davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1894-12-15

ism and drink beer evenings, think
just as much of Christmas and its before
and after festivities now as they used to
in the Fatherland, and what Is more to
their credit their American born children
catch the enthusiasm.
III you had oversight for month, your
excellency, without realizing 1t, and
had not seen a calendar, you would
have known 1t was Christmas eve
il you had gone with me to
that German house last evening.
There was the Christmas tree, cut
one Sunday afternoon weeks before,
and 1t had been standing in the best room
ever since until the bundle bear
ing capacity of each twig and
branch had been estimated and re-
estimated by every member of the family,
each one for himself and in accordance
with the number of presents he expected
and the amount of money which he hoped
to be able to spend. That capacity had
nearly all been tested when / scraped
enough frost off the front window to look
In and see things.
The small fry had all got into bed, not
because they were sleepy, or that there
was a law in the house about bed time as
rigid as the rule in the factory regulating
the starting of the looms, but because IL
was part OF their plan to be surprised In
the morning.
The mother was hanging the Things ana
the fat her was writing the names on the
packages and handing them up to her. 1t
was a big family and there was lot
about it. Three boys had bought their
presents separately for one of the sisters
and at the last minute it was discovered
that each one had bought copy OF
Grim's Stories to take the place of the
one that every member OF the family had
had from the Public Library and kept
long enough each time to get
postal from Mr.. Foster stating that
a fine of two cents a day was imposed Tor
every day a book is kept over two weeks.
The two extra books had been sent in to
the rig hit and left hand next door neigh
Dor and after considerable amending the
parents had agreed upon an explanation
that wouldn't hurt the feelings of the two
boys.
The old folks finished the tree, then
decorated the top of the doors, hung their
wreaths in the windows and the father
got up on step ladder and drove nail
into the ceiling to hang the mistle-
toe from because there was no
chandelier. 1t was almost time for the
rest to get mp when the heads Of the
business placed them in q row with the
children's because there Is an old Ger
man legend that 10 place all
the shoes OF household to-
gether on Christmas Eve will assure
good will and harmony for the year to
come. Then they expressed mutual re-
grets that cottages FOR mill operatives
were not built with open fireplaces,
finished between them what was left OF
q long brown bottle of Rhine wine and
went to bed.
The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1894-12-15
HAPPINESS FOR THE HOBO.

His Whisixey Allowance Was Unusu-
ally Large and He Was Sure of a Bed.
He had a pint OF bad whiskey inside OF
him and he wanted more.
SO he stood on the corner and asked the
passers by for pence.
When he got the pence he got more
whiskey.
When he couldn't hold any more whiskey
he found bed--somew here.
There are three grades of what is known
as the Hobo. IL is to the third or lower
grade reference is here made, and to re-
late how he passes his Christmas will give
the readers an insight into how his asso-
ciates or those like him commemorate the
day when the lowly Nazarene was born.
first and foremost, this 32d degree bum
must have for n balm TO mis- wounded feel-
ings regarding the unequal division of
the favors OF fortune what 10 him is the
elixir OF life, a bottle OF whiskey so cheap
and vile that IL can be obtained for 10
cents pint. With this be ILLS himself
The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1894-12-15
A BOwERY CHRISTMAS.
1t Was Merry I'm Spots, but There
Were Distracting Circumstances,

