Evening star., 1896-12-05


THE labor question" said Barney. lis an
exceedingly intricate one. and I'm afraid l
don't quite understand it in all its bear
ings myself: but it's most interesting, l as
sure you, most interesting. I'm a iaboring
man myself now. I've got my studio all
fitted up, and 1 work like a-let's see, is 1t
a Turk or a nigger?"
Il think a mailer is the simile you want"
VERY likely. 1 don't suppose Turk
works II he can help it. Oh. by the way,
Lady Mary, have at homes at my studio
every Tuesday from till &. I wish you
would come. Get your father to bring you.
want real live lord. don't you know. to
well-to give tone to the gathering
Lady Mary laughed.
Il should like to go very much. I was
rever in studio since had my portrait
painted. I'll ask my father. but he doesn't
go out very often.''
''Oh. I know you can get him to come SO
that's promise"
In the hall his mother handed Barney
check.
BE sure you go at once to sartwell." she
business second time"
And yet the poor boy had merely pre-
tended that her former orders had been
carried out! Barney made no remarks
about the inconsistency OF women. He
Kissed her on both cheeks, as dutiful son
should do and departed.
Chapter VII.
In almost any other country than Eng
land the name by which the evil-smelling
cul-de-sac Off Light street was known
might be supposed to have been given 1t by
some cynical humorist. 1t was called Rose
Garden court. AS there is a reason fo- al
most everything in this world, the chances
are that once upon a time a garden stood
there. and that roses probably bloomed in
It, The entrance to the court was through
an archway. over which, on the Light
street side. was the name Of the court At
the right hand of this tunnel stood the
Rose and Crown" locally known as the
fub. and the door of the jug and bottle
department opened into the passage. which
was convenient for the Inhabitants Of the
court. On the left of the archway there
wares exceedingly second hand, hanging
in tattered festoons about the door,
street lamp stood at the edge Of the
pavement. opposite the entrance to the
court. and threw its rays under the arch
ways, which somewhat feeble fllumina 1ion
was supplemented by a gas jet over the
door OF the jug and bottle department At
the blind end Of Rose Garden court stood
another lamp post. The court was uneven
ly paved with large slabs Of stone, sloppy,
as rule. from the overflow Of tap which
supplied the inhabitants with water.
The court was walled about with five
story buildings, and in the oblong well
formed by these rather dilap;dated edifces
the air hung dark and heavy laden
with many smells. Breezes blowing over
Lo1 don from the south or the north or the
west produced no movement of the noxious
air In Rose Garden Court. Come out, !"
| the gale from the Surrey hills might cry,
as 1t whistled merr!ly over the housetops
Come out and give the people a chance
TO freathe:" but there was no answering
rustic In the court-the air there was ST.
| lent and sullen. as IL 1t had taken its tenn
per from the inhabitants Of the place.
Sometimes. in early spring. the insistent
east wind roared boisterously through the
tunnel, catchirg the mephitic atmosphere
unaWarts, and frging 1t headlong over
fhA roofs. filling the court with biting
| ~hirlwind. scattering loose bits Of paper
and rags skyward, but the Inhabitants Of
the court didn't like it. They closed their
windows, shivered. and wished the gale
would cease. Next day the air would set
odors once more. and then everybody felt
that things were as they should be-
Ihs court was a property that paid
handsomely. No one residing there knew
who who owned the buildings or the ground.
The man who collected the room rents did
| so promptly in advance. and he had once
| told the landlord Of the Rose and Crown
tfat the court was more lucrative as an
investment INV than If it had been situated in
the Grosvepor square district. The owner
was popularity supposed to have farmed
the property to a company, and the rent
| collector represented this organization.
spend money on repairs, the owner could
| not De reached. and aside from all that
the rooms were In constant demand so IL
a tenant did not like the arrangement, he
coula get out-there were a dozen others
| ready to take his place.
The people who lived In this human war
ren were not criminals. Most of them did
something useful for the living they re-
! eeived; Criminals; when convicted. are
houseo in a much more sanitary manner
ana they are sure of enough to eat-Which
the denizers of the court were not If any
prise In the kingdom were as fettd as Rose
uarden court the great heart of the ma
| tlon would be stirred with Indignation and
some wretch in authority would feel the
! lash of righteous public scorn The court
was merely airly representative of the
nome OF the British workingman, in the
wisest. largest, proudest most wealthy
city in the world, at the end of the nine
teenth century, after a thousand years.
more or less, OF progress. Some homes of
the "orklngmen are better, but then some
are worse, for we must never forget that we
have the ARTISANS improved dwellings,
among Us. The occupants of the .im
proved dwellings, are hedged about with
restrictions, but in the court was freedom
freedom to come and go as you liked /;
work: freedom to starve.
Inc personal predictions of the courtites
were much the same as those Of habitues
OF irst,class West End clubs. They liked
to drink and gamble. The pub" was at
the entrance, and there or at the barber
shop they could place little on a horse
they krew nothirg of. One Of the adj
wants ses of free country Is that a man
can get quite as drunk on beer as he can
on champagne. and at a much less cost.
The results are wonderfully similar, It ia
popularity believed that a policeman in
Piccadilly Is kinder to a client in q dress
Is to man in moleskins.
Rose Garden court had little trouble With