Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-02-18

the big storm was in
| ,r,,,oss a., N,,,,d,,
| last. He did not make il labor of love.
| He shove!ed snow for pay. lie wanted to
find out how it felt to earn bit of money
by the toll of his hands. He knew that
| the snow wouldn't bother him much for
he had made two or three hunting trips
| in the wids of Canada in the dead of Win
| ter. So he rugged himself ont with a view
! to warmth and yet to create the impress
| sion that he was hobo. He borrowed an
| old-but thick-suit of clothes from his
| fathers coachman, pulled on the latters
| pair of rubber boots. dug a seedy black
| hat out of one of his closets, provided HIM
| self with a raeged-edged shovel, and
| started out to what was doing in the
snow-shoveling line.
Il found he says in describing the ex-
| perience to a Star reporter. that few peo-
| pie wanted the snow in front of their
| houses cleaned off for it was still showing.
they said. with a whole lot too much unani-
| NIFTY AID enthusiasm to make It worth
| while. | got enough jobs 10 earn Sl.3.I.
| though, and, then, look at the sympathy 1
| got! Nobody ever felt sorry for me he
| fore, and l found il rather u novelty to lac
| condoled with, and to be told that mine
| seemed to toe sad case, and to be asked
| why | didn't make earnest effort To
| pull myself together aud live a better life
| and SO on. And if 4 had taken al! of the
coffee that was offered me I'd have had
| nervous prostration for a week: what's
more If | had tackled all the whisky that
| sympat hiking good fellows offered me I'd
| have turned up at home roaring drunk and
| have had head me bigger than a
wolf $ the next morning.
| Looking for Work
| When / started out l drilled for a
| neighborhood ten or twelve squares from
whore l live with my people-which isn't
| such vast distance from Washington Cir
| Gle. L didn't want to stand any chance of
| being recognized, for | was out for the
duSt-rather. the snoW-and | wanted to
WIN out on my merits hobo up against
It, didn't tackle any rich peoples base
| ment doors to ask for snow-shoveling work:
! Just MT up the houses that didn't look pre-
| tentious, boarding houses and such
FIRST place | tackled was a three-sfory
brick house, the corner house of Il row
| just like it. The basement areaway was
| Gluttered with drifts above nay waist. but
L managed TO reach the basement door bell
| all right. An old nanny came to the door
and opened ii about half an inch.
| ;, 70 de lan's sake, wife man, whut yo
| all WANT she asked me-
| "WiI you kindly ask the lady Of the
| horse II she wants the snow in front
cleaned away" l asked the old msmlny
! trying 10 throw a booty hoarseness into
| my voice.
Il think the old nanny was lust about
| TO give me the quick chase when she was
! addressed from behind by somebody. The
| somebody was the man of the house who
| mad seen me entering the basement area
| way from his easy chair in the parIur win
| dow He was a middle-aged man in a
! smoking jacket He was smoking a clear
| and looking as warm as toast. He opened
| fell within the hall.
" Well said he. if YOU amt a iay. want
| ing To shovel off snow in front of a mans
| house when the SHOWS stiIl coming down
a I 1p rsaIn of l..,,,t
| you afraid of getting lost in the drifts?
| Or are you IA returned Klondker. and
used to this kind OF game. heyT
NO, amt no kiondiker. ! replied.
tut m up agin it and I'm tryin' to pick
| up a quarter So
" Just you fall in here over that bank
| ana get warm, and after yo; get warm ia
advise You TO go down and see my friend
| Major Sylvester, and ask him to have Won
sent up Tor a month or so, hey? What got
| you down to this, anyhow-rum?
4 Warm Welcome.
Il nodded dejectedly, and he went up
stairs and brought down decanter and
| glasses. He told me to pour out hooter.
which l did. for | just about needed one.
He apparently wanted me to spend the
morning with him. telling him hard luck
stories and helping him to finish that hot
tie. but L told him | was out for business
and got away. He handed me a Quarter
before ! left and told me to c1rt out the
rum and I'd land All right some time or
other. guess hi was a departmental man
putting in the day at home. and from the
way he was hitting it up. III bet that bot
tie was pretty Shy By the time the an
SehIS bell rang.
Il plowed along ND the street until 7 caua
to a house that | knew was a big boarding
| house for governmental people There Were
a number of women in the window WATCH
ing the descent Of the beautiful and they
must have seen me dive down the base
ment steps, for one of EN- opened the base
ment door. She was nice-looking young
matron, and she looked me over with no
end of sympathy in her eyes.
What is it? she asked me in a kindly
tone.
Want your snow cleaned off. ma ann
asked her. It's still a-snowin'. / know,
but il | clean off the worst of il the lob
won't be so big the next time
1.-THE landlady isn't in. she said. but I
suppose she wants the snow removed. How
much will you charger
Quarter, said /.
All right. she replied. You NAV clean
II off But wouldn't you like a cup of cof-
fee before you begip?'
Subjected to Criticism
We'll, ] went into the basement dining
room and she gave me a cup of coffee. and
lot of the women who had been upstairs
at the windows seemed to have business
in the basement dining room while I was
there | guped down big cup of steam
ing black coffee, while the women looked
at me out of the tails of their eyes as /
caught them doing when looked UP occa-
sionally from my cup. An elderly woman
with white corkscrew curs, who didn't
have a very kindly or motherly face. for a |
fact finally walked up to me- and pu,,lpr
the backs of her hands on her hips looked |
me over with pretty firmly-set jaw
We'll. young man. she said to me L |
haven't got bit of sympathy for YOU.
You're a drunkard | SUPPOSE
Not exactly that, ma am / replied. |
I've done some drinkfn', but
Don't you try to pull the wool over NV |
eyes, young mani she exclaimed You're /
a drunkard. You may not look like a |
drunkard, but drunkard you are and must
be, or you wouldn't be put to the necessity |
of doing what you're doing-running about |
the streets cleaning off snow on the worst |
day that was ever seen heard of in
Washington. l haven't bit of sympathy |
for you There's no excuse whatever for
you or the likes of you. Why don't you
have yourself locked UP for lfe?
Mother" interrupted the kindly-faced !
young woman who had opened the door
for me- Why can't you let the man alone?'
"Ther the other women Joined in against
the old lady with the corkscrew curls. She |
called them q set of Softies, to let them