The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1941-01-22
NOTES
By j. c. GALLOWAY
tReprinted From Port Anesany tPa) Reporter)

Every morning the fish peddler
comes down the street, his push
cart a wheeibarrow withTa box on:
it and a staging above decorated
with little flags and couple of
paper signs, KINGFISH - JEW
FISH. He calls his wares: "Craw-
Observation-Disclosures fish" as
| he serves the householders along
the street. The ice cream man has
his white case mounted pm four
little rubber tired wheels, with
row of sleighbells along the push
bar. The Cuban boys on the
garbage truck made a ball game
of their work; and 'Whoop!" as
the big baskets are tossed to the
top of the high pile On the truck,
to be dumped. Other things are
different from the north; a
straight and slender young Cuban
walks down the middle of the
street; singing a solo; good sing
ing, too, and good music. And
we were awakened Christmas
Eve at midnight by young fellows
going along the street singing 20
come, all we faithful with strong
Imelodious voices, and singing it
beautifully. Then again, ,you may
meet a specialist, as we did.
We were calling on some Ohio
friends, sitting on their veranda
enjoying the fresh sea-breeze,
when across the flower decked
lawn came another friend, bent
on helping the neat young color
ed woman, who accompanied her,
to find a job. Have you any
work for me?" inquired the ap-
plicant. Il do cleaning; scrub
floors and IRON. why no., said
our hostess, 1--WE have a woman
coming Monday for cleaning"
Couldn't you give me work to-
day? So l could earn a quarter
anyway? l haven't a cent of
money today. The lady consid-
cred. Would you wash win
dows?" mo, l don't wash Win
dows; just scrub floors and iron.
That's all l did in Miami; just get
down on my knees and clean
floors, and do ironing. "Can you
cook?" mo, ma'am, / don't do
no cooking. Would you wash
dishes for me on Christmas"
mo, ma'am, / don't work for no.
body on Christmas Day; that's
one day l want to be at home.
By this time a general feeling of
helplessness began pervading the
veranda; there seemed to be moth
ing more well-intentioned folks
could do, and the specialist went
on her way, looking further for
work in her field. We hope size
found it.
One day we wanted a spray of
Frangipana in order to make a
sketch in color. Frangipana is
that West Indian tree whose bios
SONS are 50 faultlessly perfect in
form and color they look like ar
tificial flowers of wax, tinted
with tones of the purest pink and
soft yellow; and with a heavy
sweet scent all their own They
look like jewels, and in the East
Indies the girls wear a single bios
som in their dark hair. We knew
of tree in flower up the street,
and walked up there to see about
it. The sidewalk was on the OPP
poSite side of the street; and as
we crossed, lovely little dark
eyed maid saw us coming her
way, and with some alarm hasten
ed home and told her mother, who
came to the door. Yes. the lady
next door was at home; but when
we knocked and she came. she
could not understand us; so the
younger mother acted as inter-
prefer from the adjoining win
dow. but even then we had trou-
BILE in being understood. Finally
we found the lady feared we
wanted TO do something she
would be charged for; and we.
fearing we had the lines crossed
and il might be the reverse Of
that. offered her small coin for
the snrav we wanted But no: she
would not take the money: and
we were welcome 30 the spray.
once she understood the matter.
Key West. like other cities. has
its lights and its shadows. and
some of the latter arc grievous:
but even among the poorest folk
who have little money and few
and apparently little
for culture. we find
kindly and generous souls. friend
~ In spirit and with fine sense
of honor and even though We /.
meet but once, and never see
them again. there viii always be
a warm spot in oCr hearts when
wc think OF them