Wharf rats are long, lean hungry
looking vermin. Did you ever see one?
Their haui.ts are between old bales and
barrels, and in holes that long ago rot
ted out of the spiles, posts and logs of
wharfs. They are sharp-eyed creatures,
and of course avoid the sight of man
kind. Your rat of that sort is a know
ing animal.
But there is another knd of wharf
rat a more interesting object of study
that I have in mind. It is the human
"wharf rat." He is as keen, almost as
quick, and a good deal more dirty, than
bis namesake, the quadruped.
One pleasant morning, not long since,
I went down with twofriemis upon one
of the wharves in Gotham, to get a view
of the harbor. As we were standing
quietly watching the shipping, our es
oon., Harry, exclaimed : " W hy , w hat U
this?" and he poked with a stick at
something between two bales.
"Hallo! that's me, that is!" cried a
shrill voice; and there slowly rose to
view a curious sjiocimen of humanity,
bearing a general resemblance to a child
of some six years, but probably more
than twelve. His face was unique.
small, droll, old and strangely pathetic
in its urollness.
"Look here, mister, what right 'a
you to come into my boarding-house?"
he asked. '-When a feller pays for
board and lodgiu, he doesn't ginerally
like to be "sturbed;" and he pulled at
an imaginary visor, the real one having
probably been torn of in yesterday's
tights.
"How many of you are boarding
round here?"asked Harry, much taken
with the whimsical idea.
"That's telling," said the youngster.
with a provoking smile, his grimy hand
fumbling iu his pocket.
