Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1892-11-16
AN ODD EXPRESSION.
WHAT CARRYING THE BANNER MEANS
TO A MAN WITHOUT A HOME.

When You Haven't Money Emo agh to Pay
for a Bed-A Lesson in Cheap Meals and
Cheap Lodgings in a Big City.
On a certain wet and clustering night an
old resident of Brooklyn crossed the bridge
from New York, and, while stan ding under
cover at the Sands street entrance, heard
some person say, with very pronounced
eoskney accent:
IT'S bad night &c carry the banner,
siI."
The owner of the cockney accent proved
to be young man not more than twenty
two or twenty-three years OF age. He wore
particularly shabby looking suit of some
thin and cheap material, very much dis
colored flannel shirt, a twenty-five cent
hat, and his shoes were cracked and thor
oughly soaked He had turned up, saucy
looking nose, good humored mouth and
very bright hazel eyes-altogether a rather
prepossessing face, although the cheeks
were hollow and the complexion very pallid.
what do you mean by carrying the ban
ner'" asked the old resident. He had
been rather favorably impressed by the
young man addressing him as sir. In all
his previous experience mer of his appear
ance had called him boss
why, don't you know, sir?" exclaimed
the possessor of the cockney accent in
bright and breezy manner that proved his
spirits had not been affected to any appre-
ciable extent by the damp and depressing
weather; lit means when a fellow does not
have the price of a bed and has to walk
the streets all night"
And do you expect TO carry the banner
tonight?'
Il carried it last night, and I'll have to
do it again tonight unless some angel
comes along"
"Angel-what does that mean?'
why, fellow who will give you the
price of a bed is an angel. thought you'd
know that, sir3' and the young mans
manner indicated that he did not have a
very high opinion Of his companions gen
eral intelligence
The old resident felt such WAS the case,
and it was, as he afterward admitted. one
Of the reasons that induced him to say,
We'll, come along: I'll be an angel to-
night"
As they walked along toward Fulton
street the angel learned that the young
LOndoner had not eaten anything during
the day, with the exception o. plate OF
beans purchased for cent al the St. An
drew's coffee booth, where tie newsboys
and bootblacks who gather around the
bridge entrance usually take their meals
a beef stew, followed by piece of cocoa
nut pie and 4 cup Of coffee, satisfied the
young mans appetite and cost the angel
twenty cents. Then they went ont of the
hot and steamy saloon into the street.
where the rain was falling and water was
dripping from the elevated raj road.
Following the directions Of his compan-
ion, the man who was masquerading rs an
angel and had already paid twenty cents
for the privilege, walked down Fulton
street. They came to a stand still under a
lamp on which in illuminated letters WAS
the announcement, Rooms for Men Only,
Twenty and Twenty five Cents Night"
There were yellow curtains IN the lower
portion Of the windows and the door. and
a dim light was burning inside
On entering the angel and his companion
found themselves in "A tolerabl Y large room
with white hard finished walls and cell
ings. Implanted chairs of hard wood.
stacked against the walls, an implanted
wooden table, about dozen heavy earth
enware and iron cuspidors. 4 monstrous
stove OF the cannon ball pattern and loud
| ticking clock comprised the furnishings of
the reading room. On the right was 4 par
ticularly steep stairway, leading to the
upper floors and facing the entrance. and
very nearly twenty-five feet away was the
office 1t was lighted with an oil lamp.
and through the brass grating in front
could be seen shelves loadel with paper
parcels, gripsacks and cheap valises. and
| the hooks round the office supported over
| coats o. all sorts and sizes, and all alike,
shabby looking and threadblre The no
-, ~. la+f
proprietor will not be responsible for
anything left in closets" probably ac-
! counted for the collection of bundles and
coats in the Office, and which served TO give
it so much the appearance of pawnshop
The two men walked up to the office and
| found the night clerk seated in an arm
| chair. He was a tall, thin man and round
shouldered but evidently very muscular
His long sandy beard was thickly sprin-
| killed. with gray, and his complexion was of
the hue which can only be obtained in per
| lection by sitting up all night, sleeping
| during the day time and avoiding all open
| air exercise. He had small, shifty looking
eyes, a rasping, belligerent voice. and was
evidently a surly, misanthropic Irishman.
Let this man have room--a twenty
| five cent room" said the old resident, still
maintaining his character as an angel
The night clerk asked the young mans
| name, and after recording il in his ledger
handed him key through the brass graf
ing. Attached to the key was metal tag.
| bearing the number of the room he was to
occupy.
By this time the old resident began 20
take quite an interest in his part, and de-
| termined to show the man with the turn
mp nose and the cockney accent what an
| angel-and Brooklyn angel at that-was
capable of doing when thoroughly warmed
up. As climax, therefore. and in order
that he might make his ex in an appro-
pirate manner he handed a quarter of a
| dollar to the young man AMI was telling
him TO make good use of it, when the night
| clerk came from behind the BRASS grating.
| brandishing club of about the same size
as policeman's night stick. At the same
instant thewatchman, who ad been seated
near the foot of the staircase, rushed for
ward, and both men exclaimed: Now
none Of that; no talking a lowed in the
reading room after II o'clock Go to bed