Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-09-28

People DRANK BIER AND HEARD MUSIC.
"Come, Nell, let's take walk"
| Nell was sitting alone on the front doorstep
watching the night come on. She was aplump,
overgrown girl of about fifteen, with an inno-
cent face and double braid Of taffy-colored
hair hanging down her neck. Her folks had
company, and she was too young to be allowed
| to join company, SO she was sitting there alone
| trying to amuse herself by doing nothing. Il
was very dull employment. The voice of the
| biz girl from over the way, pitched in such a
| friendly key and inviting companionship, was
welcome interruption of some very gloomy
| thoughts.
Come. Nell. let's take walk"
1t was the first time the big girl over the way
nag ever asked Nell to bear her company. She
had always seemed too big to associate with
little Neil and had rather looked down on her
as a child
Nell ran for her straw hat that hung in the
nan ana III moment was out on the street.
where are you eoing?" asked a voice from
tae wihdow. 1t was the mother of the big girl
over the way
"neh Is going on an errand for her mother"
the big girl replied, land am going with her."
Men did not have time to say anything; her
companion hurried her on. You see," said the
Dig girl, deprecatingly Il could not go out If it
we're not for you, and have an engagement
WITH Belle Boyde. 1t is just horrid TO be shut
up all the while and not allowed to do what
! you want to-
Nell hesitated for a moment, but they were
way down the street and the big girl over the
way told her to come on, in way 70 shame her
! from turning back
lhey mel Belle Boyde. who was a little put
out at the presence OF 1.-The taffv-haired baby"
put declared nevertheless that they would
| have night of it.
FASCINATING SCENES.
1t was Saturday night The store windows
were brilliantly lighted and lots of people were
on the streets, some on late shopping and some
stroiling about 70 be in a crowd and to look in
the store windows. There were men and
women together. gaily dressed women alone,
or two or three in company without escorts;
there were young girls like Belle Boyde and the
Dig girl over the way rollcking along the street,
now stopping TO look into a window, now look
ing back over their shoulders and smiling at
something that interested them off where
groups OF young men were standing on the
corners or about the store windows. 1t was a
strange and interesting thing to Nell. She had
never before been down on the great busy
thoroughfares on Saturday night.
Belle Boyde and the big girl over the way
seemed to be perfectly familiar with the scene.
Belle Boyde leading the way Now they hurried
along the crowded streets, occasionally casting
quick glance back at something that at
tracted their attention; now they loitered
about window and then started up the street
at quick pace. Sometimes a young man on
the corner would look at them SO hard that
| Nell would be frightened; then Belle Boyde
would laugh and say something to the big girl
| over the way that Nell could not hear, and
they wouid turn and look the impudent young
man IN the face-they were not afraid.
HE TOOK HIS HAT OFF
Down Pennsylvania avenue they went, Belle
do t.1fb
out something in bantering tone to some
other girls she knew. At the corner of 10th
street group of very elegantly dressed young
men were standing under the street lamp Belle
Boyde brushed past then and looked back. One
Oh them SAID something and Belle laughed; the
| big girl over the way looked back and laughed
also Nell thought Belle Boyde was the jolliest
girl she had ever met and knew such a lot of
! people. At the brilliantly lighted square in
Market space Belle was in, OH such Jolly
mood. They stopped at nearly eyery
window to look in, and Belle kept looking
back and smiling at young men she knew.
The big girl over the way did everything her
jolly companion did and Nell thought she had
| never had such fine time in her life before
On !th street young man standing in front of
a cigar store looked at them and smiled.
Belle looked back at him two or three times
and smiled also. Then he took of
| his hat and stepped up to Bellies side.
A moment later another young man in front
OF the cigar store, who had not taken off
his hat at first, stepped up and began
to talk to the big girl from over the way. Nell
felt sort of sorry she was there, because she did
not Know the young men and her friends did
| not introduce them.
TN see you LATER" Belle Boyde said, turning
this way"
Then the big girl from over the way walked
on up tne street with the other young man and
| Nell followed along.
MUSIC AND BEER.
Presently they came to a place where they
| could hear music and people were going through
| door over which burned two or three red
| lights. The young man proposed that they
| enter. Inside the door they could hear the
| rattle Of glass when the music sank low. They
were in place where there were number Of
little tables and two or three musicians we're
laborlng with some eccentric instruments A
| lot OF other people were there, apparently at
| lunch. Some OF them were eating sandwiches,
and on the tables before them were foaming
| glasses Of beer and plates piled up with odd
| shaped crackers, coiled up like snakes.
AT one table sat girl In a red Jersey, with
| red hat on her head and blonde bangs. In
| front Of her was tall glass full of red liquor
and bits of fruit, with three straws sticking M
in it; and by her side, very close, sat a young
man-just such young man the one with
the big girl from over the way. he had before
him glass with a lot of green stuff in it, He
had on an astonishing shirt, all striped red and
white, with high collar and a pink necktie.
Now and then he would suck at the straws in
his glass, then he would turn to the girl at his
side and with his face close to hers, talk to her
for several minutes very confdentially.
Nell thought 1t strange place, and could
hardly help laughing at the curious people.
SOME PEOPLE NELL SAW.
At the table just next to them was a very
large woman, beautifully dressed and with
cheeks almost as red as the roses in her bonnet.
She was drinking beer and talking loud to a
blonde young man of not more than twenty.
whose face was very red and who seemed to be
feeling bad.
At another table a Jolly, round-faced man
| sat smoking pipe and now and then slipping
from big mug of beer. With him sat a Ger
man woman, as jolly and round-faced as he,
| who talked to him in German very rapidly, to
which he replied with an occasional grunt OF an
| amiable sort. Then they would sip their beer
and laugh until they both had to bold their
sides.
man and his wife and several children sat
| at another table, in the middle Of which stood
baby of about two years drinking from mug
of beer which the mother held to its mouth,
while they all laughed and clapped their hands.
| Nell thought that they were the iolliest set OF
| folks she had ever seen.
| very sleepy young man sat at table with
| two girls, who seemed to find great pleasure in
| poking him in the ribs and teasing him in
various ways.