The critic. (Washington, D.C.) 1890-1891, 1890-12-19
LOCAL TALKS.
what Persons, Prominent and other
Mlsn. Ilmh TO Inicrest Thcm.

wise. Find to Interest Them.
Secretary G. $. Stcvcnson--The New
York state Republican Association is
looking for building in which they can
have couple of saloon parlors for bust
ness and social purposes. We would like
to secure such a club-room in the central
portion of the city somewhere, either on
i or II streets
IT. G. Pagc-Thc dining-room business
is not uniform one There is not u uni
form business in Washington. There are
the dull and the busy seasons in business
here. No; the most of my custom is not
transient but regular. There is much
lunching done in Washington between
regular breakfast and dining hours.
Detective Block-Talking about chicken
thieves, are you? Well, do you know
that they are becoming very, very careful
how they operate in the District. There
used TO be a time when there were any
number of professional chicken thieves in
the city, and for II time they had things
about their own way. They would raid
roost and take all the fowls that q man
possessed, and IL was a common thing to-
have half dozen OR more cases reported
at Police Headquarters every day, The
passage If the houscbreaking act by Con-
grcss broke up the chckcn-stealing bust
ness completely. II is u penitentiary
oflonsc now to walk through a poultry
house door and carry off bag of chickens,
whereas IL usedto be only jail penalty, and
for short period. Many of the old pro-
fessional chicken thieves are now serving
terms of from one to five years for break
ing into chickon-coops or for other crimes
of q similar nature.
A. A. Lipscomb--Can you explain to
me why IL Is that on pleasant afternoons,
when Pennsylvania avenue is crowded
with pedestrians, that 80 many people
persist In walking on the left instead of
the right side of the pavement. | have
very frequently noticed how II impedes
travel and causes confusion. You will see
three or four men walking side by side
to the left of the walk, crowding into
every one they meet, more especially the
ladies Some men indulge in this habit
carclcssly but after careful observation
anu satisfied the majority of them doit for
the purpose of ogling the girls. There are
a few Of the feminine gender who permit
themselves TO pass to the left, but as
rule you will find them upon the right
side of the pavement.
Mr.. A. j. Weddcrburn-I have moved
to Washington lock, stock and barrel and
propose to make it my home. / shall con-
'tinue the publication of my paper If Mr..
Wanamaker does not sit down on me,
and shall fight for the farmers. l am
dyed-in-the-wool granger.
Tom Coakley-lf any one thinks 1t is
picnic to hustle around the House and
run in for members they are badly mis-
taken. There are callers who come every
hour in the day and every day in the
week, and they never seem to accomplish
anything. They seem to think, however,
that the doorkeepers are here for their
special benefit.
Special Officer Robert Vennaman--
Washington in the past month has been
so moral and law-abiding that if the state
Of affairs continues my occupation will
be gone" as the colored gentleman in
Venice remarked some years ago. My
greatest solace when | am making the
rounds III the small morning hours is
Lion, the finest watch dog in Washington
and the pet and pride of the First Precinct
He is under the tuition of Ned Weldon
and myself and will soon be able to apply
for vacancy on the force. Lion is a very
digniiied gentleman, little given to dissi-
patton, except on one occasion when he
met a mastiff belonging to wcll-known
saloon keeper She induced our model
of sobriety to jsin her in can of beer
which the young lady INDUCES i'm daily
Lion was not used to anything but soft
drinks, and we had to lay him off duty
for a week. But he is doing better now,
thank you.
Eugene Kernan--Out West 1t is a prac-
tice, know, for people to keep. their hats
on in vaudeville theatres, but in most of
the Eastern houses the prevailing custom
IS to remove them. In some cities it is a
hard matter to enforce this rule. Here in
Washington have experienced but little
difficulty in doing SO. When the ushers
cry that's OFF, nearly all of our patrons in
the lower part of the house obey. Once
in while some of the so-called genteel
men wi So far forget themselves rs to
walk down the aisle during the perform
ancc with their hats on. They do so more
out of carelessness than anything else.
Ridge Waller-Theatrcal people fear
she odoon like Kansas man, does
cyclone. i remember very funny Incl
dent in connection with this superstition.
One day an advance agent who was in
the box office with me engaged in quiet
conversation relativeto the drawing power
of his attraction suddenly jumped out of
his chair and yelled Great Scott Did you
see that man 90 in with a wart on his
nose? ] am eternally queered. Three
| years ago in Omaha a man with a face
| like that passed me and the show went
broke n month later" mo, you are not"
said newspaper man who was in the Of
| ficeat the time. "lf you stand in the lobby
| and can get u fly to light on your nose
| in the next half hour it will destroy the
| influence Of the hoodoo." Well, sir that
| poor advance agent sent TO store for
some molasses with which he smeared
his countenancc and then assumed pose
| Of terrible suspense. The gang got around
| him and made books on the result. After
twenty minutes had passed a bee drifted
lazily in his direction and attracted by the
sweet settled on the agents Grccan curve
who with sigh of relief brushed the in
sect away which resented the attack by
burying his singer in the organ of smell
With yell that shook the frescoes off the
wall, the hoodooed one rushed from the
building. When he returned later in the
evening his proboscis was swollen twice
its natural size, he remarked sadly ''Boys,
there are no flies on me, but the wine is"
Charged with yagrancy.