Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-05-29
MURRAY'S MUSINGS.
The Commuter in His Glory-sending Flow
ers to Sea-How New York Is Plastered
With Bills-Luck of Model Hus-


The Commuter in His Glory-Sending Flow
ers to Sea-How New York Is Plastered
With BiIIs-Luck of Model Hus-
band.
IFRoM A STAFF CORRESPONDENT
This is the season when the New
Yorker who doesn't live in New York
proudly expatiateS upon the manifold ad-
vantages of an out-of-town residence. In
the winter the commuter sings small. When
the snow is on the places where the dew and
flowers have been, and the rain and sleet
beat against the car windows, and the ice
| on the Hudson and contiguous waters
thump the Stats of the paddle wheels, and
the fog combines with all these to render
| getting in to business or ever seeing home
| again wholly problematical, the commuter
is to be distinguished by his low, sad voice
| and his extraordinary assortment OF UNI
brellas, overcoats, gum shoes, grip sacks
| and packages. Now that balmy spring has
dissipated all but the satchel and packages
| the commuter at once assumes q buoyant
! air of superiority over his fellow creatures.
"There is nothing like the country air, my
boy" he says. And when he comes to the
Office he brings with him the freedom of the
| country roads and fields-and a confounded-
| ly long story of the flowers and other pros
| pective perquisites of man with a garden.
| You know in your inmost heart that he
would rather stay in town, go with you to
the theater and split bottle with his favor
ite soubrette afterward; but he affects to be
| longing for the hour when he can grab his
| little grip and bolt for train or boat II you
should venture to hint that You will run out
and see his elysium some day he will well
| come the idea and suggest that 1t be "after
we get things fixed up little"
The commuter Is an enigma. He Is just on
| the verge of happiness always-not quite
there. In the oity a man may have a good
night out The conmnter is to have his
| the day when something is booked to occur
whereon to build his own happiness: when
they that fast the shsy pns bs
fine next week" "Were to have another
train on next month" Next year you
won't know the place" "Well have
trustful soul! Aud all this time his friends
in the city are getting strawberries and
everything else in the vegetable and fruit
dropped canned goods. The inward
carislIv0A can get the 81 best HV crabs, ash. beef
et ennbSSs ba had she the
commuter never enjoys. The possibilities
of French or Italian table dhote when you
feel inclined for such society he dare not
dream of. The suggestion of clam cock
tail is painful to him. At the idea OF an
hour or so In a German summer garden he
at once buries his face in a time table. Yet
in all the bravery of his red shoes, wooden
shirt and gaudy blazer making believe very
much that he is living an hilarious suburban
life. Poor fellow!
Sending Flowers Across the Sea.
-"If people realized what became of their
flowers" said friend of mine who has been
abroad several times, "they would send
something else down to their friends on sail
ing day. The custom of floral tributes to
hoe br N sta artin for n N
age obtains only i'll America and chiefly in
New York, Scarcely big liner leaves port
at this season of the year but hundreds of
dollars worth of flowers are sent aboard. 1t
Is considered the correct thing, you know.
The result is the ship is not only laden
with passengers but more heavily laden
with the perfume of flowers. 1t permeates
the entire ship. The saloons, and cabins, and
corridors reek with it. Now, you know very
many persons, especially delicate ladies, can
CLOSE room even on shore. 1t is sickening
even to me, and am not inclined to seasick-
ness. Well, before the vessel is half an hour
out OF Sandy Hook overheard goes the flow
ers. 1t is either heave the roses overheard
or heave the last meal overheard, see? And |
most people prefer to let it be the flowers. |
Those who tako them into their cabins and |
go back there to sleep rarely come out again |
for some days. |
The Kitten Market in Gotham.
on a Broadway corner attracted consider |
able attention on the first warm day last |
week. In the basket were snugly cuddled |
up together a brace of infantie pugs and |
three small kittens of the maltese variety. |
1t was the most prominent corner between |
the Fifth Avenue Hotel and the Hoffman. |
The fashionable sidewalk throng was at its |
greatest, and everybody, male and female, |
seemed desirous Of a peep into that basket.
The collection was offered indiscriminately
at SIS head. She sold them too; for an hour
later stopped again and found but one |
whining puppy and one kitten
left. These the owner offered TO close out
at 81 each-to take account of stock, pre-
surne. As even S. is considerably under the
corner market-for pugs, the
rival male dog pedlars in the vicinity were
stricken with grief and anger,
those irasciDle people throughout the
world who have known the domestic feline
tribe only to throw bootjacks and other
bedroom paraphernalia ut them will be
have an eye to business, however, they will
hereafter carefully steal down stairs in
partition walls with broken
glass on top, gently persuade the nocturnal
ramblars into pillow slip and ship them to
New York where, II Young and in good
q head, and # old and feeble, luxurious cat
hospitals under the care of super-phian-
throp1cal INDIVIDUALS are waiting to receive |
them,
The Bill Posters of Gotham.
up one fight of stairs ON Fulton street,
near Broadway, Is a large, ow-browed room,
the walls Of which are lined with big square
pigeon-holes and rough tables. Stacks of
various colored papers are lying folded on
the dirty floor, more stacks are being count
I'D out and folded on the tables and chucked
INTO the big pigeon-holes. On each of the
after is some familiar name-"Jimmy,"
"Hank," "Pat," etc. In the middle
Of the floor are barrels, and every now and
;hen paste-bespattered man comes in with
dirty bueket slams it down on the floor
md dips Il long scoop into a barrel and fills
MS bucket. He then goes to a pigeon-hoe |
Ind grabs the folded paper and puts it into |
canvas bag like haversack slung over his |
shoulders by a strap and goes out. By the |
designation on the box you know him for
Pat" or mike" or Jimmy" or somebody
,lse.
He is bill poster and this is his base of
opera tions. He has gone out to paste the
own-his share of it. Each bill poster has |
route like a mail carrier. The assorted ,
bills he has just taken are to go up in his |
erritory. There are other stations or rooms ,
ike this about town and other men working |
rom each In the same systematic way. The