Year: 1872

went into the reading-room of the


Brandreth House, at the corner of "a


nal street, and begged successfully oi


the two gentlemen who occupied it


One of them at first refused to give me


anything. He was q hard, starch-vis


aged man but when he saw his neigh


bor hand me five, cent piece, either


his heart relented or he became


ashamed of himself, for he followed the


example as l passed him to leave the


room. From the Brandreth House, !


worked down Canal street, and along


Carmine street to Sixth avenue. Sixth


avenue is by no means a to be despised


begging walk. | passed up the west


side as far as Thirty fourth street, and


back again on the east side. At the


corner of Thirteenth street, an old lady


seemed wonderfully touched by my


piteous tale; but she only gave me one


cent. l retraced my steps once more
through Carmine and Canal streets to


Broadway. My stock of pennies having


received very satisfactory increase, l


was congraulating myself on the sue
cess of my enterprise, when 1 expert
enced a scare which nearly brought my


heart into my mouth. 1t almost made
me long for a California earthquake
that the pavement would open and
swallow me up. I had been standing at
the corner of Canal street for two or
three minutes, when 1 was almSt
startled out of my propriety on bearing
gruH voice say behind me, "Come,
get along" There was no need to tell
that it was gentleman in blue. 1
knew that instinctively. But the Off
Ger walked for a few moments by my
side as l hobbled away; and he told a
lie every step he took. He said he
knew me well-lie number one; that 1
was an old hand at the ebusiness-lienum-
ber two that I'd been at it ever since
last came from the Island-lie num-
Der three; and that was first-class
fraud. The last charge was about true.
He parted with me after threatening to
1" take me in" and "have me sent up'
if he caught me at it again. Some of
the passers-by eyed me Indignantly,
others sneered and jeered, but one old
lady expressed herself that the police
are very hard on beggars. She, how
ever, did not offer me anything to as
suage my wounded sensibilities. Near
the st. Nicholas Hotel l saw a lady
vainly endeavoring to close the door of
her carriage. 1 stepped forward and
closed it for her; for which act of po-
liteness she condescendingly handed
me a penny. At the corner of Prince
street 1 encountered an editor. beg
ged of him, gave two or three very
sepulchral coughs, and implored him
for moment to listen to my story. He
stepped aside with me, and 1 poured
into his sympathetic ear my Bellevue
Hospital tale. He listened very grave
ly, expressed his surprise that Mr..
Brennan, the Warden, who bore high
for kindne toward the
inmates of the hospital, should
allow one of them to be dis
charged in the condition in which 1
was. 1t was far too cold day, he said,
for a sick man to be wandering about
the streets. He put twenty -fve-cent
stamp into my hand, gave me his Office
there the next morning he would give
me letter to Mr.. Brennan, asking him
to take me in again for while.


But the cold was rapidly becoming
more than could stand. AS
saw my face reflected in shop win
dow, l saw, also, that my nose was as
red as a piece of raw beef, and that my
cheeks had ass umed sort of washed
out plum color. l felt that it was abso-
lutely necessary to do something to-
ward restoring the circulation, and 1
determined, at the first opportunity l
could get, would have a strong hot
whisky punch. Of course, this was not
to be thought of on Broadway, but 1
thought 1 might venture it in the
Bowery. l therefore crossed Broadway
and went down Houston street to carry
out my intention. But no sooner had 1
reached the Bowery that caught sight
of a very charitable looking gentleman,
who had all the air of being a minister.
1 at once tackled him, and succeeded so
well in working on his feelings as to
draw from him five cents. 1 thanked
him and passed on. A few doors down
l reached a liquor saloon. But here 1
an unforeseen difficulty.
No sooner had l stepped inside the
hand at me, called out, Come, git out
of this. There's nothing here"


"But l want a drink" remontrated.


dyes, SO does a good many others :;
come. git out" retorted the bartender.


saw at once the difficulty with him.
He thought was "dead beat" and
drink for nothing. So l
up to the bar and told him
that was willing to pay for drink.


"Let's see yer stamps, them" he re-
joined, evidently still suspicious.


l Immediately produced ten cents,
and he proceeded to compound for me
a glassful of the most viHainous stuff
that ever passed down my throat. How
ever, it had the effect of making the
blood tingle in my half frozen toes and
and fingers. But, no, horror of horrors |
AS closed the door of the saloon be-
hind me, on returning to the street,
there, evidently waiting for me, stood
my ministerial friend, who had just be-
fore given me five cents. All kindly
expression had left his face, and he was
most indignant. He called me cheat
and an imposter, declared that ought
to be punished, that he had half sus-
pected me at the time he gave me the
money Il had told him that wanted it
to buy bread with), and that be had
turned and followed me, with view of
watching my further proceedings. In
my confusion 1 stammered out some
thing about the coldness of the weather.
But he was too angry and indignant to
listen to any such arguments-especial
such patent excuses-and 1 began to
feel no little alarm at my situation
when he announced his intention of
having me arrested by the first officer
who came along. l had no idea, how
ever, of patiently waiting till an officer
did come along, and l started off up
Houston street at q pace that was totally