Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1902-09-24
THE UNUSUAL INCIDENT.
Trifes Out Ofsthe Ordinary That At
tract the Attention of the
Passing Public,

"In large cities it is both astonish-
ing and amusing what trifles will at
tract attention if they are out of the
ordinary run of events" remarked an
observing Washingtonian recently,
&Hys the Star, land few instances
which have come under my observa-
ton recently will be recognized as
familiar examples.
Il was dining in an uptown res
taurant a few days ago when 1 no
ticed a heavy-set, middle-aged man at
an adjoining table finish his dinner,
rise, take his hat and cane, and de-
liberately walk out of the place with
out paying his check, the cashiers
back being turned.
"One of the other diners called the
attention of a waiter to the man who
had just skipped out. While the
waiter hurried after him, the second
guest rose and spoke to the
cashier. The man outside evil
IDENTIFY said something to the waiter
which made him feel very uncom-
Portable, as he returned much crest
fallen with flushed face The cash
Ter in the meantime had left her desk,
but, upon going to the door, returned
with the remark that the supposed
beat was regular guest who
boarded by the season.
when the man who had taken so
much interest in the welfare of the
restaurant left the place, the first
man was awaiting him, and swatted
him handsomely in the face, backing
his eye and putting his nose. That
much for his officiousness. He will
never again pay attention to the 'lIn-
usual when he sees another man
leave a restaurant under apparently
suspicious circumstances, for even
money.
The other morning at II o'clock a
whistle in the vicinity of the Star
office blew a sudden, loud and pro-
longed blast People stopped on
Pennsylvania avenue and Eleventh
street, looking around the hot street
eXpectantly, then up at the windows
of the adjacent buildings, at the
hands oe the big clock in the tower
of the post Office building, and finally
up and down the street for the fire
engines. 1t was the unusual and
attention was attracted. An hour
later it would have been unobserved.
Some engineers clock was an hour
ahead of time.
was walking up F street the
other afternoon reading the Star so
lnterestedly that l both figuratively
and literally walked all over a Young
thing in killing, trailing summer
gown, the first intimation of nv helm
Gus crime coming to my ears when I
heard the gatherings rip with
heart-rending tearing sound like a
lot of caps on the street car tracks
on the Fourth of July. Did 1 apol-
ogize? Did 1 grow suddenly warm
and perspire profusely as 1 heard
those gatherings part, and looked
down into the reproachful, pretty
eyes of the young thing 1 had almost
trampled TO death? Did 1 stammer
and stutter, and wish myself thou
sand miles away? Well, didn't L!
And did she rip me up the back
with the usual remark: Careless
brute! Can't you see where you are
walking? Why don't you read the
Star at home, instead of on the
street, walking all over helpless
women? Ough! You have ruined my
dress!''
Instead, she did the unusual and
Imurmured: 1 accept your apology;
it is unfortunate, to be sure, but nv
skirt is not entirely ruined and she
smiled with such divine sweetness.
emphasizing the word entirely so
nicely, that / was restrained only by
the conventionalities from proposing
on the spot, and offering her treas