El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1899-12-02
OFFICE BOYS AT LUNCHEON.
An Interesting NoOntfme Scene In
EXCHANGE Place. New York.


Exchange Place, New York.
Il dinna kin, I'll ma trust We mair."
| said Scotty, the highland chief of the
lunch cart merchants in and about Ex
change place, to a small urchin who
wanted a pie on credit.
Eye are sairly back in accoonts moo
Ye are a wee sma' laddie," continued
the chief, "but we can eat mair than
a COO. Ye over muckle noo-mair than
13 cents"
'T know it, Scotty," replied the urchin,
"but just swing me once more, Scotty."
he said coaxingly, land I'll pay you
Saturday sure. 1 won't shoot no more
craps until pay you. Honest L WON'T
Finally, after more pleading, the ur-
chin got the sandwich.
1t was lunchtime in Exchange
place, New York-they don't say lunch
con down there-and the little lunch
carts were doing a rushing business.
From noon until 2 p. IN. the block be-
tween New and Broad streets is given
up to the carts and their small custom
ers. Scores of boys of all ages and
sizes We're pouring in from all direc
tions until stranger would suppose
that every messenger and office boy in
the city must surely be there.
A dozen or more little carts were do
ing a trade that would make 4 restau-
rant proprietor enviouS. Most of the
carts carried but a single article, and
consequently there were no menu cards
or things of that sort. In fact there
was no giving of orders. The boys sim
ply crowded around the carts and eX-
changed their pennies for the good
things passed over to them. Scotty and
Joe had only frankfurters to dispose
of. The uniform price of the frank
furterS was 3 cents each, or two for
cents
Other carts dealt only in pies, which
sold for , cents apiece, or half a one
for cents. Some carts carried milk
only, at = and cents a glass, accord
ing to the size. The ice cream carts
came in for liberal patronage at a
penny a lick. If the customer didn't care
to lick his ice cream out of the small
glass, he could have it in the form Of
bricks, carefully wrapped up in tissue
paper.
The boys who thronged the little
narrow street represented all the
busy marts of down town trade. There
were boys from the Stock Exchange
houses and brokers' offices and from
almost everywhere, fat boys and thin
boys, tall and short boys, boys of the
Charles Dickens fat boy type and boys
of the Tom Sawyer sort, bright eyed,
rollicking, fun loving boys, but on the
whole as well behaved lot of boys as
one would wish to meet.
The average boy spent about II cents
for his lunch, as follows: Two frank
furter sandwiches, cents; half a pie.
cents; glass of milk, cents; click
of the cream, 1 cent.
Several of the little chaps had fin
ished their luncheon and were chatting
together when the reporter approached
them.
do lunch cart men make money!"
asked the reporter.
"Well, L should guess yes" chorused
the boys.
every one of 'em makes So a day
and some of 'em $1O," said one of the
bright eyed youngsters.
"Are you thinking of starting in the
lunch business?" inquired a handsome
dark eyed boy in knickerbockers of the
reporter.
do you think it would pay me-"
evasively replied the reporter.
Eyes, 1 think it would" continued
the boy, with reassuring smile.
''ScOtty has made so much money that
he bought two shares of stock last
week They cost 500 apiece, and they
went up right after Scotty got them
and he made lot more money"
II suppose you will have a cart when
you get a little older" said the re-
porter.
ooh, moi" answered the boy. 81 am
going to be a banker"