T. Srannow, "cly it a fact," said one Strand street hawker to another, "that Soapy Joe ix invited to the King's dinner?" The other roided. The first speaker shrugged his shoulders, "1 did think they'd dror the me somewhere." he rei in a tone supreme contempt. Joe's larss—" he eats winkles!" And, in his the fighting cocks he was vending overbalanced, as he mused on of the age. "I won't deny." a judicial manner, having sold ares in the interim, which caused tim to take a more genial view of things eral-—" I won't deny but. that Joe "as ood points. But morals before manners, wee, and pertickler on an occasion of this vat, Tt Joo. was sp sur if "e paid is washerwoman "is threelfpence a week regular for is linen, 'e wud ave to own up ity many a dai she "as seen the colour of is money. ws to me, E pays up prnetual—eept: when in quod." Yeh Joe's to get is mug an'
me," Old Bill the Grumbler aired his him that His Majesty's guests were selected, not from their fastidiousness with regard to ay viands, but from the which they were the compulsory cit. Bill's laandres ood character; the magistrate would certainly ive him a very bad one.
Street hawkers are nomads by witure: them have no heme, ious beyond their da toss, che ud fy impediment, sold ut for t away down they ever can be here below. very cautions about very suspicious eaten up with small other. When Morpheus calls, they slouch out of the door, with never rewall to their o ud. sham ble along till they reach a dreary pile of Mick with "Fourpenee a bed," engraved in white wid Tetters on burning dimly in the doorway.
the receive the turnstile, enter the gener chamber often in the basement, in wine ter warm and stuffy, im sum tables, dominoes and draughts are on the bare forms: the tiring. unch schuners throw light on groups of men mostly in their shirt-sleeves, with want deeply more cheerful They huve cheated the work! paid are of itself, but not strange that, in te of the home-Tessness, the absence of personal proper ly enemy and if two "coves" are seen to ftaternise they immediately become the bugbear of the whole community, and to ever given a sinister motive. rubling ix in the very air they breathe. and the most ingenious liar is the one who will lead the life of greatest peace. they can do generous penny collec ity ix looked upon as the merest trap sentiment, and excites but derision and contempt. An inmate of one of these establishments, who had been chummy with or some seven years, Was asked by the latter to lend him a coat as the pleader had not even fourpence for a bed, and had to walk the streets on a bitter winter night.
The coat was lent, and the borrower never appeared again. The lender was jeered at for his benevolence, and wax Known as" Greenhorn " for many a Tong day after. little trust is" reposed in his fellow-creature, that each man sleeps with his coat as & pillow, and pawns what extra clothing he may possess, for even a locker may be picked in his absence and all articles appropriated.
Strikes are not uncommon in the rougher sort of "fourpenny doses." The young Bloods are unruly, and the manager is often drawn from as rows! 'a class as themselves.
Hence a frequent it end at the police-station, It wns, their scream: secrete beneath his coat, tone occasion
Lio t him to his bund andthe—man:
lered his ejection. This was easier ssid than done, for the dormitories rose us one man in the Italian's de-wads were broker four hours before covered that the Ttalian, horror the him, The result police-court; but the later. The ma to a wedding: change These were seen and purloined, ad the pawn sent him though the money thus obtained roaring good feed at his er soevered the players of this practical joke, which reminds one ye mack of the pranks "of University unde To look at the ordinary specimen of dow trodden v. who hawks his meekly and streets, one wi able of ssu sed, But, unless very ety due, perhaps, utter, freedom from responsibility. think ren fash: ra burden, To keep wut of work:
use as they can their one ohject. the zh T must own they have no ides of thrift If they make but ai spence. they 1 live.
er rather starve, on that sixpe ike two shillings, it goes as quick peworth of gin Wl just keep the alive, ut six twopetvorths is better, anid twelve is Lest of of them live on from une week's end to the atier varied with stout, is the prevailing They are never the wor: the st tie the term, for the doses srw one can handly ter. Chew fowl Need Fay that a taste of the Kinz's beef will he a feast much appreciated. ater is being looked forward to most. oxerly?
Their makings are very precarious—ieont shilling @ day to fifteen shillings a work, but ar son spells herd Iuck—for who under an umbrella of rheumatic or a touch of bre chitis will remind that on ne account one be ill in a doss-house, prom of " serious breakdown onager asks no questions, Listens to st. but packs the unfortunate off to the ata moment's not the yuitient to send word even to distant relatives i he has any, is more than doubtful.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.