Hot corn: Life Scenes in New York IllustratedRobinson, Solon
General
Hot corn: Life Scenes in New York Illustrated
Robinson, Solon
New York (N.Y.) -- Social life and customs -- 19th century -- Fiction; Temperance -- Fiction
It is Friday night, his Sabbath has already commenced, he can do no
business--make no monish--to-night. He is not in a hurry to reach the
synagogue, that is closed, what then? He has a Christian partner, and he
wants to arrange a little speculation for to-morrow. He has just
received information of a shipment of yellow fever patients' clothing,
which will arrive to-morrow or Sunday, and he wants his Christian
partner to look out on Saturday; on Sunday, the Jew will watch the
chance to buy the infected rags, which both will sell on Monday at a
hundred per cent profit.
"What, at the risk of human life? Oh, I can believe that of a Jew, but
certainly no Christian would do it."
There spoke the Christian reader. The Jew will say the same, only
reversing the character. No good Christian or Jew either will do it; yet
it will be done, and little beggar girls will be run over in the hot
haste to meet the coming ship.
Walk on. The side-walks are crowded, and the street between the
curb-stones full of great lumbering omnibuses and carriages, that go up
and down all night for hire; but there is a melancholy stillness in all
the houses where wealth and fashion, in our young days, lived in
lamp-lighted parlors, and diamonds flashed down upon the listener to
music which had its home in these gay dwellings, where happy looking
faces were seen through open windows. Iron shutters close them now, and
commerce wears a dark frown by gas light.
On the right is Wall street, where fortunes are made and lost as by the
turn of a card, or rattle of a dice box. It is very thronged at noon
day. It is very dull now. A few watchmen tread slowly around the great
banking houses, working for a dollar a night to eke out a poorly paid
day, by guarding treasures that the owners would not watch all the live
long night for all the watchman is worth. But he must watch and work; he
has a sick wife at home, and four little girls are growing up to
womanhood and city life. God knows for what!
A few express wagons, and more of these ever-going ever-coming
omnibuses, are coming out of Wall street to join the great Broadway
throng. And a pale-faced little girl sits upon the steps of the Bank of
the Republic, adding to that constant cry, "Hot corn! Hot corn!" Now
here comes the Cerberus of this money palace. What possible harm to his
treasures, can this little poverty-clad girl and her sickly looking
little beggar boy brother do, sitting here upon the cold grey, stone
steps, with an appealing look to every passer-by to give a penny or buy
an ear of corn. Does he think they are merely using their trade to plot
mischief and schemes to rob his vaults of their stores of gold? One
would judge so by the way he growls at them.
"Clear out, you dirty brats--away with you, lousy beggars--home to your
kennel, young thieves. Don't come on these steps again, or I will throw
your corn in the gutter."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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