The times., 1899-07-23
SONS OF sunny CLIMES
Greece. Italy, and Arabia in Dis
trict Fruit Markets.
Vendors of Fruit and Candy, Banaaa
Merchants, and Griuders-Out of
Annual Licenscs-Industriou and
Patient Denixens of the District

The sons of Sunny Italy are now getting
out their annual licenses to peddle music
and fruit in the streets Of the Capital The
vendors are known generally as Italians.
but among the three hundred or more who
sell fruit and candy especially are many
Greeks and Arabians. The Assessors Of
fice OF the District is thronged these days
with dark skinned people with soft
orogues anxious to pay the s25 each that
will assure them the right to make living
during the coming year. There is very lit
tie attempt to evade the tax, perhaps be-
cause 1t is very much less than the tax
rates that they were used to paving in
their old homes. II is said at the Asses
sor's office that inside OF a week the en-
tine 800 licenses will have been issued.
Each man and each cart is numbered new
ly each year, and thereafter Pedro Gui-
seppi is no longer Pedro Guiseppi to the
authorities but "l1S" or '257"
The life of the vendors of bananas and
cocoanut waters, and machine made Ital-
ian operas in the District has in il many
things of interest and some poetry, be-
sides other characteristics that are not in
the least poetic or attractive Once on a
time there was q war between Turkey and
Greece and the rumor went round that the
Greeks of the District were intending to-
leave America for their old home to take
up arms in defence OF the mother country
visit to the alley regions near Pennsyl-
vania Avenue between Sixth Street and
the Capitol found Greeks, Arabians, and
Italians huddled together in the small
houses and sheds that serve as their
homes. Not much was learned of the in
tended exodus OF the Greeks but many 9TH
er things were discovered.
Greek George, yes, he the head OF the
Greeks. He tell you of the Greeks. I
think they go home to fight. You maybe
find him in the fruit store on the Avenue
He got money. He own the fruit store"
Greek George was found after a while
in an alley room with three or four 9th
crs Of the men of the Greek colony and
they were talking of the war and of the
prospects that money enough could be
raised to pay their passage home. One
man had $50 and another $50. Greek
George had $l00 or more But the COM
bined funds of the colony were not
enough TO pay the small passage money
for the dozen or more men who wished to
go. Before the matter was settled the war
was over.
During this alley visit the strains OF a
street piano in one OF the smaller houses
discovered one of the homes OF machine
made Italian opera 1t was learned later
that it was also the home of toy balloons
brown sugar waters bananas. and par
rots- The candy was made in one corner
OF the back room and the balloons in an
other. The street piano was standing in q
third corner and big green parrot was
swinging in cage talking Italian near the
only window. Eight Italian men, and wo-
men and children, lived in the little house
beside the parrot and kitten. and there
were only three rooms. All OF the eight
helped to make the living of the house
hold. The children helped TO make the
candy and the balloons and also to sell
them, and the boys sold newspapers. One
OF the girls went the rounds with a harper
and a yiolinist and sang popular songs in
the hotels and on the street corners, and
all were happy.
A few weeks afterward one OF the family,
Pedro Guiseppi, his son, Antonio, was seen
down near the Centre Market at t o'clock
In the morning. He was preparing to buy
his daily stock of bananas. An auction
was to take place, after the manner OF ha--
mana auctions. The bananas that are not
sold Immediately b. the commission hOus-
es and that may, in another day, perhaps,
come under the ban of the food inspector,
are turned over to the banana auctioneer
to be sold to the knights of the push
cart"
How much for this big bunch ?-sev-
enty-fve in this bunch and every one per-
feet and not too ripe, the auctioneer said.
Fifteen centa," said Carlo Garibaidi-
Seventeen centa,'' said Antonio Guisep-
pi. And Antonio secured the bunch He
bought two lunches for 50 cents. At
o'clock he started for Seventh Street and
opened up for business opposite the Post
office Department Building During the
day he sold bananas and evaded the police
by moving now and then few feet up
and down the street. The police are not
supposed to allow the push cart men to re-
main in one spot to block up the street. In
front Of the Government buildings there
is no one TO complain of them and they
have comparative quiet. When the end
of the day came there were Few bananas
remaining in the push-cart for home con-
sumption and 80 cents in Antonio's poek-
ct, more than had been there before.
Every one of the street vendors carries
with him S. TO pay his fine. II is very
rarely that the police when they make an
arrest, find vendor without his ''collater-
al" raid is made once in while and
long line of push-carts with iesjicuiating
Italians and Greeks is escorted to the
Twelfth Street police station. They all
have their S. collateral to pay. and so the
police become impressed with the belief
that they have plenty OF money and will
some day become Italian counts