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Show ISHMAE: OF THE GUTTER. London Coster Declared to Be Last Remnnnt of World's Old Itace of Wanderers. London's outdoor man Is tho coster, according to Outing Ho Is tho Ish-mnel Ish-mnel of our gutteis A very Jolly Ish-muel, Ish-muel, It Is true, who Is more than content con-tent to acknowledge tho lino of demarcation de-marcation between himself and tho truo cocknoy. Uut, nevertheless, In a modified, twentieth century wuy, ho is still the wild man whoso hand Is agulnst every man's und every man's against his. Ho Is probably the last remnant of the woild's old race of wanderersthe wan-derersthe last suggestion of the primitive man loft to tho cities. He Is to us town dwellers what the gypsy Is to tho countryside. His descent seems to spring from the same roving stock. And ho Is regarded, from n safo distance, with tho same contempt by those who don't know htm Ills habits and his Impulses still savor strongly of the das when tribe warred against tribe, and overy man's arm was for himself and his clan, And although his pitch Is below the curb, his caravan a barrow, and his beast of burden n Russian pony, n donltoy, or himself, he Is as free and as exclusive as any other lusty scion of the peoplo who llvo under the skies. Ishmaol ho Is, and Ishmacl he chooses to remain, And the chances nio ten to ono that whoever goes a-flshlng for information among the barrows will tomo back with an empty creel or a flno show of fisherman's fisher-man's tales. For your coster knows both how to keep bllonce and how to uso his touguo picturesquely In defense of his Jealously guarded traditions and the Internal economies of Ills existence. |