Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-03-04
A WET SATURDAY NIGHT.
Novel Street Scenes-Drenched Strangers
Splashing Around Looking for Quarters.

Drenched, dripping. and bedraggledl
Three exclamation points and a series Of
dashes is the strangers description OF Saturday
night.
Walking the streets in the rain until after
midnight-many until Notwithstanding at the
depot at all hours, missing friends and losing
directions, q strange picture OF Washington
is stamped on the minds of many of the visi-
tors.
1t was strange scene, new to the natives-a
spectacle. they had never witnessed before.
Crowds were walking aimlessly about the streets
splashing through the mud. regardless OF the
drenching rain. Some singing, some silent,
some laughing and cursing by turns. and In the
midst OF IL all the fakir shouting his wares. A
Flambeau club marching down the middle OF
the street, the rain sizzling In the flames OF their
torches and soaking into their gay red coats.
Men with hoes, brooms. shovels. and sweepers
gathering up the mud from the streets ana
haulingit away In carts. Soldier boys In a roll
licking mood splashing through the slush In
squads; singing
MARCHING THROUGH GEORGIA"
gay militiaman in soggy uniform, holding
unsteadily to lamp-post, and singing broken
snatches Of some bacchanalan air; the awk-
ward, forlorn. and helpless Especial" with the
rain running of the end OF his nose, and his
billy tucked under his arm TO keep IL dry; the
hot-waffle man with his fire put out by the rain,
and hts batter thinner than any cookbook re-
ceipt ever contemplated; 80 900 people as wet as
rats and irving to enjoy it, that was part Of the
scene on the streets Saturday night.
EVERY HorEL-LoBBY WAS CROWDED,
and there were almost as many people on the
streets up to IL O'Clock at night as when the
sun shone q little at that hour in the morning
People with grip-sacks were still pouring out of
the depots and trudgng through the streets
looking for their quarters: and thousands who
had unpacked their luggage several hours be-
fore were walking about TOR amusement. At
men on the street, and the umbrellas formed q
roof over the Avenue from the Treasury depart
ment down. As the women disappeared the
umbrellas thinned out, for most Of the men took
the rain as nature bestowed 1t, and let 1t soak
into their wooden clothes.
FAKIRs AND UMBRELLAS.
The fakir who was an expert at his business
had suddenly transformed his gaily decorated
portable badge booth into an umbrella empo-
rum In some sheltered doorway or under the
protecting planks of some private reviewing
stand. brisk business In cotton umbrellas at
dollar or dollar and q half each was done
Those dealers less versatile of resource took OF
their overcoats to cover their perishable wares
and cried them out dismally at half price, The
man with the fast color" badges and little
flags and the man with the dolls that jump grew
corpuent through stufnng their wares under
Their clothes. and as their garments got more
completely soaked. little streaKs of red and
blue started down their trousers legs
PICTURES OF HARRISON AND MORTON
were cried at two for i've, aud one man. who
had covered his stock with his overcoat, SILVER.
ingly shouted REORGANIZATION pictures-af q
cent. 'One cent, or q penny: only one cent?
Inc men who had lifted out 90 grandly under
the reviewing stands along the Avenue during
the day, with counters before them spread with
all sorts Of things to tempt the appetite OF
please the eye. Were mixed up in Q conglom-
crate mass OF eatabies, badges and medals, all
tinted by the streams Of red and blue water
that trickled down from the decorated stands
above.
SHILLING OUT CHEAP.
The dismal cry, Here you are! Here YOU
are. Selling ont cheap! Selling out cheap
resounded through the crowd. 1t was q moist
liquid, half drowned cry. ''Selling out cheap
Selling out cheap" The umbrella man unde,
the electric light was the only one not ''selins
Probably half the regular number of fskirs
nad found some dry place to rest in and had
packed away their wares, but the rest stuck Il
out % long a. the crowd did. The artiicia
Hover man had vanished. The dealers In per
fumes ''of great power" and the curbstons
wine merchant with his baby bottles of .'cham
payne" stood their ground, for no amount o.
water could injure their wares.
JunrINo-JACKs AND sIIH0UETTEs.
No one wanted to buy ARTIFICIAL moustaches Il
wear In the rain, but the man thought it posi-
BILE they might want jumping-jacks. The Grove
\ was very persuasively urged to stop under tn.
running caves for trade in jumping jacks.
But the man 10 the hotel. who makes ell
houettes. was busy with his nimble fingers an<
sharp shears clipping pronles In black Of Oh,
eager crowd about him. He furnished indoo
amusement, and listened complacently TO th'
patttng Of the rain outside and to the dropping
OF the oliver quarters into his cash box.
TIE MOST TRrN0 SITUATION
was that occupied oy those strangers VINO coul'
not ind their friends, and did not know wher
to 60. In the general crowd and confusion .
the depot that kept mp I'll Night. traveies con
ing In on the late trains often missed thei
friends who were IN waiting. and stood In th
rain. gripsack 10 hand. wet, tired and diagusted
not knowing where 10 60. Some knew thu
o0mfortabls rooms were prepared for then, no
cir pouring through the registers, sok pillow
J patSed down By soft banda. and the coveeict
turned-evegything snug and COSY IN the h0us
a sons dad 11snd or brother WHO hasa house Z
ths capital my knsw such room awaite