Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1902-11-17
IN GOTHAM.
John Quill Roams It's Many
Crowded Streets.
Sees Wonderful Things Which He
Describes in Graphic Style.
A Man is Perfectly Safe ia New York
Any Time.
IN GOTHAM.

I was over in New York the other
day looking the town over with view
to purchasing it. / had taken in the
by ways and hedges and at last turned
onto Broadway, the great thoroughfare
of travel outside of the markets. L
was little the greenest thing on the
street and to the average New Yorker.
who lives in a fiat of a department
house suspended somewhere between
earth and heaven and who very rarely
sees bit of lawn or green grass. I
must have looked real refreshing. 1
stepped out of the Astor house and
turned to the left and continued my
walk up the great thoroughfare. I col
lided with several of all sexes, who APP
parently had no business on earth, eX-
cept to run into people and they APP
peared to be quite anxious to finish
up their stint before night fall. After
untangling myself from several 1 con-
tinued on with my good work of see
ing the elephant and reading the signs
on the buildings. l had made several
small purchases in the course of the
forenoon, small parcels, which I took
with me in my pocket. My wardrobe
was bulged out so ] looked deformed.
l had got most up to Wanamakers
when l heard somebody putting and
blowing behind me. l stopped, cOun-
tryman-like when a gentleman APP
preached me from the rear touched me
or the shoulder and asked me very pO-
litely if the small package, which he
held in his hand, was not my property.
NV first impulse was that l was being
held up by ore of those dreadful bum
co-steerers that I had read so much
about in the good book. l expected the
package contained a gold brick or dy-
Mantle. I did not know which. L eX-
amined the package carefully and
found il much to my surprise, part
and parcel of my purchases of the
morning. I thanked the gentleman
very kindly for the trouble he had TAX
en-. He said he noticed 1 had dropped
it a nalf block away and had tried
to attract my attention, but failing had
followed me to return my goods. L
thanked him again very courteously
and told him I regretted it had caused
him so much annoyance, but like AL
phonse and Castor, he assured me it
was not the least trouble, and rails
| ing his hat, wished me a very pleas
ant afternoon.
After we had parted 1 could hardly
realize that the scene had actually
taken place in New York, it was 81
| foreign to what New York had been
| pictured TO me in my verdant inno-
| cence. I had somehow got the impress
sion whan a man lit in that wicked
| burgh he would be obliged to hold onto
his hair. if he wanted to be sure OF il
| A,,I oh Mi
| n man was sure of after Is minutes
| sojourn III the metropolis was what he
put under him and sat on. Then to
| find that this gentlemanly stranger
should put himself out to return my
goods ana chattels was a revelation 20
me. | could not help dwelling on the
| fact and wondering in my mind If the
| ancient burgh had been misrepresented
| and the people slandered, or was
! Il special mark? From that time on
| I kept my eye out seeking for other
signs in the belief to guide me that the
| town had been purged of its wicked
ness and the dealers in gold bricks and
| other antiquities had fOrsaken their
infamous callings and were organizing
| little missions to teach the young how
| to reach higher life without going up
! a ladder, but failed to notice any visi-
| bic signs.
| pondered over the matter during
my brief stay in New York and all the
| way home. and made up my mind that
| should the opportunity ever offer itself
/ could. in all honesty, IL my h'mble
| way, speak a good word for the big
| city. for it is said the devil is not as
| black as he is painted and l had an &C.
cular proof and knew wherein | spoke
/ it. / returned with quite a story on
| my tongues end, but | was only wait
| ing to fire off on an unsuspecting pub