Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-03-10

VI interlace the red rib
81 "a bons decking four
white horses and
eight brown, bay or
sorrel horses. The white four drew a band
wagon wherein sat the band glorious in red
cloth and gold braid; the two darker tours
drew similar wagons, filled with those who
figure In the rear of professions as "citi-
zens and Others" Possibly the Others
are women-at any rate they seemed to be
OF that sex here. 1t was crowd more than
good-r atured-hiarious Jokes having the
peculiar twang of western humor, were
banded about, so that a constant din Of
laughter blended with the ring of trowels
from either side of the street. Turn how
one would, he could brick walls rising
The boom's struck Bloward, an don't
You forgit it, said the president of the Ar
cadia street railway, proudly waving his
umbrella at arches, gables renaissance tur-
rets. early English buttresses and a motley
company of terra Gotta bedizenments
friezes. parapets and finals on the new
facades. which looked, amid the cheap
wooden shops and dry-goods-box architec-
ture Of former day. as If they had strayed
into the town and did not know the way
out. "How's that for building?" he cried,
lunging his umbrella enthusiastically into
Oh, Mrs. Grove! Going out? Oh, plenty
OF time. Now. there's a womans made
most $4,000 in real estate this last year
Jest woman. Old Rolfe's made thirty an
Curwin an Bragg as much again; an T.
j. Wheelan-why there's no counting his
profits. Great Scott! you cayn't stake out
the lots fast enough. Children cry for 'em.
Why, look at the situation-six railroads
and strong indications OF natural gas
There amt a question bout 1t; we're bound
to double up here inside five years Going
out?"
The man to whom he spoke hesitated He
was slight, understanding man, the youth
fulness of whose fresh skin and confiding
smile were rather belied by a high brow
from which his hat had worn the hair too
soon, and few wrinkles above the bridge
of his nose His coat had been deftly re-
bound with new braid. but suspicious
gloss shone on the sides and his boots were
patched
II wasn't thinking of it," said he; my
wife is rather expecting me-
Surprise with town lot-ah, there you.'
| The busy man was away amid the crowd,
waving his umbrella.
! Now, Augustus Plaintiff knew perfectly
well that a clerk in hardware store, with
salary of fifteen hundred year and a
/
ulating in town lots. But there was a hun
! dred dollars in the savings bank. and. some
how'll seemed to Gus. without conscious
volition of his own-the crowd pressed him
| forward, and the next that he knew he was
| in the wagon, jammed between Mrs Grove
| and Mr.. L. J. Wheelan whose profits there
was no counting. Gus glanced sidewise at
him; this man during a few months had
made more money than he had made in his
whole life Yet he had been saving, hard
working. honest, faithful. He thought Of the
lean acres in the Vermont farm where he
was born; of the amending drudgery in heat
or cold. Then he thought of his wife and
| the two boys-Gus, nine, and Sammy, three
there was little grave out in Vermont
she came between Gus and Sammy; and he
thought of the hundred dollars in the saw
| ings bank. To think how hard it came; how
| Lizzie had scrimped and pared the house
hold expenses-no meat today, no milk yes
| terday, dyed gown, EARNINGS innumerable
hours flched from sleep to iron and clean
and mend for Mrs. Grove, the second hand
woman" so the boys called her, who had
rooms next to theirs-good heavens! how
did the woman manage. anyhow? He
thought what a sweet rosy face Lizzie had
when they went to school together. He re-
membered that he used to picture how, after
| they were married, he would buy her black
silk gown and a gold watch She should
have lace collar and a coral pin. Those
days her lips were red coral, and her
brown hair had a CLINT of gold in the curve
| OF its waves, and her violet eyes sparkled
SO bright-so bright in the twilight. Well
now she was his wife. Her best gown was
the dyed black wooden, five years old that
spring, and the only watch in the family
was the silver Waterbury which somehow
| Lizzie had earned enough to buy for him
| He thought with lump in his throat how
cheerful and loving and patient she had
BEEN This hundred dollars in the bank had
an object. The Plaintiffs lived above Mrs
| Groves Blue Front Renovating En-
porium. cFor," said Mrs. Grove. Il ain't
goin' to spend my time cleanin' up clothes
things fan 'arp
| hand.o They had room for parlor, but
they had no furniture. There had been a
fire and sickness and doctors bills east and
| railway tickets and furniture bills west un.
til the Plaintiffs purse was far too lank fol
parlor furniture. But now the money was
| saved and this dearest delight of Lizzie's
heart could be gratified Time and again the
| two had planned the furnishing-only two
new chairs, for the red wicker rocker wal
good still, and cheap table adorned with
the scarf Lizzie had embroidered and the
| black horse-hair sofa, which had been
Mother Plaintiffs and an ingram rug Gus
after hours could paint border on the
hoor), and perhaps curtans-curtains on
gold rod This afternoon being a half holi
| day. Gus was to have gone with Lizzie t
| actually buy the articles, which they haC
| looked at" half a dozen times. Instead
here sat Gus, greedily listening to tales Of
fairy gold. Every sale made somebody rich
! There was to be a canning factory on Ar
! cadia addition; Chicago firm was to builC
a vast pork packing house on the east half
an eastern syndicate wanted to buy the
| land; natural gas had been discovered in the
| southeast corner. Money seemed to float In
! the air for any ones clutching.
The Jovial buyers told stories of recent
Investments. sharp fellow had made
| twenty thousand on single deal. A timid
fellow had edged away with hundreds,
which his successor. of harder metal, had
| turned into thousands. What you need is
to keep your grip" said the street car mag
nate. Over Gus head dangled a pacard.
Lots would be sold at prices ranging from
five hundred dollars upward. "One-fifth
cash, remainder in two years, six per cent
| interest" Why, he could buy a lot himself
He glanced from Wheelan, who had APP
parently gone to sleep, to Mrs. Grove a
wooden sort of a woman, whose nose was
too long for her face her body was for
| her legs. Sitting, she looked like tall wo~
man. but when she rose she became alb
surdly short. Her figure she was wont to
| describe herself as ''all of a bigness;" lit
orally. it was all of a thinness, and its
straight lines were not disguised by any
vain curves of drapery. Got too many
knobs and corners to ketch on fur furbe-
| lows" said Martha Grove. Her black skirt
| hung in plain folds; there were no orna-
ments on her black coat: her black straw