The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-07-27
WIT OF NEWSBOYS.
Sometimes Little Harsh but Always Full
of Originality.

of Originality.
The reputation of the Paris gamin for
rude street wit led the world But his
supremacy has passed. 1t has travelled,
like good many other European spe-
cialties, across the Atlantic and has
settled in New York The mantle of
the gamin has fallen on the shoulders
of his brother, the street boy of New
York.
The most extraordinary thing to me
is where these youngsters pick up their
ideas. Some are common enough, but
others augur an intelligence superior
to all deficiencies of education, for none
of them have any education to speak
of. Their wit is simply spontaneous.
1t accommodates itself to its subject, as
it might be by inspiration.
For instance, there is a small boy in
my street who is real mothers pet.
He is rugged out in the most fanciful
costumes and sports no end of frilled
shirts, ruffled lawn collars, and the like
He always looks as if he came out of
band-box and had been secured besides.
Of course he does not play tip-cat ball
with the rude little boys who do, and
whenever he appears on the street on
an errand for his mamma he travels
straight ahead, and is naturally an OBJ
ject of the utmost scorn and contempt
to them, which they do not hesitate to
express
Last summer he was gotten up in an
elaborate Little Lord Fauntlerov make
up, including curls foot long, silk
stockings and shoes with silver buckles.
The boys promptly christened him
Little Lord Cantgowrong," and the
title stuck to him until his doting par
ents sheared him of his long ringlets
and put him in a less conspicuous cos
tune During the last snowfall this
year the boys were pelting each other
with snowballs, when this helpless
youngster was started out from home
on some errand. He became a target
for them at once, and commenced to
beg them by name to let him alone in
stead of taking to his heels. Finally
one of his tormenters yelled:
Let up on her, boys. She wants to
60 home and play with her doll ba bies. -
He was allowed to escape, but |
greatly fear that if his parents do not
move him to a less profane neighbor-
hood he will, like many superlatively
good little boys, die too young
Two newsboys were disputing some
point the other afternoon, and disputing
it with considera BILE acrimony Finally
one wound up the argument by remark
ing, contemptuously:
Yah! g'long. You give me worms"
Some boys playing baseball in the
street knocked the ball against the
window of house and smashed a pane
of glass. The ball fell into the yard.
and one of the urchins started to re-
cover 1t, when a woman appeared in
the door and screamed:
You boys can't have that ball.
You've broken one of my windows
The boy at the gate pulled off his hat
and made bow expressive of the most
profound respect
"We'se didn't do it, lady" he said.
at was de ball. see?"
They got their ball on the strength |
Of this argument.
Can you tell me how / can get to |
Harlem, boy?" asked man in country |
clothes and with cheap handbag in |
his fist, of small chap at street cor
ner.
Cert" replied this Juvenile mine of |
information. You Sc kin walk or take |
de cars"
Last week, while the papers We're |
filled with stuff about the Spanish |
princess, chronicling her minutest |
and her most insignificant |
ioings. the war ships in the North river i
commenced to fire salute.
What's that for?" asked one boy OF |
another.
oh" replied the other, that's be-
cause the lnfantile is blowing her nose
The strawberry peddlers have been |
active in the residence streets lately. !
man of high complexion and bibu- |
Ilstic aspect was passing along when /
juvenile critic remarked:
That feller has been eatin' strawber- |
rles an they've gone 10 his head
There is theatrical boarding house
a few doors away from me, and at this /
season OF the year it is always full. /
ene of the boarders is a typical old |
timer OF the breed whom You nowadays
encounter only on the roads in rural /
districts removed from the cities He |
IS stiff, with large developement of alb I
ionen and extremely poInpous in his /
manner, and on several occasions has /
given the boys a ralSing over for pre- |
-lmlnp n sDr-s1 1fa.- II l..
passes by. which has OF course naada