Evening star., 1895-02-02
SMALLPOX IN A STREET CAR.
If No Empty Seat Offers, Here Is 9
Way to Secure One.

|
| The car was pretty full. So likewise was
| the gentleman in the corner at the drivers
| end. His hat was pulled down over his
eyes and his coat collar turned up. so that
his features were not visitke at ALL But
now and then a smothercd hiccough SEEM
| ed to indicate that he was not asleep but
| only thinking.
Every other seat in the vehicle was oc-
! cupied. On the opposite side were eight
women. Under the last administration there
would have been room for nine, but the
balloon sleeves which came In with Mr..
Cleveland have reduced the capacity of the
street cars. The person with the hiccoughs
was the only male passenger, and he made
no motion to get up when two ladies of
color entered at cross street. They
looked around for place to sit down.
There was nobody to give a seat to the
two ladies OF. color already mentioned. So
they availed themselves of a couple of
hanging straps and discoursed on variety
of topics as the car went on its way down.
town.
only fifteen cents a yad, did you say?'
remarked Number One, who wore a green
bonnet
Fifteen cents" assented Number Two
Wasn't it a barging!"
well; 1 should say. And how are you
going to have it cut?"
"Wid a yoke. an the biggest sleeves /
can get a pattern fer"
Three pleatS in de skirt, s'pose?"
''Three pleats. Lined wild hair cloth, of
co'se."
in'tons pahty next Monday evenin'. I'm
gwine to wear my white silk wild sky-blue
ribbings.'
You don't say?"
know
AT Mrs washin ton'sg'
"Yes, indeedy. You know it's goin' to be
q musical swarry."
hut
was an awful jerk 1 do wish we could git
a chance to sit"
so do I. 1 amt got quite strong after
my Illness"
II didn't know you'd been sick"
Yes, indeedy. 1 only left the hospital
yesterday"
1.-The hospitalr'
Yes. indeedy Smallpox
You've been havin' smallpox"
"Eh, heh. Had it awful bad. I don't feel
quite we'll yet
Several of the other passengers had been
listening apparently to this conversation.
and at the first mention Of smallpox they
pricked up their ears. An elderly lady
whispered to a young girl presumably her
daughter. and the two rather hurriedly
left the car at the next corner. Within two
or three minutes they were followed by all
of the others, save only the person in the
corner with the turned-up collar and hat
pulled over his eyes. He hiccoughed once
or twice to show that he was still merely
thinking and not asleep. Meanwhile the
two ladies of color had seated themselves,
and it was observable that the one in the
green bonnet were an expansive SMILE
Il amt been vaccinated," remarked her
companion rervously.
Nor me either replied the other.
But Use afraid"
Afraid of What?'
Use afraid youse contagious"
"Oh. chile, don't you be skeered," said
she of the green bonnet. Il amt had no
smallpox
You amt had it. Then whuffo' did you
say so?"
Just cause I was tired 1 wanted to
sit Any time you can't get a seat in a
horse car these days. all you nave to do
is to mention smallpox, and you'll soon
have plenty of ROOM Yah, yahr'
The humor of this idea evidently struck
the second lady of color very strongly, for
she became so convulsed with laughter
that her friend in the green bonnet offer
ed bottle of smelling salts to revive her.
But the cver-stmulated person in the cor
ner paid no attention. merely uttering
smothered hiccough at Intervals, while
the car turned Into 18th street and pur-
sued its way into the shopping quarter of
the city.