The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1893-06-11

y NAAU0sy u AStUH0sv VoVOk0t VuVy
would never be their 1eal selves in my
prc.sncs. But I kept among them dog,
Esdiy about 'ths joyous Nsiahborhood Of
Covene Garden" market. whore from S,0O(
70 1000 may daily DO seen. aatl oppo5tu-
nifty At last oame.
famous market in AAe early morning. On
. csrtatn Nay morning Of last yeae fount
among the p~ea-shelis,s uAdsr b market
colon nadss. opposite the ancient Tavissoel
hotel. one Of the women. consly snsugl
for q wonder among these who are Rsnsr.
My understandable haas, shellisR in 2 des-
her heart would break. Mere tsaSs thar
pennies fell in her bowl. and the cid Jszs-
bells about her were. after auite tAe fashiou
OF women. adding 10 her misery BY taunt'
ing her With the foolishAess of her mar
rage which had svidsAtly sons amiss
When these taunts bsoAns insaffesabis sAe
would quietly punch one Or another Of
their heads. when there would BE- a little
savage scufiing and then sho would resume
her tears and peas. I could sec she was
costerwOmsn; and In a few minutes waiting
l gathered enough to know that the weeping
pea-sAsllsr had run away from eosteR father
and mother. married . costor youth OF
fancy or spo ting proelivities, and that
tho latter. possessed Of u frenzy over some
chafinsh or dog had stripped the pair, time
after time, Of donkey. cart and homo be-
longings. as often lost all; and, vorse yet.
had become 50 infamous among bis kind
that in all London hs coald not borrow =
half crown 10 start anew, usually an easy
thing for q coster TO do, nor 20 much ~ a
"thr'penny bit" with which to quenoh his
thirst n drown his dsspondsAsy. That
very morning Book, the Weeping pea
sAsller had ttnsioallY left her incorriRible
husband "for good and ALL" and At that
vsry. moment the latter. kaown ~ "slumpsy
Il arn1 fnR h{n Hl-1rnk nNN AAnPRi0thiItkv
was turning way from glbing sostsr groups.
one after another, tho picture Of irrstsisv-
able despair.
The language Of these folk IL simply an
p intabls. not because OF the costsrs' linton
tional obsosnity and profanity, asthsy have
the deepest pride in sA.'s Own :p:'oh ana
under The f%usillade that morning. He
skunk away like enc pursued, and / followed
him. Halt way down Southampton street.
he made . last effort to retrieve himsslf BY
begging q loan from Jenny Williams the
Mindsr"-a mindsr Of whips for the last
Thirty years 70. ell the s.sesareo.rs' east:rs
Strand and the market. Jenny was up to
snuff" and boat him Of with hsr whips.
Then he plunged into the Strand at = run;
squirmsd among and through the thunder
ing vehicles. st. Paurs way. to Waterloo
bridge; here halted . monsnt or I could
AoS nave OVSESaAo1 2I&; anu toea sssHsso
dogQsdly towards the 6u-rsy side. He
afterwards told me II WAS for - header"
into the Thames.
But ] soon an alongside Of him, and BE-
fore he was half way to The middle OF the
bridge had him By the shoulder. and thes,
falling him he cos!d attend to the little
matter he had In mind just - we'll later in
dsrinR prisoner. to = cheap grill house In The
Strand for b cakfast. Even an outeast
oost.rmoaser filed with good food and In
com ~ whore the ohink of silver 10. 10 Q
different 20 : of fellow than ono just on the
point OF taking = header" off Watslloo
bridge. But be sould do little else than
bulge his eyes md after much emotional
'Gcr bli me. but ero's . GO"
II was a still greater go" when. . half
hcu, later. I had him help mt ransaek every
foul pawnshop in the Ninoriss and We
gathered up all tho poor sAreds Of their
home-belongings. even to his " brilliant
Sunday "kingsnan." or neckcloth, the vsf-
which had been his downfall. and Beeky's
famous ostrich plume. tho erst pride and
envy of Shorsditoh; and after such q char
woman's %serubb!ns and securing as the
place had never before known, got tho
broker homo together again in the self
same spot before ST. Paurs bells had struck
tho midday chimes.
"Gawd strike me lucky! hits a likslier
palms than the Lud May'r's. One gaze o.
L'i'd gus h'out poor domains darling. mis-
trcss, wifs) k'sycE-gor bli mo. so't would!"
was rlumps3's parting apostrophe. a. we
mounted a four penny bus citywaid way,
though the dazed cosier was still ignorant
of our destin alton.
We were soon at D,ury Lane. Iknew an
%alehouse, hard by Leng Acre. whore the
pan-shcllers drowned their woes vixen their
work was done, and sometimes danced and
fought. Sure enough Jenny was there.
still weeping over a pot of four ais and q
cod sausage; but tho g'eatest Ego" of all
was these ~oosters' mee.ings. drenoh.d in
tears, drowned in a full gallon O. bitto."
for parting cheer among tho now enthusiast
swept with "Gol bli mcs!' "st Ike M.
dcnds. or lucksys!" and other still moro
unetious coster oaths. The poor dosah'4
h'eyssa were quite put out" on sosing her
little. and loved If little, home rabsilt as If
If by magic, and all the rnef1l p.o hesies
Of her nngeing companions SO marvslously
puttc ~naught; and to do tho poor soul JUS
t;ce her gratitude and delight were mex
rrrssibly greater to discover tbs tho magic,
tho total cost of which had been but throe
pounds. four! had been wrought on the
unfinching condition that Slumpsy JON
Was a reformed gambler now and evs1nore.
Sc loAp ~AouS viva ~ -
that had ever como to London cost RS until
evening. Thon no dressed in our best and
joined in q ~costerY' tea arty at a near cos
tie. 4 iend's; for in a few hours their great
good fortune had been noised about, and,
as with Other folk of higher grade, the sill
YER key had unlocked unwilling doors; and
afterwards passed q thrillful hou- at a gen
uins Whitschapel sDenay gait" whore
from 400 to 800 costsrs. Billings
gate porteis. Lambeth butcher boys
and Whiteohapel ridraff were packed
in & noiscme old shed, to witness q ''gatf."
or outrageously ridiculous pantsmine. or
voiceless mslod ANA. or wordlszs tragedy.
In which there were indescribable murder,
highway robbery. and other lurid crime,
but all enacted without spoken word to
evade tho Law governing dramatic represen-
tat,ons; AMI got to our beds in Bell Lane
before nidnight:-for l had dstsrminsd 70
ho1se. Iva and be after the costsr fashion
completely until tho pnir were we'll on their
feet in this strange London coster world.
Or Sunday there ia q crazy sort of fair OF
goats. fowls, ~ferrsts, rats for destroying
bestles. rats for the pit. chiffin shes, rabbits
Fnd much other unsavory live stock, hole
10 THE rear of Skorsuiteh church In Hsr,
street, hard by our eoater homo. Ate
ire akfast We repaired thither md bought
respectable secondhand barrow and don
ker for two pun tenn some ~sievss, shall
lows and baskets for Il few shillinRs more
and then passsd part of the day in Eppin,
forest with a million or SO of other lowl
London cutters. On Lienday We we're all u
Covent Garden market, At four o'clock II
the morning, and had a load of crisp vsQs
tables disposed Of by one O'Clock In tn
afternoon among the Judging 'ouss'
keepers Of Bloomsbury, at ne
profit, intending some repairs 70