Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1891-01-09
A STREET CAR BLOCK.
ONE OF THE EXPERIENCES OF
LIFE IN NEW YORK CITY.

What Waiting Passenger Saw from the
Car Window-The Imperturbabie sian
with the Turkey--A Hard Working,
Cherries Notwithstanding On.
Tho car has stuck in Greenwich street.
We are aground The indications are not
favorable for soon getting off The driver
gets of the platform to look ahead So
does the conductor When these WORTHLESS
leave their posts be sure you are to re-
main in statu quo for some time We
take an observation. The track is blocked
for quarter of mile ahead The drivers
Immediately ahead are off their perches
also Another bad sign We commend
our souls to patience The more uneasy
passengers gaze through the front car
door window There are ten of us A
woman and child, countryman. stout
man with turkey tied in paper bag. a
girl and stout Irishman The rest are
simply OF the human species. with nothing
particular to recommend them
The driver mounts the platform. The
car moves We are off The block is
over. Hope rises The car moves six
inches. And stops dismally Hope fails
We move no more. Carts, wagons and
carriages rattle, roar and ruclxle over the
stones on either side OF us, one line up,
the other line down By us are passing
the manufactures of New York, the pro-
duce of the country and the product Of
other lands. Down a load of sewing
machines incased in wooden frames Up
a load of coal Down a load of new fur
niture cased in bagging Up load of
apples. Down load of -four Ahead Of
us in the block wagon piled high with
dry goods boxes Up load of long oars.
Down, potatoes Up. turnips Then a
load of beef quarters Up a piano.
HOPE REvIvEs
The woman with the child looks at her
watch. She fears losing boat or train
The man with the turkey is of all the
most resigned His face is vacancy
| Time to him seems of no object He is
framed to wait A policeman hobs hither
and yon, growing. cursing ordering
But the block is immovable
Ali We move. We are off Hope re-
wives. We fear it is too good to be true.
1t is. We have moved half block The
! block resumes Drivers going up and
down handy words with our driver. PEG
pie stop on the curb and gaze stupidity at
u.s. We get even and gaze stupidity at
them Then we read all the advertise
ments in the car A load of iron bangs
and clangs past. Then a load of hay
Then one of cotton. The woman and the
child get out. The man with the turkey
is immovable. Is he, like the rest of US.
consumed with anxiety and impatience.
or has he the power of projecting his
/ mind into some region of thought that he
can forget this irksome delay2 We count
/ four dry goods boxes on the wagon ahead,
on them red seat and on that blanket
4 The conductors overcoat has but three
1 buttons upon it. 1t should have four 1t
is very ragged coat The pockets are
sagged down.
/ There is an endless shouting outside
and cries of Get up! Get upl' The stout
/ Irishman can wait no longer He leaves
US. FAREWELL We shall never meet
again The man with the turkey gazes on
and on into futurity.
MOVING ON.
Again we move We get aheai a whole
block. The scene changes. 1t is refresh
\ ing even to see q new set of dingy store
fronts and signs. And no end Of carts
Going and coming rafting and rumbling
bringing things from the north and send
ing them south. bringing things from tbs
south and sending them north. all driver
by these hard, grimy men, who seem Il
+ nave no other thought IN the world save
to get somewhere with a load and get
back again. A hard working, grin'y
cherries world it is all about here
Again we move. We are not eucour
aged. We have now too often been dis
appointed. But we keep on moving
Boast not myself it is but momentary
But we keep on moving. No matter
We shall stop-there. We move slower
We feel the car stopping. But it doe.
not stop But we shall stop. But we d,
not stop. An atom of hope kindles in oul
detected souls We try to keep it down
to smother it. 1t will not stay smothered
We are still moving We have so lonl
been in q stationary, helpless state tina
we have ceased to regard the car as cap
able of motion Yet we do move Tn
drivers back looks as if be intended t.
drive farther yet. Even the driver
back assumes a sort of 90 it expression
when he sees no obstacle ahead and hi
hand is off that discouraging brake. W
have actually moved four blocks withou
stop. Tho man with the turkey is q
vacant as ever. 1t matters little to him
We keep on moving. The block is over
Only half an hours delay.-Prentice Null
ford in New York Star