Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-11-22
Fun OUT OF OFFICE.
Experiences of Three or Four Ex-
Clerks Out In the Cold World.


Clerks Out In the Cold World.
The change of administration brought
queer experiences to some former Office
holders. A group Of old friends met the
other day on the avenue. One was Often
sive enough i'm his craftsmanship to get a
$1,000 place in the treasury under Harrison.
Another had been an 81, 500 clerk in the
pension Office. One was still hanging on TO
place in the pension Office by the eyelids,
fourth had been lucky deskholder in the
war department, and fifth was once
special agent in the Indian office.
The ex-pension clerk said he had been get
ting living for four months as conductor
on certain electric road in Washington,
and really liked the job. The War Depart
ment fellow did not tell just what he had
been doing. He was well dressed. however,
and did not look as If adversely had got far
under his jacket AS actual fact, 1t is
known to few of his friends that for two
months during the fall he worked in a GER
tain huge furniture establishment in Wash
iiis ton cling coaI I.I,o lIie I.rnAces
reapiIg me sure rewaru oI 20 a Ween Tor
Inuustry. ne ied Arenas 20 a Neighbour
ing lncioent OF civilization on the avenue
and Urea TED them 10 what ne called tonic.
W hen ne palQ for the same II ne
displayed cnange enough 10 prove that ne
hau CONSIDERABLY more IMAM hept pouy anu
soul toselner Oii hIs earnings OF a dollar a
gay.
The man who had been a special agent in
the Inulan bureau, wnen asked TO ten where
he had Deen ali summer, said he had tired
to make life worth nslng IN wasnington.
but had failed and had let himself out $40
a month with board porter in a certain
summer hotel IN the mountains OF Mary
land.
II certainly had a good time" said this
eX-oficiai. n had to sweep rooms and halls.
boss chambermaIds and run petty little er-
rands. But 1 was never in better health
had enough to eat, saw q good many nice
people, made myself agreeable and useful to
the old ladies and Children, TO say nothing
of the pretty girls, and lived for three
months of the hottest weather where it was
most delightfully."- cool and the scenery was
beautiful beyond the resources of my mea-
ger vocabulary to describe. During Septem-
Der and long L was there in October
the woods were changing color and il was
like tornado of rainbows."
That's good" said the others in concert
"A tornado of rainbows"
well, / loafed all summer" said the ex-
treasury clerk. And 1 spent every dollar 1
had and some that my friends had. Moth
ing like a decent opportunity came my way.
In october. when my self-respect was tot
tering on its throne. by mere chance L
heard of a particularly bad school over in
Virginia that wanted a man teacher. /
never taught school, but / can lift a thou
sand pounds and turn back handspring.
So / applied for the job. When / struck in
on IL one fine Monday in October / found /
knew. in the words of a certain distinguish
ed ex-statesman, as little about teaching as
1 did Of the pearly gates of the New Jeru-
salem
"One incident illustrates the situation
Besides teaching arithmetic. reading geog-
raphy, algebra and writing have a bloom
ing group OF A, b, c scholars. for whom I
acted as day nurse. One of these young
sters, John Williams by name, is simply a
corker. Day by day John grew upon me.
/ he a u u-ff q
miss from start to finish. For awhile that
satisfied me. and i'm the multiplicity of null
sances to attend to let him of with a sin
gle squirt from to Y. Yesterday morning
happened TO pick out the letter H, and
putting my finger on IL in the book asked
him what ii was.
:" I donno.' said John.
"'And this? / said, pointing to o.
"'Donnc.' was the reply again.
Il found he didn't know a single letter
big or small. but could rattle OF the whole
alphabet like a streak
Now, john / said patiently, this
won't do. You must learn those letters
separately. Here is NJ here on this page
Now, look at 1t, remember IT, and wherever
You see 1t know 1t. You must be able to
pick II out on every page of the primer You
must know ii by its looks. just as you know
every boy in this school And YOU must
learn this small letter in the same way, so
You can know 1t wherever you see it, Do
You think You can learn your letters that
way, john"
"'Yessir. yessir: can learn anything he
replied. But, sir land here he cooked his
head over on one side in faraway judicial
manner), 1 just think that's a HI of a
way to learn your A, b, C'sv"
The group laughed long and loud at this
story. agreed that there was lots of fun I'm
getting used to a new environment and that
whether You view life as hotel porter street
car conductor or country school teacher ALI
that was preferable to the monotony of life
In the departments, and the pension clerk.
whose eyelids are still on the stretch, said
so twice.