II Was Merry I'm Spots, but There
Were Distracting Circumstances,
Over on lower Washington street the
night lunch cart was catering to solitary
patron.
The patron was woman.
She was visibly dressed in plush jacket
that had seen hard service, a slazey black
skirt, and on top of her head was q mil
linery atrocity.
She munched ham sandwich and
talked out loud to herself.
Out OF the saloons up and down the
Bowery district the late-stayers were
struggling as the midnight hour sounded
from the church spires.
A policeman strolled over to the lunch
cart and accosted the woman.
"How's things?" he inquired, sociably.
"Oh, pretty good" returned the woman,
speaking thickly between the bites Of
though. Amt SO young as / used to be-"
"Too much rum, maybe" suggested
the patrolmsn. "Let's see; how longs 1t
been since i run you in, Mag?"
"Fourth o. July" returned the woman
shortly; "an' i wasn't drunk then, only
you had it in for me-"
"Well, look out for yourself tonight"
admonished the policeman, as he turned
on his heel. "We've no Christmas din
ners to spare over at the Central Station"
The woman laughed and, having fin
ished her sandwich, she moved slowly
down the street, stopping now and then
to look over the men who reeled by.
Pretty soon youngish chap, who had
just come out of one of the barrooms,
stopped in front OF the woman.
"Hullo, Mag" he said.
"Hullo, jimmy" returned the woman.
SCOT drink with your"
"Sure." responder the youngish chap,
"come wild me-"
The two made their way into Union
street and the youngish chap produced q
flask filled with Bowery fluid.
Half an hour later the woman and the
youngish chap and the policeman were
standing by police patrol call box. For
15 minutes the woman and the youngish
chap had been awakening the echoes of
the Bowery district with "Sweet Marie"
and "After the Ball." sung vo-
ciferously and unmusically. The
policeman had endeavored to
have the vocalism cut short before the
completion of the published stapzas, but
the woman and the youngish chap had
protested vigorously, and had called the
policeman " chump," and had likened
his face to n mask.
SO the policeman had escorted them to
the cell box and pretty soon the patrol
wagon ratified up and the twain were
tum bled in, the woman last and her mil
linery atrocity, having been disassociated
from her head to drop into the gutter,
last OF all,
so Mag spent her Christmas as she had
spent her Fourth OF July--in a drunkard's
The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1894-12-15

never would see the day again when she
could have such things.
The lady poarder who wears glasses and
has the front room right over the parlor
and who goes TO the theater every Mon
day night, and mentions that fact every
Tuesday at breakfast, strengthened her
claim for extra privileges In the way of
terrei- ard het water by giving the piano
playing daughter little spe-
ciai remem brance. 1t was some
recently-invented attachment which is put
on the sounding board to reduce the tones
for sweet and low effect, something very
nice for use while practising the five finger
exercises.
The insurance agent boarder thought
that the Monday nighter was not alto
gether disinterested in choosing her gift,
but as TIE recipient appreciated IL and
tried IL on the "come TO me" part of
"Sweet Marie" with splendid results he
he d his place.
They sat at the table two hours, just 20
minutes too long, for in that last third OF
an hour the solemn boarder, who had
thought it over three days before he con-
sented 10 help buy the coal, got to.talking
and said as he has said every Christmas
for the last 40 years, that the holiday GUS
toms ought TO be abolished because there
are so many poor people VINO can not en-
Joy them.
The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1894-12-15
CHRISTMAS LIGHTS AND SHADOWS.
Holiday Evening Found Into Homes and HoveIs Of the
City and Vicinity.
Down the Are yus Some Are wretched
and Some Are Matter of Fact.

next sound would come from the court
banjo or from the hostess who was for the
moment too mad 10 speak because some
one had spilled her beer.
Neither happened just then for the ex-
champion crap player OF the colony came
in from the street with sprig OF
evergreen that he had picked up on the
pavement and brought home with him TO
hang up somew here. A rival laughed at
him and suggested that the next thing he
would get would perhaps be cake of soap
or a tooth brush.
The champion of estheticism and
Grape retorted that he had married
that he wouldn't marry white
woman tht held the State Farm
record for the whole crowd, which remark
was very personal for the man who
couldn't see the appropriateness of laurel
wreaths and mistletoe in Hawes court.
Big and angry Anne didn't have to
speak, and the drumming Of dozen
banjos would have made no difference
then. The disinterested ones assumed the
position OF spectators and pressed them
selves against the side of the room. The
man who believes in bit of something
suggestive of nature seized three-le legged
chair, the man who believed In intermar-
riage OF the races and stood by his convic-
tions drew the "ready razor"
Twenty minutes later the patrol wagon
rolled down Canal street with prisoner
inside, who declared that ne was hit first.
The sleepy operator at the telephone ex-
change said hello $685." called up
the hospital and an hour later the ambu-
lance was driven away from Hawes court
with man inside who couldn't declare
anything.
The white wife and the wife of her hus-
bands color, took a parting drink out OF
the same pail, the Others drained out the
few drops in their respective GROWERS
that had run down the sides and collected
at the bottom during the entertainment,
and Christmas eve at Hawes Court was
over.
The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1894-12-15
WITHOUT A SANTA CLAUS.
Christmas Fell Upon This Household
With "a Dull Thud.

