The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-08-20

cient Royal Hunting Grounds
Now Forever Free to the People.
London East Enders and Their
Manner of Enjoyment at This
Greatest Worlds Holiday Resort.
Complexity, Irrepressibility and
Vastness of the Crowds Historic
Memories.
Copyright 1897
London, Aug. 5.-My first visit to Ep-
ping Fore5t, probably the greatest Holt
day resort i'm the world was made in a
costermonger's cart in which I held a
proprietary interest. had been for some
weeks plying the subtle arts Of the costcr
with my good coster friends, Slumpsy
Jem and his wife Becky. and, am proud
to say, with excellent financial success.
We had fought our way from coster pow
erty and ignominy TO coster atfiuence and
aristocracy by a commercially wise dis
tribution of vegetables, fish, flesh and
fowl. and were now in a way 10 enjoy the
fruits of sobriety, diligence and thrift in
well-earned day Of recreation and rest,
without the grim outlook beyond Of re-
morse trampling with its steely strides
on the heels of ill-considered JOY
Nothing could have been completer or
more tidy than our preparations for the
pleasant event, at our habitatiOn in Bell
Lane. Jem washed, oiled and polished
our cart, rubbed the rusty corOnets of our
secondhand harness, and grOomed our
spirited donkey, Bolivar" until, as Jem
Justly remarked, TIL make their heyes
ache to hobserve this ere turnout, bli me,
so it will. A bloomin' wicount couldn't
match this go, no fearl" Becky had her
hands and heart full in arranging her own
''get up" whose observable component
parts comprised high-heeled shoes, a
secondhand velvet gown which originally
never graced less than the form of a
countess or a singer in ''the 'alls, ~ and a
massed forest of huge, waving ostrich
plumes above her richly oiled and clouted
bangs of side and front hair; while my
own immediate assignment of duty was
I'LL the hampers against that delicious
hunger which comes to all city folk from
daY of pleasure in the woods and fields
/ had what Jem called "a bloomin'
carty blanchy," and l used 1t. Two of
our largest coster baskets were our ham
pers. In these l had slowed meal
which Becky insisted was eft for Her
Majesty, Queen Victoriey, at Hascott"
There was juicy slices of cold roast beef
and a joint of mutton l had found at a
snug public house in the Strand; quarts
of shrimpS as sweet and pink as new
baby's finger-tips; dozens of sandwiches
hiding lovely slices of tongue; tender
mackerel l had myself grilled to a crisp
as brown as frost-touched maple leaf;
ROquefort cheese "wi'ch,n as Jem
truly said, ''made Cheddar turn
green with envy" shadows of Kentish
strawberries each as large as a walnut
and sweet as nectar, real powdered sugar,
pot of clothed cream as yellow as gold
and three beautiful tin spoons and sau-
GERS for their service. There were other
toothsome tid-bits which would have
done honor 30 the real quality; along with
cold tea by the jug full, and a few dark
looking, chunky bottles of ale, tribute
to Jem's affection for Becky and cum
ming provision for himself; for on this
point he had approached me with conf
dence, genuine feeling and wise insight
into the social requirements of a London
East end coster girl.
"W'at's the use,n he said, with almost
a tinge of bitterness in his sturdy plea,
waits the use leavin' out the wet2 A
real London lady's no more good at a
hOutin', 'thout victim Ter up bit, than
a COW 'thOut runnin' water. wy, m all
them yer rich, dry whites ID crackle
Becky's constitushun into kindlers afore
night, 'thout sup o. wet. At Ampstead
er Hopping, give CONAN wat she's used
ter, an plenty hof il, n no fear she'll
make folks 'arppy Were she bidcs :"
Jem was a sight in his new "clobber, "
cleaning rows of buttons and stunning
'kingsman.' Becky was no less a sight
in her grand gown and feathers. Bolivar
was even a more interesting sight in his
sleek coat and wonderful decoration, a
portion of which comprised feathers
waving from his trem bling ears, a set of
false whiskers depending from his shaggy
chin, with bright ribbons crossed and re
crossed about his nimble legs; and Sprat
tiny coster lad without recorded an
cestry who often accompanied us on our
daily hawking adventures and slept in
our cart at night, who was this day to be
our ''coachy and vally' combined, clad in
Jem's everyday jacket, waistcoat and
"kingsman, ~ was sight Of atom-like ha-
bilitated matter one seldom in a whole
lifetime beholds.
Indeed we We're altogether such a sight
that,as we finally sailed forth the denizens
of Bell Lane, Shoreditch, were so pleased
with our appearance and so enthusiastic
over our various gracious returns of their
hearty encomiums, which included occa-
siOnal showers of half-pennies among the
Bell Lane ragamufin youths, that this
admiration for our spirit in so gaily up
holding the gallantry of the thoroughfare
was at length expressed in enthusiastic
cheers. These encouraged Sprat to lar
rup Bolivar far beyond his wont or
deserts. The donkey thereupon took
most of his whiskers and all Of his bit
firmly between his teeth. Then, after
lifting Sprat out of his temporary box
with his nimble heels, he straightway
broke into fierce canter never checking
his furious pace until he ran head-fore-
most into the old Stoke-Newington church
wall. After alighting here over each
others heads, we took time to reassure
Boliver of the peaceful nature of our ex-
pedition, read our ambitious coachman a
highly-spiced coster warning, made some
slight necessary repairs gathered to-
gether our distributed hampers and their
contents, and then proceed with greater
calmness and circumspection, but none
the less merrily, on our pleasant holiday
way.
As we logged along at an easy gait in
the fine May morning, there was much
interesting to see and know through the
medium of my coster friends sources of
Information. While they quantity told
me OF this and that, TO them, familiar OBJ
'jeet along or upon the highway, ] gave
them in return bit of the Forest history.
Some of these things my rea1ers may
care to know as well as Jem and Becky
and Sprat. In ancient times it was known
as Waltham forest, and in those DAYS
comprised 60, 900 acres. 1t was exclusively
used as the royal huuting-ground
with most cruel foresters in charge who
usually settled the cases of DOachors wi h