Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-12-25
How Washington Observed the Great
Festival.
THE EARLY BOY AND HIS HORN
The Bright Sun Makes Promenad'
ing Fashionable.
HAND ORGANS AND FAKIRS.

1t might almost be the Fourth or July,
so far as the thermometers and the sky
are concerned. Here and there one sees an
overcoat, to be sure, and once in a great
while a new Christmas fur coat comes
bundling along, but the wearers do not
| seem to be happy, and look as though they
would far prefer linen busters.
| 1t is about 'the "greenest" Christmas
Washington has ever known, and one Of
| the happiest. Were mere noise a sign of
| Joy this Is the merriest city in the world
today. From away back this morning, be-
| fore the stars had ceased to twinkle, and
while the yellow sputters of the gas lamps
/ were still trying to perform their difficult
tasks, the horns began to toot. 1t seemed
as though the whole world had taken one
| long breath and was letting it out through
the tin throat of gigantic trumpet In
deed, were it possible to gather all the
sound that has been footed out of horns
| this day into one great blast 1t is probable
that there would be vibration enough to
send the note trembling on through space
| to the moon.
Yes, it is a very noisy town on such a day
| as this. The exuberance of the youthful
world lets itself out in that way. early, and
perhaps 1t is good thing. There Is no
knowing what turn this bottled UP en-
thusiasm might take were horns absolutely
prohibited. But it is hard on those who
want to sleep to the usual hour, neverthe-
less.
Juvenile Enthusiasm.
BY O'Clock the youngsters began to
| emerge from houses. clad in their soldier
regalia, and beating their drums, form
ing military companies on the spot, and
marching to conquer new worlds. The
footing was reinforced by the tapping and
humping, and here and there came the
noise of a giant fire cracker.
Toy wagons Were trundled up and down
IN 'front.' OF porches. fresh in their new
paint, and filled with happy morsels of hu-
manity. Neloctpedes, propelled by uncer-
tain little leglets, and occupied by very
much concerned young men, added to the
general rattle. Little girls wheeled their
new doll carriages up and down and COM
pared notes as to the relative blondness of
their waxen infants, and jerked the I'M
fortunate creatures about to exhibit their
winking propensities.
The "chiidren of a larger growth" who
mad Jared well at the hands of the gray
bearded saint came forth also, clad in new
things that smacked of the good will of
someone else, and that had the air of he
ing gifts. Fine new hats and gorgeous
neckties. pretty scarf pins, and here and
there the CLEAN of ring, spick-and-span
cioaks and dainty gowns-all made a PAN
Drama that beiied the general belief that
there was not going to be much of
Christmas this year"
PrOmenadfng
After the breakfast hour there was a ten
dency toward the downtown streets The
gaily dressed holiday crowd grayitated TO-
ward the avenue naturally as ducks
waddle to the water. That Mecca of time
killers was, by 10 o'clock, a swarm with
promenaders with that curiously Indifferent
ana Vet eager air that bespeaks the man
or the woman who has nothing TO worry
about and yet who is anxious TO miss MOTH
ing OF interest in the surroundings.
Win all the lie on the streets there were
some very bare spots in the city One of
the most desolate of these was the neigh
borhood OF the great Central Market where
all was silence, in the place of the hustle
ana business or few hours ago. Frag-
ihents OF Christmas trees and evergreens
strewed the unswept streets round about
ana at one place on 9th street there were
several wagon loads of this debris in the
cutters. All the outdoor stalls on the west
and south sides were closed and deserted
the old 'mammies' and their herbs were
gone and I'm their places were nothing but
the wind-tossed scraps of paper and the
litter that had drifted in from the paving
stores. Once in while a man who had
tasted of the Christmas cup too often would
reel around the corner and try to sit on the
deserted benches. without any too much
success. His early beginning foreshadowed
much or the same sort of celebrating later
in the day.
The Fnkirs.
The fakirs were not yet sold out at the
corner Of eth street and Market spsce Pal
loon men let their wares float high above
the heads of the admiring and wtstful
gamins. who felt in their pockets without
success for stray pennies left over from
their paltry holiday buyings.
Servant girls, emancipated for the day
from the tolls of the kitchen by some Gu
rious stroke of housewifely benefcence.
Hor I'm fad a1n flxy olo
pies and making the most of their liberty.
Bootblacks played the cavalier with them
as they passed. and in their polite efforts to
attract attention became themselves the
object OF interested notice on the mart of
the passers-by. On the skirts of the crowd
hung the boys who have no definite locsti
in life. no positive mission but to eat and
only too often, to drink. They kept their
keen eyes alert for chances to pick UP the
wherewithal for a Christmas dinner. and
their shrewd, pinched faces formed a back
ground that told of the real suffering there
is at this time behind all the gaiety and the
glitter.
The store windows showed the results of
the tremendous raids that have been maxi
Ing on them for the past fortnight There
were great windows of spaces where bar
gains had been, and where the telling fire
of the purses had done great execntion
The shops that had not been covered with
curtains looked as though a cyclone of cash
had passed by. scooping up tons of goods
and scattering them to the four sections of
the city.
Grinders of wheezy organs took their
seats on their rckety stools early in the
mornig. hung forth their pathetic piacards
of distress and afIliction, and prepared TO
do rushing business After the Ralp'
and "Trovatore'' were succeeded by .'I owe
Me Little and "Rusticana," and pennies
dropped into the tin cups and the old or
gans gave forth their notes.
A certain part of the population became
less and less steady as the dav wore on
| and fell to blessing the thoughtful officials
who had provided so many lamp posts and
other stable bits of street furniture,
Early Morning Deliveries.
The postmen made their early round with
the remnants of the Christmas mall and
the express wagons went flying about hither
and thither to relieve the anxiety of the
folks who expected packages from thought
full relatives.
The policemen looked YEARLY at the merry
crowds in the street, and wondered how
much work they would have to do before
the day closed, and the girls in the tele-
phone rooms told each other of their Christ
mas presents between 'Helloes' and
They're busy nows." The street car grip
men and conductors were on duty lust as
though nothing whatever had occurred
eighteen hundred and ninety-three years
ago this Gay, and the former pulled their
lev ers and the latter their straps, and both
made the city hum with little more noise
than that contributed by horns and drums
1t seemed as though the horns grew bigger