To begin my annual report I'll get rid of
Che most unsatisfactory part first. You
know what mean. It's the account of the
doings up there in that big mansion where
lot of poor folks might be allowed to go
In for day or two and enjoy some of
those things that the owners don't care
anything about.
Iwent there early Christmas eve expect
Ing to find at least little fun but there
wasn't. My only hope was in that little
six-year old tot who did believe in Santa
Claus q year ago, but she has been un-
deceived and Is as superior as the rest of
This oldest child, who is going to Smiths
College at the opening OF the
spring term, was studying hard
IN order to be up with the girls that en-
tered in September. She really couldn't
soe why 1t was necessary TO do anything
more than 60 to church on December 20,
and although papa was sure TO give her
eome nice books on the next day there
was no surprise nor anything unusual
about 1t. The dear girl blushed painfully
when her brother asked in a derisive way
Il she was going to hang her stocking.
1t is true that the professional florist
had come in and hung wreaths and fes-
toons of evergreens around the house
while the third maid followed him around
to see that the children were not allowed
to follow their inclination to assist In the
decorating.
A maiden aunt visiting from Boston did
condescend to tell them that the hanging
Of evergreens was the survival of the old
Greek custom OF decorating the altars at
Christmas. The future college miss
jottcd down. the fact in her note book of
miscellaneous information concerning
ancient people, apd the little girl, who
had found out that Santa Clause was a
vulgar fraud, and told her still
younger brother so, looked
trihe bored. So did the florist,
who had just come from an ordinary sort
OF q house where every member OF the
family expressed an opinion as to where
the green should be put and where he
had been obliged to weave three crowns
for the heads OF as many children who like
fairy stories and believe everything that's
told them.
That first visit made me weary. No
doubt there were good many costly
presents exchanged inthat residence to-
day, but 1t isn't Christmas. As the learned
young lady said it Is just the 25th OF De-
ccmber and NO dfffereDt from The other
364 days in the year. The head OF that
family closed up business today because
the law gave his employees holiday and
he took advantage of 1t by running down
to Boston to talk about law suit with
another man who gives, thanks on the
last Thursday OF every November that
interest does not stop on legal holidays.
The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1894-12-15

with as much assurance of filling 1t as II
he / ad been requested to bring plain
omelette-waiters always do. Then he
disappeared between the quick swinging
doors that conceal SO much
enough for meal to twice pay for the
food, the cost OF its cooking and enough
more to cover the days wages of the boy
who washes the cake display window. In
three minutes the waiter came back with
napkin, plate OF rolls, glass OF water and
the the air Of person NtS :wh9 says 20 have sr
but -" The afterward OF the but
i'm this case was to tell the Lone
some Man that there were no shinne-
cock oysters in the market. that the vege-
table cook had a day off TO spend
Christmas with his family out IN
Johnston SO there was nothing but boiled
potatoes warmed over, and as he had me-
elected to give his orders TO the market
man the day before there was no celery.
The helibut was all right but wouldn't
the gentleman just "as leave" have egg
sauce as there was no crawfish and they
never served Yorkshire pudding. Every
thing else on the order could be got ex-
cept the spinach and woodcock.
That waiter little realized that he had
ruined one entire Christmas celebration
and that the Lonesome Man had lost his
appetite by the time the mock turtle soup,
the boned turkey, the green peas and the
plumb pudding had been scooped out
of their several hermetically sealed cans,
warmed up, fiattened out into cooked
to-order resemblance and placed on the
coffee stained 4x6 table cloth, together
with the check, politely laid with the
significant side down.
"What did the Lonesome Man do efter
finishing his unsatisfactory dinner?"
asked the statue.
He went into place where no one but
" members" can buy drink and every
conner is a member, and played whist for a
quarter a corner with three more Lone
some Men, and seemed to wish that he was
somew here else all the rest of the day.
The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1894-12-15

Was the Christmas Feast Observed
as the GuesU or Our LanJitady.

