The times., 1901-04-21
WHEN THE CITY IS ASLEEP
Cheering Spots of Light That Greet
the Night Workers.
The Italian Fruit stands and lheir
Proprietors - Regular customers
and What They Buy-A scFup-
roman Who Is Fond of CANDY.


Peonle who have to go home through
the streets late at night, long after llle
shons have closed and all the lights IN
their windows have been put out nave
the remembrance of various little spots
of brightness that have guided them on
their way. and given them cheer. Ihese
fecks of light are usually at street cor
ners They are very rarely IN the Iniu-
die of the block, and are usually asso-
ciated with piles of boxes loaded doWh
with red and yellow fruit buckets ana
cases filed with vari-colored candies, with
a wonderful mass of dirty wrapping pa
per strewn about
The. center of the light is, as rule
a gasoline burner, emitting faring ana
smoky light, that illumines an area OF
perhaps a hundred feet, with fiickering
glare that sets the outlines of houses,
and unshuttered windows in the deserted
business buildings to dancing sort OF
shadow dance. The gasoline lamp Kisses
and often there is another sound, that OF
a soft whistling that seems to be part
of the silence, and only becomes audible
after the rattle of the night cab with
its shambling horse has broken the mid
night silence, fades into the distance The
whistle is attached to a peanut roaster,
run by machine sometimes, and the
steam that passes through it brightens
for a moment in little ghostlike clouds,
the dark background of the night.
This scene. with all it's Accomplishments,
is deeply impressed on the mind OF any
night worker, and has become as rule
so much a part of his night landscape
that he accepts the comforting glow with
out much thought, and passes through IT'S
! boundaries and out again, never stopping
to wonder-at its significance He sees the
fruit booth occupying corner or, II the
owner is more prosperous, ram
shackle" building in the middle of block,
| and he accepts it as natural that it
should be open, while all other institu-
tions except that of the Chinese laundry
man, which has no rest interval, nave
| long since been closed.
| 1t is rare that he ever stops TO reflect
| over the reason for keeping these lights
burning, and for the existence of these
| boxes and buckets on the sidewalk,
whether ii be rainy or whether 1t be dry
at such an hour Whence comes the
| trade that makes it worth while for all
! these sons of toll to lengthen their day
through the night and into the beginning
| of the next day, and to stand, with up
turned coat collar and stamping feet in
| the cold waiting for a customer? 1t was
| with interest one night that a person with
curiosity joined in conversation with one
| jovial son of Italy who had a stand on a
| prominent corner Turning up an empty
! bucket for a seat, the curious one pre-
! pared himself for a few hours stay. The
hour was near midnight and business do
not seem brisk Down the street the
lights of Il similar booth glared, and stii
| further down glow upon the sidewalk
| showed the location OF a tnlrd.
One by one the show windows in the
| business street We're darkened; the clerks
| in the drug stores closed the doors anC
| walked away The whole business of the
| city, barring that done by few all-nigh
| drug stores, and lunch rooms, was en-
| compassed by the fruit booths.
! Angelo-that was the classic name o.
the proprietor of the booth-eXplained IN {
picturesque English, not translatable lnt'
letters:
'AlI day we sit and wait. People come
to buy Just little-children for candy o
an orange or few nuts or some cheWlht
gum: but it is not much.
There is too much competition! en-
qured the curious one.
AT night II is not so. 1t is too far to g
TO the lunchrOOm, and the man VINO IS II
! a hurry 10 catch his car-he wants Da
| mana He pays me for it-perhaps two
| and an orange, il his car Is long a-comlne
The streets are full-lots of people pas
| every night, and they all see my lights
and then they want to buy something
| And usually they do--some candy. som
| peanuts or some chewing gum to eat Of
| the car going home
| gelo's remarks began to be evident
Shuffiing down the srteet her nead GOV
cred with an old fascinator, and ,her tray
:. ed skirts muddy and bedraggIed tralnn
behind her. came a bent old irish womaT
. who stopped at the booth. She fuHple
, at her dress, and finaaly brought our
/, purse In rich brogue she asked for
cents worth of mixed candy, which wa
= done up in paper and given 10 her.
, Regular customer" remarked Angelo
, with a contented smile, as he pocketed tn
dime Come every night. She scru
! floors in big building over there from
: o'clock until 1; eats candy.
Business soon became brisk. In a coup
!, of minutes well-dressed young ma
: | stepped into the circle of light, thre
| down a nickel and took up two orange
: | Angelo was playing Cicerone and SCENE
. | TO take pleasure in explaining the Gus
| toners as they came:
Hes a telegraph man down town-goe
. down at o'clock. and buys two Orange
q ! of me; then buys two oranges When I
: comes back in the morning; nice fellow
h ne make money.
. The next person TO appear was not S
; well conditioned 1t was ragged litt
!, urchln with a homeless look as TO clotht
u and face He seemed hungry, and gaze
- at the fruit and candy exposed with
= famished eve First on one foot and the
a. on the other he stood not making an
- move toward a purchase until Ange
a stepped toward him. He seemed to
- debating between running away anu sta.
: | ing and finally decided upon the idtlef.
- could you give a feller somethin
y eat?" he stammered out, looking In
:, | frightened sort Of way at the Italian.
y got stuck on papers this evening ana
:, had to skip dinner, but I'm gettin hun
= ! CRY now
= Angelo went back Of the boxes and toe
- | ont a couple of bananas, brown ar
y | Wrinkled which he passed over to the Il
- chin They were received with gIee, az
70 quickly disposed OF.
- - He called me DagO,' commented A
~ eelo as he concluded his charitable aC
" - sell lots to them newspaper kids
~ night" This, too, proved trge' Tor th'
seemed 10 come out Of the darkness eve
few minutes in groups or singly, TO bl
some small thing and then slide ava
Later in the evening, Jehu drew II
# gathering team up at the sidewalk al
demanded a mess of dates, hgS, ana
orange, which were done up ana pass
TO him as he sat on the box. lie was &
N first of many of his KIND.
ct With their letter pouches on their bacI
of | pray uniformed letter carriers came
Sc buy and Angelo Vouchsated the INFORM
re ton that they were regular customers
&c the extent of about % cents night r.
~ | Living the grey came blue coat of I
I'd | policeman who levied the usual tribu
re | of an orange and passed on-dropping
n | few words of kindly greeting TO the III
< | ian conductor and motorman IRON
ch | car stopped for few moments 10 puy
ms banana and then the nights trade seem
n | 10 be about at an end. The light or l
r | other two stablishmentS down the sire
m | had disappeared, but few momen
ag | when Angelo began to make pTeparatlo
a | 70 move With n wonderful quicknesS
he slowed away boxes under boxes and II
sb boxes and packed everything under &C
or Lids OF wood were placed over
ne stand. and padlocks brought into use
hit 1t took but few moments TO put eyer
u g.N