 seen you buyin pie of Of
Nancy SNOWFALL fer spot cash. OATS no way
ter do business. Youse heap quicker wild er
knife an fork dan wild er pick an shovel. an
1se got mighty long string er fggers agin
yo' name. Yo'd better settle Satd'y, or I'll
speak to de boss. He won't femme be cheated
by any black trash wild squash pie on his
whisker."
And as she spoke the old colored woman
spread out big account book on the Pennsyl-
vania avenue curbstone alongside of her and
called attention to an undecipherable maze Of
figures at page No. "a. Besides Mr.. Johnsing,
whose credit was SO painfully imperilled, three
or four other laboring men, enjoying their
noon hour of leisure, were gathered curiously
around. munching various edibles.
'De trouble wild you, Massa Johnsing," con-
tnued the woman with the basket, emphasiz-
ing her remarks by waving long-handled
spoon, lis dat you is altogedder too much Of
an-an Ipecac." She hesitated a moment at
the word, and then continued; "Nothin less'n
salt pork, billed cabbage an such dainty dishes
am good 'nuH fer you, an you must hab UNI
cherry day One dollah an eighty-sebben cents
you owe, includin pies fer dessert. Pies!-fer
niggah dat can't pay his debts! G'way from
mer'
''GIMME DUMP"
The bankrupt epicure skunk off sheepishly as
an old fellow with kinky gray pate came up
and, picking up one of little pile of tin plates
that stood by the gutter side, offered it to the
woman saying simply as he did SO, Gimme
dump!'
The woman opened her basket and fished out
from tin pail huge apple dumping. This
she put on the plate, together with knife and
three-tined fork. and handed the plate back to
the customer, who moved one side to make
room for another applicant The latter was
young darkey with an expansive smile and a
suit OF clothes several sizes to big for him. He
waited until a hieroglyph representing the
dumping just bought had been entered in the
credit book and then demanded pork and cab
bage.
How much?' inquired the old woman, with
knife and fork suspended.
The young darkev replied that he would 90
ten cents worth. and a corresponding amount
OF very unlnviting-l looking salt pork was care
fully sliced of the hunk in the basket A lib
eral portion OF cabbage added to this, and
hve biscuits also. all for ten cents, which this
cash purchaser promptly handed over.
Among the things which the old woman sold
to other customers along the curbstone were
baked potatoes, Irish and sweet, whole pies of
fair size for five cents, and meat stew. STAR
reporter asked her if she found the business
profitable.
Il gifts libbin, sab" she said. Oats bout
all. i cooks de vittles cherry day at home, an
fetch um wherever de men is wukkin. Dere
is too many women in de same business to mex
1t pay berry big. We all wuks on our own hook,
an guess dere amt huff diffunce in de cook
IN ter mex more trade fer one dan anudder
sometimes we have beef stead er pork; but
pork Is cheap, an de men likes it,
COUNTRY CUSTOMERS.
"But why don't the men bring their own
lunches from home?'
''Why, sab, desc men dat buy lunch from de
basket women lib ODER in Virginny an Mary
Ian. Dey don't b'long in Washington. but
come to de city when dey kin git er job O. wuk
an stay wild friends or sleep round. Contrac-
tors III hire country niger quicker'n city
one, 'kase he's apt to be be stddier an soberer
So dere's mos allus plenty oh 'em in town, an
dey Is our principal customers. Once in er
while l gifts cheated, but not often; for de boss
will make UNI pay up, an hab UNI all down in
my count book. De men nebber hab money
'cept Sat'dys, an SO l hab ter trus' UNI by de
week."