The record-union., 1894-09-08

conveyed his sore need OF reinforcements,
that could not refuse him. | knew,
too, that coster neighborhoods were in
many instances winter retreats of the
gypsies, and saw that in keys COM
pany 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.
'Tain't fur want o. putin up me
tivers, as l wants company, Guvernor
Lor' love ye, no." insisted key with
great gravity. "You knows Hi arn't so
slow at that. But this yer domains reg
lar out an outer; a princess OF th' royal
line, Cor bll me, so she is! AM 'er stern
parient 'as sort o. took drop on me lowiy
lnyage. hi doan't blame i'm, ye know:
far from it, Governor. Hi arn't but a
youngish cove but th' OF un 'angs me up
tur regular Oh tile!"
I'm other words, there is strong oppo-
sltlon at headquarters, Ikey?''
Strong IS putin it uncommon mild,
sir. Hits inwinciDle, Cor bli me, so
it isl"
But the girl loves you and you love
the girl, truly and well?''
Hour ARTS is tight together as Wrinkle
in hits shellp'
And the old un' imagines you are
still the reckless rake you were, Ikey.
before you made up your mind to be
every inch manI'
Cherry ripe, you has it, Guvernor,"
ana you want me along to sort of
tone up your character and stand sponsor
Tor your prospects, you rogue?'
key bleW oil great whistle ofsurprise
at this exact exposition of the situation.
and immediately launched into a volu-
bic and unrepeatable coster explanation
of affairs. from whose "Gor bli mesi"
Strike me luckys!" "Gawd's truths!'
and other binding out altogether uncon-
scious coster oaths and maledictions,
easily gathered that key Pushbarrow,
opuIent coster OF Shoreditch and Coyent
Garden, was very much i'll love with some
Sprlghtly Wench quite equal to his des-
erts, IN whose attainment the coSter would
meet with no little opposition ii lot down
right trouble and harm.
All OF this brought us along Holborn to
ancient and historic Eurnivai's Inn,
Its decrepid back hangs over the en-
trance to notorious Leather Lane Scarce
ly wide enough beneath the back win
dows OF the Inn to permit the entrance
OF donkey and cart, it gradually wldens
toward Iheobold's Row, and to the east
and west Is itself entered by almost num-
berless shadowy closes and wynds.
No casual frequenter of Holborn would
notice 1t, but the locality is one of the
densest in London in point OF population.
Among the countless lowly humans ex-
listing here, fully a thousand are cosler-
mongers, and, IN winter, half as many
are gypsles.
While the costers pride themselves en-
their utterly reckless lives and nightly
carousals, from their standpoint of ethics
their gypsy neIghbors are not fairly
progressive. They are too quiet. Tnev
attend closely to work and minimize the
i'll effects OF the awful poverty OF Lon
don's lowly.
AS we entered the grewsome place and
passed the famous Leather Bottle tap, the
resort OF all this teeming rabble, a casual
remark by lkey disclosed the social stand
ards OF nolsome Leather Lane and the
costers' opinions OF its winter gypsy in
habitants.
''Gor bIi me! 'Ow can hus costers ave
comfort hout o hour neighbors, less hus
can 'elp carry 'em 'onle now IAN agin
from tn Leather Bother Strike me
lucky! If Hi doan't believe they'd raw
ther heat whites than lick pewter.
Clicking pewter it must be known, is
coster for guzzling -four aleu- Gawd's
truth, but We awsk one o. 'em fur
th' loan o. a bob shilling fur a few pots
at tn Bottle an their bloody heyes stick
hout like bleedin' mussels, Cor bli me,
SO they dop'
About half way from Furnivaps Inn to
Theobold's Row, a narrow, dingy court
wriggled an hundred feet or more to the
east. To the right and left the ramshac-
kle yet stout old house fronts seemed
pitching at each other threateningly.
From the noisome pavement packed
with donkey carts and barrows and al
most impossible with raven-like hu-
mans, to the houseroo1s, hundreds of the
old and young seemed hanging from
trembling balconies and tottering win
dow sllls, and as we halted at the corner
L could not but reflect that the destiny
of woeful human life must be inconceiv-
ably terrible behind these outer hiGeous
walls.
'That's 'er palIus!-as hodd a bunkin'
place as hever ye clapped heyes on, Guv-
ernor," said Ikey, pointing to the wedge
like end OF the narrowing court.
could see, some forty or fifty feet
from the ground, the top of a stout dead
wall, placed there as if to shut out the
poverty OF the Leather Lane region from
some Detter-faVored district or Inclosure
"Crickey! Arn't they tidy, iesuv' he
murmured admiringly. AM not a
bloomin' penn worth o. rent!''
AS my eyes became accustomed to the
dim light OF the court, the outlines of
curious structure gradually grew visible
It's occupants seemed TO exist under a
system OF more than partial suspension.
Some thirty feet from the ground a
mass of patched bits OF sail cloth and
blankets formed the only roof. Ingeni-
ously braced bits of wood-fiotSam and
jetsam from the markets and the Thames
had been utilized in the construction of
three successive stories or floors, betw cen
the Tapping roof and pavement eff the
court. All of these were open to the
weather and Leather Lane way save
where rags, sieve-Iike blankets and sail
cloth answered the place of scant cur
tanning.
These stories or floors, as Ikey enthu-
siastically explained and l. afterwards
hospitality found, were about eight feet
square, except the lower or pavement
story, which was as large as the prowess
of the occupants could make it against the
hordes OF the sitting court. AN aperture
had been made in the dead wall which,
with few bricks and a little mud NOR
tar, provided capital chimney piece.
The draught was perfect. There was q
good deal OF comfort, too. about this ex-
traordinary tireside. The cart was
''whummeled," that is, turned bottom
side up tor table. a shelt-like piece
of timber was fastened against the side
wall for lounging bunk and bench, and
ladder ran from this along the wall to
the Second-Story, where cooking utensils
and food were kept.
But more curious than all was the
nightly disposition of the donkey and the
human occupants themselves. On arri-
val from the days journeyings, the dom
key was hauled by rope and tackle into
the cage-like thlrd-story, under the sail
cloth roof, and, on retiring for the night,
keys 'princessp assembled to her loftv
boudoir beside the faithful beast, while
her Cerebus father, valiantly choosing the
post of danger i'll the second-story below.
tished as it were, all light belongings up
after him.
'Gor bli mel" proudly exclaimed key,
after we had for some time contemplated
his ladN,s ratreat ..thal,s ,nr rnaIlns w