Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-10-12
SHE col THE EAT

She was OF an indeterminate age-whicl
means about fifty and some odd-ver1
sharp-featpTed and distinctly petulant look
Ing. She looked as If she might bestow tn,
bulk OF her affection upon couple OF age<
cats and q parrot.
She boarded an uptown 14th street car O.
| 10th street and New York avenue the othel
afternoon TherS wasn't asvacant seat II
sight. They were all, but one, occupied b.
women, who. strangely enough, were &C
tually pressed quite closely together, con
| trary to the usual feminine scheme OF
spreading out skirts and bundles so as te
take up sufficient room for two or three
sitters. The one man seated in the car was
| sturdy, smooth-faced Individual, dressed
| In black His seat was near the door.
Inc sharp-featured woman gaZed hxedly
| at MIN, as she reached for strap. How
ever he appeared to be interested in the
view through the opposite window, and he
| oldnt notice her fixed stare.
| Hun! said the woman with the sharp
| features. as the car started ahead And as
she said 1t she gazed at the man In black
| as IL ne belonged to hitherto uncatalogued
| species Of fuzzy caterpillar.
however, the sturdy man in black dfdn t
see her at all, nor did he appear to hear
her He pulled an evening newspaper from
read.
The manners of some folksv' calculated
the sharp-featured woman, glazing square
at the man In black; who, however, was
obviously quite enwrapped with the news
| Of the day.
| Huh! big lummoxes that sprawl around
IN seats and let ladies stand up!' muttered
| the woman who didn't belle her petulant
| looks.
The solitary male passenger smiled at a
| joke that caught his eye at the bottom of
the newspaper page, and assuredly did not
see her
hadF' went on the sharp-featured woman.
as If addressing all hands in the car-and
most of the women in the car were smoker
ing by this time. II never seen the like, so
The man in black turned over to the
Schley case in his newspaper and yawned
slightly.
Much some ill-mannered creatures care
SO long as they can spraddle their lazy,
good r-nothin bones around in comfort
went on the sharp-faced woman as the car
rounded Thomas Circle.
Some folks are so def and dumb that
they can't never take hint" she con-
tinued, after pause.
The man in black yawned generously
over the court of inquiry testimony, well
he might. yet he didn't seem to be in any
wise aware Of the contingency of the petu-
liant woman.
AT length, as the car was passing R
street, she couldn't stand his callous in
difference any longer She leaned over the
man In black and as she did so he
looked at her for the first time. with a sur
prised expression.
did you ever see a man give his seat to
lady where you came from, wherever
that ISL" she asked the sturdy-looking man
In black.
The man Redeemed and rose from his seat
with great difficulty. supporting himself
heavily on a cane.
1T was always my custom, madam, to
surrender my seat In cars to ladies until
| l met with an accident which has rendered
me permanently intirm." he said, signaling
to the conductor to stop the car. The
| sharpfaced woman pumped herself into
his seat and then the man in black walked
painfully to the rear platform. One of his
legs was of cork. The other women. per-
ceiving this, looked sympathetically to-
ward him as he was helped off the car by
the conductor, and then scowled at the
sharp-faced woman But she didn't APP
pear to be bothered, and returned scowl
for Scowl.