The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-07-10
LIVE topics ABOUT TOWN.

There is one house in Sterling place,
Brooklyn, that promises some surprises to
the first burglar that attempts to enter it.
Upon opening the front door the visitor is
confronted by a Calling gun in perfect
working order, At the top Of the first
light Of stairs Is a one FOUNDER, and at
least dozen other pieces of artillery occupy
unexpected places throughout the building.
Every part of the residence suggests trouble
for the unwelcome. The occupant is an
inventor Of explosives, and he explained to
visitor that he had never counted upon the
formidable looking ornaments as Of proteo-
tive value "The real protection he ex-
planned, "lics in the things unseen"
Wherever there il building going on,
and all the outlying sections Of at least
three Of the boroughs ring with the ham
mer Of the carpenter all day long, one
may see the bush on gable end Of almost
every new frame house that has taken on at
least the skeleton of it's definite form. AS
soon as the ridgepole has been net in place
upon the rafters some one of the carpenters
is sure to tack into place bush or q branch
from tree. There 1t remains and withers
until the roofers reach 1t with their shingles.
An antiquary relates that the custom is
universal among the carpenters of northern
Europe and has so respectable a history
that 1t may well be derived from the Druids.
1t Ia by nature luck charm. something to
avert the evil that might be built into the
fabric Of the home. 1t is explained that il
something growing were not put upon
the roof tree the family which it shelters
would make no growth.
There said the grocer. pointing to a
slant eyed, blouse covered Chinaman who
was departing with two we'll filed paper
bags, goes one Of my best customers.
1T is a mistaken idea that the China
man ia penurious and that he lives on prac-
tically nothing. As a matter Of fact the
Cinnamon are the first purchasers OF celery.
watermelon and everything else that is
object The Chinaman eats but one square
meal a day, but that meal is OF the best
in the market
They were discussing the annoyances
OF the Fourth. We'll, for once declared
one Of the party-a Brooklyn fiat dweller-
Il slept through all the morning racket
You see,' she explained, lever since the
spring cleaning began my neighbors have
started in early every morning to beat
carpets. At first the noise was madden
ing l appealed to the Health Board in
vain and finally nature came to the rescue
by permitting me to sleep through 1t all
Once you get so that you can sleep while
your neighbors beat carpets, little thing
like the Fourth OF July celebration cannot
| annoy you"
| Many have noticed that in the United
States Army. as well as in the regiments
| OF the National Guard. the letter 81 is
omitted in the designation Of the COM
panies, the letters jumping from IL to
*" The reason is often given as the
| dislike man has to being in the jay
| company, but that Is not the case.
The letter ~J' was introduced in the Eng
| lish alphabet about 1880. Before that the
sound had been represented by the letter
| a." which was thus made to do double duty.
| The same was the case In the written Ian
g,age, and in the last century Il" and 81
| were written exactly the same. About
1850, however, the innovation was made
of writing u" with the bottom loop below
| the line.
The confusion which would have re-
suited in military records was the reason
for not using the letter H., and the system
has never been changed. The came, rule
! applies, perhaps, to The non-use OF the
letter ~ in lettering the rows Of seats in
some theaters.
you wouldn't think that those poor
devils had much to fight about said
man to his companion as they were going
through City Hall Park about midnight
as the approach of policeman caused two
belligerent bench seepers to separate
| -Oh, l don't know. A place to sleep,
even park bench, is a pretty good reason
to fight,- responded the other. Don't
think for a minute that all those fellows
are newcomers down here. Some of them
| take Job once in a while and drop out,
but the majority of them are old FOUNDERS.
| They select choice seat, a kind of orchestra
chair. early in the season and hold on to it,
| and they seem to recognize one another's
claim to particular place. One OF those
| fellows in the scrap was newcomer ana
the oldtimer wouldn't stand for losing his
bed
Many business men and women who
| live uptown make practise OF walking at
| least part of the way home through Central
Park. but few seem to frequent Riverside
Park for constitutional, 1t ia trif1e out
| of the way. butt the pedestrian therein has
the advantage of being allowed to walk
on the grass, which is much more restful
than tramping on pavements. Between
Seyenty-second and i25th streets in River
side are numerous long stretches where
one may stroll at ease on soft, springy turf.
ONLY descending to stony pavements when
the bank becomes too steep for comfort
aD e 1OOtH1R
Nothing could equal the apologize at
titude OF all the salespeope in the shops
nowadays. 1It's so late in the season,
you know" they begin, and add, Every
thing has been sold.
This has its effect in disciplining the GUS
toner who has dared to postpone purchas-
ing until such late date. 1t is in the bon
net shops where the prices have been re-
duced that this attitude is most impressed
on the buyer
your prices for. then" said woman in
millinery shop the other day. III you are
going to patronize the women who come
here to buy them2 We have all bought
hats earlier in the season and We are buying
these now only because they are cheap"
Then the saeswoman was less naughty.
How many New Workers know that there
once existed Bunker Hill In this city?"
remarked man who has made a hobby Of
studying old New York,
THAT name" he continued, historic