The evening times., 1896-03-30

A buggy containing two men and a big
tin Japanncd cash box, was being driven
slowly along the line OF the Metropolitan
railway Saturday afternoon between
and O'Clock. 1t stopped on the corner of
Seventh and F streets, where the cx-
cavations are being made for the laying
or conduit. In a second every lahorer
stopped his work and surrounded the car
riage. In the briefest space OF time a
gang OF hardworking men, busy with pick
and shovel, mortar mixing, wheeling bar
rows, etc, changed to an excited mob,
pushing, crowding. and singing. against
the vehicle. A woman passing with a
market basket in one hand, aud child
clinging TO another, stopped in amazcrrent
and some little terror at the scene.
Good heavens" she exclaimed. what
ever are those darkeys doing. Trying TO
rob the poor gentlemen in the buggy"
A bystander explained that the men
were being paid Off aud it was not case
OF hold-up. As for the poor gentlemen"
cool and unconccrned, they worked rapidly
and methodically, undisturbed by the i'm
petuousity or the workmen.
Each man has a number. When he steps
to the buggy he gives that number and one
OF the pa ymasters runs his eye down the
pay roll and finds il. The man is then asked
his name. The wo agreeing he is given
slip for the amount due and goes around
TO the other side OF the carriage, where he
is paid off.
The pay rolls are made up to Friday
night, and the men average So a week.
CAUSED AMUSEMENT.
A large crowd gathered and watched
with amusement the eagerness displayed
by the men, almost all Of them colored, TO
receive their money and the qualification
with which they counted over and over
again the crisp new bills before resum-
Ing work. One man forgot his number,
and stood In great perplexity, with an
expostulating. Jeering line behind him.
Cries of Git way, nigger: youse don't
serve no MUMMY" aud Dat man got er
kokernut haid, sho; muffin in it, Increased
the mans confusion. as he stCod there
scratching his thick wool disraragingly.
But yousc know ole Sam Johnsinc, wot's
been wild Mister Saxton 70 free yeers," he
pleaded with the paymaster.
Yes, sam; ] know you. but haven't
time to go all over this payroll for your
name. Step back until the other men are
paid said the paymaster. l
Sam was about to step ba ck when his face
lit up, If such a term can be applied to 4
black countenance.
Il members now he yelled; .fo'teen,
sab; 70 teens de numbah."
Fourteen 1t was, and Sam got his money.
Rarely do the men forget their number.
A great many of them carry it written on
a piece of paper in their mud-stained hats.
Loitering around the pay wagon and sur
yeyng each man kecnly as he received his
money were a number of colored women.
They were the wives and the landiadics
of the labOrers. as well as the old colured
'mammes'' who do a thriving trade at
noon with the worknen in the way OF
lunches As n tough young man in the
crowd expressed it, ''dey WIZ after de long
green
With the wives il was an easy matter to
get some of the wages for market money
and household expenses. The others had
harder lines especially the lunch women.
Invariably there was n Gisrute about the
bill and an animated conversation would
ensue. But the unfortunate son Of toll al
ways got the worst Of it.
PRODUCING THE EVIDENCE.
The old ''mammy' produced from her
capa cious pocket a long piece of dirty
paper. covered with cabalistic .'figgerin',"
undecipherable by the uninitiated. She
put on stout pair ofbig stecl-rimmed specs
and traced her finger from one end of the
list to the other. Finally she stopped and
called the debtors attention to a hicro- |
glyphic entry.
''Dere,' she said, turning ,riumphantly |
to the man who dared dispute her word. |
''dere you is, Eph Jackson. Wun dollar. |
Look To- yo'self.''
Eph, who. if il was a question of hang |
ing and reading, would certainly expert |
ence strangulatinn, took the paper and ill., |
verted il from the position in which it was |
handed him, movement that did not es- |
cape mammy's shrewd eyes. She |
chuckled a she handed ii back, and said |
resi- gnedly:
"Dat's fack, old gal.'' tollinG the |
money off in her fat. black hand. Nam |
my murmuring about the divinity of |
things in ''brack an white trudged off |
TO wrestle with problems of pigs feet, |
hogs head and bean soup with other Gus |
toners.
One of the oversecrs told a Times repre- |
sentative that 'mammy's" list was a gigan- |
tic bluff. You see,'' he said. "she can't |
read nor write, and neither can many of the |
men. Nanny is shrcwd. She knows the !
men would attack her memory, but not that |
list. he carries all the debts in her head |
and has somebody, almost as illterate as |
herself, to jot down the amounts on the |
paper. She has wonderful recollection |
and rarely nakPS TnisfoEe''