The daily morning journal and courier., 1904-11-03
HE WAS 4 pAeo IJIoT.

He Threw His Bag of Chestnuts.
 Aboard and Jumped With Eyes
 Shut.
 An Italian with a bag sack of chest nuts and curious collection of curb stone English to-day added apprecia- bly to the gayety which is a distin- gushing feature of life at the Battery. Loaded to the gunwales with Brook lynites, Flatbushites and other dwell- CTS on the fringe of Greater New York, the boat was just coming into the South Ferry slip. when piercing Calabrian cry cut the salty air, shook the roof of the ferry house, and ef- fected an immediate entrance into the ear of every one of the several hun dred passengers.
 Tearing madly down the ferry land ing. an enormous sack over his shoul- der, came wild-eyed leathery skinned Italian.
 "Don'ta go!'' he shrieked as he ran toward the approaching boat. Hold ship!'
 He stopped a moment when he reached the end of the landing. Six feet of swirling, frothy water sepa- rated him from the crowded ferry boat.
 "Stoppa ship, he yelled again in a voice which penetrated through the lslip and echoed against the Governors Island seawall. He shook a grimy | fist at the captain. who was locking tstolidly down from the pilot house.
 No getta Brooklyn 10 minute, no sella chesnuttai" he walled. No orders to reverse the ferryboat's engines being waited to him across the six feet of turbulent waters and noth- ing except 300 grins staring him in the face from her deck, the chesnut ven- der resolved on action. Unslinging his brag of chesnuts he l took a big breath and with a mighty heave threw the sack across the in tervening portion of the East River. l It struck the deck Of the ferry boat and burst between a larget woman with two children and distinguished look ling man who seemed as if he might be a Wall Street financier or a prosperous minister. Chestnuts filled the air. They covered the deck of the ferry boat. They overfiowed and ran into the wa ter.
 The Italian, not stopping to look at what followed his mighty heave, ran
 back a few steps to get a start, and
 then turning, sprinted for the end of the landing. Reaching it he shut his ieyes, set his teeth, and jumped. I While his back had been turned the boat had come into her berth and had showed her nose tight up against the Handing. The wiid-eyed Italian cleared l the gate across the vessels bow. He lcleared the chain which restraints sea- lgoing horses from walking off into the Iriver. He cleared the heads of the Large woman with two children and tthe distinguished looking man, both of
 whom had ducked. He landed flat on
 the deck in heap of bursting chest nuts.
 I When he opened his eyes the gates had been, raised and the passengers
 were leaving the boat l My friend,' said the distinguished looking man to the prostrate vendor; j my friend, let this teach you the les .lson to look always before you leap.
 This boat is not bound for Brooklyn. I It is arriving in New York.
 Hurry up, you'se," said the gate Eman. You're dago ijiot, you arel .EGet out o'here!'
 Fifteen minutes later, when the ferry
 boat was ready to leave her slip for Brooklyn the Italian had collected 5tabout half his original chestnuts. He was swearing softly in Calabrian. New York Globe.