The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1895-07-10
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 sur
priscs and facers and disillusions to form
him. That morning he was hurryiny
through Printing House square ON an
assignment, when he noticed before him
woman carrying on her head tray of
plaster limoges and walking with the
stately gait and even poise of the south
Italian. She was small. brown She
wore gown of blue cotton, a WOODEN
shawl, plaided IL olive and yellow, and
red kerchicf on her head These plar
ing colors, however. made her picture.
10 observe her Broughton passed by her
and then looked back
She regarded him calmly. "Buy n
lit San Samuelo says-a his Grafton.
signor!"
Broughton had no particular uso for n
praying Samuel, but he had various the
cries about our adopted citizens and
might have acquired something III the
plaster cast line if ut that moment a
broad shouldcrcd 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 1t
was the end of the world for that popu-
latlon oil craven images They fell in Il
heap of indistinguishablc fragments,
mingling their dust i'll complete de-
| mocracy of saints, politicians, lambs,
the three graces, and even IL model of n
beautiful foot labeled Trilby. Little
| San,1a1 -t G..
no more thoroughly pulverizcd 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.
| go Madonnar' Next she denounced
| the cause of tho disaster, who WAS NOV
ing away. Head of big, You area
Why-a you hit-a me? What 1 ever done
at you-a: You break my imagc-I not
eat-a morc" 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
tho man by the elbows, and turning him
around ran him back face to face with
| NV N'iiiH'i. t-iit Slpttl NIlllEluS Gtr
| hands and Wailing. What ruin! Poor-a
| mel"
The aggreasor WAS evidently also an
| Italian.
Soy one of the bootblncls said
'Youse has gotter rc..ch down inter Yer
clothes an square up wild de dago loidy "
Hes bloomin daeo hissclf, com
mentcd the other boy.
BronShton had been painfully com
posing few phrases of such colloquial
Italian as his Harvard studies Of Dante
had rendered possible to him, and now
uttered them i'll Il stiff and toneless ac-
cent In effect, he said that it was nee
cssary to pay the compatriot for that
which was broken.
:" only got Il ten ccntn, signor, " Said
the offender. handing the coin to the
woman. He was permitted to 90 in
peace
"Tcn-a ccnt-a! Madonna mial For so
mOoch image - sobbed she.
So Broughton put 81 into his own LAT
and passed it around among the throny
that had been attracted by the noise.
When he gave the collection TO the wom-
an, she wiped her eyes, kissed his hands
with many benedictions, ard went her
way.
BrouShtons assignment had taken
him i'll the direction Of Mulberry bend.
As he returned through that quarter he
saw hundred yards i'll front of him a
woman with Il tray of images on her
head. He quickencd his pace and soon
was near her. 1t was the same Italian;
she had rcplcnished her tray with more
saints and heroes and graceS $50 it is, ;"
unused young Mr. Bronghton-who still
trailcd clouds Of the glory OF journalism
THAT i'll 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 on purpose, he
swung his arm rudely against the wom-
an AS before, Il crash, lamentations
and Il crowd. The dwellers of Mulberry
bend, themselves we'll 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 irreme