New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-02-03
4 LITTLE THING.
HOW IT RuFFLEs A MAN.

HOW II RUFFLES A MAN.
How little thing VIII ruhie up man How some
hule trivial incident viii happen along and wlthou'
seeming to try at all viii take great strong man
up and swing him around its head and flop him down
on his back just II did such things every day
what poor weak thing is man and what a great
roaring giant is the Little Thing
The other day was in the ferryhouse In a suburb
OF New-fork, waiting with the rest OF the crowd LOT
the boat. On one side Of the room was door with
large Sign over It, reading Lunch ROOM INC
Hungry Man, always In every crowd, was on hand
This time he was big man, who looked as II when
no paid for thing he didn't feel under any obliga-
Hons to tho gentleman who sold It to him like some
OF MS weak creatures, who are going to inherit inc
earth. The large man thought he would step into
this luncheon headquarters and get piece of pie SO
he approached tho door. He didn't notice four
quart pail Of ice-water up over It with
string so arranged that as tho dDoy was
opened the pail was Inclined But It was
there II he didn't see II. The boy who runs
the newsstand opposite had arranged this IN
genious apparatus for the benefit OF the lunch man
but this able caterer had remained in his lair ana
the boy had forgotten about It when the passengers
came In. But II was stu In good working ORDER
The seeker after nuti1ment wondering II the PIE
would be At TO eat and thinking that he would Just
mention Il TO the II 1t wasn't and refuse to pay
when two quarts Of water and a small piece OF Ice
ran down the back Of his neck quite Unexpectedly.
Then the man backed up and talked unrcasonaDy'
He said things that called peoples attention 10 him.
lie made statements that he would have repudiaed In
bis calmer moments He danced up and down, too, IN
a way you wouldn't have believed him capable OF five
minutes before. You never saw a man behave as II
he was actuated by stronger impulses. And all tho
time bowling like man selling new potatoes out OF
a red wagon. The crowd smiled pleasantly, but II
only seemed TO make the man the madden. lie claimed
It wasn't the way to treat customer 1t was mean
way TO welcome the coming guest. The crowd kept
looking pleased and Interested, and one man asked
him II tho water was cold aud told him he ought TO
change his clothes he would get pneumonia
Another asked him why he didn't dodge, and another
to his and offered TO bet IS that the man
couldn't have lodged Il II he had tried. Another
said that was the way the lunch always locked
his door. This made the delugcd Individual maddcr
than ever, and he rushed and smashed open the
door with kick and started In to wreck the place,
and got the other two quarts Of water all over his
hat And three pieces Of ice And the pail ITSELF.
And the string. And the proprietor had escaped
through a window And when that man who had
bored under the mistaken idea that he wanted some
thing to eat backed out the second tmo he was the
worst acting man you ever He acted a. II he
really couldn't Jump high enough or say things sum
GENTLY unpleasant about that poor lunch vender.
And the crowd did everything II could to soothe his
feelings, too, and smiled and looked pleasant, and
SSA~tNr -
as if they thought It was the best thing they ever
saw. One man advised him to try 1t again, and
another told him It wasn't anything to falling of
feryboat and being dragged back on by rope around
his neck Another told him that tho lunch
room proprietor had grown rich at the business and
didn't care snyhing about custom anyhow and took
this means 10 discourage It. Another man, who was
larger than tho victim Of the suspended pail, said That
for hs part he always looked up over door before
no went to rushing into It. small man sHid' yes,
that was the mos, sensible way And mddlc-szed
things Aud boy told him that he knew the pail
was there but didn't say anything because he sup
posed, OF course the man saw H. But stu the man
wasn't comforted, but Kept abusing everything tlll
the boat came.
OF water ran down HIS backl lie stood up by tho
steam radiator on the trip and by the time he got to
New-YOrk be was dry stu that unrca-
sonsble man was vilifying tho poor innocent lunch
man under his heath when he LANDED. Man. Is Vefy
mortal when It comes 10 the Little Thing