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Updated: June 15, 2025
He stopped as Jonah took a step forward, his fists clenched, transformed in a moment into Jonah the larrikin, king of the Cardigan Street Push. "D'ye remember me, Cassidy?" he cried. "I've sent better men than you to the 'orspital in a cab.
Eighteen months past, Jonah had met Ada, who worked at Packard's boot factory, at a dance. Struck by her skill in dancing, he courted her in the larrikin fashion. At night he stood in front of the house, and whistled till she came out. Then they went to the park, where they sprawled on the grass in obscure corners.
At last he felt it was hardly right for an Oxford man, and a triple blue at that, to be discussed in this contemptuous way by a larrikin and his "donah," so he broke into the discussion, perhaps a little abruptly, but using his most polished style. "I ah asked this lady to dance, and if she er will do me the honour," he said, "I " "Oh! you arst 'er to darnce?
Presently Bogg folded his arms over these things, and his face sank lower and lower, till nothing was visible to the unsuspected watcher except the drunkard's rough, shaggy hair; rougher and wilder looking in the uncertain light of the slush-lamp. The larrikin turned away, and beckoned his comrades to follow him. "Wot is it?" asked one, when they had gone some distance.
When he gathers in his thousands, as he does at all matches of importance, he is surprisingly objectionable. He is fluent in oath and objurgation, cursing like an inmate of the pit. This same man is orderly enough at a race meeting and takes his pleasure mildly there. The barracker and the larrikin are akin.
There may be shades of difference, but these can easily be too fine for detection by the incompetent eye of the passing stranger. In the larrikin he will not be able to discover a new species, but only an old one met elsewhere, and variously called loafer, rough, tough, bummer, or blatherskite, according to his geographical distribution.
I wonder whether he was changed after all or, was it I? A man does seem to get out of touch with the bush after living in cities for eight or ten years. "Does Arvie live here, old woman?" "Why?" "Strike me dead! carn't yer answer a civil queschin?" "How dare you talk to me like that, you young larrikin! Be off! or I'll send for a policeman." "Blarst the cops! D'yer think I cares for 'em?
Every night, on my way home at ten, or a quarter past, I found the larrikin grouped in considerable force at several of the street corners, and he always gave me this pleasant salutation: "Hello, Mark!" "Here's to you, old chap! "Say Mark! is he dead?" a reference to a passage in some book of mine, though I did not detect, at that time, that that was its source.
Nearing the poorer end of George-street, they seemed to disappear, both sisterhood and kerb loungers, until near the Haymarket itself they found the larrikin element gathered strongly under the flaring lights of hotel-bars and music hall entrances. But in Paddy's Market itself there were not even larrikins. Ned did not even notice anybody drunk.
Often the light grows dull and the bright colouring fades to neutral tints in the dust and heat of the day. But when it survives play-days and school-days, circumstances alone determine whether the electric sparkle shall go to play will-o'-the-wisp with the larrikin type, or warm the breasts of the spirited, single-hearted, loyal ones who alone can "advance Australia." Enough of such talk.
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