Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-07-20
THINGS HEARD AND SEEN

That was an awfu1ly clever woman, and
her husband gave her $40 gold piece for
her wit AS she passed through the door
of ono of our large dry goods stores she
stopped and picked Up a $40 bill, which she
had almost stepped on. With a natural in
stinct of honesty, she involuntarily looked
around, expecting to see the owner rushing
up, with gratitude written all over her coun-
tenance and claim the treasure. But no:
everybody was absorbed In his own bust
ness. and the crowd surging In and out
had not even noticed her A little fright
ened and excited, she crumpled the bill in
her hand, and started to raise her parasol.
A man whom she remembered to have
seen come across from the other side of
the street stopped quickly UP to her. say
Ing: Excuse me, madam, that was my
money you picked up" Her first impulse
was, OF course. to hand over the bin and
pass on. But she had her wits about her.
How do you know it is your money!"
she inquired.
Because I just dropped 1t here"
Then tell me how you can identify 1t,
and I'll hand it to you," said she, with
pretty smile.
For answer he beckoned to the proprietor,
who stepped forward. The man told him
the circumstances He would easily settle
it. The lady should leave the SO with him,
and If no one properly identified 1t in a
week he would send 1t up to the lady. II
she would give him her address. Very
clever! But the lady was more so. She
gave her name and her address, and told
any one who called for II and identified the
bill to her satisfaction. So saying, she
gathered her dainty skirts together and
tripped off to her husbands office to ask If
she had done right. He patted her on the
back. gave her the gold piece and told her
he was proud of her. Needless to say. no
one has ever called for the SO.
There WAS Variable tavpnae+ IN 4, e.,
pot among the ladies in a suburban Sec
ton. 1t was brewed over an incipient case
Of measles, the unfortunate and unof.end-
ing little one who caused the trouble not
beirg within half q mile of the scene of
action.
The wife of one Of the residents had a
friend from the north visiting her. and de-
cided to give a rather elaborate afternoon
affair in her guests honor. These after
noon affairs, whist matinees'' usually by
the way, are the favorite entertainment
Of the ladies on Columbia Heights. Among
those invited on this occasion was a wo-
man who Is particularly fond of a matt
nee," and makes 1t a point never to miss
one when she is invited. AS she entertains
a great deal herself and knows how to Go
it as 1t should be done. she is kept pretty
Now, she was especially anxious TO at
tend the affair, but one of her babies had
Just developed case of measles. She
asked her husband to tell her whether to
go or not. Like most other men, he abb
solutely declined to take any such respon-
sibility. saying she should do as she
thought best. She appealed to the doctor
on his next visit who. for want tfNa bet
she is the one to tell you what to do" She
acted at once upon the idea. In her note
thanking her friend '.for her kind invita-
tion," she said: IT should so much like to
l>,,t h,1x~ hos fh4 Aor11-
lightly, of course-and II you don't mind
I'll come any way, as the doctor says 1t
would be all right
To say that the expectant hostess was
startled would put 1t mildly. indeed. She
replied, however, saying about the only
thing she could say, that she wasn't afraid
herself, but she didn't know how her other
guests might feel. She closed with the re-
mark that her correspondent must use her
own good judgment.
Well, that was exactly what she did.
Nearly all the guests had arrived and
everything was merry and gay. when the
mother of the sick child was announced.
lady on the opposite side of the room
looked up, gave a little shrek and fed to
the back parlor, followed by several So
licitous friends. One by one they learned
that a bomb of measles had been thrown
in their midst Before the lady had passed
her greetings around the front parlor the
back parlor was empty. In as many min
utes more the hostess, her visitor, the
mother, ana TWO ldQleS VINO naQ no CHliuTeu
and thought the measles quite harmless,
were all that remained of the merry COM
pany. Realizing what it all meant and.
while her companions were still speechless
with establishment, the mother burst into
tears and beat a hasty retreat.
Here is another of the thousand and one
pretty little stories to be told Of Mrs.
Grover Cleveland. That is. ''to be told"
when they are known. but our Presidents
wife does these kindly things in such an
unassuming way. and cares SO little
whether or not she is praised for 1t, that
outsiders would never heir them through
her or her family.
During Mr.. Cleveland's first administra-
ton. while the family was at Oak View
one summer, Mrs. Cleveland learned of
neighbors. The invalid was the wife of a
minister presiding over one of the country
churches In that vicinity. Their house was
on the Tenleytown road, and not far from
Oak View. Mrs. Cleveland at once sent a
servant to make inquiry and to take
some flowers. On many occasions after
ward flowers were sent, sometimes from
the White House Conservatives and some
times from her own flower beds at Oak
View.
Once she herself carried a huge bunch of
fresh field daisies. She learned on that
visit that the physician had said his
patient should go out to drive every day
in pleasant weather. She knew at once the
reason why the invalid had not taken ad-
vantage Of the lovely spring days. The
larson owned nothing for his wife to drive
In, and hiring was too expensive.
Next day Mrs. Cleveland drove over in
her phaetcn, bringing the never-failing
bunch Of fresh flowers. and took the lady
for a drive in the country. Next day again
she came and each pleasant day after
that found the Cleveland carriage or phae-
ton, whichever the mistress fancied, at the
door of the minister's cottage, and usually
with the first lady of the land seated in it.
So many drives these ladies had together
they could not count them.
When the Clevelands left their summer
home that season they were genuinely
missed, although the sick woman had re-
covered her health and strength, thanks
to the daily outing in q luxurious vehicle.
The choicest possession now Of this min
listers family is Bible with great many
flowers of various kinds pressed in It.
From the daisies to hot house-raised or
chids one out Of every bunch sent by Mrs.
Cleveland has been preserved.
The Oculist's RuSe.
From Leonard's Illustrated Medical Journal.
Here is an interesting account of a very
clever bit of detective work by an oculist.
z hot In, 1oa foa t.,x n ,,,,