The record-union., 1894-08-18

Der grinning charges towering open
mouthed above ana behind her. She
raced with them upon scraggy donkeys'
( backs. She penetrated with them the
/ lalrs OF the stuffed serpents, the dens of
4 the study freaks and the jungles of the
/ stutfIer fortune tellers. They tossed balls
at impossible targets They sWayed in
I charIots OF the mighty revolving wheel.
| They made startling rushes on overhead
wire railways. They repeatedly paid
| homage to that most perennial and most
entertaining OF all trivialities, the mirth-
tuI tragedy OF Punch and judy It
seemed they would never finish with the
-go-rounds. In fact they INDUCED
| unstintedly IN every grotesque diversion
OF the seaside Babel and as the lights be-
gan to flare out along the gayest and
most cosmopolitan coast the world can
| show, they clambered back with the
noisy throngs upon the steamers deck,
and, still stirred and enlivened by the
| music, the songs, the almost Bacchana-
liam revelrles of the pleasure seekers
about them, found the return sail all too
short, and the white disks in the spires
and towers pointing the hour of 10, when
they again set foot upon the streets OF the
great city.
BabblIng and chattering along together
they at last came to broad thorough1are,
dazzlingly glaring i'll its innunlerable
lights, chokIngly thronged with people
of strange faces. manners and attire, and
i'll its pandemonlum of sights and un-
couth sounds, almost an exact night
picture, only in greater magnitude, OF
the distracting aggregation of touters'
dens they had lett beside The sea.
"Huliy gee" sighed Club, homes de
bes' place alter all.''
''Dey amt no hunkier one dan dis!'
murmured Sal in sympathy.
"You're dead RIGHT, pards," chimed
in Name. "de OF Bow'ry gifts over dem
all!''
why. is this the Bowery?" stam-
mered Aunt Mirandy experiencing her
first sense OF trepidati0n OF the day.
'Taint no udder.' replied Club
proud and pettishly. SAY, Aunt Mi
randy, ye amt goin' back 'mong de
nobs without settn' up de wet?''
without setting up the wet?" horri-
fedIy replied the old lady.
es, yes, yes" they inportuned with
ugly and threatening persistence, push
ing Aunt Mirandy toward dark alley
near. mo Bow'ry ladies' parts 'thout
doin' the luckyi"
The instant the waits had reached the
famous and Infamous thoroughtare, the
glare OF the lights, the sight OF their COM
panIons, the fumes from liquor dens, and
all that subtle influence which reaches
its devilish clutches from the dark realms
habilitated these things OF the night with
their savage natures, and Aunt Mirandy
suddenly lelt tnat the tables OF power and
authority had been turned.
overcome with dread and fear she dare
not resist. With rush they carried her
into a dimly-lignted groggery. Scarcely
knowing what she did she let the ravens
have their way. They recounted the adj
ventures of the day uproariously 10 the
grinning frequenters OF the place. They
drank and sang ana pressed drink upon
their now terrorized companion. It had
scarcely touched her lips before every
thing seemed 10 whirl about her and her
veins were on fire. She tried TO speak,
10 plead, but she could not. She saw dim
ana darkly, retaining only some sort OF
consciousness that impish forms were
dancing and cavorting about her. en-
bracing her in Ogrelsh glee.
Those OF the ravens ilk who suddenly
saw the rest, saw Il helpless old woman
bundled along the loathesome alleys
where she had that morning come with
such pride and sturdy purpose, by three
savage and relentless ravens that plucked
and picked and plucked, until every ar
ticle OF value aud shred of attire about
her was gone, when the pitiful old Great
ure, bare as when she entered the world,
was hustled into dark hallway and gro
tesquely robed in tiuttering rags. Ihen
they pushed and showed and carried her
to the corner of respectable street where
the ravens waited until they espied an
officer and hailed HIM jOcularly at a safe
distance with:
''Hi, copsy-you! De OF jays name is
Aunt Mirandy Irigtidy Dere's a card
pinned on Ter evenin' gown dat tolls
wher' de angel hunks. Take 'er dere.
She'n be wort a dozen bones ter ye.
copsy!''
With which, aud with wild yells of
glee, they disappeared in the darkness
whence they came. and an hour later the
perspiring policeman deposited the limp
form of Aunt Mirandy IN the arms OF the
mortified Triplebob Irigtidy, who. while
his good wife Inoaned: Has it come to
this?" glared in contemptuous incredu
lity at the honest officers tale and re-
warded him for his merciiul pains by
slamming the door III his face.
1t might have been the loss of blood,
for few will admit it could have been a
twinge OF quickened conscience, which, a
few hours later, brought Club Slivers,
partially sobered. to sitting posture be-
side her PROSTATE companions where,
over division Of their spOilS, in their
drunken frenzy. they had tigerishly
fought and fell.
",Taint de dead hunk ting-no, 'taint
sol" she SMILED hoarsely.
She staggered to her feet and began
fumbling about the pockets, breasts and
clenched hands of Name and Sal. Then
she cleared her own pockets. and with
deft touches went over each article, id6n-
tifying it and calling it by name in her
own strange Jargon.
'She done de gram act-so she didi'
muttered Club with a trace of indigna-
ton in her lowered tones.
Then she made package of all the
booty as best she could.
-~ste 4 IL.
said hercely, shaking her swollen fists
defantly at her snoring companions. ''if
Club Slivers has ter do timel'
When she had arrived at the fine
Trigtidy mansion, she ho5ered about it
untiI the policeman on that beat had dis
appeared on his rounds. Then she rang
the bell stoutly and Triplebob Trigtidy
himself, wakeful from already expert
enced calamity and closely followed by
his timid and apprehenslve helpmeet,
showed his head cautiously at u crack OF
the door.
fast as be caught sight OF Chub olivers'
disheveled clothing, portentious package
and gashed and bloody face
The bell rang again with more insistiye
clanor. AS he once more furtively
opened the door for cautious distance
he heard window above him go uD
with slam. a gray and scraggy head
WHO'S there?" its voice huskily de-
Tits me-Chub Slivers, mum!-one o.
de lnugses as gnv ye de Knockout drops
am done ye hunkl Aunt Mlrandy, rs
come wild yer traps!'
"rriplebobl- there?
"Ye-e-e-s, Mirandy."
bring the girl up to my room in
stanter, or-or Pn cut you OFF without a
pennyv'
tidv his wife and the raven stood before