The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1897-01-30
s Selett Storp.
THE MESSAGE OF GIUSEPPE'S ANGEL.
From the New York Evening Post.

Ann Moynlhan lived IN Il genteel quar-
ter on upper Madison avenue, on a double
corner lot valued at something like hun
dred thousand. and in house worth, pos
sibly, considered as lumber, junk, some
thing like $40. Ann kept COW and
| boarded several goats and passed rather
rural existence, although her horizon was
| barred with the iron lines of an elevated
road two blocks distant and her farm yard
reverberated with the rumblings and rat
things Of cobble pavement and echoed
with all the steam and electric voices of
| that part Of the town.
Her shanty was perched with "a sort Of
Swiss recklessness on the apex of Il great
old rock, and was approached in circui-
tous fashion by rickety wooden staircase
that led where it could best climb up the
broken surface of the boulder The rock
was tufted here and there with coarse
growth of grass that gave it the unkempt
| appearance of an ill-shaven face TO the
rear of the shanty it sank away more evenly
into a miry yard, where the herbage was
stamped into paste by the cows hoofs.
There was shed in the back yard and
a genuine bit of country fence stretched
across the rear in the morning the bars
were let down and Ann Moynihan's COW
passed through them into vast vacant
lot beyond, where mulleins fourished and
where, here and there, among heaps Of
rubbish, broken glass, twisted, rusted iron
and tatters Of ancient bill posters there
were vet to be found sweet little cases of
grass. In the evening the gentle creature
returned-sometimes in big red sunset
glow that had rare chance to spread itself
in this open spot. Some Of the neighbor
ing rock formation i'll this locality was
being blasted away. In the side street
big derricks swung their black frames
idle-against the sunset at night, and by
day steam drills and pickaxes added their
din to the street sounds. But Ann 5 COW
had the gaze Of the country in her eyes
and her outward and hcmeward tread
showed dignity above the trivial acci
dents of environment.
Ann herself appeared Indifferent to the
fact that she and her shanty were gro
tesque and extraneous in this decorous
quarter of the town. She lived her own
life in her own way, and she made this
way as easy as possible A curl of smoke
issued from the chimney of her small estab
lishment like its life BREATH modest an
nouncement of soul within. She gener-
ally had pot of some rank vegetables
humming and steaming on the stove, and
this and an ever ready supply Of cheap
liquor kept ''the atmosphere conspicuous. >
Once a week, out of Difference for the pop
ular fashion, she pinned few wet, flap
ping rags to the clothes strings which zig
Jagged from tree to post in the yard
There was just one thing that she stood in
awe of and that compelled her to a certain
pretense of decency, and this controlling
influence she alluded to Gas if it were
poet) as THE Bard of Hilth, But she
reduced her housekeeping labors to min
imum and had ample leisure. She was
generally to be seen folded in an old shawl
and hugging herself to the front doorway
of the shanty. Here she sat by the hour
and looked down with her narrow little red
eyes from her rocky fortress upon the hap
penings of the avenue below.
The Madison avenue cars logged by at
an old-time pace; ladies in marketing or
calling costume got on and off. Ann pos
sibly was fairly we'll posted as to the mod
nf Ar all
events, she took in the most startling exhl-
bitions of modishness with no other COM
ment than a stronger puff at her pipe
Half way down the next block there was
giant fiat house. Ann was familiar with
its honey-combed face and knew by dis
tant sight many of the inmates. Some OF
them occasionally came and went IN car
riages and the hall boy was a proper hall
boy in broadcloth and brass buttons. All
Of which Ann saw unmoved.
But there was something that made Ann
swell with metropolitan pride-try as she
would to puff evenly as it passed-and that
was Dennis Moynihan, her only son, and
his new ash cart. Ann had lived through
the old regime of what was plainly termed
''the swillmen,' and Dennis, with MS
new cart, fat horse and neat uniform, was
something she had never expected to see
one of those modern revolutions that fairly
take your breath away.
There had been a great parade OF the
street cleaning and street improving forces
and Ann on the occasion had overcome her
usual aversion to society and had stepped
across to a convenient corner on Fifth ave-
nue.. where she had seen it all pass ana