Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-06-22
THINGS
HEARD
and SEEN

y %
said: For the crowd The cashier gasped
and glanced at the waitress, who nodded in
animation The procession passed and the
cashier expressed himself audiby:
Twenty cents to pay for the lunch of
hve girls who have been in here for thirty
rnlnues! There's a problem in business
arithmetic for you. Yet I don't dare to
say anything to them. because these girls
come from a store which sends US some
excellent customers. These five are the only
ones of the kind. If L kicked to them
they'd spread the report of my neanness'
and we'd lose the better trade
But how do they manage to make 90
cents go round?' he was asked
Some OF them bring sandwiches from
nome, was the answer. Then one or two
order rolls or buns and they divide up the
meat from the sandwiches and make a
good show of solids. Two or three cups
OF coffee give all five something to drink
for they all get glasses of water, and when
these are emptied there is no lack of drink
ing cups. The funny part of it Is that they
usually require as many plates and knives
and forks and glasses as a crowd of the
same numbers spending 80 or - cents. We
don object to the girls economizing. but
their room at four cents apiece for thirty
minutes Is worth much more to us during
the rush hour. when every table is filled
and customers waiting for service.
Still, those girls have got to be fed and
someone must stand for it.
4 X x
There are lots Of peculiar people walk
ing Pennsylvania avenue" said a police
man the other day to Star reporter LAS
an illustration, look at that old fellow
there. About once a week he comes along
here, performs his little act and then goes
on his way apparently happy and content
ed The person spoken of by the guard
ian of the peace was an elderly man, neat
| ly dressed. who was slowly walking along
! cane in hand, gathering paper and cigar
stumps in little piles and then gradually
working them toward the gutter. That
| old chap" continued the policeman lis
performing most commendable work He
never speaks to any one and seems to be
very earnest in his undertaking. His &C
tions have created considerable comment
on the part of passersby, but he never ap-
pears to notice 1t. One day motherly old
lady who had been watching him for a
few minutes approached me and insiste
L should find out his name and residence
saying she was quite certain he needed at
tention and that she would interest some
friends in his behalf. l told the lady |
thought the man was capable of taking
care of himself, and she finally passed on
After watching nim for a month or more
l concluded to ask him what object he had
in gathering his little piles of debris. l
did so, and he Informed me that the ma
tional capital had reputation to maintain
as a clean city and that he was willing to
do what he could to help along the good
cause Did you ever stop to think that the
big show window looking glasses serve a
double purpose continued the policeman.
They display the goods of the merchant
to advantage and also give pedestrians
chance to get a hasty look at themselves
l really believe The men are more vain
than the women, .or a good many of them
stop. adjust their neckties pull their mus
taches. turn around three or four times
y h
oldest character that perambulates this
famous thOrOughfare is the fellow who
takes up his stand here every day and
counts the number of people who pass
He has little book, fixed up in tabular
form, and for one hour every morning and
afternoon he jOts down the number of
men, women and children who go by. He
has kept that thing up for nearly three
months, and says he is gathering Informal
ton for book he is going to publish
| Stand on the corner here some day and
| watch the panorama and you'll agree with
| me that there some very peculiar peo-
| pie passing by
x
Among the curiOs, souvenirs and relics
from plain and forest, mountain top and
canon. which lend themselves to the dec
Grafton Of the room occupied by Henry c.
Rizer, chief clerk of the geological survey
is the dressed skin of a rattlesnake This
ratterS claim to fame is that he sought
" create q vacancy IN the survey. He
| failed to do this. but he did what he could
He died in the attempt. The incident in
which this particular snake figured oc-
CURED when a force from the geological
survey was engaged in making a survey
or Indian territory at the instance of the
general land office. That was several
years ago. One of the surveying parties
was at work in a section of the territory
in which rattlers Were numerous. A calcu-
ldtion was made by member of the party
that if the ratio of rattlers to the area as
signed to him We're applied to the area of
the whole territory the RATHER population
of Indian territory was 1900 snakes to the
square mile.
This man. in the course of his work,
sprang across a tiny stream one day and
striking the other side of it, planted one
foot directly upon the neck of a slx-foot
RATHER. 1t was accident, the man not
having seen the snake, and not having de-
signed to disturb it. 1t was also a fortu-
nate accident. SO far as the man was con-
CeTned, that he landed on the neck of the
snake II is said that the RATHER was WIS.,
IDLY affected and that his emotions took
/ on an angry turn. He writhed and buZZed
and strained in his efforts TO coil into an
attitude in which he might strike He
made. ii Is said, heroic efforts anyway TO
bite his Oppressor The trespasser dared
not move, but called for help. A co-work-
er came to his aid. bringing an ak and
with this weapon the snakes head was
severed The skin was dressed and pre-
! sented to Mr.. Rizer. 1t is now stretched
on the mantel of the office of the chief
clerk.