The herald., 1894-08-27
ON A HOT SUNDAY At WESTLAKE
People Just Lay on the Grass
and Dozed.
The Cactus Plants Are Pining for
the Old Home.
What the Student of Human Nature
Could Gather From the People
who Go to q Park OF
Sunday.

Some OF the few people whom the hest
didn't drive to the seashore or noun
tains yesterday. went out to Wsstlaks
park in the afternoon and attempted to
find an excuse for being alive out Of
what pleasure they could get from lying
ON the green swsrd or wandering along
the paths. OF course it WAS . CON-
stant struggle yesterday to keep in any
thing like good humor but it ie not inn
probable that Westlakc park WAS .
hailed. with.delight boon for many peo-
pie.
Outside of the band nobody who went
out there yesterday attempted to do any.
thing during the afternoon, except lie
around. Someone with @ surplus of
ambition did hoist the calls on the
pretty little yacht, but the boat drifted
slowly over the gassy surface OF water
while the sails tapped lazily in the air
and were only useful as shade pro-
ducer.
Two small boys attempted to have fun
in a row boat once during the afternoon,
too, but after each had taken q hand at
the oars for perhaps five minutes. some
thing came over the spirit OF their
dreams and there was nearly fist fight
to determine which ona should do the
steering. Perhaps it might have come
to that ii tho boat hadn't drifted ashore
while the digpute was in progreer, and
if the boys by mutual cjnsent hadn't
left it right then and abandoned the
voyage in its inception.
The park is lovely spot now. Per.
haps it seems more lovely now when all
around it the hills are bare and brown
and uninviting. All the flowers and
trees and shrubs are thrifty, end blossom
and bloom are everywhere. Everything
is doing well except the cactus plants.
The cactus plants are not thriving. They
get too much care. 1t won't do. The
soil out there is too fertile. and the sur
roundings some way don't agree with
the cactus plants.
If the whole truth were known, NO
doubt it would be found that these
cactus plants are housekeeping for .
sight Of the old familiar scenes. the sand
dunes, the long, unbroken stretch OF
level waste. the occasional rationale
TO coil in their outrageous shade, and
the Apache to pass along now and then,
pick the fruit and suck its Juice.
That's what ails the cactus plants
too much care and attention, when all
they want is to be left alone. Or, better
still. il they could be gnawed around the
base by jack-rabbits, and once in q
while pulled up by the roots and left
around in the road where wagons could
run over them and horses trample on
them. Then let them be thrown on .
heap of sand and they would take root
and live and thrive and bear blossoms.
But instead Of that the park gardeners
water them every day-think of that!
And they hoe around them and stake
them up straight. A cactus 10 an num-
bic plant, and knows its place, and its
place isn't in park, no matter how
much people may want it there.
Perhaps for the student of human ma
ture the most pleasure to be had at
Westlake park yesterday was from the
study of the people who came out there.
Travel where you will the country over.
go into the big cities congested with
humanity, or into the town whore you
know everybody and every body knows
you, and yet in the park on Sunday
afternoon you will find the same people.
Yes. just the same; no difference at all,
except that they may dress little diff
ferent and. Well, q San Francisco
gentleman, who is on his first visit to
yesterday afternoon, said that the
women OF Los Angeles were to his mind
universally homely. 1t was very hot
yesterday. though, and the gentleman
isn't used to hot weather.
The young mechanic and his wife were
thsre-came early and stayed late.
They brought the baby. He car.
risd it. 1t made him feel little awk.
ward at first, but he got used to 1t and
they sat on the grass all the afternoon,
she reading and he and the baby play
ing. They were happy.
The rich old duffer brought his young
wife out and they sat on the graas. He
smoked. He lit one cigar from the
stump of it's predecessor and 80 he
passed the afternoon. She-you may
not believe. it can't very we'll be denied
when you know that those two young
fellows with the canes and patent
leather shoes walked by them four
times-she firted. 1t was very mild
flirting, of course, and perhaps it served
the old codger just right, for he never
opened his head, except to insert cigar
between his teeth ell the afternoon.
Two young ladies. all in white, clear
down to the shoes, spotless, pure white,
came out.
ooh! Lordy. ain't it hot, Emp"
Eyes. Say, Sis, let's go round on the
OJQ6r Hlu6-l tuiuk lbb COOleI over
there" And in less than 20 minutes
they are over on the other side, where
it couldn't have been bit cooler, talk.
ing with two young fellows who will
never marry two such giddy girls.
Jimmy, you come right back here
now! Come along from that water this
instant; do you hear me? Come right
here to me. Land OF goodness! Look
at your pants, soiled already. JimmyI
Jimmy! James! John, you'll have to
go after that boy this very instant, or
I'll 60 myself. and goodness knows--
Matilda! You come here. Look at
that new white dress. Come away from
those ducks this minuts-the nasty
things. l wonder il the grass 10 going
to stain Johnnie's stockings.. John,
take your handkerchief right out and
spread it under the baby. Oh! how
wish I'd stayed at home, where l be-
long"
And go the woman on the iron settee
In the sun talked on, while her poor hus-
band went and yanked Jimmy out Of the
water, and drove the ducks away from
Matilda. The baby woke up and cried
after that, and Johnnie wandered
around on the other side of some shrub.
berry and got lost, and altogether the
man had good time on his day of in
the park.
Possibly those who didn't 90 ont to