Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-12-27
LOVER OF GOSSIP

A big man who got aboard out In Mt.
Pleasant was reading his paper in the rear
seat of the open car the other morning
when an acquaintance with loose, garru-
lous-looking mouth, an indeterminate chin
and a continuous performance grin got
into the same seat at street.
Morning" said the man with the loose
mouth to the big man. "Nippy weather.
Yep said the big man. kind o."
The newcomer squirmed around in his
seat moistened his lips with his tongue,
added a crease or so to his foolish grin and
began:
''say. did your ears burn you any last
night?'
IF they did 1 didn't notice IT, replied
the big man. folding UP bis newspaper
The chinner wriggied about some more
in his seat. wet his lips again several times
and kept right on grinning idiotically.
''oh. nothing" he said finally. attempting
roasting you last night. that's ALL"
Did. ehT' said the big man, not betray-
ing any excessive amount OF interest
Handed 1t to me pretty strong. chr >,
That's right" answered the man with
into you right hot"
That's kind O. queer" said the big man
refectively. IT didn't know had any enc
for that matter"
"Oh," said the chinner. Il don't s'pose
they were actual enemies. like you say IT,
you know-only they just passed you out
few"
'Uh-huh," said the big man. What did
they have to say?"
''Oh, slathers of things" replied the
mouthy individual. 'Said that You dropped
big wad at the Benning track last meet
ing and that the ponies put you IN dept
up to your ears
HIM" commented the big man. Come
again.
"Oh. there was lot O stuff like that
they said you were SO sore over your losses
that you went on a big toot and just more
than painted up the town.
"Uh-huh" said the big man. Lets nave
another"
"Oh. can't remember 'em all. They said
that you were so stuck on yourself that
they're talking about widening the street
that you live on SOS you can push through
it without breaking other folks WINDOWS
with your elbows.
some more"
wei, one of 'em kind O. limited around
that YOU were a whole lot scientific IN
handling the pasteboards In little g games Ok
draw with your friendship stand!
Yep, 1 see That was a tidy little jolt,
too Spin another now"
"Oh, they said that you'd got to be
rum-eater right. and that you to5eo your I
cry evening"
Queer that manage to duck big heads
In the morning. then. Keep 'er a-going.
Yes, and one of em said that you could
generally be found over at Rosslyn, going
up against the brace bank games, on any
old payday night.
"Rosslyn, hey? Nice name. that, for "a
place distinguished by faro banks: I'd Ike
to look it over some time. Well!
well, I'm only telling you what they
said now. you remember. One Of the wo-
of your boys on the way to school the other
day and that the kids feet were on the
ground for the need of shoes
THAT ones sad enough to need paper
snowstOrm and a cello Obligato. Next!
''Of course 1 don't take any stock in all
this stuff. but one Of 'em-another of the
women. l guess-said that there was a
ehattel mortgage on your piano and all OF
the rest of your furniture"
alarming, if true. Anything else?"
The man with the loose mouth and the
indeterminate chin shuff1ed about some
more in his seat, and his grin began to
look somewhat drawn and strained.
''Um-well.'' he replied, ''of course Teller
can't remember all of this truck that he
hears. can he?'
Nope, he can't burt you've done pretty
well at that" said the big man, turning
about in his seat SO that he could look the
talky person square in the eye. You
haven't overlooked much. And you sat
there and let 'em knock Now, you wart. I
least two to knock. No man that doesn't
get encouragement is going along knocking
another man-he's got to have an audience
of at least one, and complaisant audience,
at that. Any man that let's out even one
little Cheep in the way of knocking a friend
of mine has got to fight and he has got to
know how to fight. But you sat there,
wherever it was-and I don't care to know
where 1t was-and you gulped it all down,
you gumboil. and now you bring 1t to me. A
dog that will carry a bone will fetch one
That'u be about all for you, and if you
ever have the gall to notice me on the
street or anywhere else again I'm going to
kick you full of buttonholes."
The man with the loose mouth touched
the button and skunk off the car when it
stopped. and the big man, looking pretty
rosy but self-contained reopened his news
paper and resumed the reading of it.