Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1898-11-17


street. A fire engine, drawn at a mad
gallop, dashed past, vehicles, push
carts and foot passengers flying heller
slSelter from before it., The windows
ratified: the very shop shook. The
shelves swayed as though there had
been an earthquake; the company in |
the Window trembled. The Gold
Watch took advantage of the oppor
tunity to slip squarely to the shelf;
having done which, he joined the
Crimean Medal in sigh Of relief.
"Oh, my!' gasped the Silver
Whistle, the danger past. .'I'll fall off
the shelf the next time that happens.
Who's below there? pity you ! Oh
oh thought / was gone. Whew!"
' "Ho-ho-old fast.'' shouted the
rougish Stroet-car Conductors Punch,
when the commotion had subsidized.
Above the volley of laughter that the
time, worn joke provoked, the Gold
Rimmed Spectacles could be heard
shrilly winnings: .'Such company!
Such a vulgar company Did ever
another man of genius meet with SO
cruel fate? Where are my rights9
won't submit to this vulgar chatter.
shall appeal to the Pawnbroker. /
| shall-I-I-' and much more in the
same strain dwindling through in
coherency and sobs to silence.
WELL" the Opera Glasses exclaimed
to her friend, the Lorgnette, there's
the literary man of Queer street for
you. They're all alike. Oh, / know
them. I've met MANY a one here"
Poor man" sighed the Lorgnette.
One by one the company fell into
silence and sleep, until, when, the dusk
| had fallen, the miserable Gold Watch
mistakenly thought himself alone in
his wakefulness.
"S-h!" the Flute softly called to him
the Flute was leaning against the
| end of the shelf within easy whispering
distance-"Sh! Speak low. Pm
| glad you've come. For my own sake
only for my own sake. You're some
one to help, you know. God help you,
what selfish fellow / am. If"
Sir" interrupted the Gold Watch,
coldly, "you have the advantage
| "S-h! Speak lower; you'll wake
'em up again. l know, l know.
was sensitively opposed to such ad-
vances myself-when / came. l re-
pulsed the Violin-ransomed year
ago, thank God! He was varying in
the sunshine; he couldn't have lasted
six months longer-and almost lost a
devoted friend. Such congenial
fellow. Believe me, sir, you will have
much to suffer if you don't bend a
little. II you stand aloof you will be
attacked; and there's many sharp
tongue here. Don't stand aloof. Don t
touch their prejudices. Bend-bend.
Make friends with 'em-with every one
of 'em. You're down, you know; ad-
init it. Doing SOL speak that which /
know-you will save yourself pain; and
you may be happy. Sir, one may find
happiness here, and it needs not that
one forget"
Happiness! Have you found hap
piness here-you of the aesthetic tenn
peramentP You, whom ugliness OPP
presses, whom another's sorrows
grieves? Happiness here, with the
failures and the unfortunate, the
wicked and the degenerate, the un-
learned and the unwashed- the very
refuse of a great city! 1t isa riddle. 9
"a riddle, a riddle,'' replied the
Flute, glowingly. "a riddle, good
friend, and you have read it. Here Is
, color, here is contrast, here are charac
teristics. Here is crude passion. Here
is ugliness-here is ugliness in all it:
beauty. Here is life far removed from
( .ue ureary PIoprieey anu artlnciaiity o.
r the vestrPocket existence; Here -
me flute stopped short, glanced
, ieartuliy about and, letting his voice
whicn mao risen with ms enthusiasm
[ crop 70 lower pltch, continued:
I But the well OF peace lies deepe
Z IMAM Vnat, friend. Sh-h '-mucl
{ deeper. Here IS frailty, here is sorrow
I mere is tne need OF charity; And CHART.
t piesses MN VINO gives. Fools and Wis
4 men know IL. God save us, SIR, blessed
IS the man whom adversely forces int
L intimacy with this same ugly under
:, worio. VINO Know the wretched ma
/ taste peace.
n surely, then, SAID the Gold Watc
" pitteriy, mere one may drink deep @
al mems deslre.
a Come, comet, said the Flute in
/; piltner voice. lake more cheerfr
/, view OF things. Extremes meet in tn
g what paloe 1T is, to be sure! Th
"a Crimean Medal-you should hear hi
n stofies-lies beside you; and there's
Ia Dark Lantern, a silent, frownin
n fellow, somewhere in the corner [
10 your left. Below You is the Bowl
la knife-as arrant a scoundrel as eve
m lived, II half the tales he tells be tru
a. and Tilted against the battered Sill
Hat beside him is the Silver Candl,
h. stick that was used to light duchel
,e to her chamber. Here. is the Baby
10 Rattlebox, and there the sage Specti
3, Giles; here the Banjo-even with
st string gone he can thrum q breakdov
,g in heel-moving style-and there Il
Book of Sermons in sombre dres
nv Lying side by side, on the shelf abo'