Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-04-20
CHANGING THEIR SPOTS.

Washers and Loafers DESERVING the Post
office Corner, but Finding Other Loca-
tions-A Drummer and His Chewing
Gum-A Difficult Task for the Police.
The glory of the postofice corner has de-
parted. The loafer fingers there no longer,
and the masher moves on. Yesterday was
an ideal day for corner loaing, and the
ladies. as they trIpped down Fifth avenue in
the afternoon, clad in summer fabrics and bon
nets which were poems of posies. cast glance
of dread at the grim. gray old Government
building, expecting to see the usual dress
parade. The look of fear changed into one OF
dismay, and eyes were turned to the staff above
the roof, to see if the flag was at half-mast sig
nifying that some great man was dead, and the
nation was in mourning. There was nothing to
show that calamity had overtaken the COM
munity, and heaving pretty little sighs of re-
lief, the maids and matrons strolled leisurely
past the corner, instead of going at half-run
as had been their won't
Corner loafing had not become extinct, as
might be imagined. The men who have moth
ing to do but look as pretty as clothing can
make human beings, VINO have no brains to
lend expression TO their vacant countenances
had merely changed their spots, showing that
lnsomuch they could give points to the scrip
tural leopard. At the Court House they clnng
to the iron railings as desperately as If they
feared food was coming along to wash them
away. There were hundreds of them, OF all
races and conditions of life They had moth
ing to say to each other and nothing to think
about They just sat and lOunged and looked,
and looked and looked.
At the corner of Sixth street and Penn ave-
nue. the mssher was out in force. Also in silk
hats and light trousers. He was gay young
man, loaded to the muzzle with any perslhage.
He was on intimate terms with all the trunk
lines, and referred familiarly to them by their
initials. He was a great admirer of female
beauty, and was not prevented by any fooilsh
modesty from allowing the object OF his ad-
miration to learn his sentiments. The object
did not reciprocate freely, but usually elevated
her nose trifle, looked dead ahead and walked
on. The drummer was philosophical. He just
blew his own horn little louder until he was
brass band all in himself.
One of these loungers killed time by chewing
gum. He would occasionally pull one end OF
it out of his mouth and stretch it as far as he
could reach. He was amusing himself in this
way when a lady passed along, looking IN
tently across the street to avoid the fire of eyes
on the corner. AS result she ran her lace
against the cable of wet, sticky gum. She al
most tainted with surprise and disgust, and Tor
once a drummer was abashed.
Carson street was lined with loafers last
night. They looked miserable and made every
body else feel that way. The police did their
utmost to keep them on the move, but it was
like trying to keep back the waves of the sea
with a broom.
In Allegheny the mashers were generally in
the parks and consequently they were missed
from IN front of the Ft Wayne and West
Penn depots and other spots favored by them.
when the postoffice is moved into the new
building at Fourth and Smithield street." said
Inspector McAleese last evening, 1T will help
us in preventing corner loating downtown. 1t
will split up the crowds, and they will be
smaller and easier to handle. We are doing
the best car to suppress the evil but it is
not easy task. We cannot arrest every man
who stands on a street corner. We have to
order them to move on, which they generally
do, but their places are filled by Others. If
they refuse to move then we can arrest them,
but not before"