The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1894-09-08

| Wlnkl9 IN MI buOil
SAND the 'old an Imagins you are
still the reckless rake you we're, key,
before you made up your mind to be
every inch nanT
CHERRY ripe, you as II, governor"
"And you want me along 70 sort oil
tone up your character and stand Epon'
sor for your prospects, you roguoy
key blow OF great whistle OF sur.
prise at this exact exposition OF tho sit
lation; and immediately launched into
yoiuble and unrepeatable cogter OK.
PLANTATION Of aGairs. from whose ''Gor
oil mes! !" Strike me luckysw "6aWd'B
trushsw aud other binding but alto.
Rether unconscious coster oaths aud
malOdIctions, | easily gathered that
key PushbaFroW, opulent coster Of
Shoroditch and Covsnt Garden. was
very much la love with soma sprightly
wench quito equal TO his deserts. In
whose attainment the costOr would
meet with no little opposition II not
downright trouble and harm.
All OF this brought Us along Holborn
to ancient aud historic Furuival's inn.
1ts decrepld back hangs over the en-
trance 10 notorious Leather Lane.
Scarcely wide enough beneath the back
windows OF tho Inn TO permit the en-.
trance Of donkey aud cart, Il gradually
widens toward Theobold's Row, aud 10
the east aud wcst is itself entered by
almost numberless shadowy closes and
wynds.
No casual frequenter OF Holborn
would notice II, but tho locality 10 ono
OF the densest In London In point Of
population. Among the countless ioWly
humans existing hero fully thousand
arc costermongers. and In winter half as
many arc GipsIes.
While the costers pride themselves
on their utterly reckless lives and
nightly carousals, from their standpoint
OF ethics their Gypsy nolghborS arc not
fairly progressive. They arc too quiet
Thcy attend closely to work and mini
mize the III effects OF the awful poverty
| OF London's Eowly.
AS we entered tho grewsome place
aud passed the fnmous Leather Bottle
tap, tho resort OF all this teemipg rab.
Bile, q casual remark by Ikey Disclosed
the social standards OF nolsome Leather
Lane aud the costers' opinions OF It's
winter Glpsy inhabitants.
IGOR bill mol '0w can hus costers
ave comfort hout o hour nelghbors,
less hus can 'elp carry 'en 'ome now
an agin from tn Leather BottlO2 Strike
me lucky! II Hi doan't believe they'd
rawther hoat whites than lick pewter.
Clicking pewter" Il must be known.
is costcf for guzzling flour ale"
Gawd's truth. but ye awrk one o 'em
a.. an los - toh IshjIIInrN fn. a Fo.,
pots at tn Bottle, an their bloody heyes
stick hout Ike bleedin' musscIs, Cor
bill me, 80 they dol"
About half way from Furnival's Inn
to Thoohold's Row, u narrow, dincy
court wrlggled an hundred feet ,or.mure
to the east. To the right aud loft tho
rnmshackIe yet stout old house fronts
seemed pitching at each other threat
ingly.
with donkey carts and barrows and
almost impossible with raysn.liko
humans, to tho house-roots hundreds Of
tho old and young aeouled hanging
from trembling balconies and tottering
window stills; and as we halted at Che
cornor I could not but reflect that tho
density OF woeful human life must DO
incouceiyably terrible behind these
outer hidoous walls.
That's or pa'lus-as hold bunkin'
place as heyer 70 clapped heyes on,
guvernor;" said 1key, pointing 70 tho
wedge-like end OF ,tho narrowing court
could sec, some forty or fifty feet
from tho ground, the top OF q stout and
dead wall, placed there as II TO shut ont
tho poverty Of the Leather Lane 70.
Eion from some better favored district,
or enclosure.
"Crickey! Amt they tidy, iesH" ho
murmured admiringly. IAN not al
bloomin' penn'or o. remit"
As my eyes becamearcusto TO the
dim light OF the court, the outlines OF
curious structure gradually grew visl-
BILE. It's occupants secmed 10 exist un-
dor system OF moro than partial eus.
pension.
some thirty feet from the ground n
mass OF patched bits,of sail cloth and
blankets formed the only rooi. Ingeui.
onsiy braccd bits OF wood-fiotsam and
jeteam from the markets and tho
Thames-had been utilized In the con.
structiop OF three successive stories OF
floors, betwonn the Tapping roof and
tho pavement Of the court. All Of these
wore open to tho weather aud Leather
Lane way save whore rags, sieve-likc
blankets and sail.cloth answered the
place OF scant curtaining.
These stories or floors, as 1key en-.
Enthusiastically explained aud after
wards Hospitality found. were about
eight foot square. except tho lower or
pavement stoey, which was as large as
tho prowcss Of the occupants could
mako Il against tho hordes OF tho sitting
cour. An aperture had boon made 10
tho dead wall, which, with few bricks
and little mud mortar, provided
capital chimney piece.
The drnught was perfect. Thcre was
q good deal OF comfort, TOO, about this
extraordinary Groside. The cart was
"whummeled," that lie, turned bottom
side up for table. A sholf like piece
OF timber was fastened against tho side
wall for lounRinS bunk and bench;
and ladder ran from this along the
wall TO tho second story, whore cooking
utensils aud food wore kept
But moro curious than oil was the
nightly disposition OF tho donkey and
the human occupants themselves. On |
arrival from tho days journcyings. tho
donkey was hauled by rope and tackle
into tho cage.like third story, under tho |
sail.cloth roof; aud on retiring for tho
night, keys "princess" ascended TO
her lofty boudoir beside the faithful
beast; while her Corebus father, vail
antly choosing the post Of danger In |
.ho socnnd aEnrv holnu hahad m II