Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-04-04

down near Lee circle. or at the door Of the
q. A. g. on Washington street.
Sas n: ~ s.y :. I'D 9 M. :s ; nss
day-nor for quite a week afterward. They
had inquired Of the grocery man at the cor
ner where she often rested. OF the portresses
Of several schools whore she sometimes ped
bakery, whore she oocosionally bought q
loaf Of yesterdays bread, but nobody re-
fpembered having seen her recently.
tell how she always started out in the direo-
tion OF the swamp every evening when the
gas was lit In the city. and that she turned
out over the bridge along Melpomene street,
leaves and refuse vegetables where the
bridgeway leads through Dryades market.
Some said that she had . friend there, who
hid such things for her to find. under one
true.
It was on the Saturday morning after their
first search that the three little Daughters
OF the King started out second time. de-
to her hiding place.
1t 10 shabby. ugly and crowded part of
town In which. following the brtdged road.
themselves.
For long time it seemed a fruitless
search. and they were almost discouraged
when across a field. limping along before a
lame yellow dog
1t was the story Of her sharing her din
ner with the dog on the street that had won
these eager friends for the old woman, and
so. perhaps, from an association of ideas,
they crossed the field, timidly, half afraid
OF the poor creature that at once attracted
and repealed them
But they need not have feared. AS soon
as he knew they were visitors, the social
Fellow began wagging his little stump of
tail and with sort of coaxing half bark,
asked them to come in and make themselves
at home.
Not so cordial, however, was the shv and
reluctant greeting of the old woman, Easter,
VINO. after trying in vain to rise from her
cnalr as they entered her little room, mo-
Toned 10 them to be seated on her bed,
There was no other seat vacant, the sec
ond chair OF the. house being in use by
crippled man, who sat out upon the back
porch. nodding. = :
VINO had acted as usher, squatted serenely
IN their midst, with what seemed a broad
grin upon his face, and then it was that
the little maid who mad seen the incident
recognized him as the Identical street dog
VINO had shared old Casters dinner
Two other dogs-poor, ugly, common fell
iows-had strolled out as they came in, and
mere were several cats lying huddled to-
getner In the sun beside the chair of the
sleeping figure on the back porch
1t was poor little home, as poor as any
imagination could picture it. There were
hoies IN the floor, holes in the roof, cracks
to use technical word, "tenable," and
there was no rent to pay for living in it.
But, considering things, 1t was pretty
clean. And when it's mistress presently re-
covered from her surprise at her sudden
visitors she began to explain that "ef she'd
a'knowed dey was comm to call she would
q secured up a little
Her chief apologies however were for the
house itself and it's location, away outside
o quality neighborhoods in the swampy
fields"
Il des camps out here, Missy" she finally
explained, because dey's mo- room an
srace fur my family" And here she laugh
ed-a high. cracked peal of lauShter-as she
waver her hand in the direction of the back
pc rch.
''Dey amt nobody ter pleg Crazy Jake
cut here-an' him and me wild deze. here
lame an crippled cats an dogs, why we sets
out here an talks together in de evepip's
after de lection lights is lit in de tower
yonder and de moon is lit in de sky. An
Crazy Jake-why, when de moons on de
full. Crazy Jake he can talk knowledge good
az you kin. 1 fetched him out here about
million years ago. time dey was putin him