The Secrets of the Great City: A Work Descriptive of the Virtues and the Vices, the Mysteries, Miseries and Crimes of New York CityMcCabe, James Dabney
History
The Secrets of the Great City: A Work Descriptive of the Virtues and the Vices, the Mysteries, Miseries and Crimes of New York City
McCabe, James Dabney
New York (N.Y.) -- Description and travel; New York (N.Y.) -- History
The moment he entered, it was easily seen that he was grossly
intoxicated. His step was steady, but the wandering expression of his
bloodshot eyes, the silly grin that played about his lips, and the
unmistakable rum-odor of his breath, as he approached, made it certain
that he was a drunken man. He did not wait for the formalities of an
introduction, but at once opened with: 'Well, who are you? What's your
name? Where do you live? What's your business--salvation, sinners,
eh?'--all at a single breath, and with a rapidity that would defy the
pencil of the most skilful stenographer. There was an air of
imperiousness, too, in his tone of voice, that seemed to say, 'Come,
talk quickly now, and then go about your business; I have no time to
waste.' The inquiries, in the main, having been answered, Allen closed
the door of the saloon, dragged a small table and two chairs into the
middle of the floor, and, having done this, and dismissed the boy and a
hideous-looking girl, who was preparing to scrub the apartment, he bade
us be seated, and then resumed the conversation, which was carried on
in something like the following manner:
'Well, Mr. Allen, what do you desire to say to the public about this
reform work?'
'Don't know what to say about it--it's all right, I guess. You can
tell 'em that those prayin' "fellers" have broken all my cane chairs,
and I've had to get wooden ones--guess they can't break them. Broke my
glass there, too, smashed it in, and they smash everything they touch.
Somebody stole my coat, too--I'd like to catch him. I don't much like
them prayin' folks, anyhow,' he said.
'Why?' was the rejoinder, in evident surprise, 'the public has been
led to believe that you were "converted," John, and that you loved
Christian people--there will be great surprise when it is made known
that such is not the case.'
'Oh!' he returned, interrupting the visitor, 'I'm reformed, and I've
made up my mind to serve my great Redeemer as long as he lets me live.
I'll never go back on Him, true as you live. I'm just a goin' to let
the world know that I'm a second Apostle Paul--there ain't a goin' to
be anybody beat me in this line of business, sure's my name is John
Allen.'
'What do you mean by "a second Apostle Paul?"' we ventured to ask.
'What do I mean?' was the reply. 'Why, I mean just what I say; I'm
goin' to study for a preacher, and I'm goin' to sweep everything in
this street. If one church won't have me, another will; and I'll tell
these wicked sinners in the world that they'd better look out for
themselves, or they'll wake up some fine morning in hell fire.'
'You say that you are going to preach, John. Do you suppose that
people will hear you from the pulpit, unless you stop drinking rum?'
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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