Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-02-05

able thing that more than two decades had
elapsed since I had chewed hard knots out
OF the sleeves of my shirt when as a bow
mad gone in swimming in the creek and
paid the knot-chewing penalty for being
the last boy out. 1 can't yet exactly figure
out Just where the times gone, nor why
IL Is that I'm sitting here tonight with a
lot or seams in my face, talking with a
pack of grizzled old fogies like you fellows
can remember when the whole caboodle
OF you looked with awe and envy upon the
young fellows, now sailing along into their
hfties, who found it necessary to get them
serves shaved every couple Of weeks or so.
But III bet the most of you wish by this
time that raZorS had never been invented
oont you? We're all getting along, for a
1act-but it's hard to believe that you peo-
pie were among the kids I used to play
Skinny, and leapfrog, and marbles, and
crack-the-whip with, and scrap with and
give and take black eyes and bloody noses
with, and all that kind of thing. Maybe
1t doesn't seem SO queer to you fellows be-
cause you've all remained here, and have
watched each other gradually develop from
boyhood into manhood and then into old
forty. at that. But it all seems strange
enough to me. l wasn't much over fifteen
as you'll Likely remember, when 1 jumped
away from Washington and went out west
again, all Of the. intervening time, with its
hustling, hard knocks and final-well, sue
cess, l suppose l may Say-seems like a
dream-even II 1 am verging pretty close
on to forty.
Not What He Expected.
'Of course, the town has changed i'm
mepsely. But I've taken more notice of
the change in the people 1 used to know
than l have of the change in the town.
l can't just explain why, and it seems i'm
beetle enough, too, when 1 come to think
of it-but l rather expected when l came
lack here last week to find EN- all looking
just precisely the same as they looked
when l went away. I've had some terrible
Establishments. Remember Teeney Nor
wood. that spirituelle-looking little girl
whose books l used to carry home from
school and with whom / was so madly in
love when I was thirteen that 1 couldn't
eat or sleep O. nights? Well, one of the
fellows pointed her out to me on the street
yesterday. She weighs go if she weighs
hear-a couple of the girls ready to be
married, too. Well / introduced myself
to her. and she remembered me perfectly
women never forget anything about their
glrlhood and the boylsh sweethearts there
of, you know. We had quite a tender lit
tie talk-but it all seemed SO absurd
Teeney weighing $50 and trying still to be
ccquettish and fascinating-the time 1 had
Deeu away from washington seemed like
a thousand years then.
Then, couple of days after got here,
one Of the fellows 1 was walking on r
street with nudged me.
Know that lady walking this way next
to the euro" he asked me.
L looked in the direction toward which
he nodded, and saw 4 little, shriveled, YET
low woman. dressed In Widows weeds
No. said 1. Who is she?'
We'll. you are an inconsistent sort of a
Youthful Romnnces.
"1mogen Brown was the girl 1 loved to
distraction when 1 was fourteen, and had
just knocked off wearing knee pants. J
used to sit up half the night composing the
most bee-yutiful letters to her, and a few
years ego my wife. in going through one
OF my old trunks in the garnet on n rainy
afternoon. came across a dismally un-
happy love letter addressed to me, with
a faded rose pinned to the top of the first
sheet. and signed Imogen Brown When
and promised to develop into a superb wo-
man OF the Juno type. Yet. as 1 say, when
saw her the other day, she was about as
emaciated and sad-looking a little woman
as asa man cares to see. She married some
Fellow that abused her and finally went to
states prison. l hear. Well, it's a queer
game. this life.
Tuesday afternoon I met Ida Robinson.
IDA and l used to be pretty soft on each
otter, too. We had 1t all fixed that we
were to be married for certain sure when
We grew up. Wen. Ida was with her
daughter. and burned If they didn't look
ike twins 1 knew Ida in a minute, for,
with the exception of her long skirts 7
declare she didn't look five Years Older
than she did in the days when l used to
slip candy hearts with notices on EN- into
her hand. 1t kind O. tickled me. too, when
Ida recognized me-maybe because I'VE
always gone clean shaver.
Look here, Ida,' said to her after she
had introduced me 10 her pretty daughter,
hoWve you managed to remain so young?'
Well l didn't marry you. you know
she said cheerfully. Kind of a knock at
that, wasn't it? We had a pretty good
talk, and before 1 left her she dema nded
laughingly the return of her letters end
gifts. and left me humming Want Dem
Presents Back
Some Surprises.
And then the way some of the fellows
nave turned out! Remember Tinky Jones,
that long cared boy with the smooth
golden locks. that all the teachers loved
at school, and who was always made mont
tor over US? Heard yesterday that mes
Teen doing time off and on for the pa
fifteen years for being too crafty with his
pen-forging. That right? And a few
days ago I met Billy Matthews. Recall
how Eilly used to stand out in front RI
our houses on summer nights and veil cut
the whole thing and give US plumb away
when we sneaked off in swimming in the
deg days against home orders? Remember
how he was SO goody-goody that he'd tell
tie teachers all about it when we PLAYED
hockey? Remember how mournfuily he'd
look at US when we'd smoke cigarettes on
the vacant lot? Remember how he'd creep
along to Sunday school, smug-lookine "a
they make 'em. and cast sorrowful looks
at us fellows for lettering along the way
to spin tops? Well as 1 say. 1 met Billy
Matthews a few days ago. Die ever see
such a rum wreck in your life? Dinged n
he didn't touch me for n half a dollar for
booze. and. of course. I gave 1t to him for
the sake of old times. even IL he was a
little cad when / knew him last
Seems to me that all the boys who. on
thinking Of item in later years after I left
Washington. / figured were bound to have
gone to the dickens, have made men of
themselves. and vice versa. It's the long
cared boys, apparently. that have gone to
the dogs. Met Jim Tucker on the avenue
the other day. When was boy here Jim
used to thrash me every afternoon after
school tor exercise. Jim was one of the
few boys couldn't get away with. He was
just my age. ard after he had licked me
once was done for. He found that he
could do the Job. and he used TO run me