The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1898-10-23

THUS the game salesman
shouts, as he mounts guard over
a huge pile of very dilapidated-lookin
hares, heaped up anyhow on the dirty
board floor. An assistant, cutting open
sack after sack, is constantly adding
to the furry mass. All around swarms
crowd of rather isreputable-looking
foreigners. There are black-bearded,
voluble Italians, swarthy Greeks and
Portuguese, vivacious Frenchmen, men
of every southern nationality, all show
ing signs of poverty in greater or less
degree.
heard constantly through the Latin
quarter, where the people, If they must
have cheap food, like it to- be savory.
And probably you can get more salts
faction for your money, that is II you
are not very particular, out of rab-
bit at fifteen cents, or two for quar-
ter, than from anything else. But you
must not attend the sales in the morn
ing and see the manner in which the
game is handled.
Just now, owing to the long spell OF
hot and dry weather, all kinds of game
are scarce and Of poor quality and the
odor arising from the heap OF hares is
not of the pleasantest. Hence the
anxiety of the buyers to make a good
selection; hence the watchfulness of the
salesman. To the purchaser the mat
ter is Of the utmost Importance, for to
him it means a livelihood, the scanty
daily bread which he must earn by a
long days weary tramp through the
crowded streets of the quarter. And
the margin is SO small that two or three
unstable rabbits, left on his hands
at the close Of the day. would absorb
all his profits.
The price remains pretty steady at a
dollar a dozen, and each itinerant ven
dor is usually content with dozen.
These he retails at fifteen cents each,
or two for quarter, so that his earn
ings cannot at the outside exceed eighty
cents. If he makes fifty or sixty he
will be well content, for life is cheap
in the district and scanty food and
lodging can well be supplied for this
sum.
1--WE have to have eyes in the back
of our head here" said the salesman.
They're up to every trick you can
think of. Look at that fellow turning
over the heap. Watch him and you
will see the game he is up to"
saw a dark-complexioned, ragged
man examining the condition of the
heap. But somehow, as he continued
his Investigations, certain hares would,
in a mysterious way, apparently of
their own volition detach themselves
from the center of the pile and slide to
one end 1t need scarcely be added that
freshest in the whole assortment. When
the process was completed the man,
having arranged matters to his own
satisfaction, offered innocently to take
a dozen from the end of the artistically
prepared pile OF course he didn't get
them, but he was not in the least dis
concerted at the discovery of his trick.
At last, after a great deal of hag-
Cling and compromising, the buyer pro-
duces from some hidden recess in his
ragged clothing greasy dollar, ana,
packing his dozen hares into a sack,
departs to enliven the morning air with
his cries The pile of hares gradually
disappears, and L have time to take in
my surroundings.
Two policemen, having apparently
nothing better to do, laugh and joke
with the odd collection of miscellane-
Gus humanity. They have met them
every morning for months if not years;
they know the peculiarities of each of
the ragamuffin vendors.
"Steal?" said an officer; why of
course they will if they get the chance.
But we watch them too closely. Some
times we get left, though Only the
other day a Dago worked off a very
neat trick at this place. He bought
dozen rabbits, put them in a sack and
left the sack leaning up against the
wall. AS If by accident, the sack was
next to another containing three dozen
not know how it happened, but when
the Dago returned for his rabbits fit
of observation-disclosures overcame him
and he picked up the ducks by mis-
take. Not a bad exchange, was it?
And we haven't caught him yet"
1t is not yet dawn, and outside all is
chilly darkness. Within the electric
light casts a glare over the busy scene.
Early though it be, there are men who
get up every morning of their lives at
this unearthly hour, In order to secure
a supply of game for the dainty citizens
of San Francisco. Outside the street
is crowded with wagons. A delivery
van rattles up every few minutes and
deposits sacks of game. These are cut
open quickly and the contents dumped
on the floor 1t is a miscellaneous col
lection, for the eonsignments are most
~ from individual market hunters and
each man sends down whatever he can
sncat or snare. It goes something like
this, as an attendant rapidly counts
them over: Eight sprig, ten teal, two
small; three white geese, five gray
geese, and so on
sHullo! What's this?" cries the
sorter. suddenly pausing in his task;
two tame ducks, fine large birds. too"
The man who sent the ducks must
have been an enterprising gunner.
Doubtless in his rambles he had come
across some farmers poultry flock, and
as nobody happened to be about had
bagged a couple of the finest birds.
Then, again, there may be mallard,
or canvasback, or widgeon, or red
heads, quail and snipe, doves and larks
all in small numbers and assorted
lots. 1t is the commission agents bust
ness to reduce this confusion to bust
nesslike order and he does it with the
ease of a practiced hand. His sales
room is little more than a she'd open
along the whole street front and stack
ed with miscellaneous collection of
articles, ali of which he is anxious to
dispose of. The beams of the roof are