ce of nearly two miles.

Leaving behind me, then, the twinkling lights of the newspaper buildings
and those of the City Hall Park northward along Chatham Street I bend my
loitering steps. Israel predominates here,--Israel, with its traditional
stock in trade of cheap clothing, and bawbles that are made to wear, but
not to wear long. The shops here are mostly small, and quite open to the
street in front, which gives the place a bazaar-like appearance in
summer. Economy in space is practised to the utmost. It is curious to
observe how closely crowded the goods (bads might be a more appropriate
term for most of them) are outside the shops, as well as inside. The
fronts of the houses are festooned with raiment of all kinds, until they
look like tents made of variegated dry-goods. Here is a stall so
confined that the occupant, rocking in his chair near the farther end of
it, stretches his slippered feet well out upon the threshold. It is near
closing time now, and many of the dealers, with their wives and
children, are sitting out in front of their shops, and, if not under
their own vines and fig-trees, at least under their own gaudy flannels
and "loud-patterned" cotton goods, which are waving overhead in the
sluggish evening breeze. Nothing can be more suggestive of lazily
industrious Jewry than this short, thick-set clothier, with the curved
nose, and spiral, oily hair, who sits out on the sidewalk and blows
clouds from his meerschaum pipe. The women who lounge here are generally
stoutish and slatternly, with few clothes on, but plenty of frowzy hair.
Here and there one may see a pretty face among the younger girls; and it
is sad to reflect that these little Hebrew maids will become stout and
slatternly by and by, and have hooked noses like their mothers, and
double chins. The labels on the ready-made clothing are curious in their
way. Here a pair of trousers in glaring brown and yellow stripes is
ticketed with the alluring word, "Lovely." Other garments are offered to
the public, with such guaranties as "Original," "Genteel," "Excelsior,"
and "Our Own." There is not an article among them but has its ticket of
recommendation, and another card affixed to each sets forth the lowest
price for which it is to be had. The number and variety of hats on show
along this queer arcade are very characteristic of the people, with whom
hats have long been a traditional article of commerce. Dimly-lighted
cellars, down precipitous flights