Was the Christmas Feast Observed
as the Guest or Our Landfady.
AS usual, visited the boarding house
kept by the widow Ashterday on Aborn
street, and found that each inmate had
properly wished every other one a Merry
Christmas and that all had wished the
hostess two or three times before she was
ready to get dipner-all with the
exception Of that little cross-eyed woman
who was invited out to Pawtucket
to eat dinner with some relatives of her
late husband. They were all seated at the
dinner table when 1 went in and
thanks to the absence OF the woman
whose husband had relatives each one
had an inch or two more for his or her ell
bows AT the table. Still the favorite
boarder and Mrs. Ashterday's own boy,
who was awarded the drum sticks, had TO
sit sideways to gnaw them ad-
vantageously, and then there wasn't
space enough between the chairs for any
one to drop fork on TO that marble cloth
carpet protector. Nevertheless, all the
boarders were happy-tbe fixtures were
all hot, the coffee had the merits pscu-
liar only to holidays and the
bird was SO crisp aud tender and satisfac-
tory on its first appearance that no one
felt sorry when the mistress OF the carv-
ing knife pried open the corcass for hid
den dressing, and remarked that there
wouldn't be much left for soup.
Mrs. Ashterday herself was beaming,
content IN the consciousness OF n dinner
well cooked and boarders well filled. Be-
sides tLose tl.at gave her enough per week
TO enable her. with the additional
help OF a widows pension, to pay the
rent, keep the two youngest In school
and give the two eldest piano lessons and
dancing school tuition respectively, had
all remembered her In their gift King
again with the exception OF the woman
who went To Pawtucket. At the sugges-
tion Of the young man who occupies the
back attic room, as far away from the
furnace NJ it's possible TO get, all the rest
had chipped in and paid for ton OF coal
carted and put In the bin. The mistress
hardly knew how TO express her thanks
IL was SO unexpected, but she was
very gracious, which Is much TO her
credit, especially as Ehe had rather haif
hoped 10 get that piano lamp that she bad
talked about 60 her guests by the week at
every meal for fortnight before Christ.
mas, meekly observing each time that she
The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1894-12-15
A SPRUCE STREET SYMPOSIUM.
Plenty of Joy and Macaroni Distin-
guish the Xmas Festival.

.
guish the Xmas Festival.
1t is Christmas on Federal Hill, as well
as anywhere else, and Spruce street, the
main thoroughfare of the Italian colony,
was noisier than ever last night. No one
was drunk and every one was drinking
mostly beer, while here and
there a man, whose plaster of par is
images had met with a ready sale, or one
whose organ monkey was cute enough to
bring back big returns, or anot her who had
not missed too many days work in the
city sewers, might be seen slipping chianti
and realizing, himself better than anyone
else, that IL was pure luck.
The men were all in the Spruce street
and cross street saloons, the women were
all In the grocery stores buying maca-
roni, gossiping and quarreling in a good
natured holiday fashion, the children W ere
all on the hill that runs down to the
railroad tracks, sliding down between
the ASH heaps on a few sleds and more
sections OF barrel slaves.
And at midnight they were ell on
Spruce street making curbstone visits,
wishing each other merry Christmas and
greeting the Fourth Station policemen,
who always travel In pairs through that
district, and assuring them that there
Will be no cutting affairs and
no bad blood until Christmas is over, any
way. They all respect the season whet her
IL finds them in good luck or bad luck.
You can keep an Italian digging in
sewer or picking on rubbish heap all
day, and in tenement house mix up all
night, but he won't forget to be merry
and put on the best he's got and spend
all that he has in his pocket on Christ
mas.
Today they celebrated at home or in
their houses. The giving of presents
didn't prevail along the whole street be-
cause SO many OF the tenants are just
boarders who pay so much week for one
corner of floor TO sleep on. But wher-
ever there was family there was the
Christmas urn which the Italians use in
stead of tree.
An iron pot served the purpose and the
boy who has been to evening school and
can read takes the things out and reads
off Grovanin, or Rosetta, or whatever the
name may be, and delivers 1t to the owner.
The present is generally colored print
OF the Virgin or the Saviour or
bunch of paper flowers. At
the house where i was myself
this forenoon the father, who makes
images down on Cedar street, gave his
little girl gilded statue of herself-that
il, he said that she had been his model,
and he had made a lot more like Ii that
would sell for quarter apiece down on
Westminster street.
For the Christmas dinner there was an
extra mess OF macaroni simmering on
every Spruce street stove, and the fortu-
nate ones who had been able to drink
chianti added mackarel or two.
The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1894-12-15
NOT A BIT FESTIVE.

