The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1893-06-19
THEY ARE NOT 50 VERY SLOW.
Messenger Boys and Some of
Their Traits
They Are Worldly Wise and Wide
Awake FellOws.
One of Them Denies That They Arc Slow
and Gives Some Very Interesting De-
tails as to Their Occupation
and Adventures.

yesterday while waiting for message.
''Did you ever see how they work us?
You just drop in at the Office and look
around some time. My, talk about a
mans hair getting gray waiting for
kid to come back with message. Those
funny men had better get a move on
them and keep up wild the times. They
amt in it,"
''Say, write piece about US, will you?
Put it in right and lay it on. Well
stand in; we kids will, you bet. Give
us boom, you know. Nothing like
business" continued the small speci
men briskly, for all the world like full
grown man, as he walked out with his
message.
A visit was paid to the office, and the
small boy was found in his glory and
very much alive to all the life, good and
bad, moral and immoral, in the city.
Outside on the street there were not
many people passing, and it WAS rather
quiet than otherwise. But sense OF
being in the midst of turmoil prevailed
the moment the threshold was passed.
Bows dressed in the dark blue uni
form of the messenger service were COM
ks
were ranged along the wall on benches,
and they kept up ceaseless fire Of
badinage at each other, characterized by
shrewd observation, worldly wise pru-
dence, boyishness and caustic wit.
There was nothing very genial about
the talk, but the savvy OF those boys
was something awful. They seemed to
be able to size up people and things in
way that would make the hair OF the
man whe likes boys to be boys stand on
end, and wonder if they know 80 much
at their tender years, how their small
heads can carry the burden with in
creaeing years.
Idle? Well it did not look much that
way. Every minute or two the tele-
phone or call bell would ring and the
boy whose next turn it was would re-
ceive his directions, hurry out, and dis
appear, only to return in a remarkably
short time, varying with the distance
he had to go.
1t was a constant scene of coming and
going; boys rushing in and boys rush
ing out. with admonitions to hurry.
They seemed to take a pride in getting
out and about their duty with celebrity
and performing it with dispatch. There
did not appear, at least in the waiting
room, anyone that had a lazy bone in
his body, in spite OF the long hours
of their service and the miles and miles
they had walked during the day and
night, because there are boys who are
up all night to answer the calls from the
d, seamy side of life, at houses of ques-
tionable repute as we'll as the all-night
restaurants and places where side doors
are kept open although the front doors
Gre cloeed after midnight.
''Do you like the work ?" was seked of
an innocent looking boy with modest
manners.
"Whst you givin' me?" he replied,
undergoing a transformation which
made his face look old and hardened.
Don't they send you to good many
places where boys should not go ?'
"Well, they sends, anyhow. l guess
it's all right. We don't do nothing
bad" he continued.
"You see, when we goes to chippie
Joint, it's just to get pitchers OF beer for
the girls or something to eat for them.
Sometimes they sends notes to their
felers, and that's all we do. don't like
to go they don't tip kid very much.
They are kind of uppish and thinks they
can order us around like they owned US.
Most of 'em is stingy as can be. We don't
make much on the side with the girls, l
tell you.
"But when we carry notes for the boye
to the girls they most always tell US to
keep the change, and sometimes | makes
as much as 81 or IS week more than
my wages, which amt very much"
Say, I'll go you case on the Angels
tomorrow" chimed in rakish-looking
boy with his cap on the back OF his head.
go you," replied the innocent.look-
-,
pockets and put mp dollar apiece with
another boz in very business-like way
that was droll enough; while chorus
OF voices rose from the benches, some in
favor and some against the bet, but all
very knowing.
''Ssy." said little chap who had just
come in, 81 had great go. l took a
note down to a girl on Commercial
street just now, and when l went in she
was full as a tick. She told me if I'd
get her big bottle of cocktails she'd
give me dollar, and you bet | slid for
it. She wanted to give me some, but |
told her the dollar was enough. She'd
forgot all about it when l got back, but
che PUNCHED all right"
So the stream of conversation went on
steadily, some of the boys relating their
experiences when they came back, and
others more taclturn, very much like
their grown-up prototypes.
II could be very readily seen by a
short time amongst them that the
places the messenger boys do not go in
Los Angeles can be counted on very few
fingers OF one hand.
There are certain limits where mes
sages will not be delivered unless car
fere is paid. The boys have very clear
knowledge OF localities and are walk
ing directory upon streets and numbers.
Their memories become trained with
much exactnesa as to these things, and
some OF them become so expert in know
ing where people live that they are often
consulted as to the whereabouts of places
and persons in the city.
1t is very difficult to catch the little
fellows mapping upon almost any sub
ject Of local interest. They work long
hours, their going on time being early
in the morning, and their going off time
late at night, sometimes all night. For
their services they are paid several dol
lars week, but not az much as they de-
serve for the arduous duties they per-
form. OF course some of the boys are
trhing, but as rule they take mes.
sages and run errands quickly and do
what thsy are told to do with few mis-
takes.
The best way to avoid scalp diseases. hair
falling out ana premature badness is to use