The Fort Worth gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-189?, 1891-04-09
OUR TEXAS GIRL.
The Day of Green Ribbon Very
interesting in New York.
ST. PATRECk'S LOYAL SONS,
Pathetic and Amusing Scenes of 2 Great
Parade-..Oh, for Green Ribbon, q
Bouquet, Cabbage Leaf''-A Good
HUNDRED Crowd.

Special Correspondence CT The Gazette

| experiencing, and that Is tEe feeling OF
| Gtleness and insignifcauce said TO be the
| part OF the comparatively unknown stranger
| in u great city; the lost, suowed-under feel
| ing Of one always accustomed 10 the coun-
\ try village or small city, going about alone
| fer the first time III great metropolis.
| Il is true the importance of the individual
| shrinEs somewhat when he is 50 Infinitely
| multiplied, when he is presented TO your OBJ
| Sel-yation as one variation among q million,
or IS an eXception-of 10000 exceptions
| to the Iule of 100000.
| But somehow this never seems TO reach
! to mel
Il l ride up from Grand street ferry in
| the green car, fdcetlolSiy called odd
| Greeuy," through the swarming eastern
| ana discomfort in which these people live,
| by tho sight of the wretched slovenly
| women: and most of all, by the herds of
| little dirty children, and | think what can
| DO for these my poor subjects.
| II l walk up Broadway after a matinee,
| studying the meeting and passing streams
| of beauty, grace. fashion and elegance,
| from my thought than a feeling of repin-
| ing or envy. Here you are, my dear peO-
| pie. the flower of my kingdom; hne, well,
| high bred, daintily clad, happy and prosper
| Gus. Here are 1ny pretty girls, my sweet
| women and my fine, distinguished looking
| men. w mere elSc Will you ll!u Suti liSSiA
| cheeks, glowing eyes, grace OF bearing,
| and such beautiful and luxurious attire /!
| l. is happy people, and favored
| qucen!"
l board with a little family in tiny flat
Everything is close and small and dainty as
| 4 cabinet. 1t is housekeeping in miniature.
| 4 pretty little parlor, three bits OF bed
| rooms, u cunning dining room, 4 scrap Of a
| kitchen that is small domestic laboratory,
Us neat and dainty as the movement of 4
Swiss watch. AL is planned to the per-
| lection of convenience; everything to your
| hand; hot and cold water, coal, gas, the
| bath, etc.
There is plenty of everything except
| those two things which longtime dwcllerS
of the free prairies, or equally free mount
| aims can hardly accustom themselves to do
without--roOm and light.
Coming from the limitless plains of West
Texas, where there is more room than any
thing else, and where the interesting prob
lem twc-thirds of the year is how to bar
out or subdue and modify the al-peryading,
| Overwhelming rays of the great, glorious,
burning, ife-reneWing sun, this gloom and
contraction are, 10 ME, the most striking
features Of my home life. These little dark
bedrooms, where the gas must be lighted
two-thirds OF the day, seem but chambers
for the whispering OF sad secrets. The
other day when | was little at a loss Just
gested, why don't you go TO the parade
of the United Stepbrothers, or some
thing Of the sort.
l said, with promptness and decision,
that the Omitted Stepbrothers'' might pa
rade until they wore the granite blocks Of
Fifth avenue TO the seductive SmOothnesS
of asphalt; that though wicked charm
were laid on them by a modern fairy, they
must continue TO march and march there
till came and looked at them and set them
free, they might so on forever, like Mr..
Tenny sons brook or procession OF Wan
dering Jews, for would never, never go.
am shy of parades. ! have been ever
since St. Parick's day. Il will confess
ALL and see if you don't think have rea-
son.
On that day my host said to me, ''Here,
Texas, you're getting low in your mind, the
St Patrick's day parade IS just the thing
for YOU"
well, they start at l:3o, and they won't
be full before 4 o'clock. Better so out
about $50"
So l went.
One member Of the family wanted to put
a green ribbon on me, and another warned
me TO get d boquet, so they'll think it's
for Dennis, or Mike, or whoever your best
man in the parade is, and everybody will
make way for you everywhere" But l
scorned precautions, and despised counsel,
and | went forth Snortiug, as it were, with
eagerneSS for the fray, and in Il state of
pulled up complacency that was an invita-
ton for something TO come and fall on me.
! struck the parade first at Twenty-eighth
street. 0, it was delightful! Here would
come band, playing away for dear life
and everybody marching very much in step;
then, gradually, more and more struggling,
until it was a regular go-as-you-pleaSe
scramble. Then another band, everybody
in step, and so on.
What is it so taking about things mill
tary2 The mere huttering tap-tap of q gray
or blue cape tossed back over martial
shoulder and dipping in time to the wearer's
tread, is snatching; the Squeal of a fife, the
boom, boom of the big drum, the stirring
rattle of the little ones, the pulsing tread
the clinking of sabers-how inspiring!
1t is the urchin in all our hearts responds
to this sort of thing. l wouldn't give much
for the finest bred lady that hasn't touch
of this boy nature. 1t is the element in US
that keeps the world young and stirring,
that supplies readers Of border romances,
gives great, heroic figures to history art
and the stage and furnishes admiring au-
diences for them to pose before or perform
to.
There were banners and standards and
queer collars and aprons, no end. Now,
women dressed up. tricked out and on pa
rade, will wear the greatest variety OF
sInirks; no two faces will have the same
degree of quality of self-consciousness
pleased vanity or simpering complacency.
But lot of men in tinsel and fringe and
feathers can always be divided into two
classes-the ticNled and the sheepish. The
former go strutting along, rejoicing like
South Sea Islanders in every one OF the
seven colors they wear, glory in every bit of
tinsel and every chicken feather. The latter
skulk beside them il hang dog manner,
trying 10 hide their white cotton gloves
under their green silk aprons; then, terri
fed, TO cover their green silk aprons with
their white cotton gloves; then i'll despair,
to look nonchalant and uncoucerned; in
which latter they succeed so well that you
think policeman is waiting round the cor
ner TO take them back the minute the Jam
boree is over.
Well. the parade paraded and every time
II got entirely past went away, got q car,
rode up ahead, and caught it again. And
every time l caught it again it was happier,
less in step, and more -yoU-plesse. The
fellows on the Irish iaunting cur with the
green piano cover over it, hit each other il
the back of the head more vehemently and
promiscuously as they waved their flags; !
began TO understand what ST. Patricks
day hat is.
Everybody laughed more. I laughed
more. Then 1 stopped and wondered why
should laugh. hadn't had anything But
it was no use. Il was in the air and was
Just US jolly IS the best CT them. Some o.
the riders began to have q distinct rotary
motion an their horses, and 10 smile indni-
gently at space.
Suddenly, away up town, late in the al
farrOou 7 cot cauyht in a solid mass nj