Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1909-07-10

pipe gang. 50 muCD Tor the power Ol
collcen's blandcrn' tongue and stub
born true heartcdness. If you are
man who read this, may such an In
fluence be sent you before . o'clock
tomorrow; If you are a woman, may
your Pomeranian greet you this morn
ing with a cold nOse-a sign of dog
health and your happiness.
The Stovcpipe gang borrowed Its
name from a SubdStriCt of the city
called the Stovepipc which is a mar
row and natural extension of the famil-
lar district known as IIells Kitchen
The Stovepipc strip of town runs along
Eleventh and Twelfth avenues on the
river and bends hard and sooty ell
bow around little, lost, homeless De
Witt Clinton park. Consider that
stovepipe is an important factor In
any kitchen and the situation Is an
alyzed. The chefs in Ielrs Kitchen
are many, and the Stovepipe gang
wears the Gordon bleu.
The members of this unchartercd but
widely known brotherhood appeared to
pass their time on street corners ar
rayed like the lilies Of the conserva-
tory and busy with nail files and pen
knives. Thus displayed as a guaran-
tee of good faith, they carried on an
lnnocuOuS conversation In a 200 word
vocabulary, to the casual observer as
innocent and immatcrial as that heard
In the clubs seven blocks to the east
But off exhibition the Stoveplpes
were not mere street corner ornaments
addicted to posing and manicurlng.
Their serious occupation was the sep
arating of citizens from their coin and
valuablcs. Preferably this was done
by weird and singular tricks without
noise or bloodshed, but whenever the
citizen hono"cd by their attentions re
fused to impoverish himself gracefully
his objections came to be spread finally
upon some police station blotter or hos
pital register
The police held the Stovepipe gang
in perpetual suspicion and respect AS
the nightingale's liquid note is heard
in the deepest shadows, so along the
Stovepipe's dark and narrow confines
the whistle for reserves punctures the
dull ear of night. Whenever there was
smoke in the Stoveppe the tasseled
men In blue knew there was fire in
Hell's Kitchen.
Kid Brady promised Molly to he
good. Kid was the vanest, the strong
est the wariest and the most sue
ceSSful plotter in the gang. Therefore
the boys were sorry to give him up.
But they witnessed his fall to a vir-
tuous life without protest, for in the
Kitchen it is considered neither un-
manly nor improper for a guy to do
as his girl advises.
Black her eye for loves sake, if you
WILL but it is all-to-the good business
to do a thing when she wants you to
do 1t.
Turn off the hydrant," said the
Kid one night when Molly, fearful,
besought him to amend his ways,
I'm going to cut out the gang. You
for mine, and the simple life on the
side. I'll tell you, Moll-I'Il get work,
and in year We'll get married. I'll
do it for you. We'll get a fiat and a
flute and n sewing machine and a rub
ber plant and live as honest as we
can"
"Oh, Kid" sighed Molly, wiping the
powder off his shoulder with her hand
kcrchief, ia rather hear you say that
than to own all of New York. And
we can be happy on so little.'
The Kid looked down at his speck
less cuffs and shining patent feathers
with a suspicion of melancholy.
"It'll hurt hardest in the rags depart
ment," said he. 1--WE kind of always
You know how | hate cheap things,
Moll. This suit set me back siXty-tive.
Anything In the wearing apparel line
has got to he just so or it's to the mis-
fit parlors for it for mine. If l work |
won't have so much coin to hand over
to the little man with the big shears"
"Never mind, Kid. I'll like you just
as much In a blue jumper as l would
in a red automobile"
Before the Kid had grown large
enough to knock out his father he had
been compelled to learn the plumbers
art SO, now, back to this honorable
and useful profession he returned. But
it was as an assistant that he en-
gagged himself, and it Is the master
plumber and not the assistant who
wears diamonds as large as hailstones
and looks contemptuOusly upon the
marble colOnades of Senator Clark's
mansion.
Eight months went by as smoothly
and surely as though they had "elaps-
ed'' on n theater programme. The Kid
worked away at his pipes and solder
with no symptoms of backsliding. The
Stovepipe gang continued It's piracy on
the high avenues, cracked policemen's
heads, held up late travellers, invented
new methods of peaceful plundering,
copied Fifth avenues cut of clothes
and neckwear fancies and comported
itself according to its lawless bylaws.
his Molly, even though the polish was
gone from his finger nails and 1t took
him fifteen minutes to tie his purple
silk ascot SO that the worn places
would not show.
One evening he brought q mysterious
bundle with him to Molly's house.
"Open that, Moll" he said in his
large, quiet way. ITS for you"
Molly's eager fingers tore off the
wrappings. She shrieked aloud, and
In rushed a sprlnkling of little Nc
Keevers and Ma McKeeyer, dish