mrbrklyn

Chapter 1

It was four o'clock when the ceremony was over and the carriages began to arrive. There had been a crowd following all the way, owing to the exuberance of Marija Berczynskas. The occasion rested heavily upon Marija's broad shoulders—it was her task to see that all things went in due form, and after the best home traditions; and, flying wildly hither and thither, bowling every one out of the way, and scolding and exhorting all day with her tremendous voice, Marija was too eager to see that others conformed to the proprieties to consider them herself. She had left the church last of all, and, desiring to arrive first at the hall, had issued orders to the coachman to drive faster. When that personage had developed a will of his own in the matter, Marija had flung up the window of the carriage, and, leaning out, proceeded to tell him her opinion of him, first in Lithuanian, which he did not understand, and then in Polish, which he did. Having the advantage of her in altitude, the driver had stood his ground and even ventured to attempt to speak; and the result had been a furious altercation, which, continuing all the way down Ashland Avenue, had added a new swarm of urchins to the cortege at each side street for half a mile.

This was unfortunate, for already there was a throng before the door. The music had started up, and half a block away you could hear the dull "broom, broom" of a cello, with the squeaking of two fiddles which vied with each other in intricate and altitudinous gymnastics. Seeing the throng, Marija abandoned precipitately the debate concerning the ancestors of her coachman, and, springing from the moving carriage, plunged in and proceeded to clear a way to the hall. Once within, she turned and began to push the other way, roaring, meantime, "Eik! Eik! Uzdaryk-duris!" in tones which made the orchestral uproar sound like fairy music.

"Z. Graiczunas, Pasilinksminimams darzas. Vynas. Sznapsas. Wines and Liquors. Union Headquarters"—that was the way the signs ran. The reader, who perhaps has never held much converse in the language of far-off Lithuania, will be glad of the explanation that the place was the rear room of a saloon in that part of Chicago known as "back of the yards." This information is definite and suited to the matter of fact; but how pitifully inadequate it would have seemed to one who understood that it was also the supreme hour of ecstasy in the life of one of God's gentlest creatures, the scene of the wedding feast and the joy-transfiguration of little Ona Lukoszaite!

She stood in the doorway, shepherded by Cousin Marija, breathless from pushing through the crowd, and in her happiness painful to look upon. There was a light of wonder in her eyes and her lids trembled, and her otherwise wan little face was flushed. She wore a muslin dress, conspicuously white, and a stiff little veil coming to her shoulders. There were five pink paper roses twisted in the veil, and eleven bright green rose leaves. There were new white cotton gloves upon her hands, and as she stood staring about her she twisted them together feverishly. It was almost too much for her—you could see the pain of too great emotion in her face, and all the tremor of her form. She was so young—not quite sixteen—and small for her age, a mere child; and she had just been married—and married to Jurgis,* (*Pronounced Yoorghis) of all men, to Jurgis Rudkus, he with the white flower in the buttonhole of his new black suit, he with the mighty shoulders and the giant hands.

Ona was blue-eyed and fair, while Jurgis had great black eyes with beetling brows, and thick black hair that curled in waves about his ears—in short, they were one of those incongruous and impossible married couples with which Mother Nature so often wills to confound all prophets, before and after. Jurgis could take up a two-hundred-and-fifty-pound quarter of beef and carry it into a car without a stagger, or even a thought; and now he stood in a far corner, frightened as a hunted animal, and obliged to moisten his lips with his tongue each time before he could answer the congratulations of his friends.

Gradually there was effected a separation between the spectators and the guests—a separation at least sufficiently complete for working purposes. There was no time during the festivities which ensued when there were not groups of onlookers in the doorways and the corners; and if any one of these onlookers came sufficiently close, or looked sufficiently hungry, a chair was offered him, and he was invited to the feast. It was one of the laws of the veselija that no one goes hungry; and, while a rule made in the forests of Lithuania is hard to apply in the stockyards district of Chicago, with its quarter of a million inhabitants, still they did their best, and the children who ran in from the street, and even the dogs, went out again happier. A charming informality was one of the characteristics of this celebration. The men wore their hats, or, if they wished, they took them off, and their coats with them; they ate when and where they pleased, and moved as often as they pleased. There were to be speeches and singing, but no one had to listen who did not care to; if he wished, meantime, to speak or sing himself, he was perfectly free. The resulting medley of sound distracted no one, save possibly alone the babies, of which there were present a number equal to the total possessed by all the guests invited. There was no other place for the babies to be, and so part of the preparations for the evening consisted of a collection of cribs and carriages in one corner. In these the babies slept, three or four together, or wakened together, as the case might be. Those who were still older, and could reach the tables, marched about munching contentedly at meat bones and bologna sausages.

