The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-07-05
Wifi Eagle
THE GODDESS

forFnae IA New York HehAd no very am.
bitious hopes Of eesoming a vanaerb,lt or
an alderman, bat knew sosnathing about
horses anu Thought he might get q job as
aariseT.
The 8olks down ont3e farm were Cd.
posed to his go5nss they wonld have pre-.
seTred 70 nave AIfa marry the youngest
Daughter OF the Methodist parson and set.
Ee 0ewn At hoxhe4 His father had even
some SO far&s to ofer him two rooms on
sHe second door Of tho cid farm house and
third i1serest in the farm, With $500
down On the day Of his wedding, but Hiram
wazSed 20 60 tho city, and his interest in
The oaethoSfst parsons youngest daughter
was very slight,
he came to New York VITA Just $40 In
SILVER IN his JsOctes anS shiny papier ma
ono v2AiSs- As soon as he say the long, IN
oreEa2 Ane OF carts and days on West
street he gave up al idea OF Becoming a
driver. He could guide horse down the
furrow In front of the pl0w, and he could
Steer the hay wagon along the country
roads, but this writbing puzzle of heavy
drays and trucks and the swearing drivers
dazed and terrified him.
He wandered up Cortlandt street to the
City Hall park, which struck him as the
pleasantest part of tine city that he had yet
seen, and he sat down on bench and
looked around him w0ndering1y, with his
valise shut in between his knees, for he
knew what thieves and sharpers there
were proving about Ia this big metropo-
lis. He had great curiosity to see the
BoweTy, Of which his cousin Elijah had
told him, and when he was rested and a
little used TO the noise and rush, and felt
little more confidence in himself, he
asked one Of the ''colstables" in gray
where the Bowery was
lie was much relieved to find it was so
near at hand, and plunged into the stream
that flowed up Park row with vivid inter
est, and yet with his senses still alert for
possible sharpers. He Yves much pleased
with the Cinnamon, and observed them
cautiously at first until he saw they were
used to being stared at, then ho took his
fill and stood for half an hour on the cor
Der of Mott street gazing at them and lis
tening with puzzled interest 10 their queer
chatter. He was rather surprised to find
that no one else seemed to notice them. He
was also much pleased with the pawn
brokers' shops, the cheap clothing stores
and the cheaper lodging houses which
seemed to promise such rare accommoda-
lions at such moderate rates He went
into one of these where the rooms were
twenty-five cents day or 81 q week and
paid for a week in advance. The man in
his shirt sleeves behind the desk gave him
a big key with n brass tag to it, and he
went up to the room and left his bag there.
Ee sauntercd ont with quite feeling of
being somebody, for the ownership of the
room gave him a sense of vested proprie-
tary right in the metropolis. He felt al
most like citizen, and rather wished the
folks at home could see him.
There was a hidden hand organ playing
inside of place, the front of which was
covered with colored canvas signs such as
Hiram had seen billowing before the side
shows at the circus.
The pictures were very inviting, but
Hiram knew, from his experience at the
circus, that they were not to be relied on.
He stopped to look at them, though. and
then he moved out to the outer edge Of the
crowd of men who stood gazing in through
a pane Of glass at young woman. Hiram
thought she was rather bold to sit there
and be stared at by so many men, and he
thought it was all the more pity because
she was so young and 50 comeIy. She had
red silk bodice and a very large gold
chain around her neck; also reddish hair
and the fair complexion that always goes
with red hair.
Hiram thought her remarkably pretty.
She looked as if she was put out about
something or ether, and did not meet the
eyes of the men in front, but stared up
over their heads. Hiram wondered what
she could be doing and crowded up nearer
TO see. What be saw took his presence Of
mind completely away, for when he came
nearer he discovered that the girl was
whole to the waist and that the lower part
of her body was cut completely away.
Hiram had seen some dozen circuses in
his time and many curious human freaks,
as they are very well called but that wo-
man who was so good TO lock at should
have been born in this way Alled him with
sudden pity and disgust.
Then be blushed and bowed his head in
anguish at his own inexperience, when one
of the men in front of him said "a very
pretty trick, very clever deception. OF
course it's done with the lights and mir
rors, but IT'S good, isn't it," And then
the gentleman added carelessiy to his COM
panion as be moved away: And the girls
pretty, too-quite too pretty to be wasted
in these sluns."
Hiram followed them as they turned up
the street. lie recognized them as belong |
ing to different class than that of the !
men loRnging Oh The street around him.
Yet they seemed to be as strange to the |
place Us himself. He rather fancied he |
would like to get work from them, and he |
stopped them after block ortwo and ask !
ed them if they knew of job for young |
man who was strong and willing to work. |
They answered him sharply in the mega |
tive, but stopped as he turned away at |
once with a startled apology.
do you really want work." one of them |
asked, and then they told him there were |
thousands like him, and that only one out |
of hundred ever got the work he came |
for, but stopped looking for it and went to /
the bad. They told him to go back to the |
farm and stay there; that it took very
bright men indeed to get along in New !
York, and that he might better be big |
man on his own farm than slave for a |
small man in New York. They seemed to |
think they ought to soften this by SONS
but Hiram told them sharply
that he didn't want any money, and walk
ed away feeling very much hurt and dis
though he wouldn't own it even
to himself.
lie walked up and down the Bowery all
the rest OF the day, and ventured into little
cross streets and into big warehouses,
where he asked for work OF any sort. He
determined not to so back to the farm with
nothing 10 show for his visit and have his
people say: I'VE told you So He felt
very lonely and wished he had some one to
ak to. lie concluded, finally, 10 go back
and look at that giri in front of the dime