Evening star., 1897-03-06

my spare time just unobtrusively gazing at
her from the rear platform. She reminded
me of a lady I used to know when I was
twentyfour inches high. The car was
pretty well filled on the whole trip. Things
were sliding along all right until we came
to N street. Then the pretty old lady beck
oned to me with finger.
what street is this?' she asked me.
N street, madam said 1.
That is beyond K street, is 1t not?' she
inquired.
"a matter Of about five squares,
madam answered
"'You will perhaps recall she said, bit
Ing OFF every word sharper'n riveting
machine. that distinctly requested you on
entering this car to let me off at K street?'
Now this lovely old lady had not opened
her lips when l took her on.
Unfortunately, l don't recall that you
said anything whatever to me at that
time, lady, l answered.
We'll, do you know that that lovely.
eaceable-loohang old lady, whose mild
renity l had been admiring for more than
mile. pitched into me then and there, and
gave me a roasting and a lambasting too
hot for arnica and cotton-seed oil? l never
got half SO much clawed up in a practice
foot ball game between scrub elevens. I
never saw or heard such past mistress Of
the whole vocabulary of vituperation and
scorn. The other passengers just looked on
with open mouths. I didn't say a word.
She jolted and countered and upper-cut me
fully sixty times a minute, until we got to
the end of the line, and all the other pas
sengers had departed. She kept her seat
when we switched to the down track for
the next trip, but. probably for lack of
breath, she had become mcmentarily quiet.
When we'd gone about square on the
down trip l went up to her and asked her
| for her fare In two seconds l wished that
l hadn't. 1t started her off again, and,
despite the entry of a dozen or SO Of pas
mo tn IL
| street l retreated to the rear platform.
| She scrambled to a seat next the rear door,
| joggled the door open and kept right at
| me. Sold? / was never SO thoroughly gold
| brickej in my life. When 1 attempted to
! help her off at K street she slammed me
| up against the rear platform guard rail.
That made me feel even more like what
| Steve Brodie calls 'T'irty cents Did she
pay her fare? Well, 1 guess not! Had to
| pay 1t myself"
| Seats for Ladies.
Il noticed" went on this conductor,
whose A. NJ. that he got from Harvard is
yellowing In his trunk, after the inaugu-
| ration crowd began to appear early In the
| week, some decided points Of difference in
the street car manners Of the visitors and
the people who live in Washington. 1 was
| of course able to pick out the strangers on
account Of the number Of questions they
| asked me. Well, 1t seems that in other
cities men have abandoned the practice of
| giving up their seats to women. That Gus
tom. think. will always endure in Wash
ington. You'll hardly ever see women,
young or old, plain handsome. rich or
poor. hanging to street car straps in Wash
| ington while men remain comfortably
! seated. But from what I have seen this
| week, can't think they have much con-
sideration for women in other Cities On
Tuesday last, when the afternoon train
from Chicago came in at the Baltimore
and Ohio depot, 1 got whole trailer load
of fine-looking, well-groomed men from the
big town on Lake Michigan They were
apparently travelling as a party, and were
all bound for hotel not far from Lafay-
cite Square. They just filled the car, with
not seat to spare. Between the depot
and 18th street about dozen ladies got
Washington women. Well, not a man in
the car offered to give up his seat to one
OF these ladies, although among them were
exceedingly pretty and stylish girls, hang
aged and decrepit ladies. The Chicago
men paid no attention to 'em whatever but
went right on with their joking and laugh
| Ing. The exhibition made me rather tired,
Later n the week fell into Conversation
with a gentleman from a western city. who
was standing on the rear platform for the
air. remarked that had noticed that
men from his section did not appear to be
in the habit Of giving up their seats to la
| dies.
A Western Mans Views.
"'No.' he replied. and right they are
There's a whole lot too much gush and
, mawkish sentimentality about the deli.
cacy Of women in this part Of the country
In the particular Of having discovered ou,
west that the average woman Is about five
hundred times more extensively inconsid
crate than the average man, we're about
= two centuries ahead Of the east In Kan