The record-union., 1897-07-04
DE HOWLERS AM De GROWLERS.

~NOh LII hClS DIS Hell AIlSACI; q
group of boys gathered one morning a
few years ago. They were the Growl-
/. ers. The policeman on post had put a
stop to their ball-playing in the street,
and they We're idle and sullen. There
was nowhere else to go, nothing else to
| do, so they threw themselves down on
the damp tagging in the yard to wait
till the officer should disappear Mag
gle Flynn was out at the entrance to
the alley to watch him and to report
when he was gone.
| The center of the group was boy
about fifteen years old, who sat on the
pump mending a broken bat. He was
as ragged and dirty as the rest, but
his eyes We're much the brightest, his
skin the clearest, his pose the surest.
| There was no mistaking the leader in
him, for everything about him indicat-
| ed character. He was the slightest
figure among them, and, as a matter of
experience, it was known that several
| Of his followers could lick him,
| though the best of them could not do it
easily. What they submitted to with
out knowing it was his ability to use
his head. They talked lot and acted
on impulse, so Scotty, who used as few
words as blows, was the leader of the
gang.
| When the policeman drove them in
off the street Scotty let the others do
| the grumbling and threatening. He
said nothing. He had the bat to mend,
and he seemed absorbed in the difficult
| task of wrapping wire around it
smoothly and firmly. But he was
| thinking. He hated the police, too.
| Everybody in Hells Kitchen did for
| that matter, and that was one reason
why the neighborhood got the name.
Most of the people who lived there eth
! er broke the law or had friends who
! did, and the boys never heard any
thing but fear, contempt, or resentment
| of it expressed by any one they re-
spected, while their own experiences
with it were all unpleasant. 1t was of
no use to complain and curse it, how
ever. Scottg simply made up his mind
| that if he ever had a chance he would
get even with the law and the police
who personified it.
The other boys soon wearied of tell
ing how they would make a bum of
de cop" and dropping into comfortable
attitudes around the yard, they lay
loafng quietly Now and then the i'm
patience that made them all restless
was expressed in the form of prop
osltion of adventure.
Say, let's make a monkey line and
swipe de Dago mugs apples Off his
stand. What d. ye say? I'll pinch
off de fruit an de rest o. de gangll just
have ter pass it in here t de pile"
This suggestion was taken up eag-
| arlU and IilrQlxr Of nd
it was left to the leader for decision
What d ye t'ink, Scotty? Is it a
go?"
"Uh, what's de use?' he answered,
without looking up.
That settled it. There was another pc
riod of silence, and then another boy
had an idea.
What's de matter wit goin' down ter
de river an tal1in' de watchman's boat ?
He amt on ter de busted link in de
chain YET
Again the boys were enthusiastic, and
Scotty had finished his job he was
| tapping the bat experimentally on the
ground. Was he with them?
Nav" he said, whats de good?"
He handed the bat to Niger Sam,
who tested it carefully, approved and
passed it to the others. They We're
all very much interested criticising the
repair work, when towards noon some
thing occurred that drove bat boat and
all ordinary subjects out of their heads.
Maggie Flynn came running in, her
red hair flying, her freckled face
flushed, her eyes big with excitement.
''Oh, what d. ye t'ink. Scotty?" she
cried. 'Howler Mikes back. He's talk
in t de cop in front O the gin-mill.
1 seen i'm first
Howler Mike, as everybody in He'll s
Kitchen knew, was sent to prison for
burglary They knew it well, not only
J because his crime was a bold one but
also on account of his prominence in
| the district as the leader OF the gang
| called the HoWlers. That was a notori-
Gus organization of bad characters.
From the boyhood Of the members it
had been credited with most of the dis
orders of that part of the city, and
as they grew up the young ''toughs''
turned from petty raids on peace and
property to greater crimes, for which,
one by one, they were sent to prison,
were put away" as they would say.
1t was the HOwlers that set the ex-
ample for the Growers. When the
oder '%toughs' We're the age Of Scotty' IS
gang they employed him and the other
children to fetch beer, to rush the
| growler' for them. 1t was a proud
service for the small boys, and the
name. the Growers, given them as a
rude joke, was kept as a distinguished
honor. And with it the Growers adopt
ed the ideals, the haunts, the habits,
and the traditions of the Howlers.
Maggie's announcem ent, therefore.
lifted the boys to their feet and cleared
the area in a second. She could not
keep up with them as they spilled out
through the alley into the street. There
on the sidewalk stood a great crowd
men, women, children, dogs, goats
all come to see the famous Howler
Mike. His term in prison had only add
ed to the luster of his name and in
creased the awe with which his neigh
bors entered his presence. He swag-
gered with the pride and triumph of
his welcome home. To those who We're
lucky enoughto have relatives or lovers
in prison he had messages and prison
gossip: the others he ignored.
| The Growers squeezed in among the
grown people to get near him. Scotty
hoped that Mike would notice him, and
to attract his attention he crept right
up in front. The boy was disappointed.
publicly humiliated. Mike did not see
/ him. The barkeeper of the Howlers'
Retreat came to the door, beckoned,
and Mike went to him, roughly showing
Scotty out of his way
That was a gloomy day for the Growl-
ers. Not one of them had received even
a look Of recognition. Yet they did
not blame Mike. He was good" man.