The Washington critic., 1888-06-22
soMErn1NG or olrY n1TE.

It was a frog that led Senior Galyan-
not Jimmy the pitcher-to discover gal
vinism, and now the frogs are getting
their pay for what one of them did for
science. The electric lights on the streets
are furnishing thousands of frogs all the
dclicacies I'm the way of flies and bugs
that the jumpers can take care Of Some
pleasant night along toward IL o'clock,
after the theatre crowds have gone home,
pick out an electric light on the Avenue
or L street that shines over some Of the
smooth white artificial stone payements,
stand up close TO the pole where the light
will not shine on you and watch.
You will notice that the walk Is liber.
ally sprinkled with all kinds and condi-
tions of bugs and flies, from the big,
clumsy "tumble bugs TO the attenu1ted
crtam,colored flies, which have their
antannm at the wrong end and are par
hculaily devoted TO electric lights.
You will not have TO wait long before
you see frog hopping out from the
surrounding shadows. his sharply-de-
fined silhouette looking like a twin
frog, and the massacre begins. The frog
will hop about from one dazed flyer to
tnother, picking out his 'meatn with the
same discriminating judgment that an
epioure displays in market. When his
frogship finds an insect to his taste he set
IltH Dutk Oll Ills nAIh ltkSt NlA vi tlkuA
inches from his victim, and before you
know 1t the bug Is gone. The movement
is so lightninglike that the eye cannot
follow it. There IS merely the flash of
long, red tongue and oil is over.
Sometimes, though, a frog will find
one of the big, hard-shelled bugs that
look as if they were never built for lying,
with one wing burned oil in the electric
light, and tumbling noisily around on
the pavement. Then there ensues a fight
that may last minute or an hour. The
frog will get the bug in his mouth, find
il tco lively and drop IL again. This is re-
peated over and over, the bug being a
little nearer dead after each encounter,
until at last he gets fairly inside the capa-
cious mouth and stays. Sometimes you
will see n little knot of men and boys
watching one of these novel contests and
growing as excited over 1t as over a dog
fight Some OF the frogs, especially un-
der the electric lights in front of the
theatres have become very tame and so
lazy that they sit still and wait for the
loungers to kick bugs up toward them,
getting the best, kind of u meal without
moving hardly at all A frogs capacity
is astonishing, in fact for bugs and flies 10
seems to be infinite.
The proper thing now with the ''sum.
Hler Blrl IL 10 20 OUT DebWeell VllS dCtS'
Just like q man, and drink soda water.
A duo or trio of girls often 20 to the thea
tire, unattended by male escorts, always
adopting the English plan, and each pay
ing for her own seat. At the end OF an
act they get up.and file out to drink soda
water one of them standing treat for
the entire party. Then they walk back
Laughing and chatting for all the world
like their brothers. Lots of girls also
accompany their escorts in. their entre act
| journey, and probably enjoy the opera
| the more for not sitting in their seats
while the curtain is down.
There was,a short while ago, a saloonin
aquiet part OF the city, and the neighbors
all objected to its presence, but none ol
| them cared to come out boldly and
formally charge the keeper in court with
| keeping disorderly place.
The people talked with the police
lieutenant of the precinct about it, but
no could not do anything, officially.
| Soon, however, the policemen of the
! precinct, who always have carte blanche
in the saloons, began o.visit this objec'
| tionable one very frequently, and this
week he closed his doors and. went out OF
robustness. The policemen had drank
him out, so they say. fa
| There are more ways than one to close
saloon.