St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-08-04
CAPT. O'DIT MORTIFIED
HOW MAJ. JOHN WELD3NE 700K HIS
R3EATH AWAY.
BUILDING OF A BOULEVARD.

Opportunity, and Then Hears
With Much Surprise What
Should Be Done as Soon as Pos
sible.
Capt. O'Dit loves of the city of his
adoption, and when his friend and old
time college mate, John Weldone, came
to st. Paul to visit the captain, it was
but natural that the latter should pat
himself to some pains to entertain his
friend. WeldOne was a man who had
seen much of the world, and was frank
ness Itself. The captain took mis- friend
To drive, reserving for the last and best
St Paul's own Summit avenue.
This" said the captain, us one of
the finest avenues in the country, and
is destined to be one of the finest in the
world"
Ill is certainly very grand" replied
WeldUne, land while L never institute
comparisons, | nope you will not COM
plain if l criticise your assertion some
what"
mo, no." said O'Dit; mot at all. On
the contrary, we are always glad of
criticism, but one would go far indeed
before he would find street that
would excel ours. Nature herself has
done so much, and then man has not
MARRIED" And upon this the captain
turned to his companion with a look
which seemed to say as much again of
the same tenor.
"Oh yes, yes indeed" said Maj. We'll
done. "lf only man would let we'll
alone, but he doesn't always; and to be
frank with you, Capt O'Dlt, must say
that [ take issue with you"
Capt. O'Dit turned with look of as
constituent. I'm what?" SAID he.
We'll" replied the major, you said
that man had not married. Now, 1t is
there that do not agree with you. Man
may mar in many ways. There is the
actual positive marring which comes of
some overt act of vandalism, and again
there is the marring by misadventure.
the marring by omission to beautify,
the marring by laissez faire, the"
Hold OH! hold on! Stopw cried the
captain. what in DEVILS boots do you
mean? Do you mean that there has
been ANYTHING of This thing, or, rather,
of those things here? Do you mean to
S"J I4aI UiO Heh"o oCOh
Vandalism Displayed
in the laying out or Improvement of
Summit avenue%"
These words rushed out of the
doughty Capt. O'Dit's mouth in tor
rent. The captain grew red in the face:
his eyes became SutfuSed, and while he
paused for breath the major, whose
clear cut face wore an expression of
keenest appreciation, took the oppor-
tunlty to Shrug his shoulders.
Won't you have a cigar, captain?"
Capt. ODlt'S face was a study. He
looked at the cigar as if it had been
snake, but he knew good cigar. He
bit its end, swallowed the piece, sput-
tered, choked, coughed and finally re-
covered himself. A dozen good whiffs
of the grateful poison and he turned to
his friend. the same Capt. O'Dit as of
yOre, and said calmly:
Nov, John, am going to take you
up. You know L can be fair, ana
know that you can. Let's make it q
dinner TOR seven"
Agreed" said the major. These
men understood each other. They
smoked in silence.
Now, as to the vandalism" Capt.
ODit evidently had him on the hip.
Any one who might have been engaged
that i'll The captains face.
what have we here?" said the major,
pointing to an enclosed parallelogram
5UX30O feet in the center OF the 2OU-foOt
avenue.
"Ah, that is FEATURE" said the cap
tain.
"Wnat sort of feature?" interrupted
the major.
"a FEATURE
continued the captain, (which | think
in time will be- OF very great beauty.
You see we have a number of these;
they extend all the way TO the river,
and further out there are smaller plots
with narrower roadwayS on the side
we'll for those who ride OH horses, you
know, or bicycles, or anything, and
these lovely little parks, you see, are
planted with trees"
81 have only seen one tree" inter-
Jected the ma lor, SententiOuSly.
And they are covered with a rich,
green turf" resumed O'Dit. unheeding.
I'VE are just now little short of
money and can't care for them, but in
| former years we had care-takers, and at
a modest cost of, L think, only 500 or
$1,000 month we had this whole boule-
ward kept in Order.'
what did the care-takerS do?" asked
| the majO /.
"Ob, they moved the grass. and-oh-
| and"
"Well?' smiled the major.
They kept the whole thing III order"
| blurted out Capt. O'Dit. They picked
up the dust mean they-dld every
thing they were told to do" said the
captain, getting req.
ION, l dare say" interrupted the
major. well, let's get back to these
places in the middle of the street."
Very pleasant places. too" said the
captain. You see in time we will
have these places full of sturdy giants
of the forest, with here and there a
bubbling fountain or grotto, rustic
benches, you knOw-do you remember
| Willow brook, John? Nice shady walks
and
but the interest, 'Ditty, old boy"
again interjetced the major, later"
he said to the captains look of inquiry
"Well. what could you want better
than this prospect? l tell you
O'Dit did his share in the getting of
this. Some OF us were little vacillat-
| Ing, or seemed to be. Now, for in
| stance, we couldn't make up our minds
just what we wanted" You see that
| little elevator there? We had
A Deal Of Trouble
with that. At one time we intended to
have sort of lookout there, and so we
hauled lot of earth and piled il up
there. Then some of us said that if we
! mad intended to have mound there, we
ought not to have carted the earth away
in the first place, and so to please all
parties we drew the earth off again
and left the grade as it originally
was. Then some of us contended that
this was not necessary, and we carried
1t back again ana added more to it. We
had regular little mountain there at
| one time, beautifully sudded and fenced
in. But then in all communities there
must be concession. and we finally
agreed that we would cart away half of
a place for the earth near by; and after
all, in multitude of. counsel there is
| wisdom. Some one pretended, too, that