The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1902-05-15

or to laugh. Somehow we got the
idea that we should go to a street.
corner and did SO and made the sign.
but away she went and left US all tn.
same. After hat we learned we had
to be at a certain street corner il go-
ing one way and certain other
corner il going another way. We
didn't make that mistake on the ele-
waited cars. The people might climb
those great winding iron stairs only
to find the cars on that side were not
going their way.
We went in the Stock Exchange
lust about the time of the day that
the Webb-Meysr Syndicate failed.
Just imagine room with 500 men
in it all walking about in every
direction and that's how it looked.
Then to the cotton and produce ex-
changes. There we saw rings filled
with saw dust and men standing all
around them. One fellow would walk
up to the edge Of the ring and with a
little piece of paper in his hand hollsr
and shake his fist at some man on the
other side of the ring. who would re-
peat the performance to him. This
would 90 on for q minute or so and
each would subside and in minute
the same would be repeated by some
other two; and SO on and on. All the
time a man by the wall was making
figures in different columns under the
words June, July, August, ETC., with
chalk and the tickers were ticking all
about over the floor. Ifelt, Isuppose,
about like one of them would have
felt if be had heard me arguing
.,plea puts darrein continuance
quite silly and bored. I'm afraid
there are some people in my township
who would have understood it better
than did Newspapers! They issud
extra editions about every hour in
the day and they sold for one cent,
two cents, and the highest three
cents, and many of them sold two
hundred thousand or more copies per
day. We bought them and read the
head lines daily. They thought they
had in everything that any body would
caro- to know, but We didn't see line
about Judge Clark or the North Caro-
lima educational awakening from the
time we left Norlina till We got back
there. The railroads up there are
something. When we got back home
we SLOWED up at Croziers and
walked" to the depot. We were
standing at the depot in Newark
city of 100000 notwithstanding
for fast train to take Us to Phila-
delphia. Here she came to the minute
and to my surprise went by at a mile
minute without stopping-right at
a grade crossing. As soon as We had
recovered our breath, for the speed Of
the train most took it away, we were
told that the one we were to go on
was Just minute behind that. Those
trains ran through those cities at
grade crossings at the speed OF mile
a minute. didn't hear of their kill
ing anybody. Eight miles an hour is
the limit in North Carolina towns,
and faster is negligence il anyone is
killed. The hotels are wonder. A
dollar day is the cheapest for room
and that will be just little bigger
than telephone pay station, but well
furnished with good bed and ''open
plumbing" wash basin. AS to the
victuals, it was as good as my
"mother ever made' and say this
with due appreciation of the fact that
hers was and is as good as anybody's,
except my wifs's; but the way they
do charge for eating in New York is
a caution. The old tough beef steak
and chicken and rhubarb pie that in
times past played such high parts in
the lives Of travellers and writer's are
things of the past. "Rsstaurant" Or
''Cafe" are words that greet the eye
continually in New York. asked a
waiter if he could tell me the differ
ence between them. He said, Yes,
| l can" but he did not. I concluded
he thought l was making fun OF him,
but | wasn't. l asked several other
people, though it's considered "green"
to ask questions, and received contra
dietary answers, one saying only
| eatables were to be had in restaurants
while eating and drinking are done
in cafes and another the reverse. We
stopped night in Washington re-
turning and consulted the books in
the library of the Supreme Court; but
they didn't make it clear. BY the
way, could write ten columns about
the library building in Washington.
It's the grandest work Of art that is to
be found on this continent, 80 it is
said, and it's dome is covered with
solid gold.
Referring again to eating in New
| York hotels. The bill of fare contained
two big pages, chock full in fine
print, all arranged under appropriate
headings. in which about everything
one ever heard of is to be found. II
we had eaten something of every
thing they had for dinner, l suppose
our dinner would have cost us $40. 90.
The smallest piece of beef steak was
40 cents. and fresh mackerel, blue
fish or other choice fish about 40
cents. AS we were travelling At some
body else's expense we tried to be n
economical as possible, and would
generally select beef and fish which
two would be as much as We could
eat, and they were so large. so good.
so tender and so juicy that we were
fully satisfied. The bread and butter,
too. were perfect q think if We had Z
New York baker here everybody would
patronize him) baked Irish potatoes
at every meal and strawberry ic.
cream when wanted, were features.
We found it difficult to get meal
for less than $1.10. We went into
St. Patrick's Cathedral 1t was grand
beyond description to me. Beautiful
windows, statuary sculpture. paint.
iugs, carvings, columns and room
enough for thousands. All about il
there, there were shrines at which
women and men knelt and moved
their lips and fingered their beads
and others would bow and make
crosses. We came to a marble font
about as big as horse tub with /.
marble top. locked. just behind i,
was large picture of John baptizine