The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-06-21

l remarked one of our ships compan- ions, with whom and a number of oth- CTS we were penetrating the. town. . We walked on four for a hundred feet or so and then came to cook stoves I mean 1t. A battalion of heavy iron cook stoves had been laid side by side to form a causeway. Their weight combined with the traf fic over them had gradually pressed them down into the mud until their tops were nearly level with the sur face Naturally the first merry and drunken joker had shied the lids into space The pedestrians had now ei- ther to step in and out of fire boxes or try his skill on narrow ledges. Next we came to a double row of boxes of tobacco, then to some baled goods and so off on to solid ground.
 When we had gained the dry ground near the head of the street we threW down our burdens for rest.
 ''I'll give, you $1O for those pineap- ples,'' offered a passerby, stopping short.
 Our companion quickly closed the bargain.
 'eWhat do you think of that'' he de manded of us wide eyed and in the hearing of the purchaser.
  a man across the street.
 Charley he yelled, "come over herer'
 The individual addressed offered some demur, but finally picked his way across to us.
 How do you like these?' demanded the pineapple purchaser, showing his fruit
 stJerusalemr' cried Charley admir- ingly Where did you get them? Want to sell 'em" :, q want some myself, but I'll sell you three of them"
 "How mucIlP'
 'tFifteen dollars"
 "Give 'em to me-
 The first purchaser grinned openly at our companion.
 The latter followed into the nearest store to get his share of the dust weighed out. His face wore a very thoughtful expression.
 We came shortly to the Plaza, since called Portsmouth square. At that time 1t was a wind swept, grass grown, scrubby enough plot of ground. On all sides were permanent buildings The most important of these were low picturesque house of the sun dried bricks known as adobes, in which, as it proved, the customs were levied; frame two story structure known as the Parker House and a similar build ing labeled "City Hotel'' The spaces between these larger edifces were oc- cupied by dozen or so of smaller shacks. Next door to the Parker House stood huge Tapping tent The words 1 Ell Dorado were painted on its side. The square itself was crowded with | people moving to and fro. The solid majority of the crowd consisted of 1 red or blue shirted miners, but great many nations and frames of minds seemed to be represented. We saw the widest incongruities of l demeanor and costume beside which | the silk hat, red shirted combination was nothing. They struck us open mouthed and gasping. but seemed to attract not the slightest attention from l anybody else. We encountered num- Der of men dressed alike ip suits of the finest broadc1oth, the coats of i which were lined with red silk and the l vests of embroidered white. These | men walked with sort of arrogant importance. We later found that they | were members of that dreaded organ | kation known as the Hounds, whose Dstensib1e purpose was to perform vol nnteer police duty, but whose real ef- 1 fort was toward the increase of their own power. These people all surged back and forth good naturedly and l shouted at each other and disappeared | with great importance up the side 1 streets darted out with equal busi- ness from all points of the compass. We tackled across tS the doors of the i Parker House. There Rfter some search l was made we found the proprietor. | He, too, seemed very busy, but he spared time to tEudge ahead Of us up two rickety flights of raw wooden stairs to a loft, where he indicated l four canvas hunks on which lay as l many coarse blue blankets
 Perhaps q hundred similar hunks oc- cupied every available inch in the lit tie loft.
 EsHow long you going to stay?' he asked us.
 Don't know; a few days" 'fWel1, $6 apiece, please"
 'tFor how lcag?'
 For tonight
 'Hold onI' expostuIated Talbot. "We can't stand that, especially for these ac- commodatfons. At that price we ought to have something better. Haven't you anything in the second storyY
 The proprietor's busy air fell from him, and he sat down on the edge of one of the canvas hunks.
 'tI thought you boys were from the mines.'' said he. Your. friend here Tank ''He looks like an old timer. l greenhorns. Just get here today ? TT 1T--