Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1892-08-27
The Rambler.s Note Book.

and twice as many drinks and as luck
would have it caught him on the fly.
l wish | could reproduce his harangue
i think it would prove quite inter
esting. No, the place amt changed
much sense left here nigh forty years
ago, but al! the boys is dead. Know the
reason? They didn't discriminate in
their whisky. Know why I'm standin'
here? always drink good whiskey.
I've tried fifteen err more different
kinds of whiskey sence got here from
New York this mornin'. I come to
Washington on business an thought I'd
run over to see my first love. kin re-
member when there was four ship
yards here an all kinds Of manufac-
turin goin' on. | was workin' in
Green's factory then. see that's ben
sold to ashoe company. Are they doin'
anything? | see they're buildin a rail
road through here. You wanter watch
them people; they're smarter than you
all, and the first thing you know they'll
be gittin' your money. Well eff you
amt got any fer 'em to git, there's
others here that has. Bound to be a
success, is it? You wait an see. I've
built railroads and power houses and
everything else. You can't tell me
nothin' about 'em. I'm on to every
trick practised in Wall street to-day
Some fellows Up to Albany wants me to
come down here an make a torn of
this place, but amt got time. They
know l kin do it an l would
ef | was a little younger. But eff
I was ter come here to build up this
town, I'd have to put down every cent
myself. Instead of you people putin
down a dollar beside every one 1 put
down, you'd keep yours in your stock
in hid under the hearth and then try
to git mine. I know yer; I've lived
here. No, l amt no veteran, not on yer
life. l paid ter git out er Their wrangle
er wouldn't or ben standin' here now
Ny uncle heard was comm through
here as an officer in the md N Yorks.
and stood on the corner of King aud
Fairfax streets with a pistol in his peck
ct ter shoot me before | should er fit
against the South, but l wasn't goin' in
the war an don't you fergit it. Have
got time to ketch that train? Well,
good bye. / guess I'll come down here
again soon," and his ancient silk hat,
short coat and long legs disappeared
around the corner. ! have tried to give
YOU some idea of what he said, but it
loses its charm (?) without the "beauti-
full language, choice and sweet" with
which he interspersed his talk at short,
very short, intervals. That, however,
would not be fit for ears polite, but |
think it would have made a shit" on
the high seas.
l have often wondered why so many
Of our merchants allow old signs to re-
main Oh their places of business instead
of changing them when they come into
possession of the promises 1 do not
recall another city that | have visited
where the business men simply put up
their signs and allow those of their pre-
decessor to remain. ! may be wrong
but think it shows o lack of business
energy and enterprise, for in q
number Of instances it is i'm
possible for them to profit by
the old signs. For instance, there
is piano store in the city and the front
of the building is adorned with big
sign setting forth stock Of stoves, tin
ware, etc, and I am sure the tin store
has not existed for q number Of years.
And then there are others bearing the
signs of different firms that have con-
Quoted the business, and about the only
way q stranger can judge who keeps
the store is by the neweat looking sign.
"Music hath charms TO soothe the saw
age breast" it is said, and if such is the
case we certainly can have no unsooth-
cd savagcs in this country at present,
under the soul-stirring influences of
that most beautiful composition, Boom
der RAJ A stranger entering any of our
large cities and many of the small ones
is not greeted by HAL Columbia" our
national air, but by'Boom der IA &. lid lid
out from hand-organ by a gentleman
of Italian descent, commonly called a
"dago.' 1t has national reputation
and is heard on every breeze that whis-
pers oyer the cities Of independent
America.
In the early morning you are awak-
ened by Boom der ra; through the
tolls of the day you are serenaded at
regular intervals by' Boom der RAJ; and
when your work for the day is ended
and you seek some place of amuse-
ment hoping, praying to hear a slight
variety, even if it be Comrades" or
Maggie NIurphy's Home" the
orchestra opens with grand
overture entitled 'La boom der ia. !"
The bell rings, the curtain rises and the
play is on. Hnters a comedian to the
tune of boom der IA, sings same with
much pathos and feeling, is encored
and repeats, followed by much boom
der IA. Yor 90 out for "little fresh
air." and are met on your exit by the
irrepressible organgrinder playing boom
der IA. something is not done [ am
afraid it will result in sending some one
to an untimely grave or to the lunatic
asylum. like Mark Twain's
Three-ccnt slip for three-cent fare,
Five-cent slip for q fge-cent fare;
Punch, punch, punch with care,
Punch in the presence of the passenger
which sent a party of students there
(thc last is not intended as an addition
al rhyme, please.).
Let Us hope that the theatrical sea-
son which is just opening will bring
something new and relieve us of this
terrible strain on our nerves and tenn
pcrs. The RAMBLER.
DAUL JONES RYE WHiskHY. DUFFY's
L MALT MONTICELLO and VIRGINIA
| CLARET by the case or bottle, fur sale by