The morning news., 1894-09-09

pleasant EOOA HlEl4b anu LlAG az CGAA4CL4N
between US that when they were well set
tied for the winter they were TO let me
know at my lodgings, when 1 would GER
tainly at once vesiJ them.
| Perhaps two weeks had passed, and as
no tIiings had vet come from tinker Zeke
Plunkett and his daughter SOphronia, l
began to feel sense Of anxiety and FORE
| hOding regarding their welfare. This so
grew upon me that I resolved TO make an
effort TO find them.
one evening had set out from my inn
in the Joyous nelghDorhood OF Covent
Garden" for an aimleSs stroll, when the
sudden impulse seized me to penetrate a
few of the London gipsyries / knew, IN
the hope of accidentally hearing some
word from my ROmany friends. / passed
/ through the deserted market-place, wan
dered along tho broad piazza and finally
turned slowly into Drury lane.
Here a a noted tap, chiefly patronized
! by cOstermOngers and COvent GARDEN
porters, I encountered crowd of cOsters
making merry over the fine appearance Of
ane of their number who was arrayed
with unusual gOrgeousness.
His natty skull cap was perched on the
/ very side of his head, its huge visor
/ pointing straight toward the sky. his
/ silk "lTingSman' or neckcloth, was OF red
and resp lendent with fiery disks Of deeper
scarlet, tied in an ample sailors knot,
| the ends tucked in his gay woolen shirt;
/ the whole exposing a fine, well-corded
neck and chest.
His coat was carefully folded and held
across mis- arm; but his waistcOat was Of
| gray corduroy, as long as Jockeys, with
capacious pockets and huge lapels; and
! his trousers, of the same material, were
! half Mexican in cut, and their wide bot
! toms tapped over as fine pair OF ankle
boots as could be found in all London.
But this was not all. The buttons upon
this rich coster attire were something
| marvellous in their number and dimen-
sions. They were of shining pearl, at
! least an inch in diameter, and were set,
| their polished edges touching, around the
cap-band and visoredge, down the edge of
| the waistcoat from throat to point, above
every pocket and on the edges of lapels
and along the wide plush side-strlpes of
the trousers from just below the knees TO
the very edge of the trousers hem, so
that the last buttons clicked and pattered
| merely against pavement and shoes.
| A hasty glance revealed all this; and
though anxious TO avoid the harum-
scarum lot and their lively tongues, there
was a strange familiarity in the face of
the splendid coSter hero of the moment,
who was paying back the rich badinage
of his fellows with lusty interest.
When l turned to look again, saw
sudden breaking up of the group, and in
an instant more my old friend key Push
| barrow-Ikey who had one time fallen,
through thirst for chattinch-p -pegging fame,
to the lowest depths of coster penury;
| key who had lost credit, standing, even
companionship among his fellows, until
/ he could not borrow basket, barrow or
! greens; lkey whom | had a few months
before come upon in this doleful strait,
and with only a few shiilings, sent on the
bright road to cOster opulence and sue
cess-had leaped beside me, and with
IL Co1rn n
and friendship, stood grasping my hands
with both his huge and knobby fists.
"Chy-ike!- an Lor' love ye, 'ow air ye,
guvernor}"
why Ikey, this can't be youl' re-
| turned in surprise and admiration at his
imposing appearance.
''Me2 Hit arn't no hother, governor
Wy, hits bleedin' 'arppiness T. glim ye, SO
it is"
well, well, welll key Pushbarrow,
then} And how goes it these days, Ikey,
lad}"
"Goes it, guvernor7 Goes it2 Cherry
ripe!-cigarnet! Strike me lucky so it
do"
(which way. tonight, key, in all that
finery?" l asked as he fell in beside me
radiantly.
"Vich way, is it, Chy-ike! vich way
does any coster go in S togs, fit for a
| bloOmin' marks, an lis art peggin' is
waistcoat buttonsl Governor, tell me
| thatr'
He said this almost archly and with
| such wholesome earneStneSS that | could
not but humor him with the answer.
"Oh, to his sweetheart, l suppose"
Strike me lucky You'vs 1T it cherry
ripe!" he answered, boiling over with ad-
miratiou at my apparent wonderful
knowledge of human nature. Then a
little cloud came over his face, and he
hoe Il 4,N-
quest which fingered unspoken on his
impetueus coster tongue.
"Out with it, key" 1 cheerily com
manded.
''Gor bli me, guvernor, but hits awsk-
in too much, as tn whale remarked t.
joiner, wen ee wus Gavin i'm hup; but
if ye ave no hother lay fur th' hevenin',
ye'd do me lucky t come long fur bit,
T. me donahs}"
The 'dUnahn is the coster's sweetheart,
and key put il all so pleadingIy, and
with manner and tone which so plainly
conveyed his sore need of reinforce
ments, that / could not refuse him. l
knew, too, that cOsJer neighborhoods
were in many instances winter retreats
of the gipsies, and saw that in keys
company might chance upon those whom
/ sought.
We struck north into Holborn, and as
we tramped leisurely along ] prodded
key little for his apparent cowardice;
so unlike the coster, who is usually the
most reckless cavalier in matters of love
in all the world.
"'Taint fur want o. putin up me
} fivers, as l wants company, guvernOr
Lor' love We, no." insisted key with
! great gravity. "You knows Hi arn't sc
[ slow at that. But this yer domains a
reC'lar out an outer; princess o. tn
royal liue, Cor bli me so she is. An 'er
stern parent as sort O. took drop on me
lowly linyage, Hi doan't blame i'm, ye
know fur from hit, guvernor. Hi arn't
but youngish cOue; but tn oil un 'angs
me up fur a reg lar oil file"
In other words, there is strong opposi.
, tion at headquarters, key"
Strong is a putin it uncommon mild,
sir. Hits ipwincible, Cor bli me, so il
: isn
But the girl loves you and you love the
girl, truly and well2"
Hour arts is tight together as a
Wrinkle in hits shell!n
And the old un imagines you are still
the reckless rake you were, key, before
you made up your mind to be every inch
a mani"
Cherry ripe, you as it, guvernorn"
And you want me along to sort of tone
up your character and stand sponsor for
your prospects, you roguet'
bIANy nN "a praof "a icf fla of cy,rt,,,iee