Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-02-03
humors Of South Street

COUTH STREET BRIDGE is a rickety
~ affair and, for it's Importance, the poorest
of all the spans on the Schuylkill. One sees
warning notices about speed and load that
testify to its precarious margin OF safety.
When trolley car or a heavy truck comes
onto the draw the unwary foot passenger
is exposed to all the terrors of miniature
earthquake, and it is unwise to have your
tongue between your teeth. or to carry uen-
cate glassware in your pockets.
But there are compensations in the sight
of the hustle of the river and sometimes In
the maneuvers of the boys along its bank.
Here one may behold, on late summer alter
moons, the prescribed spectacle OF whole
gangs of boys taking perilous headers into
the oil filmed water, and then scrambling up
some chance rope end to scurry OH among
the lumber piles when their lookout whistles
his warnins that n watchman has swung
into view. BY just what miracle of the toilet
these same boys prepare themselves TO face
the cold scrutiny of the streets after such
hurried departures | do not know. ] have
seen whole crew of them scatter of in
that interesting state OF dishabllle behttlng
their late employment, brawny Waterman
in hot pursuit. A few seconds later their
heads appear on the other side of the fence,
and the whole gang of them may be seen
marching gayly and decently into town.
TT is NOT only in summer days, however,
i that the shore life at South street becomes
interesting Last week as | stood there, halt
hypnotized by the rising buckets OF tail
conveyer that lifts the precious anthraclte
from river barges into the bins OF one OF the
great overords of lump coal, l chanced 10
look down to the earth beneath me. There IN
the shadow of the housing crouched small
boy of perhaps ten years old. He had large
wicker basket on his arm, and ever and
again. as the conveyer buckets spilled down
lump of coal. the boy would dart out from
his shelter and corral it into his basket. AS
he stood there under this rain of Jumps and
dust he held his left arm protectingly above
his head. In spite of that, nc got more than
ono hard crack that knocked off his dusty
| Golf can and made him finch n little. AT
| length to my great relief the basket was
6lIed. and ! saw him begin to stagger away
With if He was very dark looking little boy
| after all that drizze of coal dust, but as he
| walked off two white spots were evident in
his diugy stockings, where the rubbing of hfs
shoe tops had worn long oval holes
| A s THE BOY went on across the railroad
! n track large and weatherbeaten cat
| climbed out over a lumber pile and sat down,
| fixing stony but scornful eye on the little
| hov. The response was instantaneous. The
| urchin dropped his basket like shot. Reach
| ing down he selected large round piece or
| coal and sent it spinning toward the cat. 1t
sailed high over the animals head and
| shiyered to pieces against the side of freight
| car, Lump after lump followed the same
sporting career, but the old cat hardly moved
| n muscle. The boy was goaded to more and
| more extravagant efforts. He hurled two
| iumps at time, and sometimes three-the
result was always the same. The old cat,
confident in the possession of some secret
feline charm against missile weapons, re-
NAMED as impassive as sphinx. AT length,
however. one chance shot caromed up from
the end of a board and landed mildly be-
tween the cats outstretched paws. With an
| cxasperating calmness the animal rose and
stretched itself Then mincing leisurely to
the edge of the woodple he dropped out ol
sight and made off under the wheels of the
freight cars The boy stopped for his basket
and then looked into it. Fully one third
of the coal was gone. But the little fellow
was game He turned back to the conveyei
again, and began once more his painful col
lection of fodder for the kitchin fire.
AS ONE comes off the bridge he passes
n into region of dwelling houses dotted
here and there with the bulk windows of old
fashioned penny candy stores, where one may
sin purchase licorice straps adorned with
rows of pink sugar collar buttons, or topi
with the kind of pegs that always fall out al