Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-08-17
GIDDY GOTHAM
A 'Longshoreman Who Yielded to
His Better Nature.
dime MUSEUM FREAKS IN BATHING
New Workers Are Accustomed to
Being Imposed Upon.
A TYPICAL GAMBLING RAID
Special Correspondence Of The Evening Star.

Special Correspondence Of The Evening Star
NEW YORK, August Is. 1901.
In the humble annals Of the poor and
iowiy Of New York many instances of ten
derness and abnegation are recorded. Wit
ness recent fine exhibition Of feeling on
the part of George Dram. longshoreman,
toward the wife of his BOSOM
The other evening George Dram, long
shoreman, who had neglected to do any
thing long shore for several months-for
early in April he took unto himself a.
spouse highly skilled in the cleansing of
linen-returned to his meagerly furnished
but tidy, tenement in Blocker street in
somewhat disheveled state. George was
highly inoculated with the sort of mixed
ale that is purveyed on the water front:
yet he did not consider that his frame was
sufficiently permeated with his favorite
fluid to render its action decisive and COM
pletely satisfying.
What more natural, therefore than he
should playfully attach his two brawny
hands to the moist. sudsy hair of his wife's
head ana request that she let him have
merely as temporary accommodation the
price Of a few pintS?
Bravely as they face the sorrows Of their
squalid lives, the women of the tenements
tact.
Georges wife demurred She informed
him that she had only the price of enough
soap and starch to accomplish the NOR
row. Washing, and she was likewise suffi-
GENTLY lacking diplomacy, not to speak of
common consideration, to suggest that IL
wouldn't be such a bad job for George
Gram, 'longshoreman. to take a walk long
shore to the end Of securing few hours
employment, which would enable him to
purchase his mixed ale without putting
himself under obligation to anybody.
Goaded to Desperation.
Pettish. peevish talk of this character had
Its natural effect upon the high-strung
George. However, he repressed his strong
inclination to bring his wifes head In swift
contact with the floor. Instead, he asked
for his dinner. and he requested that it
be placed before him with unprecedented
suddenness He remarked unto his wife
that about seven Southdown lamb chops,
with lyonnaise potatoes, French peas, as
paragus tips. cocoanut pie and coffee would
just about appeal to him as his appetite
was at that moment constituted.
With deplorable lack of good feeling
his wife set before him nothing but a
mess Of bacon and eggs and a pot of cof-
Zee. She was so devoid of temperamen:a l
soothesomeness as to inform him that the
bacon and eggs and coffee were all she
had In the house in the way of provender,
and she added, in an unnecessarily audi
Bile aside, that he was in luck to have
those.
Thus It will be seen that Georges provo
cation was very great Georges stormy
nature was thoroughly aroused by the I'M
feeling conduct of his wife toward him.
He picked up large kerosene lamp that
was shedding its mellow light over the
peaceful scene. raised 1t high above his
head and was just about to hurl it at his
Industrious, tub-lifting bride Of four
preston stole over his rugged features.
. Better Nature Prevailed.
No. he could not do this thing. Perhaps
he got to thinking. as he held the blaz-
ing lamp high above his head, poised for
throwing. OF these blithe days when he
used to take her on the barge excursions Of
the Thirteen Mays Association; of how,
light Of foot for all her 1876 pounds, she
had been able to Guidance all the rest Of
the girls at the annual outings Of the Pete
Mulcahey Chowder Associations: of how
fresh and blooming she had looked on
those occasions in her sateen waist Of ce-
rise and her purple mohair skirt; of how
nobly She had once punched Katie O'Mona-
man in an access of jealousy over him; OF
how
But why go on? George was simply
swept by wave of memory. His great
heart came to his rescue.
He lowered the lamp and placed 1t on
the table.
He could not-would not-hurl It at her.
So he picked her up by the hair and
threw her out Of the third-story window.
1t is such instances as these of the
thoughtfulness and self-control exhibited
by those whose pathways are humble that
conduce to an optimistic view as to the
eventual uplifting to the higher and nobler
Of all humanity.
"A Long-suRering People.
Chronic kicker as he VIGOROUSLY is when
he gets away from his base, the New
Yorker will stand for any old thing In New
York. This fact has come to be a maxim
even among New Workers.. There is no:
In any sizeable American city such an ut
terly sheep-like populace as that Of New
York when it comes to slavish submission
to imposition. Instances to illustrate this
could be piled up to fill page of this
newspaper. When he gets off the soil Of
Manhattan Island nothing suits the New
Yorker. He kicks frenziedly, sneeringly.
continually, all down the line, over every
thing; nothing suits him: nothing is up
to the standard Of Moo Yawk. But at
home he Is as docile under the most exas-
perating annoyances and impositions as
any boy-baited Guinea pig in back yard.
For example. the surface cars that leave
Harlem for the downtown district often
When the uptown passengers Chamber
aboard the car they do so upon the pre-
sumption that the car Is bound for the
south ferry, for isn't there big placard
car goes to South Ferry?' Pretty often,
however, when the car has been packed
full OF people, the motorman, laughing
raucously, and, of course. acting under SUI
perior instructions, removes that placard
as the car advances on its way and SUBJ
stitutes one reading, This car goes to
51st street only"
When the car reaches 51st street the
conductor, chuckling gleefully, bawls out
to the packed passengers, END O. tn trfpg
Change f'r down town.
Whereupon the passengers, even II the
rain Is coming down In sheets, have to
pile out Of the car and walk about half
block to car ahead. Once in a while some
man-generally a visitor from another city
registers a kick over this outrage but
he is told to "Gwan," and If he declines
to leave the car he Is permitted to sit in
1t as long as he likes in the gloom of the
car shed, whittier the car Is run fmme-
diately upon the debarkation of the be-
fooled passengers. This little game has
been played upon the New York public by
the surface car company for years. and it
will probably be worked until the inaugu-
ration of aerial navigation. II they'd try
that on crowd of Chicago or San Fran
cisco folks the male passengers would as
like as not push the car off the track onto
its side and pound holes In 1t with cob
blestones.
Used to Being G0uged.
IN Ind nf rlo p1x