Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1895-05-05
MAN ABOUT TOWN.
only Air ana Sunshine Are Free
Don't Like the Idea of Being
Called = Crank-Prospects Not
bright for Summer Clothes.

A fellow whose daily walk in life takes
OF Rockets. where the melancholy
whistle OF the boats mingles with the
tuneless screech OF the locomotive, 10
Wor;-End swclidom. where the purple
and hne-linen gentry find solace in gazing
upon the red-ciay streets. or the thought
That others, too, have been taken in.
sees and hears very many things that
are calculated TO make him sad. While
this Is the season when IL is alleged
that the young mans fancy lightly turns
10 things ethereal and the young woman
gently hints OF fce-crcam and moonlight
excursions. the past few weeks TO me
have been a period Of sadness. My work
necessitstes going all about town. and II
has been my unfortunate duty TO chroni-
Gle some things that filed my heart with
melancholy and almost made me weep.
1t was awful to witness poor MOTIFS
Hopkins's last moments on earth, and IL
makes "a body tremble TO think how near
the city Council came TO consigning us
all to darkness. Then. 1t wasn't pleasant
away on business and the next day 70
report that pretty young girl rad ie''
the city for a visit TO friends. while the
good wife and the loyal sweetheart @'
nome knew nothing of what was soihs
on. But such Is the lot OF newspaper
man. and from the heart-breaking events
nj the Police Court to an evening at inc
Houng Mems Christian Association "he'e
such a grand fight Is being MADE ae'A"S :
sin. there are scenes OF sorrow wi'nesSeu
daily, and we really know not WHAT :"
day will bring forth to us: c..,,o,
richmond is blessed with Capi'o,
SQUARE Monroe. Libby Hill. and several
other parks with green grass ana s"eo'
flowers. and yet We dare not go near
them and IL Is no wonder that, ike 'he
moor woman of the Moated Grange We
are prone to say sometimes, i WISH INA.
j were dead" There IS green grass but
we are not allowed 90 walk or ron UPON
II: there are the beautiful MOWERS put II
wc approach them to inhale their sWee'
perfurne we are arrested and fined Sl"o
ar sent to fail for sixty months'
there are the trees. but we dare not cllino
them or touch their branches for rear
some brass -buttoned blue-coat Will crush
our Dunlap in an effort 10 break our
head as ne endeavors 20 carry out orueIs'
IL IL so with all the lovely things IN 'iic
world except air and sunshine. a man -
moi even safe with his pretty typewriter
for either his wife will make IL 80 warm
for him that Stella garments would not t
be half cool enough or some ieilo" WI
come along and persuade her away WIN
snnerior pecuniary inducements. Wherever
xe co. or rather attempt to go. thele
looms I'D the sign, mo Trespassing Al
lowed" But Uhis Is the place 10 Sis"'
thank the sweet little cherub that sits UP
ploft. air Is free and sunshine don cos,
ANYTHING; oitcious people CANNOT ma" ~
signs on the atmosphere. saying that IL
YOU breathe IL you VIII be prosecuted ~
yhe fun extent OF the law. nor can '"'s
build a fence around the sunshine anu
then, standing guard with a shotgun an
bulldog. warn you not TO sample IL.
phia fact Is the one oasis in the desert Vl
our WEAKNESS. and we would fam say lei
sbem turn off the electric lights anu ihc
Cas-lamps, and even the llghtnlng-puss' :
Ihey choose, for We can either go jump III
tbs river OF move TO "a more rural to"h'
While II Is enough TO make resiueht
nj a big city feel sad 10 think that Ms
metropolitan home came very near ne
Generating into rural simplicity. yet there
,ske in the thought of cultivating
row or two Of onions, a few hills or po-
,,,oas. a patch of. peas. and Few other
varieties of the vegetable Kingdom
that II almost makes one feel as thoush
he didn't care II electricity was sup
planted by cas-lamps and the nghts tnat
kin so many bugs in summer would be
with rs no more forever. And then IL is
30 nice to arise early In the morning
when the silvery dew IS upon the ten
der grass and pull the weeds from
around the corn and straighten up the
bean-vines that the neighbors' chickens
20 kindly scratched down the day before.
or course, all these things are mighty
pleasant, but like everything else, there
are seasons OF distress and trouble. For
instance. when you go out TO get rev
radishes for breakfast and find that some
wicked person has been In and helped
himself ahead of you, you begin 10 think
that farming In the back yard is IL
failure, and when you figure up that the
radish- patch has cost you more than all
your taxes together YOU will possibly
not want quite 30 much rural simpli-
city.
Another thing that makes me sad and
fills my body with that tired feeling Is
the fact that I can't go TO a game OF ball
~
s'rooter' or "fan." or some other vile
epithet that may be as meaningless as
the person who uses 1t, but. ell the same,
i don't like II, and II just makes me
weary. I may be a very small splinter In
the lever that keeps our paper at the
head of the list, i freely admit that 1
have TO dig mighty hard to find food ana
faiment for the dear. little ones at home.
md II may be true that l sometimes use
ha Tn IN a cool
after having remained out little late
ut night, but Just why Billy Culingworth
should stand on the post-office steps and,
ms I pass. gently murrnur, In voice
that could be heard in Manchester.
'Hello. crank" or why Frank Cunning
ham should call me UP by phone and ask.
"Are you going TO root this evening"
or why Sammic Witt should yell out as
ne drives past me after the ball game,
"Been out fanning?" i am unable to say.
Baseball IL good thing, Is manly
snort, and should be patronized. Every
body wants to see the game, but they
don't relish the idea Of being called
cranks.
And then my heart is filled with sad
hess at the thought that the summer
season is fast approaching. and am
still wearing my last winters clothes and
dren can so barefooted for several
months, and my wife can visit the coun-
try cousins. but. while the family Is away
there are so many things for me TO see
and the boys insist upon my going out
with them. 30 that really the expenses
are trIte more than II the folk were
at home and all wearing shoes. And,
then the little incidentals come higher. A
fellow could take home 5-cent quart OF
peanuts or 10-cent pound of stick-candy,
but only a 5-pound box of Huylers would
do to take 10 the home OF somebody else.
As an outing. you could walk your wife
and children down TO the river to see
the water tumbling over the rocks. but
90 be strictly up-to-date you would have
10 take another fair companion on a
moonlight and then have supper on your
return; 80 that the prospects OF new
clothes are about as encouraging "a the
hope OF the Populists. II Is true that my
birthday In nearly here. but then It will
be the same old thing-a bushel-basket
full OF letters. wishing me many happy
returns. several neckties. and. possibly.
a handkerchief or two-Just as though a
fellow didn't wear socks and other gar
ments sometimes. And am sad.
BILL GOSSETTE.