Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-06-03

than others, and It's the same with Ice.
You can't tell me-.
The ice man went into the house to see
if anything allied the Refrigerator. He came
back about three minutes later looking
somewhat down at the mouth.
She like to have took my head off," he
said, when l pointed out to her that the
ice chest Is located only about six feet away
from the hot range, and when / showed her
that the lid of the ice chest was wide open,
too"
Begging for Ice.
The wagon then passed along, without
hating, a poor neighborhood q couple of
blocks in length, and the young ones flock
ed around the tail-end of the wagon beg
ging for ice. The mothers of some of them,
black and white, stood in the doorways,
watching the success or otherwise of their
progeny in wheedlng the ice man out of
his ware. The ice man threw many good
sized piece, only little smaller than the
kind lie had been selling in the better neigh
borhoOdS for a nickel, to the beseechng
children, some of whom brought dishpans
on the chance of being recipients of the ice
mans bounty.
1.-The small pieces go to waste, anyhow,
on a route like this, although if 1 had
couple of soda water fountains on my line
l could use EN- all and get regular rates for
them" said the ice man. II don't think
many people understand, by the way, Just
what kind of job the ice man on their
route has got. I'm an employee of the COM
pany, and when 1 leave the ice house in
the morning I am charged up with every
pound of the load 1 take out No allow
ance is made for the waste in broken
pieces, the melting on hot days like this,
or for pieces given away to pleaders like
these poor kids. I've got to turn in every
evening when I sell out the pound for
pound price of the ice I take out in the
morning. and you can gamble that 1t keeps
US all a-guessing how to do it,
The ice man had hardly got through with
this little explanation before a man who
came out dimes worth of ice IN
him banteringly:
Il suppose you'll be taking a ride down
the river in your steam yacht this even
ing?'
A Common Mistake.
"And he's not the only one," said the
ice man, when the wagon was under way
again. Were put in the same category
with plumbers, and people really believe
that poor devil of an ice wagon skate
makes enough money during the summer
to be able to burn it up during the winter.
l wish 1t was something more substantial
than a funny mans gag.
The wagon meanwhile passed into a
neighborhood where servants were the Gus
toners instead of the nistresses of homes,
and the proxy soHcitude of the servants
for their employers moneys worth was
even more fervently expressed than by
the direct buyers.
NAH mstus Is got uh sha'p stick TO
you ALL seemed to be a favorite express
sion of the black servant girl wherewith
to greet the ice man, and all along the
line there seemed to be nothing but re-
proach coming to him his portion
Now, said the ice man when The Star
man announced that he had learned all
that it was necessary for him to know
about the ice business, the next time you
hear some song-and-dance Idiot singing,
How Would You Like to Be the Ice Man?'
and launching himself with joy over the
thought of 80 much fun, you'll feel more
IKE heaving something at him than you
dad before, won't your