Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1895-08-02
THE ICONOCLAST.

Young Mr.. Broughton was, unawares
and gradually, in process Of evolution
from the journalist to the newspaper
man. 1t took all sorts of rubs and SUI
prises and facers and disillusions to form
him. That morning he was hurryine
through Printing House square Oh al
assignment, when he noticed before him
awoman carrying on her head a tray d
plaster images and walking with the
stately gait and even poise of the south
Italian. She was small, brown. She
wore gown Of blue cotton, woole1
shawl, plaided in olive and yellow, and
red kerchief on her head These glar
ing colors, however, made her a picture
To observe her Broughton passed by hel
and then looked back.
She regarded him calmly. "Buy g
lit San Samuele says-a his grafton,
signor?''
Broughton had no particular use for a
praying Samuel, but he had various the
cries about our adopted citizens and
might have acquired something in the
plaster cast line if at that moment q
broad shouldered fellow had not come
and jostled the little woman SO roughly
that the tray was thrown from her head
and went running to the sidewalk. II
was the end of the world for that popu,
lation of craven images, They fell in 9
heap of indistinguishable fragments,
mingling their dust in a complete de.
mocracy of saints, politicians, lambs,
the three graces, and even a model Of a
beautiful foot labeled Trilby. Little
Samuel was past praying for, but he was
no more thoroughly pulyerized than the
bust Of Napoleon. Young Mr.. Brough-
ton felt stirring within him an essay on
the frailty Of mundane things. Then the
air was torn with the lamentations OF
the woman.
80 Madonna!" Next she denounced
the cause of the disaster, who was NOV
ing away. ''Head Of big, you area
Why-a you hit-a me? What ever done
at youa? You break-a my image not
eat-a more!" she ratified her finger nails
along her front teeth to indicate the
hunger which would be the consequence
of the breaking of her stock in trade.
Meanwhile two bootblacks had seized
the man by the elbows, and turning him
around ran him back face to face with
the woman. She stood wringing her
hands and wailing. "What ruin! Poor-a
me!'
The aggressor was evidently also an
Italian.
"Soy!' one Of the bootblacks said.
"Youse has gotter reach down inter yer
clothes an square up wild de dago loidy. %
''He's bloomin dago hisself," COM
mented the other boy.
Broughton had been painfully com
posing a few phrases Of such colloquia]
italian as his Harvard studies of Dante
had rendered possible to him, and now
uttered them in a stiff and toneless ac-
cent. In effect, he said that it was nee
essary to pay the compatriot for that
which was broken.
81 only got ten centa, signor, said
the offender, handing the coin to the
woman. He was permitted to go in
peace.
''Ten-a cent-a! Madonna mia! For SO
mOOch 1mage! SObbed she.
So Broughton put 81 into his own hat
and passed it around among the throng
that had been attracted by the noise
When he gave the collection to the WON
an, she wiped her eyes, kissed his hands
with many benedictions, and went her
way.
Broughton's assignment had taken
him in the direction of Mulberry bend
AS he returned through that quarter he
saw hundred yards in front Of him a
woman with a tray of images on her
head. He quickened his pace and soon
was near her. 1t was the same Italian
she had replenished her tray with more
saints and heroes and graces. $50 it is, "
unused young Mr.. roughton-who still
trailed clouds of the glory Of journalism
THAT in this world no one is indis-
pensable. One perishes, another replaces
him!'
just then, staggering around cor
ner, appeared the former breaker of
images, and again, as if Oh purpose, he
swung his arm rudely against the wom-
all. AS before, a crash, lamentations
and crowd. The dwellers of Mulberry
bend, themselves well acquainted with
poverty, gave of their few copper coins
to her, who sat wailing among the ruins
OF her wares. They helped her to pick
up such Of the casts as were not IRENE
diably broken and to replace them on
the tray. This time Broughtou did not
stay to act as CONSIDER. The aggressor
had walked off rapidly, and the reporter
followed him. After five minutes chase
they turned into an unspeakably dirty
alley, where the Italian entered a door,
way without noticing that any one pur-
sued him. Broughton, having made sure
that he should recognize the house
again, fastened to the nearest police
station and told the story.
'She was quiet, decent little body, y
he said to the officer. ''That great, hulk
ing brute struck her Oh purpose the sec.
ond time, even admitting that the first
time might have been by accident. :"
Two policemen were detailed to &C.
company Mr.. Broughton, who was
known to the chief of the station, and
he led them straight to the door where
the Italian had entered. Up the darl
and broken stairs they climbed. Brough
ton shrunk from contact with the Shiny
walls. 1t seemed to him that evil odor
were depositing themselves there in ;
pestilential fungous growth. At last the,
emerged upon landing. A child Leaned
over the baluster Of the story above
Bfoughton tossed him a nickel.
"My little man, is there an Italian
living in this house?''
The child picked up the coin ant
stared in silence.
'tSay, kid, is dere dago here?' on
of the policemen translated.
The boy pointed with a thumb to
door at the left of the landing where tn
three men stood. Broughton felt tn
thrill of the righteous avenger. Tn
malicious brute who had twice destroye,
the wares of the poor little image vend
or would soon be sent to the island. An,