The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1889-03-02
MASTERS OF SLANG.
Good Illustrations of the Development
Has Attained To in America.

Good Illustrations of the Dvelopment 1t
Has Attained To in America.
Some men speak Sian, instead OF
English. l remember paying whist
one day coming up tromNew Orleans
in a Pullman car with thee other men,
South American ranchnan, a British
consul and q Chicago drummer. A
preacher with a large AMI flabby family
entered the car and tool a section OPP
posite ours. They maderemarks about
card playing for awhile and then rails
ing their voices began to sing hymns
at us with a vehemenceand earnestness
that was almost beyond belief. 1t was
such an abominably discordant and I'M
pleasant performance that it finally
grew unbearable. The man from Chi
cage laid down his cards in the middle
of verse, and, looking across at the
preacher, said:
Say! You an your family are max
ing the hull car fatigued. Drop it,
See! Drop it, and don't take. LIP
again. Lies too short. This Bre
place amt a barracks nor a church.
It's a sleeper, and we're not paying
extra fare to hear your performance.
Selah!"
1t is in the Fourth ward, however,
that slang reaches its highest point.
Some time ago was coming out of
Harper's building, when the voice of a
boy, who seemed scarcely five years
old, arrested my attention. He was
ragged little urchin, and he was pull
ing his mothers dress with one hand,
while he pointed at the driver of
passing hearse with the other. The
driver had a rich burgundy color, and
it was concentrated at the end Of his
nose. 1t was this that attracted the
child's attention.
"Hey, mudder," he said, exciteGly,
pipe his jags wild de rosy beak on the
morgue wagon!'
1t was akin in accent and intona-
ton to another man, whom heard as
walked up the 'Bowery. He was
barker in front OF cheap museum, and
stopped for moment to listen to
him. He wore huge cigar in the
corner OF his mouth, and displayed an
ever-varying smile. Just as l was
passing his place he raised his voice
and cried:
my Gawd! can these things be?'
Every body stopped.
Here 1 YAM" continued the barker
in state of excitement, ''shootin' off
me mouth like wild man, an for
what purpose?" f-.
Here he turned and addressed the
crowd:
gents, he said, solemnly, "yer loos-
in tn chance of a lifetime way speae-
that winder, boy, or I'll kick yer lung
AN whose t. blame? Am 1? No!
Walk in! Walk in an look at tn un-
rivaled collection of U-ro-pee-an an
naytive novelties from the courts OF
Toxic. Mokio, BoKIo and WHANG
COOP
The barker then lowered his voice
to whisper and added, confdentially.
"All fer tn small and giddy sum of
one dime or ten cents including troop
of wild-eyed children of Borneo, liy-
ing skeletan minus of flies, Cork girl
who writes wild her nose, the dog-faced
mudder Nv four be-oo-ti-ful triplets- !"
At this point he lost all control of him.
self, and yelled wildly:
mot for getting Munseer Ping.
gull-hinl1ie, Frances fav-or-ite son.
who can put on his pants over his
head, bein' backed as champion apin
tn wurld by us fer the enormous sum
of one hunderd ToUsAN' DOLLYERS
CASH" ..... ...,.. n.
But then slang is based q good deal on
locality. In the far West man speaks
of something satisfactory in the horse
and wagon way as "a dandy turnout
stranger" while in Newport it goes as
"a devilish swagger trap, OF chap
and there isn't a bit of difference
Cor. N. Y. Sun.