Christmas n Bore TO the Lonesome
met the Lonesome Man late this after
noon--tbe same one who stayed in bed all
Thanksgiving day and went to see "Fan-
tasma" that night so not to have any idle
time to be gloomy In. He wasn't in the
proper mood at all for Christmas, but ne
couldn't be blamed.
In the first place he complained that
he had been obliged to get down street
earlier for dinner as his restaurant only
keeps open half day on holidays, and
when he got there the cause for COM
plant number two confronted him.
On the day before after trying in vain to
see how he could reach home, which Is
two days of by train, with only "a hours
leisure at his disposal, he had INDUCED
himself In planning little Christmas
dinner.
BY picking out his particular favorites
from half a dozen old menu cards found
crumpled up in the coat tail pocket of
dress suit, he fixed up the mbination
and declared that he, the Lonesome Man,
should eat IL all from oysters to brandy
and coffee and take ali the time possible
TO enjoy II in. So this was the fist that
he handed to the waiter, written out on
the back OF an old letter, and said bring IL
oil.
shinnecoek oysters, half shell,
Mock turtle sour. clear.
Celery Olives. Caviare
Chicken halibnt crawhsh sauce.
Perslade potatoes.
Loln roast with Yorkshire pudding.
Turkey with cranberry sauce.
Spinach, English style. stated Peppers.
81 sweetbread Noi-aa.yenL
Green peas.
Punch Ia Romaine.
Woodcoek Flcld salad,
Plum pudding
Nuta Fruu Cakes
Coffee.
The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1894-12-15

to the brim of oblivion with one elongated
gulp and then loading his short stemmed
clay pipe with dried cigar stubs he takes
q few puffs. The effort Is failure to OBJ
tain q smoke and placing the pipe handy
for future reference he stands upon the
street corner awaiting the approach OF
of some phllanthropic soft hehrted gen.
tleman whom he solicits for ',iust three
cents" to make mp enough TO obtain
nights lodgings Christmas nights lodg-
ing. He meets with success until he has
the price OF more rum. II is only in tle
day, and a bed does not bother him so
much as his unquenchable thirss Tor
liquor. He must needs have the kind
that, like molten lead or lava, eats its way
down his throat and emits a smoke not
unlike that OF the "tire king" of the stage.
Christmas is like any other day TO this
specimen of the genus homo, with the
exception perhaps that people feel in
more generous mood and do the very
worst thing they can do by giving HIM
money. III given q ticket for food he
finds a place where ne can exchange it for
drink, and so he congratulates himself on
his ability to keep we'll supplied with
liquor. To him Christmas is banner
day for"hand outs"for she is herd be- TT
ed housewife indeed who will turn deaf
ear on Christmas to an appeal Tor iood
even IL made by man strong enough TO
lift q ton of coal but not ashamed to
ask for bread.
This specimen referred TO "jumps
freights," that is he rides from one place
to another without consulting the ticket
seller or conductor. A pint Of whiskey
handed up to the brakeman affects his
eyesight so that he does not see the half
drunken bum occupying the platform of
the car known as the "blind baggage"
With companions he shivers through the
day and exchanges hard luck stories until
Might spreads its sable mantle DER We earth
And pins 1t with STAR"
Then he hies himself to some mis-
sion where good but misguid-
ed people shelter the rum
soaked, miserable outcast, who hav-
ing succeeded in other places adds per-
fidy to basphemy by rising when the in
vitation is given for those who wished to
lead a better life, who are desirous OF the
prayers of Christian people, for the sole
purpose OF obtaining ticket for a nights
lodging. One of this class told the
writer that in New York II was the cus-
tom to get saved In order TO got bed
about seven times week at the different
missions.
Such in brief is the way the third grade
Hobo puts in Christmas and IL differs but
little from his miserable existence every
day. His chief concern hrst, last and al
the time Is:
Where can find my booze toiay2
Where can hll up on rum2
Who'll be my Santa Claus pray,
And pity poor old bump