Evening star., 1900-10-13

''I've travelled from New York to Frisco"
said a well-kuown commercial man yester-
day. "and have been UP against pretty
much all the species of touch games ex-
| tant, but Il remained for Washington to
give me a new experience in the line.
used to 'hot-foot' the coin out of my pocket
right fieetly. but of late days the hobo who
has separated me from the shiny has been
Of no mean oratorical ability. Now to
come to my story.
AZ was waiting for a herdic the other
evening when an old man grizzled and
kempt came up to me. He wore a Grand
Army badge, but had on civilian clothes.
DO you allow any one to speak to you,
sir?' he queried rather hesitatingly. This
in itself was original enough method of
accosting one to attract my attention. SO
told him that occasionally when feeling sort
of rich like L spared a few golden moments
to fellow beings. Then he proceeded with
this story:
"'You see sir. am just an old soldier
with no family or friends L live at the
Soldiers Home. Today 1 out to
Bladensburg and got awful drunk. Lordy,
but / was fullern a steamboat boiler just
before she busts. It's the old story, my
moneys all gone and 1 want just car
ticket to get to the home. | am seventy
six years old. and know / amt no good
all. / don't want money, for I'd spend
1T for liquor very few moments after it
reached my hands. I've never been in this
fix before, sir
1T was such a frank, candid story,
readily gave the old fellow a quarter and
told him 10 buy a half pint of whisky, and
l also presented him with car ticket. His
expressions Of gratitude were most pathetic.
He gave me his address at the home and
asked me TO call upon him some day. Then
he added:
why, sir, If 1t was money 1 wanted and
wasn't afraid of Sppn1iDp IL all for booze.
TG go to pawn shop with this watch
He reached for his vest pocket. A look
OF utter dismay came over him. 1t was
empty. He carefully went through all the
remaining places in his attire where a
watch might conceal itself. There was
nothing. He looked at me blankly. l be-
gan 10 feel pretty queer and thought the
old codger might have me put in clink on a
charge of pocket picking. But without
word he turned sorrowfully around and still
fumblng in his pockets. went his maudiIn
way l wonder II he ever had time
pieCe?'
The idea that cats out of cruelty, play
with a mouse before killing it is a mistake
observed a cat fancier to the writer re-
Gently. IF you doubt what l say just
notice what happens when cat catches
sparrow or any other small bird. The bird
Is not played with. but slain at once. Ii
the cat tried any game with it the sparrow.
though wounded. could easily fly away.
But a mouse cannot escape in that way, SO
the cat practices upon the unfortunate lit
tie animal a variety of experiments in order
to keep it's powers as a hunter up to the
mark. That Is why 1t so frequently gives
the mouse a chance of running away, and
the harder the task it sets itself the more
will its skill be improved If a cat did not
take such lessons occasionally 1t would soon
become a second-rate mouser."
x X II X
Fourteen duels between students were
scheduled to take place in one day when
1 was in Heidelberg recently" Mr.. B. ].
COyIe of this city told a Star reporter. II
had intended he continued, "to be pres
ent at the entire list of performances, but
after seeing two of them concluded that
1 had witnessed about as much Of that
sort of sport as l desired and left the city
by the first outgoing train 1t is well
known that these student duels rarely re-
suit fatally, as efforts are only made to in
fiict wounds on the face. and each scar is
regarded as badge of honor
Mr.. Coye was surprised while visiting
Spain to find that the people were remark
ably hospitable to Americans He had con-
ceived the impression before reaching that
country that the Spaniards would not hesl-
tate to show their aversion to Americans,
but In this he was very agreeably disap-
pointed. AT a station where he alighted
from the railway train he purchased some
silver coin. The woman to whom it was
offered handed it back, at the same time
making some remarks in Spanish that he
cou not understand Mr.. Coyle was In
dilemma, he knew not how to pay his
little bill. Almost Immediately a Spanish
gentleman stepped up and rendered to the
woman a coin which she accepted. The
two gentlemen, after boarding the train,
rode together for about ten hours, and,
though Mr. COyle made frequent attempts
to induce his benefactOr to accept repay
ment, the latter absolutely refused to per-
NIT him to do so.
at goes without saying that some census
enumerators had a hard time of it while in
the field. for 1t seems that many people
had considerable 1un at their expense"
explained a census office official to a Star
reporter, but many of them have had al
most hard a time after they returned
to their district headquarters and began the
preparation of their reports and explana-
tions why they did not make full reports
Here is Illustration, and L give 1t to
you exactly as 1t came from an Alabama
enumeratOr:
- refused permitance into his House
he even would not let come near his
house. l did repeatedly told him him he
wou Id to himself liable to a fine of StOO.
If he insisted TO refuse giving me the re-
quiIed information; He replied, he knowed
me, that | had assessed him once too high
and he don't care what would happen;
then he commenced talking about his shot
gun and whipping if | would come
accross the Gulley. and left.