The morning call., 1893-02-24

But it doesn't please them, and they be-
| lieve some one Is robbng them at that
| point.
| At last | could eat no more, SO l rose
| slowly and went out.
| AS l rose much bewhiskered old man,
who had been eying my tea and rice from
the opposite side Of the table, made grab
for the more than half-filled dishes l left.
He used both arms and gathered IN the
leavings with sudden, jerky movement. 1t
was the quickest movement saw while
remained in the institution.
".
Outside lit my pipe and joined the pro-
cession for while. 1t did heap of coun-
termarching now. for the sun was low in
the west and the shadow made by the north
wing was increased till it filed nearly half
the yard with its chill AID gloom.
And it is a strict rule with the procession
never to march in the shade.
Presently kindy-faced old man with
gray beard la Galway, and but one good
eye. who seemed to take fatherly interest
in me, joined thu procession at my side ana
told me / had better 90 In and get my clothes
at once before it was too late.
Mr.. CASTILLO asked me what needed and
then gave me requisltion on the tailor for
zone pair overalls, one outside coat"
The tailor and the shoemaker occupy
separate apartments adjoining each other in
the attic al the end Of the north wing.
The tailor treated me decently enough
and gave me what the requisition called for
without word. l tried on several gar.
ments before l got an approximate fit. but
when / went downstairs / was a pauper,
genuine, pure aud simple.
For l had donned the blue Of pauperdom.
The overalls were blue-and clean. The
coat was gray in color, very thick, short,
and clean.
AS my shoes were whole / had no need
for the shoemaker, but in spite of the Pos
lively no admittance" on his door | opened
1t and poked my head Ia. He said good
evening. l looked around, saw an ordinary
cobbling establishment and number OF
brogans and pegged shoes of varying sizes.
The shop was neat and as clean as it well
could be. And the tailoring establishment
was likewise.
Precisely at o'clock the gong sounded.
According to the rules this meant that all
hands should retire TO their rooms. l saw
no infraction of this rule.
Unfortunately ] was not housed In the
big ward, but in one Of the rooms off the
second-foor corridor of the north wing.
1t contained four single iron beds and
might have been well ventilated had not
the other inmates insisted upon having both
the window and the door closed
AT the foot of each bed were hooks upon
which to hang the discarded garments.
Nightcaps and gowns are not considered
CONNIE il faut at the Almshouse. They
would have seemed out of place in such
surroundings. None Of my room-mates
wore them. / could not answer for the oc
cupants of the other rooms.
l never learned the names Of my room
mates, nor did care to. Names count for
little at the Almshouse. unless the owner
of the name is freak or a character. and
then the name Is fancy one.
Try as might / could not enter heartily
into the social life of my room mates-pro-
vided they had such thing.
They were silent. dreamy old men. They
didn't quarrel. and obeyed all the rules.
They were men whose shells seemed to
have outlived their vital forces. AS men
they were failures, utter failures. Perhaps
In the dim past. they had been useful In the
world, but in the end they had failed.
youngest of the three, but his answers were
too far from lucidity TO be of value.
These three were counterparts of hun
dreds OF other paupers In this institution.
One of them cut bread, another peeled
potatoes, and the third did nothing all day
but dream.
The beds they slept In. like the cue al
lotted to me, were scrupulousy clean, and
the covering provided warmed their shrunk-
en- limbs amply.
During my stay at the Almshouse ! never
heard word OF complaint about the beds
or the bedding On the contrary the most
querulous of the inmates and the biggest
kckers of the lot invariably had good
word for their beds.
AT o'clock the gong la the main hall
sounded again. 1t meant that all lights
should be extinguished. Ten minutes lat
the north wing Of the main building was
wrapped in total darkness, save for the
Pickering lantern light Of old Peter, the
Waterman.
Half an hour later / was dressed and had
stolen out in stocking feet to the courtyard.
/ could never sleep in that room, Thought.
The trades had ceased blowing, the moon
and stars shown brightly in that elevated
atmosphere. and 1t was not so cold.
The air was pure and sweet. With the
help of a couple OF gunnysacks l made
comfortable bed in the far corner of the
long bench in the courtyard. On 1t / slept
soundly until the o'clock gong awakened
me in the morning.
Then it was cold and / did some vigorous
walking along the procession route for the
next Salf hour, until the blood got in proper
circulation.
i enjoyed that nights rest as well as any
] have ever had, and a wash in cold water
at the roundhouse hydrant sharpened an
appetite that was already quick and strong.
But it failed me utterly when marched
into the dining.room half an hour later
There was hash for breakfast, made of
potatoes and meat and salt. There was
also the invariable one-seventh of loaf.
A bowl OF coffee, not strong enough to hurt
any ones nerves, topped it off.
drank most of the coffee, ate all OF the
bread and little of the hash. The same
food with different surroundings l could
have eaten with relish to the last morsel.
When the old fellows were all seated In
front OF their bowls and one-sevenths. a
tall old man In shirtsIeeves, with an iron
gray mustache and face that meant as
much as a stone wall, went along the tables
with big platter and tablespoon.
Hash. hash. hash," he cried In mechan-
ical voice, and the plates were held up for
him to fill. Those who wanted more than
one plateful OF hash-and many dd-had
only TO ask for it.
The room was but dimly lighted, and
those old. old faces and the old, old clothes
and the bent and bowed and crooked forms,
all as silent as death, made gruesome pic
ture that will never be forgotten. / ate
hastily and hurried away from 1t.
My absence from bed 8, room 27, during
the VIII ole night had not been marked. The
night Waterman had made his rounds and
peered into every room before l made my
escape. My three room mates noticed moth
a IL