The Durham daily globe. (Durham, N.C.) 1889-1894, 1893-10-26
AN INCIDENT IN REAL LIFE.
Showing How Unpleasant People Can Make
Themselves by Their Talk.

Themselves by Their Talk.
l stepped upon a Broadway car at the
lower end Of Broadway and rode in il
along that fast changing highway as fa1
as Nineteenth street. At the corncr OF
Chambers street and Broadway a mar
of perhaps 20 and a woman not more
than 25, he carrying a huge portmanteau,
a collection of wraps, two umbrellas
and a cane, she leading by the hand a
3-year-old baby, joined the partially
crowded patronage already seated. A
cloud Of dissatisfaction rested upon the
brow of the man. The frown of an al
ready born rumpus fast unfolding into
fruitage made forbidding and ugly the
comely countenance of the I'm Her
nervou disposition made itself known
to every one in the car and particularly
to the little boy as she yanked the child
by the arm into the seat beside her. Aft
er a moments silence the woman said,
"You might have known how it would
be-" to which he responded, "We1l, |
might have known, but I didn't, so shut
up"
Another passenger entered the car at
that moment and stumbled over the port
manteau.
Hang that bag!' said the man.
"If l were you, I would keep my cuss-
ing for home" said the woman, and so
on and on and on.
The ensuing half hour was passed by
these two in a strain which would have
done credit to the most pronounced bag
in the dirtiest quarters of a third rate
fish market. The little boy, thank heav-
en-, went fast asleep. Much Of the CON
versatiOn between the two was inaudible
a V to the three OF four people in imme-
date contact with them, but every once
III awhile the shrill voice Of the female
bird SCARED into upper attitudes Of def
ance, making discordant the entire at
mosphere and attracting the attention
of nearly g. score Of people. They got
out at the corner of Fourteenth street
and Broadway and entered a cafe-he
sullen, ejacuiatory and profane; she
keyed up to G in alt, defiant, shrewish,
chock full of scold.
Well, what of it? It is not such a very
uncommon thing for man and wife-for
lovers even, for daily intercoursers-to
quarrel and to vent s~erpentlike Kisses
from the unruly members that wag with
curious motion as they distill poison
from bitter and jaundiced hearts. It is
not so uncommon, I admit, but isn't it
always suggestive? ! thought as [ looked
at. the man, with a good, square, clean
forehead, well marked brOws, a clear
skin and an air of self pOise, that he was
loI11r lOSIr l:1,ro! G 1,,r4;,o C,o--o 41.L
his hands were rude and rough and hat
his boots were country made, that his
pOrtmaptGau was considerably older
than the ordinary hill and that his UNI
brella looked as though it might have
been utilized by Mrs. Noah when she
came from the ark, he was q man of the
world in appearance.
And the woman had a pretty face,
hair was parted in the middle, as
women's hair should be, and revealed in
it's old fashioned brushing a tiny ear, not
so small as to indicate utter selfshness,
but, on the other hand, not so large as to
rival a genuine Saddle Rock oyster in ito
vulgarity. Her eyes were brown, soft
at that; her teeth were regular and
clean; her dress was neat, her hands and
feet we'll clad, and an occasional pat
upon the boys shoulder as he lay nes-
ting against her, fast asleep, indicated
the feminine nature, the atfectionate ten
derness Of the mother.
Listening under the circumstances was
rudeness. 1t was compulsory. sat
next the boy. Some Of his banana skin
ornaments my cOatsleeve until this mo.
ment. AS he lay semicoiled up I noticed
the copper nails in the bottom of his shoe
and the copper toe upon the same. The
group was easily and perfectly within
my vision. AS word after word fell red
hot [ thought: How odd TINS all would
sounded in that shell-like ear five
years ago. How strange it would have
seemed to the lover had he heard it or
had 1t been suggested to him that ever
it could be possible for him to hear such
language from such lip5.-Howard in
New York Recorder.
Mr. D. J. Martin, of New York, is at
the Carolina.