Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-01-20
NO WONDER THEY STARED

"A large, notwithstanding young man
boarded an uptown 14th street car at 18th
street and Pennsylvania avenue Sunday
evening last. He vas pretty well logged
out and he looked as If he knew
1t. He had a shiny top hat, an Ok
ford overcoat( with some violets on the
left lapel brilliant Npatent feathers and a
walking stick of unique design. There was
no doubt about his\ being a good locker,
and neat besides. he had sort of pom
derous. serious manner about him. He
deposited himself In a seat about amid
ships of the car. gave a couple of bitches
at the knees of his trousers to prevent them
from bagging, and hooked around him in a
half-crftical sort of way.
"A very pretty girl sat in seat directly
opposite him. She was demonstrating,
but there seemed to the lf-satistied-look-
ing young man to be certain sly twinkle
IN hef eye, which manifested itself as she
sazeo steadily in the direction of his shoes.
now II there's anything calculated to
make the average man nervous-to get
nun TO perspiring at the forehead-it is to
nave his leet gaZed at by anybody on a
street car or in any other public sitting
uo"h pace: Nine men out of ten will, un
uer Such Instances. Immediately
Guide that there is something wrong twitch
iefNouslS, and end by examining their
Peaats TO md out what's attracting all the
alteHtlon. Moreover, there are a lot of
VINO are aware of this male weakness and
VINO consequently make it point to fasten
thelr sazes upon the shoes of particularly
compialSant-looking men who are seated.
bu1 tniS particular young man appeared
10 De wise to the scheme. AS the young
woman opposite him continued to look in
a lascHated sort of way at his lower eX-
tremtieS. he seemed to be saying to HIM
sell, as ne carefully avoided becoming fiuS-
tered and refrained from reaching over and
looking at his shoes something like this:
Ha! that girl over there thinks she's
going to get me the run by that focus
SneS fastened on my shoes with her pretty
eyes. Shes waiting for me to get red in
the face. roll nervously around in my seat
ana end by inclning myself forward at
an angle of forty-five degrees to take a
peep to see if there's anything out o kill
ter with my underpinnings Old game
only catches farmers nowadays. I'll just
TOOL her up few. Retalations the only
thing. I'll just sling in a reprisal or two
by directing a strained and intense gaze
at those nice high-heeled boots of hers.
Thatll be gentle little hint to her that
shes not successful in trying to work
frayed and frazzed one off me. And
I'll bet myself hat that she'll end by
pulling her skirts more closely around her
inside of forty-two seconds.
So the lf-satisfied-looking young man
leaned back in his seat. let his eyes fall
to the floor of the car at just the point
where the shapely feet of the young wo-
man opposite touchedsi and kept them
there, He waited for the young woman to
suuirm uneasily. She gave many Il
squirm, hut looked idly out of the car win
dow for moment. and then resumed her
careful perusa of the young mans shoes
II guess she's on" the young man seem
ed to be thinking, but I'll keep a it, and
see VINO lasts the longest.
SO he kept right on gazing fixedly at
the demure-looking girls neat boots. On
her part, she continued to alternate her
gaze between glances out of the car win
dow and at the young mans pedals. She
didn't look the least bit worried over the
young mans elaborate scrutiny of her
shoes. At X street she touched the but
ton and got off. casting a final sly look at
the young mans shoes.
Shes got the little game down pretty
pat, all right. Was ,the thought that APP
mans mind judging from his facial ex-
precision. and guess III have to admit
to myself that she won out
Then he suddenly noticed that a party Of
three. nice-lookihg girls at the lower end of
the ear We're looking at his shoes, too. They
whispered together. with expansive smiles,
and then they 'ell locked at his shoes out
of the tails of their eyes.
''Nell. the game seems to be "A sort of a
fad on this car, the young man appeared
to be thinking, but I'll just give those
thrce the double-cr"ss, too. Wild horses
couldn't make ME look at my pedals now.
I'm a slayer, and In gong TO go the
route"
He noticed, however, that every passen-
ger who boarded the car, man or woman,
took good square look at his shoes i'm
mcdi1tcly upon taking a seat and he felt
considerably mystiticd over il. Up at K
street, when two neat-looking elderly col
Orcd women got on the and Immediate
ly upon sitting down glanced queerly at
his feet. he appeared to be weakening.
ana made Involuntary move toward
reaching over To see what the matter was
But ne caught himself. set his jaw down
hard. and seemed to be rejecting.
Il guess is that nobby pair of bulldog
bUttoncd shoes Of mine that they're all
rubber necking at They are a neat shape
e,r a fact.
He went to the end of the route, and by
the time the pulled up at the head of
18th street the only passengers left in the
car besides himself We're the two neat
looking elderly colored women. Just as
The car was coming to its final stop one Of
the women stepped over to the sef-satis-
iied-lookinS young man and sold:
Excuse me, sir but one of your hosiery
supporters has slipped down.
The young mans face flushed a genuine
crimson.
'Oh, that so? That's very kind Of you.''
he said. tipping his hat to the colored wo-
man, and then he reached over and adjust
ed the orange-hucd garter that hung dis
mally around his left shoe mumbling.
Talk about feeling like dented dimer'