Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-11-04
Renaissance CLUB
Stories Told by Those of the
Passing Generation.
INTERN NATIONAL FIGHT
HOW A FRENCHMAN WON In A
+ GAME BATTLE.
An Old Clerks Encomium Upon Wo-
men in the DepartEaents-A
Debtors Price Paid.


date for "Reminiscences Club seance the
| members of that fraternal organization
seemed rather tardy in presenting them
! selves. The storekeeper looking somewhat
! anxious and shivering a litt1e-for the at
mcsphere was somewhat nipping and eager
! stood in front of his emporium In con-
versation with Captain Jake, a member of
| the club, who never is and never has been.
| dilatory. In very few moments, how
ever. two elderly gentlemen appeared from
around the corner. One seemed to be
| brushing cracker crumbs from the lapel Of
| his coat, while the other was wiping his
mouth with a fine cambria mouchoir. Fol-
| lowing these were three other gentlemen,
who were INDUCING in similar pantomine.
| The storekeeper gave sigh Of satisfaction
and re-entered his warehouse. Captain
Jake gave a sigh of regret that he had not
made an even half a dozen of the ap-
| proa ching quintet. and also retired within
the establishment There was bright and
| CHEEKY fire in an oil stove warming up the
cosy salon of the club, and all were soon
| enjoying it's glow. Soon also entered the
| gentleman from the city hall. with his
gold-rimmed pince nez properly adjusted
| He was accompanied by the gentleman who
represents the green hills of Erin-and who
gave 1.-The top Of the mornin' to his con-
! freres-and one or two others. More than
| a quorum were on hand and various events
| of Aud Lang Syne were related during the
evening.
| An Important Contest.
The gentleman from the could sod" led
| off. 1t was apparent, when he entered the
parlor. that he had a yarn to spin and he
| spun it. 1t related as he said. to an in
ternashnu contest that he witnessed.
Il was a school bye In county Tipperary
when I was lad" he began. "There wuz
a foine set of byes at the skule, all of us.
The tacher was good, ould man, who
| taught us all he knew and lots that he
didn't know. When he wuznt tachin' us,
he was ayther making pins out of goose
quilts to write with mendin shoes. for
he a cobbler. as well a tacher.
There wuz one of us lads who wuzn't an
Oirishman at all. at all. He was Frinch-
min. and his parents called him Jacks
which. l behave is a Frinch nickname for
Jimmy. The byes were not at first dis
posed to take to the furriner as nicely as a
duck takes to pond, and the poor divil
had to put UP with many sights and incon-
yayniences.
Zone day a bye av the name of Mickey
challenged him to fight after skule, and to
the surprise of us all 'Frinchy, as we
called him. accepted the banter. He said
We. which in his lingo meant all right.
at was Oiriand agen France and a con-
test between two great nations. The ould
pidagogue stood in the dure to witness tn
encounter. He wuz bye wanst himself,
he said. l can see him in the dure now
and looked in the direction of his door, but
there was no one in sight.
'Yis: can see him with his leather apron
on, shoe he was repairin In his hand and
smile on his counteHance as broad as the
universe. It's to be fair fight, byes.' he
said, and the mon who gets licked must
holler 'Howly Murther,''' Then the shindy
must stop and the mon who wins is the best
mon. So at it they wint, and Mickey was
piayin with Frinchy ioike battledure and
shuttlecock. The Frinchman was badly
used up. but all of suddint he seemed to
get his second wind Mickey was meetin'
his match. and soon he yelled out loud
enough to be heard in the adjoining county,
,HoWiy Murther! Murther! Murther! The
furriner burst out cryin for the first time.
Byes, he said. It's the word | was trytn1
10 say long ago The poor Teller didn't
know enough Oirish to recollect the words
Well. the best mon won, and the best mon
wuz the Friedman"
Stop right there. jeremiah" out in the
store keeper. Who ever heard of a French
man being better than an Irishman? You've
been dreaming, and if you don't stop smok-
ing those dope cigarettes of Tuscaroras and
stop associating with that youth. l don'r
know where you will land
don't smoke cigarettes and don't as
s9ciate win Iuscarora, ayther nor am L
dhramiH, and the Frinchman wuz the best
man reJoined the representative from
Erin Bad cess to YOU" he added
Ladies in the Departments.
This little episode caused no rift in the
lutte OF harmony, however. and soon atten-
tion was riveted upon a gentleman who for
many long years has been a clerk in one OF
the executive departments His topic was
the ladies in government employ, and nat
uraliy interested all present. After induIg-
ing in pinch Of rare old rappee snuff, he
prefaced his remarks by saying:
suppose most OF you know, DESPITE tho
1act that L am a hardened old bachelor. I
was ever great admirer Of female beauty
know a pretty woman when l see her
ana IN my youthful days l was Considered
connoisseur Of female beauty Yes I was
quite critic In that direction, and I will
De egotistic enough to say that I had the
reputation Of being quite a gallant indi-
self N" AS
ITS reputation you have long sur
Fiyed,' broke in the storekeeper
GRANTED. said the old clerk, 'but I am
talking about beauty In the departments
and just wish to say that when it comes
down to absolute loneliness. the perfection
or grace and elegance as some people who
nave never seen female department clerk
In their lives seem to imagine dwell in
every bureau Of the government, the per
centage Is fractionally low. There are a
rev beautiful women working for THAR