The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1917-10-09

The Big Town At g o'clock Of =
crisp September morning, = ~

The Big Town At 8 o'clock Of .
, crisp september morning. ~
:. II YOU have never Travelled the high.
ways and byways which blaze 50 bril-.
'liantly by night and looked them oveI
In the dawn OF morning after, you
have missed ono OF the little journeys
:. that show the big town az It IL. cham.
clcon encamped. ON q piece Of plaid
4. Under the aSvient earees Of the calc'-
UNI 1t Is purple, crimson. deep oranSe.
In the sane smile Of the early avn
It is pink, pale yellow, brown, ashes Of
j roses. =
Mr.. Municipai's ferry drew up at
the battery and d.sgOrged its load Of
early birds. And you would be sur.
prisetl at the number Of early birds
4 abroad at this hour. --.-
No sooner was the way unclaimed
than they shot away in all directions.
intent upon gathering their crop of
worms. Il was q varied crowd. Two
or three masculine unfortunates, well
dressed though somewhat the worse
for wear. probably caught By the tide
and forced. through endless windings
and wanderings, to fight their way
back to civilization. a scattcring Of
girls and women, the hurried morning
toilet evident in half hearted .fussinR
and preening. between smothered
yawns. bound Tor, goodness knows
what work at this ..unseemly hour.
Truck horses, bags depending from
noses, munching contentedly on their
morning oats. A>little tin lizzie, over
flowing with babies. bundles and en-
thlsiasm. off for fathers belaAed holt.
day. Coveys OF boy sailors TO whom
the morning shave is at yet unknown.
off on shore leave. burning to burn up
the town.
And workingmcn. Scores of them.
Bundles of varying sizes and shapes
held beneath their arms or tnlist into
their pockets. The bundles are
wrapped in newspapers.
At this hour II is possible to drive
two entire blocks without changing
speed. Later there viii be no trouble
about the speed-back into first and
stay there. And watc1, out for tho
tongues of horse drawn trucks! Tho
law Of Lafayette street 10 each man for \
himself. no quarter given or asked.
And yet in the early morn II looks as
harmless as broadway. roughkeepsie.
on rainy Sunday afternoon. And
broadway. Poughkeepsie on. a rainy
Sunday afternoon IL as harmless AZ q
denaturcd bullet in baby's airgun. ]
In fourteenth street. the f1ocks of \
early birds fly thicker. Trim young
girls in nifty clothes that ape the |
fashions skip along. From Washing
Ton square and its envifons they have |
borrowed the artists cap and set upon
II the stigma Of trade. These black |!
velvet. tam o'shanters look peculiarly !
out Of place in the rosy dawn Of what /
portends a busy day for the wearers. |
They should be worn after dark by /
n nkish person with cropped hair}
and careless clothes. -',,
by this time the sun Is up and the
oench jewellers in Union park are able
20 bask in the, free warmth thereof
while they snatch the first Of the days.
frequent siestas. It's a great life III
you dont weaken and 20 to work. The
,ascs OF weakening among the bench
lwcalers IL 50 infreQuent as to an,vnnt |
Q practically none. It takes a blizL
ard, and a mighty stiff blizzard at
hat. to drive them from their chosen
lOmicile.
: Adjacent curb fruit merchants keep
!, sharp eye; on their wares. They are
aking no chances with the bench
lain, Jumpers. 4 fey Of the more
ortunate Jumpers are lined up in 'front.'
" the stationary lunch car inhaling1
he perfume OF p promised hot ham.
'urger and nngefing lovingly the price
Il q cup of.hot coffee 'filched by means
# y bard luck story from a soft
hearted swell.
And. finally. Firth avenue. the street
i a deserted village. An occasional
worker 10 sclrrying along between the
an cliffs. On the steps OF the Brick
church cluaps Of loungcrs scan the
morning papers. looking for the job
o turn up. No clumps around 81:
'atrick's cathedral. The massive doors
ire flung wide to admit the morning
un, a. husky citizen Is sweeping the
tops with energy lit to rival the
astest worker In the bricklayers'
Inton.
At q. fashionable shop a girl with a
elltale bundle under her arms is
'rcssing her face against the window.
rinkinE In the beauty Of a crushed
trawberry velvet evening coat lined
n erminc and a fluffy foible Of o
ule frock TO wear beneath 1.-THE
rice Of two years toll.
Uptown is fast asleep. Its blinds
lrawn. A September sunrise more or
ess means nothing In It's life. Only
n spots Is the Big Town alive at sum
Dixon in The New, York
sun. 1890
- NEGA1loN.