Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-12-21

pencils, &C., whose haggard countenance
and ragged clothes. to say nothing of his
lameness in both feet would at once ex-
cite pity.
The Congressman scrutinized him close
". and the fakir made quick dart around
the corner as If he were running away
from a policeman.
THAT man." said the Congressman, .fs
a professional beggar. / have seen him
many times in front Of the Chicago board
of trade when l there and various
other prominent places in Chicago, where
he operated, no doubt, to profitable ad-
vantage. His apparently crippled condition
and haggard face is all bluff, and just
why he has transferred his operations to
Washington 1 am unable to understand,
unless it be to reap a harvest from the
charitably disposed. He Is perfectly able
to work, l know"
A city pastor was very busy in his study a
few days ago, when he was interrupted by
call from a well-dr,ssed gentleman,
whose conversation, the pastor says.
was simply exhilarating and decidedly dig
nified.
He wished 10 engage the pastor to marry
his brother, giving the date, street, num-
Der, and even the hour when the preacher
should call
Just upon leaving the distinguished guest
suddenly remembered that he wished to go
a short distance into Virginia to arrange
some details of the event. and he did not
care to go back home. consequently
small sum would save him time and lots
of trouble.
He got it.
The preacher also looked up the brothers
house at the appointed time, but
there knew of any contemplated marriage.
1t must have been a Enthusiastically the
The fact then dawned upon the pastor
that he had been "buncoed."
X X
l met a victim Of hard luck yesterday.
He was not tramp nor did he solicit
aims. He simply wanted way in wAich to
earn his living with put encountering danger.
Investigated his story and found it true.
He began business as railroad brake
man, which occupation he followed two
weeks before getting his right hand be-
tween the bumpers, crushing 1t so that two
fingers and the thumb had to be amputat-
ed. Then he secured a position as watch
man at a mill and held it for three months.
AT the expiration of that time he fell
through a hatchway that had been left
open and the opening covered with straw.
This broke his right leg in such a way
that it had to be removed. When he left
the hospital he got work as Waterman
at a brewery, where, upon the fourth
morning. they fshed him out of a vat and
took him to the hospital. He badly
dsfigured by this boiling operation, and
his face Is covered with scars. He had
some education, enough to keep time
a turpentine farm in North Carolina In
this place he remained a year. writing
with his uninjured hand, when one day he
took refuge during a storm under tree
and his arm and side Were paralyzed by
stroke of lightning. He wanted to get to
Baltimore, where brother has a cigar
and fruit stand and he can handle these.
lie thinks, with the two fingers left him for
use until they are bitten by some taran-
tula concealed in a bunch of bananas.
wnen he believes that his fateful career
will be over.
A romance of the first water found its
completion in one of the weddings that oc-
cAfred here in such number last week. Ac-
cording to Dame Rumor the story runs
thus Some years ago, it would be unfair
to the bride to say how long since, an at
tache of one of the branches of the United
States government found himself ordered
for duty to a village whose hotel or lodg-
ing accommodation were of the sparsest
variety. AS his family accompanied him
It was a hard matter to arrange things to
the liking of his wife and children, but the
minister of the town hearing of his dilem-
ma. and being himself young bachelor,
offered to give up the rectory to the new
conner. Here was born the heroine of the
romance, and mark of appreciation of
the ministerial courtesy he was asked to
stand godfather for the little girl.
Years passed by and on the occasion of
a convention in this city the erstwhile god
father bethought himself of his spiritual
charge who lived here. and on calling he
found the infant grown into handsome
young woman. He, being still the unat-
tached bachelor OF former times fell a
victim to her womanhoods charms, and
the proper elimination of the love story
begun so many years ago was reached
when the bells of their marriage rung out
n.errily this December and the bride was
taken back to the scenes of her earliest
infancy to begin her life work as 1.-The min
listers wife"
A mother-in-law story came to my ears
the other day which for its old-fashioned
satire against this merftorious class of be-
ings is happily unique in these days. A
certain son-in-law, resident in the same
house with his wifes mother, had pas
sion for cats and asked friend of his to
save him one of a specified variety.
When the time came for the deportation
of the elect kitten, which went by the
Fame of Daisy Rooney, postal card was
dispatched to the cat fancier. with the
message Miss Daisy Rooney will be glad
- street. This card fell into the hands
of the alert mother-in-law and arming her
self for the fray she started to the address
mentioned, prepared to give Miss Daisy
Rooney a generous piece of her mind.
Arrived, she demanded, with wrathful
voice. does person named koomey-Miss
Daisy Koomey-live here?"
NO, maam." snickered the maid, who
evidently knew joke when she came in
contact with it. but we've got little kit
ten named that; will she do just as well?'
But the avenger of her daughters hap
piness was en- route for home to tear up
that misleading postal card, before the girl
Aeu Ner sentence.
x
An undertaken told an interesting
story. A number of years ago he sold a
man who lives in Maryland not many
miles from Washington a coffin for him
self. custom that is much more preva-
lent in some country districts than would
be supposed, although occasionally news
papers recount such cases. A few days
ago the customer drove into Washington,
the coffin in his wagon, and stopping at
the undertaker's place of business he took
out the box and carried it into the store
I've kept 1t all these years." he EXPLAIN
ed, "supposng l would die first, but my
baby, born when the coffin was old, is
dead, and l have money with which
to buy another coffin. l brought this one,
to see if 1 could not exchange it for
little one
The exchange was made and the country
man started back upon his sorrpwfu mis-
sion to bury his child in the coffin he had
obtained in the place of the one intended
for himelf.