The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1889-03-02
MASTERS OE SLANG.
Good Illustrations OF the Development II
Has Attained To In America.

Good illustrations ot the Development II
Has Attained To in America.
Some men speak slang instead oil
English. / remember playing whist
one day coming up from New Orleans
In Pullman car with three other men,
u South American ranchman, a British
consul and Chicago drummer. A
preacher with large and fabby family
entered the cur and took n section op.
posite ours. They made remarks about
card playing for awhile, and then rails.
ing their voices began to sing hymns
at us with vehemence and earnestness
such an abominably discordant and un-
pleasant performance that it finally
grew unbearable. The man from Chi
cago 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 it up
again. Life's too short. This here
place amt a barracks nor church.
It's u sleeper, and we're not paying
extra fare to hear your performance.
Selahl"
1t is in the Fourth ward, however,
that slang reaches its highest point.
Some time ago l was coming out of
Harper's building, when the voice of a
boy, who seemed scarcely five years
old, arrested my attention. He was a
ragged little urchin, and he was pull
ing his mothers dress with one hand,
while he pointed at the driver of a
passing hearse with the other. The
driver had 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, excitedly,
'pipe his jags wild de rosy beak on the
morgue wagon!'
1t was akin in accent and intona-
ton to another man, whom l heard as
I walked up the Bowery. He was n
barker in front of cheap museum, and
l stopped for u moment to listen to
him. He wore a huge cigar in the
corner of his mouth, and displayed an
ever-varying smile. just as | was
passing his place he raised his voice
and cried:
my Gawd! can these things bep'
Every body stopped.
Here 1 yam," continued the barker
in a state of excitement, "shootin off
me mouth like wild man, an for
what purposep"
Here he turned and addressed the
crowd:
"Gents, he said, solemnly, Eyer loos-
in tn chance of lifetime-g'w way from
that winder, boy, or I'll kick yer lung
an whose t. blame? Am |? No!
Walk in! Walk in an look at th' un-
rivaled collection of U-ro-pee-an an
naytive novelties from the courts of
Toxic, Mokio, BoKIo and WHANG
GOOr'
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, a liv
ing skeletan minus of flies, II Cork girl
who writes wild her nose, the dog-faced
mudder NV four rbe-oo-ti-ful triplets--"
At this point he lost all control of him
self, and yelled wildly:
Not for ge-t-ting Munseer Ping
gull-hinkie, Frances fav-or-ite son,
who can put on his pants over his
head, bein' backed as champion agin
tn wurld by us fer the enormous sum
of one hunderd ToUsAN' DOLLYERS
CASH"
But then slangis based 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
ga devilish swagger trap, oil chap
and there isn't Il bit of difference
Cor. n. Y. Sun.