Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-10-23
AS SMART AS THEY USED TO BE,
Specimen Franks of the Old and the
Rising Generation.
From the New York Tribune.

From the New York Tribune
Two New York merchants were Swapping"
"reminiscences of their childhood the other
night in an uptown hotel Il went back 10 the
old homestead this summer" said one, land
think never was so surprised in my life as
when found that my old father and mother
were not only willing to allow the young folks
to have game of cards in the evening. but
would even take hand ia il themselves. When
/ was a boy the worst whaling ever got was
when the old man found eucher deck hidden
under my mattress, and how the new order OF
things came about was curious TO know All
that father or mother would say that they
had changed their minds and saw no sin now
IN an innocent game of cards where no money
was at stake. But this is the way it really hap
pened My oldest brother Bill has a smart but
delicate boy named Roger that be sent out Of
the city to the farm to grow strong The old
people just dotted ON that boy in few months
and nothing that he did seemed wrong 90 them,
tiii he wanted TO play cards. This was going
too far, however, and il was sternly forbidden
''Well. the boy studied over the thing for a
few days and finally seized on the cid mans
weak point. Tom, my youngest brother YOU
know. was killed in the war and father is never
done Dragging about 1t and reading war stories
SO the lad got lot Of business cards from his
father and painted on some of them rough
pictures OF the famous generals of the war.
Grant stood. in his mind, for the king OF
hearts, though he did not call him SO: Sher-
man, the king of diamonds; Sheridan, the king
OF spades; Mcclellan. the king OF clubs; Jeif
Davis, the knave OF hearts; Lee, the knaye Of
clubs, &C., while ten priyates stood for a ten
spot, and SO on all the way through. When
this was done he showed them to his grand
father and easily induced him to learn how to
play with him a game he said he had invented
himself, which be called battle The old man
found it rather engaging. aud bye-and-bye tho
old lady got Interested and before long they
became expert players.
Zone day Bill came over 10 spend few days
and see his boy, and father told him of the little
fellows cuteness in inventing such INTEREST,"
ing game. Bill watched them playing at IL for
awhile that night, and suddenly broke up the
fun by exclaiming: why, you impudent little
beggar, what do you mean by teaching your
connding old grandparents how to play
eucher."
lit was too true, and at first the old people
were mad and chagrined, but they loved the
boy so that they forgave him before long, and,
rejecting upon all the innocent fun they had
got out of the game, they concluded that they
were not too old yet to break of from stupid
traditions and keep up with the rising genera
ton, ana that's how cards found their way into
the old home at last"
Pretty smart bow" said the listener, but
no smarter than lad used TO PLAY with years
ago. He lived on the farm next the school
house and he was a bad one, tell you, and of
course we all admired him. His father had
III hsnto Dim he Ntafltd OF IL ana one day
varied the punishment by setting him to pick
all the stones out of a two-acre lot The boy
instead Of breaking his back over the stones
stole an old scarecrow out of hls fathers corn
field and set il up just outside the fence Of the
lot, in full view from the school yard. For "a
week that boy had target parties Of his school
fellows throwing stones at that scarecrow until
every stone in that two-acre lot that boyish
arms could throw out in the lane where
the scarecrow stood Half a days work suf-
6aa far fbQ 1904 kS md No arfr Erna
that he had 10 clear the field till he began to
gather them up. Then we felt cheap"
That's as old "a Tom Sawyer" laughed
the first speaker.
"Wen, "retorted the other, IT think the bows
Of the old times were good deal smarter than
those Of TODAY, anyway"
Il don't know about that [" was the reply. Il
saw ragged gutter-snipe at the entrance to the
bridge the other day, dive under the feet Of
the crowd after a silver coin on the pavement.
THAT'S mine, dropped it,, said a man as he
reached out his hand Tor il. Nav yer didn,t'
sneered the boy, not this one Here be peered
at the coin in bis dirty fist, and added, Yours
didn't have no hole in it, Yes il did said rha
man, speaking before he stopped 10 think.
Give il here Well, this amt got no hole
chirped the urchin, as he held il up tauntingIy.
and before the man could recover from his
embarrassment the crowd surged over him aud
bore him along"
The second biennial conference Of the Young
Women's Christian association of the United
States and Canada began in Baltimore yester-
day. Delegates were reported from fifty asso-
Citations.
The southern mills bagging company's
factory, located in the central part OF St Louis
was destroyed by Ere yesterday. Loss s75.00o;
partially insured. Over 800 hands are thrown
out Of employment
The Hohenstein manufacturing company,
Newark, NJ, manufacturers Of steam launches,
have failed for es0,000.
Rabbits. the soap man, h dead; eighty years
old
Minnie Davis b going abroad. the guest a
xrs. Joseph Pulitzer.
Nra Langxy has leassd the s. james
thsaAsr, London, recently vacated By The Ken
dAlaI fog 60 yeaR.