Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-10-01
bow SUSAN HOOK VISITED WASHINGTON
MY NAME Is SUSAN HOOK AND LIVE

| When the Crab City Ners first began talkin
about the encampment at washin ton made
up nv mind to take my butter money and 60
fur my man, Josiah, had fit fur the cause along.
side Of Harrison and / thought as how the
| President would be glad to see me- So tuck
out the blue stocking that I've al'ays kept nv
churning money in since Williamses' bank broke
I up OWN me Sl5.S5, and arter I'd counted
! three times, and it had come out the same
/ twice, calculated had pretty nigh S35 Jane
Maria, she seemed to think it was a mighty big
undertaken fur me to 60 SO fur away from
home alone, but when l promised she might
have the money from the milk and eggs while /
was gone she chippered up Bit Jane Maria
is nice gill, but she certainly is greedy. Their
1 said I'd bring her home a handkerchie
or somethin' if she would take good care OF
Billy while was away. Poor Billy he's neve,
bin quite right since he fell off of Jack Mason I
new barn, come two years this fall. The might
before / went got out my blue silk. that
hadn't thought to wear ag'in till was laid GU,
In it, and arter 1 had packed my basket and
bandbox went to bed early, fur the train went
at the next mornin', and Aays like to be al
the station good half hour before. It furries
a body SO to hurry. However, needn't have
put myself out, fur the train was nigh thirty
minutes slow. The cars hadn't much more an
started when boy came along and gave me a
book. went to thank him, but he was clean
into the next car before could turn myself
around. slays read the Bible on Sundays,
and read to page 81 in the fourth reader when
was girl but l amt much on liter ture, SO I
Jest put 1t in my bandbox till I'd get home.
But what do you think that sassy boy did?
suppose he went through the train and seen
some ono he liked better an me, fur he came
back in less than five minutes and asked me fur
that book.
tole him he was an Injin giver, but he said
he Jest give it to me ter look at an sec il I
wanted to buy il. knew that he was a lynn,
but didn't want to have no fight on o railroad
train, SO gave it back.
was Uneasy all the time fur fear I was on
1 the wrong train, er would 60 through Washin'
ton without KNOWN it, fur 1 couldn't make
nothing out OF the skettle the station master
give me at Crab CITY.
We did not get to Washin'ton till O'Clock
the next mornin', and when got off the train
every one was goin in the same direction, SO
Jest followed along and pretty soon came to a
house that said board and lodgin SO / went in
and asked fur a room. The girl that gave 1t ter
me tole me to ring the bell if l wanted any,
thing. After awhile thought I'd tidy up
bit, and as there weren't no brush and comb in
the room went down stairs and rung the bell
at the door l had come in at. When the girl
came to the door she says, says she, "Have yer
been out already" and 1 tole her, "No, fest
wanted a brush an comb and yer said to ring
II L wanted anything She said it was q little
bell behind my door that communed with the
kitchen as she ment, so arter that l rung the
othern when l wanted anything.
Nsahin ton Is mighty big place. Yer can't
see no dirt anywhere. The walks are all paved
like Main street in Crab City, an the roads are
covered with a sort Of gum that's awful soft an
nice to walk in, an it don't stick ter yer Shoes
neither. They don't have no yards there, only
little patch about big enough fur an onion
bed The houses are awful high. The girl at
the house said that was because Gods free air
didn't cost nothin' and terror firmer did. City
spellin books. In the AFTERNOON l thought I'd
go an see the Presidents house, even II he
warnt at home, so l put on my blue silk dress
an my bonnet with the pink ribbons.
hadn't gone NOR an half square before
some one followed, "Catch on ter that hat"
The parson's wife had warned me gin thieves
SO when l heard them jest faced round an
said ter them: mo yer won't catch on ter mo
hat of mine, neither" They were sartinly
startin' out on the way of onrighteousness
young fur they were boys no moran ten err
'leven years old. They'll likely all end their
lives on the gallices before they're fifteen.
thought arter that mebbe I'd be safer on car,
so L waved my hand the way every one does
when they want the street car brakeman to
stop. l guess l must 'av looked pretty nice,
fur gentleman gave me scat. an jest stood
a gain at me till he almost forgot to pay his
i've cents fur rtdln'. He looked ever SO much
like the man that was q summer boardin at
Miss Smiths last year, only he didn't ha the
wart on his nose.
The White House amt great shucks 1t
hasn't as many stories as the place where was a
stayin'. but the children has nice, big yard to
play In. L wanted awfuly to see where the
Harrisons did their cookin, but they'd only let
me so inter the parlor and sittin' room. l
reckon the back part Of the house couldn't have
been In very good order. People can go over
my house any time they want ter, an I'm never
afraid Of them findin any dirt
AFTER got through there l went to see the
parade. Law, but there were lots Of soldiers,
NOR an there Is men, women and children alto
gether in Grab City onohow days. 1t brung
tears to my eyes ter see them all and think how
Josiah, arter fghtin' oil through the war,
got kicked in the stomach not three months
afterwards and died. An it was U. 8. cav
airy mule that did the kickin', too. From the
place where stood couldn't see nothin' but
haSs flags, flags. On the buildin' where The
STAR paper Is printed there was enough buntin'
to clothe Marthies ten children till they're
clean grown up. Another place they had the
monument they re agoin' to have fur Grant, all
made outer satin and ruchin', and two or three
places they had Goddess Of Liberties. Soon as
1t commenced to get dark they begin to throw
up fireworks. 1t seemed awful funny at first ter
think of the people in Washin'ton not a havin'
their Fourth Of July till September, but
reckon they put it off in honor of the G. A. R.
folks. That evening thought I'd better ask
how much they were a goin' to charge me, SO
could calculate about how much I'd have left to
spend on Jane and Billy. Jest think, they
asked me 81 night fur my bed and 81 apiece
fur my meals, an they weren't cooked very good
neither. thought I'd better be a skppin' out
Of that place. SO the next mornin' started fur
Crab City, Indiana. l didn't have but ten
cents when l got home, but 1 didn't regret
havin' gone. Washin'to is a mighty nice
place ard the folks there are awfully CLEVER
ETHEL PATTERSON WRIGHT.