The room is about thirty feet square, with whitewashed walls, bare save for a calendar, a picture of a race horse, and a family tree in a gilded frame. To the right there is a door from the saloon, with a few loafers in the doorway, and in the corner beyond it a bar, with a presiding genius clad in soiled white, with waxed black mustaches and a carefully oiled curl plastered against one side of his forehead. In the opposite corner are two tables, filling a third of the room and laden with dishes and cold viands, which a few of the hungrier guests are already munching. At the head, where sits the bride, is a snow-white cake, with an Eiffel tower of constructed decoration, with sugar roses and two angels upon it, and a generous sprinkling of pink and green and yellow candies. Beyond opens a door into the kitchen, where there is a glimpse to be had of a range with much steam ascending from it, and many women, old and young, rushing hither and thither. In the corner to the left are the three musicians, upon a little platform, toiling heroically to make some impression upon the hubbub; also the babies, similarly occupied, and an open window whence the populace imbibes the sights and sounds and odors. ....

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"The tremendous problem we face is that we are becoming sharecroppers to our own cultural heritage -- we need the ability to participate in our own society."
Coin Talk Museum Exhibits
http://www.mrbrklyn.com/coins.html

Vess1

Joe,

Your post brings back memories that I sometimes forget about. I'm 28 so I did most of my growing up in the late 80s, early 90s. I remember mowing for an old lady down the street. It took me about 2 1/2 hours to finish that yard and I was paid $7 to do it. Those were the most valuable $7 I've ever owned. Probably got spent mostly on baseball cards.

I too went door to door selling stuff out of magazines and actually did pretty well. Money's so tight these days, I don't think a kid could sell a quarter of the stuff I did if they even wanted to try. I had a paper route too and was always tipped well around Christmas.

I remember being into coins as a kid. Around 9-14 years old. There was no computer, no internet. The best info I had was from a guy I knew that lived up the street. I found out he collected coins and he showed me some of the stuff he had. Sometimes he'd give me an old issue of Coinworld and I'd take it home and sit on our screened in porch during thunderstorms and read it and read it. I'd about wear the pages out.

I remember having a lot of trouble reading them because I didn't know what all the terms were. I had no idea what 90% of the abbreviations meant. I rarely talked to the guy to ask him. He was always gone.

I dreamed of saving up enough money some day to buy some of those expensive coins. Meaning anything over $50. lol I'd get stuff for birthdays, and the holidays. Would occasionally go to a local coin shop (long gone now) with a family member. That was all the exposure I had.

We rode bikes everywhere we wanted to go as kids. Blew a lot more money at the baseball card shop than I did on coins. My friends werent into coins like I was.

I remember in about 4th or 5th grade messing around with the old Commodore 64 computers. Absolutely insane how far we've come now.

There's 1000x the competition for people's money now than there used to be, just since I was a kid. Now everybody has expensive cell phone plans to pay for. Computers to buy and upgrade. Internet service to pay for. Sky high insurance premiums. $100 tanks of gas. All the advertising, the pressure to have this or that, a computer sitting there that you can pretty much find and buy anything on. Available 24/7. It's no wonder there's so much debt.

Yeah, it was a simpler time even back in my day. lol All the technology we've got now is a double edged sword. My kid will never know the world I grew up in. We had fun being kids and I'd say the ignorance probably was bliss. lol

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When the well's dry, we know the worth of water.
- Benjamin Franklin

jaceravone

Thanks Vess for sharing. Great to hear your story.

__________________
“Punishment is the way in which society expresses its denunciation of wrongdoing and, in order to maintain respect for law, it is essential that the punishment inflicted for grave crimes should adequately reflect the revulsion felt by the great majority of citizens for them.”

Lord Justice Denning of the Court of Appeals in the United Kingdom

commidaddy

.

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Oh Well.

Jarrid

mrbrklyn

The great thing about growing up with the Calculator was that we did spend hours upon hours playing street ball, softball and such growing up, and still had the early stirrings of video games. But the best past was that our computers required our involvement. If you didn't program the darn thing, it didn't do much...

