The morning call., 1892-07-17
A WHARF RAT.
SkETCHED FROM LIFE.
written for The MORNING CALL.

a slim, wiry little figure, clad Ia q mans
red-1annel shirt, made to fit him by the
simple process of cutting off the sleeves at
the elbows and gathering in the neck with
q bit of baleT0pe. his other 3rments were
pair of faded blue overalls. held up by a
single suspender, and a sailors cap, minus
the visor On one foot was a mans
brogap, on the other a woman's buttoned
boot. Such was my hero. Not a
very heroic-looking apparitiOn, in truth,
and the Rat himself was even less
heroic than he appeared, but l did not
make him any more than he made himself
mentally, morally and physically he was
the product Of our social system, and must
sketch him exactly as he was or not at all.
He had a small, old, wisP-looking face,
with cold. gray eyes that looked at you I'M
fiinchingy; thin lips, ulscOlOred by tobacco
a square, broad Jaw, tapering forward to a
small, pointed chin, and head Of the type pro-
nOunced by phrenologists hOpelessly crimi-
nal. Bad as ii was, h Oweyer, his head was
about the only thing he had ever come hon.
estly by. Every one OF his garments was
stolen: about every meal he ate he got by
means more or less shady, but his head was
his legitimate and only Inheritance from a
murder0us father, a thieYing mother and
generations of other ancestors like unto
these. He had been born among the harves
at Liverpool; had been brought to this
country mere baby by his pareuts-a trans
planting that had improved neither bin nor
them-and when his father was caught,
tried, sentenced and hanged for murder and
his mother was arrested and sent 10 for
grand larceny and he was thrown upon HIS
own resources, he became wharf rat just
as naturally as the little son of Increase
Muchmore Esq. grows up to he a Front
street merchant or the young hopeful of
Rev. Fiat Dogma, reared in the shadow Of
the sanctuary, becomes preacher and goes
abroad to carry the news OF salvation to the
heather.
The Rat was Is years old, and while he
could read but little and write not ut all
he was known among habitues Of that sec
tioD as 'the smartest kid on the hull water
front" He knew every policeman aud
Waterman in the district, their beats and
hours, and could tell TO an instant just
when any one of them would be likely TO
appear in given place, and exactly how far
one could safely go with each. He kne " every
inch OF water under and around the wharyes
and could guide with unerrIng accuracy
any one who desired 10 go in and out among
them in a skiff without being seen. The
piles of the whaTves were as familiar to him
as are the gasiamps and electric light poles
20 jewellers In the upper parts Of the city.
He was familiar, too, with tile sound Of
every steam whistle heard along the
front, and with every local craft on the
bay. He knew where il was safe 20 fish for
seagulls. throwing ishhooks baited with
bread TO the greedy DfdS and hauling them
in to be beheaded, plucked and sold for use
in the construction of BaTbary Coast ta-
males. He had no knowledge of theology
but could swear profoundly u every one oil
the languages heard on the coast, and what
Is greater accomplishment yet, both
there and elsewhere, could hold his tongue
and abstain from language altogether when
occasion required. For this reason and on
account OF his general hardness he could be
relied upon as trusty helper when boy was
needed on midnight opium-smuggling ex'
petitions In small boats to and from the
eoasting vessels that manage to carry on
this industry under the very noses of our
customs officers. In fact, except for grow.
ing fear that he was becoming little toe
much the recipient of interested attention
from the guardians of the peace along the
front, the Rat was regarded as an exceed
ingly useful member of the society of thai
quarter. He Obta aimed his living in yariou,
ways, al about equally questionable. LII
the entire span of bis short life he had
probably never heard any act of his OBJ
1ected TO on the ground of its being wrong,
but his parents had carefully instructed
him, both by early pTecept and later by the
power of an awful example of the danger
and Inconvenience of being nabbed il
detected In any unlawful act. and sc
carefully had he managed that he had
thus far succeeded IN keeping outside the
grasp of the law, although he was be-
ginning to realize that No. 'oteen hun.
dred and ten had lately taken TO keeping a
watchiul eye on him when he yentured oul