The record-union., 1894-09-08


Judge, as IS Standin' hout agin better
ment. Ii Hi 'ad lis craft HID go T. Lun-
non, stay IN LunnOn an be as rich as th'
Lud Mayor of Lunnonp'
The girl had the best of the argument,
ana Zeke dejectedly saw L recognized
thls. She mad risen to her feet with a
movement and manner that brook ed
no opposition, and as she left the tent she
shook her little fist back at us detiantly
with:
"HPll do as Hi loikes. Him woman
grown an free. HPll take th' man Hi
chooses. Hill make summat o. i'm, too,
aside from th' beggars bus is now
Here she worked her little fist savagely.
'Or Hpll make i'm wish ee'd gotten an
otherp'
"Its no use, Zeke," I said, turning
ympathetically to the old tinker beside
Inc.
mo use? Tain't no more use than
WhIstlln' a pheasant back t. coop, when
hits once skulked in cover fur only arr a
day!"
1t was long and dusty journey into
London, but nearly the whole day L en-
deavored on the one hand to dissuade the
gypsy girl from purpose which | felt
sure would oStracise her from compan-
lonshlp with her race, ana on the other
tried to reconcile old Zeke TO the neces-
sarlIy lonely life which he must lead
changed condition of kair rajah, or city
gypsy. which l could see was an almost
unDearabIe outlook to this bronZed old
pilgrim OF the roads.
we came by way of Holborn and it was
late at night when we reached this popu-
louS thoroughtare.
Zeke and Phrony Hospitality invited
me to accompany them to their gypsy
quarters, but gypsy quarters on the
pleasant highway and gypsy quarters in
great city are so startlIngly different in
nature that l left them with pleasant
good night ana the agreement between
us that when they were well settled for
the winter they were to let me know at
my lodgings, when L would certainly at
once visit them.
Perhaps TWO weeks had passed, and as
no tldlngs had yet come from tinker
Zeke Plunkett and his daughter Sophro-
MIA began to feel a sense OF anxiety aud
1orebodlng regarding their welfare. This
SO grew upon me that resolved to make
an effort TO find then
One evening | had set out from nv inn
IN the Joyous neighborhood of Covent
Garden" for an aimlesS stroll when the
sudden impulse seized me to penetrate a
few of the London gypsyries L knew, in
the hope of accidentally hearing some
word from my Roinany friends. l passed
through the deserted market place. wan
dered along the broad piazza and finally
turned slowly lnto Drury Lane.
here, at noted tap, chiefly patronized
by costermongers and Covent Garden por-
ters, l encountered crowd of costers
making merry over the fine appearance
OF one OF their number who was arrayed
with unusual gorgeousness.
His natty skull cap was perehed on the
very side Of his head, its huge visor
pointing straight toward the sky. His
silk "kingsman" or neckcloth, was Of
red ana resplendent with fiery disks of
deeper scarlet, tied in aa ample sailors
knot. the ends tucked in his gay wooden
shirt, the whole exposing a tine, we'll
corded neck and chest.
His coat was carefully folded and held
across his arm, but his waistcoat was OF
gray corduroy, as long as a Jockeys,
with capacIous pockets and huge lapels
and his trousers, of the same material.
were half Mexican in cut, and their wide
bottoms flapped over as fine a pair of
ankle boots as could be found In all Lon
don.
But this was not all. The buttons upon
this rich coster attire were something
marvellous in their number and dimen-
Slons. They were shining pearl at least
an lnch IN diameter, and were SET their
polished edges touching, around the cap
band and visor-edge, down the edge of
the walstcoat from throat to point, above
OhOtJ POOAOes sbHh Oll Vic 6uRGS OF laD6lS
and along the wide plush side-stripes of
the trousers from just below the knees
TO the very edge OF the trousers hem.
so that the last buttons clicked and pat
tered merrily 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 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 in
terest.
When / turned to look again | saw
sudden breaking of the group, and in an
instant more my old friend Ikey Push-
barrow-lkey who had at one time fallen,
through thirst for chatfinch pegging fame,
to the lowest depts of coster penury:
key who had lost credit, standing. even
companionship among his fellows, until
he could not borrow basket, barrow or
green's; key whom 1 had a few months
before come upon in this doleful strait,
and, with only a few shillings, sent on
the bright road to coster opulence and
success, had leaped beside me, and with
tears glowing his unspeakable gratitude
and friendship stood grasping my hands
with both his huge and knobby fists.
"Chy-ike!-an' LORI love ye, 'ow air ye,
Guvernor?'
W nS, ANOJ, IHlS Cdfi D0 yOu!' re-
turned in surprise and admiration at his
imposing appearance.
ME? Hit arn't no hother. Governor.
Wy, hits bleedin' 'arppiness t. glim ye.
so it isl'
WELL well, well! key Pushbarrow
then? And how goes 1t these days, key.
lad?''
''Goes it, Governor? Goes it? Cherry
ripe!-cigarnet! Strike me lucky. SO it
dol"
(which way tonight, Ikey, in all that
finery?' l asked as be fell in beside me
radiantly.
''Vich way, is it2 Chy-ike! yich way
does any coster go in lis togs, fit for a
bloomin' marks, an lis 'art neeoin,
lis waistcut buttons? Guvernor. tell me
thatp'
lie said this almost archly and with
such wholesome earnestness that L could
not out humor him with the answer:
Oh, to his sweetheart, l suppose
Strike me lucky! YOU We lit it cherry
rlpe!" he answered boiling over with aimi
ration at my apparent wonderful knowl-
edge OF human nature. Then a little
cloud came over his face and he looked
up at me as if abashed at some request
which fingered unspoken on his impetu-
'ous coster tongue.
''Out with il, Ikey.v I eheerilv conn
manded.
''Gor bli me. Governor. but hits
awskln TOO much, as th' whale re-
marked t joiner, Wen ee wus ,eayen
i'm hup; but if We ave no hother Law fur