We still viewed the machines as a partnership and not a stream of entertainment..

Ruben

__________________
"The tremendous problem we face is that we are becoming sharecroppers to our own cultural heritage -- we need the ability to participate in our own society."
Coin Talk Museum Exhibits
http://www.mrbrklyn.com/coins.html

jaceravone

There definitely is a common bond between all of us coin collectors. A hobby should be fun, so they say, but let me tell you.... whether you are trying to compete with someone else or even yourself, there is a stress associated with that. I have never tried to compete with anyone else for a better coin or collection. But I have definitely competed with myself. Striving to purchase better and better coins..... making mistakes and then learning from them........the point is, there are some days that I haven't even bought a coin and I am stressed just thinking about buying a coin. I am sure many, if not most of you, have felt this one time or another. But there was a very small time in our lives when there was no stress at all. Just complete happiness and bliss when you sat at home looking through all those wheaties, just hoping to find the lucky cent to fill the hole. Not a care in the world whether or not it was a DDO or had a S and a VDB on the coin. (Ok, that second one might be a stretch..... because I think that was the first coin that was ingrained in my brain to look for!) LOL! But you all know what I mean. Those are the days that I miss.

__________________
“Punishment is the way in which society expresses its denunciation of wrongdoing and, in order to maintain respect for law, it is essential that the punishment inflicted for grave crimes should adequately reflect the revulsion felt by the great majority of citizens for them.”

Lord Justice Denning of the Court of Appeals in the United Kingdom

green18

Very meaningful post Joe. I've enjoyed reading and identifying with all of the posts. Even chapter I of Rubens novel was inspiring. The one thing that I am so thankful for is the community that resides right here on this "site". What a wealth of knowledge and information is available here at no more than a mouse click away. No longer does a person have to collect in isolation.

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They also serve who only stand and wait....John Milton

mralexanderb

Great post, Joe. I remember getting Mercs, Buffalos and Franklins in change. The SLQ's & IHCs were hoarded moreso than the rest of the coinage. I didn't own an Indian head cent until 3 years ago. Now I'm working on a 2nd set, though I've curtailed my coin buys to US Mint sets and an occaisional $10-$30 coin.

No matter what your age you must collect, buy or trade at your own pace. One that makes it enjoyable.

Bruce

__________________
This above all: to thine own self be true,
And it must follow, as the night the day,
Thou canst not then be false to any man.

umn25

You hit the nail on the head! Being a YN in this time is hard, Key Dates and silver are no longer in circulation!!!

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UMN25
BUCKEYE STATE

mrbrklyn

That was "The Jungle" BTW 0 in the Gutenberg Project..

__________________
"The tremendous problem we face is that we are becoming sharecroppers to our own cultural heritage -- we need the ability to participate in our own society."
Coin Talk Museum Exhibits
http://www.mrbrklyn.com/coins.html

spock1k

i am more worried about why joe is sad than anything else at the present?

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There is only one king

jaceravone

You should know why I am sad.

__________________
“Punishment is the way in which society expresses its denunciation of wrongdoing and, in order to maintain respect for law, it is essential that the punishment inflicted for grave crimes should adequately reflect the revulsion felt by the great majority of citizens for them.”

Lord Justice Denning of the Court of Appeals in the United Kingdom

spock1k

i can argue we always had technology but that will be a separate thread nice post i certainly understand where you are coming from

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There is only one king

HOBBY61

Nice post.

Hunger is the best sauce.

Old internet request: “hello, is anybody out there?”

1970’s Northstar computer with a 4 mhz cpu, 16k rom,
Monochrome video. I would have loved to have one of these powerhouses at the time.

temp avatar

sketcherpbr

Frogger's where it's at. I remember spending countless hours playing that game....classic. Great post, I agree with basically everything you said. I didn't get serious about collecting until I found Coin Talk and other coin sites, and I'm glad I did....but in case anyone hasn't noticed, I've been taking a break for a couple of months...I started spending WAY too much money on things that I thought I needed to be a serious collector, and I realized a little too late that I don't need anything...I think I lost site of my original goal, which was just to hold pieces of history that I thought were cool. Now I have some awesome pieces, but not all of them mean a lot to me, and won't be easy to sell (if I decide to sell them). I just need some time to rethink how to go about collecting.
Great post.

-Peter

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Monetary values amount to nothing in the face of a coin that's survived centuries to make it into my hand.