The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1901-08-29
Chat 4bom
People.

one Of the sights OF the day Is the
scramble which ensues when frur
cars are brought TO the Dyer street
dealeLs.
Thefe r. one house which handles
bananas by thousands OF punches
week. and one would be led 10 infer
from the quantity of this particular
kind OF fruit sent out that the resi-
dents OF Providence made business
OF sitting up nights and eating bana-
mas.
The bananas arrive green and are
"toted' from the cars TO the hot
rooms In the LOFTS and cellars 10 be
ripened. This process Is accelerated by
tho use OF gas stoves.
The "toting'' Is done by tramps,
with now and then some worthy, man
reduced in circumstances, out OF work,
thoroughly discouraged and weak
with hunger. The men are paid 20c
an hour.
When the car arrives, one OF the
regular help opens the door and
climbs In. At once the car door is be-
sieged by a widely scrambling. push
ing crowd. each man frantically wav-
ing his hand and grasping at the
bunch OF tickets the clerk is 10 dis
tribute.
In three seconds the tickets are
given out the disappointed ones fall
back and the lucky men begin TO
tote"
What do they make? on. they work
an hour or two, are paid from 25 to so
cents, and with that. TO them Croesus
capital, drink beer all day I'm place
where the proprietor gives two for
one, and feed OH crackers and stale
cheese. Now and then they save
enough for scent bowl of soup and
a scent bed: but as a rule they are
out OF money at dusk and start out To
bum the streets for enough TO get
bed
Ii Is this class OF shiftless men, ut
terly devoid of self-respect, who sup
port the cheap lodging houses.
And l have seen. and many time.
one man sweating under two big bun
dies of bananas at a load, for the
possession of 25 cents, to be invested
in beer, who could, II he would but
keep sober, have one OF the best pay
ing positions i'm the state. He long
had the reputation of being the best
drummer going out of Providence on
the line of goods he carried.
Two for one? Why IL means that
there are saloons in this city where
for every glass OF beer or liquor paid
for, another is at once set mp on the
bar free gratis.
The man who originated that scheme
in this city is .uilding houses on the
profits OF the trade. and one would
think, looking at the rabble that stand
three deep I'm front of his bar all day
and up to midnight. that he couldn't
get enough out OF them 10 pay for
bundle OF shingles once a month
Funny, but what line of thought
a few bundles OF bananas started up.
There is a corner OF tie Public IL
.brary where one can spend few mo-
ments I'm which pleasure and proht
can be happily blended and that liz the
corner where the books In the shelves
are designated by the general term
literature"
There Is much about books In the
collection that Is works about the
standard authors and their master
p,eces. Some of the books one cannot
help thinking might open very para
disc TO darkened souls that have
through circumstances not OF their
making never tasted the delightful ana
ever remembered sweets of literature.
The books I'm this corner are many and
varied and the oldest reader viii ma
some delightful novelty there one
book that struck my fancy was a pa
per covered one about the 100 best
hooks. IL is an old topic and the book
is not a new one. Several prominent
hook makers contributed Their ideas 10
a. The comments Of Ruskiy struck
nv fancy. for the facsimile of his
manuscript was there and character
istic comments such as on Carlyle :
works every line" on Walter Scott
every word" Poor Southey was
heavily marked off the list and there
was A very thin line through our
I.ongfellow's name as IL even mat
rasplng critic could not forget MS
gentle sweetness.
Children pick up expressions they
ought not to- store them away and use
them at times and In places when least
expected. thereby causing consterna-
ton and parental chagrin.
For instance. I know OF little miss
who Is intensely fond OF books and
particularly delights i'm having her
mana read aloud Twice this week
mamma has interrupted the readins
seance by taking papa out for trolley
ride or a walk
LAST night she closed the reading
in the middle Of an exciting chapter
and as she took papa out OF me ironl
door the irate little damsei exclaimed
IN a pdSSohs
"Tll he --- II I'll have that woman
dragging that man out OF this house
every -nlEht.T
And grandmamma sat perfectly
Mortified and almost petrified with as
tonishment
| The Man-Who- * Knows-It-All was a
the cycle race last night. The WIFE
who thinks she ought 10 know thnt
now and then. and does, II her nus
| hand will let her. was also there
The Man Who -Knows-It-Al PICKED
ont Rolting. not only az loser. bu
said that he couldn't even pass Porter
| The little wife ioggled him for wage
| on the pass only and coaxed him Z
| nut up a silk-lned Raglan. or cours
| She won. And II never dawned upoi
| the Man Who x Knows-It-All until afte
he had said that the little wife ha'
won her wager that IL was the hotties
cinch she ever worked on him. No
only had she picked the right mar
but she hadn't put up anything o.
her side OF the bet.
| 49, ts,'t that iust like n wOmanl