The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1893-02-05
LONDON BRIDGE.

for the millions on millions of poor. starv-
ing, deSOiate and hopeless people there-a
line of exit and escape with one end OF 1t al
Whtechapel and the other end OF 1t away
out in the open, free heart of our unpeOpled
West lands, like Scot Lake was when the
poor people from this same class and place
came 10 Brgham-bless him and made an
empire in the desert. Why not? IL would
cost less to keep this line running than 1t
costs TO keep these poor from starving.
And think Of the good of it! Afraid?
Then you are not a man; you are nothing
but politician.
Yes; lived for some months here, but it
was too far to the libraries, National
Gallery and the like; besides that it cost
more in the end to live there by great deal
than TO live among the well-to-d0. | kDO W
when Charley StOddard and l were living
together near Union Square in New York
we used to walk all the way across the
square, crossing 6-eent carline TO get to
scent carline, and you see we always
saved l cent each; but | don't think we
give the poor fellows on the benches
dozen times as much. Such is the economy
of living with the miseraby poor, 10 say
nothing OF the pity and tile pain OF it.
The day after that day of all days when
first saw London il rained, as usual n the
great city, and ] took bus. by way of
diversion, for the National Gallery. Trafal-
gar square. Ny! but it vas sloppy. Crossing
streets weeperS, On such DAYS, are thick az
fleas. and so miserable! When got out of
the bus small smutty man. with bis broom,
fixed his bright black eye on me, and swept
the slush right and left and out from under
me, as lie ran backward before me, and
made a clean walk there in that jam and
crOwd OF cabs and men and women. But
on the other side. as / was looking up and
about to ascend the great granite steps the
Smutty little man with the broom landed
biS rfuht foot down n n hnlo nf eluSb nfmnSf
TO the knee. Somebody had taken out one
Of the stones. 1t was ptiful. Just then
group Of great men descended. and the
street-sweeper called cab for them. l
saw that one Of them had great silk bows
on his low. patent-le leather pumps, As he
turned TO give the man some money. l aid
not see this mans face then. nor for years
after; but when | was the guest of that re-
markable genius, Whittier. l saw those
same pumps with the big silk bows, and my
gentle host was wearing them.
But that queer crossing street-sweeper had
no sooner gotten his piece of money than
he came back and again dumped his right
foot down into that mudhnle.
Look here. my man," | cried. "for Gods
sake get out of that holel Get out and /
will give you a shilllng-here! Now go
home and dry your foot.
HE, he, ha, ha!' he chuckled as he bit
at the piece hard witG barred head Sidewise.
Finding it all right his poor heart was
moved; he lerked off his right shoe just
little and showed a wooden leg. Then with
face all smiles and tears he turned to help
some one else across TO his own special and
private mudhole as l hurried up the hun
dred granite steps; and there out OF the
rain and on the rim of the porch. thick as
black birds and quite as merry, sang in
happy chorus the buxOm country girls,
''ren penny, all cracked Ten a penny,
all cracked! Ten penny. all craekedr'
JOAQUIN MILLER