The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-03-02
HbodtToWn Snap Shots
As SEEN BY YOUR UNCLE"

| ried on.
Matches, sir" again pleaded the
| voice. The man of business was evil
IDENTIFY annoyed, for he grunted out
mo" and passed along.
please, sir, gime "A Nickel" begged
the thin-faced but warmly-clad little
girl as she trotted along. The man
| of business had kind face and per-
haps his heart was tender, for he slack
ened his pace and as his hand was slow
ly pushing its way into his change
pocket he asked:
What do you want with nickel|'
"Im hungry" She had no time to
| say more, for a dime was placed in her
hand and the kind-faced man disap-
peared. The girl brought from the
depths of her pocket a knotted and
dirty handkerchief, to which was fas-
| tened u ball of gum. She thrust the
gum i'm her mouth. and. while her thin
| jaws worked vigorously, united the
| knots of the handkerchief She placed
the dime along with "a number of other
coins lying in the hollow Of the dirty
| rag, and then glanced at the clock in
the jewelers. window.
1t was 3.45 o'clock.
The thin jaws stopped a moment
in their rapid munching, and after
lingering look up the street the girl
scurried toward Franklin avenue and
disappeared into Raymond court.
As she entered the sitting room of
small dwelling which was plainly but
comfortably furnished man was
about to pass outward. He had din
ner pail in his hand, wore pair of blue
overalls and checked jumper and ap-
peared like almost any one of hun
dred happy mechanics you meet on the
streets. Apparently he was starting
for work and was the girls father. He
spoke a few kindly words to her and
left the house. a woman was engaged
about the kitchen. She looked up as
the girl entered and asked:
Aren't you little late coming from
school today Alice?"
"Yes, just a little. We had to stay
for exercises" said the plaintive lit
tie voice.
He was a pretty man-oh, so pretty,
with his bell-shaped prince albert coat,
creased trousers of grayish color, silk
tile set squarely and correctly over
hair parted painfully in the middle,
knotted stick, yellow gloves and dain-
| ty knot of violets in his court lapel.
And he did look so blithe, debOnair
and proper as he minced across court
house square toward Spruce street and
Washington avenue. Everybody looked
| twice at the sweet thing.
y,,1, frit for Il 1tI do co
| the newsboy.
We'll, I'll be bowed" thought the
| policeman.
isn't he just too swell for anything"
chirped the society girl.
"Humph!" grunted the solid business
man.
"Oh, isn't he out of sight," said the
| factory girl.
What a soft mark he'd make" OBJ
served the gambler.
Apparently oblivious to the COM
ments he created, the pretty man had
reached the curb just as stylish equip
page whirled into the avenue from
| Spruce street. The pretty man minced
along and raised his hat to the pretty
girl in the carriage-but, alas He had
unknowingly stepped off the curb into a
sea of black and muddy water spread
like trap over bottom of slippery
ice. In trying to recover his balance
the pretty man fell. He emerged from
his bath in time to see the pretty girl
rise in the carriage and wave her dainty
lace kerchief to him.
Reeking with muck and wet and look
ing more like a sea monster than a
bowling swell he hurried over to San
derson's, accompanied by the gibes or
sympathies of a hundred spectators. A
cab soon ratified up to the corner and
bore away the sweet thing who had
merely figured in one of the ordinary
things one sees about town"
II is a curious fact that among Scran-
tons clever story tellers few men spin
a better yarn than City Solicitor Tor
rey, who, nevertheless, is not on the
list of bon vivants. Among Mr.. Tor
rey's intimates, his faculty for telling
a story and telling it well Is well known.
He Is humorous rather than witty and
never has to resort to the subterfuge
Of saying In advance how really funny
his story is and then follow up his ad-
vantage by laughing himself in order
to encourage the mirth of his hearers
His rank as a story teller is due to his
methods. He sticks close to the wheat
and brings out prominently all the fine
points without bothering with the chaff
and side issues. His snap shot stories
are evidently outlined before he begins.
because he seldom finds 1t necessary to
repeat a phrase or a word.
one of the best stories Mr.. Torrey
ever told was at the last New England
banquet, where he forced the feasters
to the extremity of laughing so long
and so loud that il was several minutes
before he could continue his speech.
Here is the story in outline, but un-
fortunately lacking in Mr.. Torrey's
concise and inimitable phraseology:
"Out in new but growing Pennsyl-
vania backwoods district native was
assessed $S for harboring a goat-the
said goat having strong and pushing
proclivities The native thought the
assessment unjust and sought the
learned counsel of an old justice of the
peace of Irish extraction. The old,
Irish official searched long and diligent-