The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-11-01
AS WE PASS ALONG.
The whirligig Of time. it seems, brings in
other strange things besides revenges.
indianapolis is getting together a highly

other strange things besides revenges.
Indianapolis is getting together a highly
creditable collection Of parks,
Fletcher large and SMALL" remarked
Park. a citizen who has almost seen
this city grow up from a viii
lage, land that reminds me-" he continued,
"of what might be termed a 1ong-distance
joke on this city, in connection with parks.
AS every one knows, about twenty-five or
thirty years ago, a great deal of land in
and out of town was owned by the Fletcher
f~amily-the Calvin Fletcher heirs. All kinds
of outlying property then, as now, was
eagerly in the real-estate market, but
the park idea had not largely taken
hold Of the public. There were Uni
versity square, and the little old Cir
Gle Park, in the heart OF town, but
no large, outside parks at all. Woodruff
| Place had not then been laid out. if I am
correct. However, some of the far-seeing
| Fletchers offered the city, in free gift, a
large, fine tract Of land east of town for a
park. 1t was conditional only, I believe,
that the ornamental plot Of ground was to
be called Fletcher Park-surely not an I'M
reasonable stipulation on the part Of the
large Fletcher family. which had been so
4 lOuS anu Prominently #tOuutCltQ Will Xix
life-history of indianapolis.
ION the absurd ground. not publicly pro-
claimed, however, that an acceptance of the
projected Fletcher Park would enhance the
value of other Fletcher lands in the neigh
borhood of the offered park-site. the crafty
Common Council of indianapolis declined
the gift. The droll part of the story is that
the city is now purchasing part of the same
scorned and rejected Fletcher property for
modern park purposes"
Humble neighborhoods, as frequently as
more pretentious localities, contribute evil
dence to the accepted proposition that
everything, sooner or
The Kitchen later, is bound to hap
Chair Club. pen.
Off the city highway
the other day, an investigating pedestrian
noted an unusual circumstance. 1t consisted
of two plainly but neatly dressed women
with sunbonnets on, standing on kitchen
chairs on either side of a very high board
fence, engaged in a long exchange Of friend
ly talk, not to say gossip. In the two yards.
separated by the extraordinarily high board
~fence-which was tidily whitewashed on
both ~sides-stood pleasant little cottage
homes, fairly rivaling each other in external
evidences of household thrift, such as we'll
kept grass plots, neat pavements and plants
in the windows.
AS the sight was somewhat stimulating to
the curiosity, {. the Investigating pedestrian
lounged into an adjacent corner grocery,
where he bought peanuts and made a few
casual inquiries. The high board fence. it
was elected had been built by two men
who owned the adjoining lots. They had
fallen out on account of some trifing neigh
borly matter. The wives had Endorsed the
quarrel, and as neither family wanted to
move, the two men had suspended HOSTILE
ties long enough to erect the tall barrier
between their respective interests, after
which they quit speaking to each other.
The women. however. after a few weeks
enmity, had made up as the phrase goes,
and while the two husbands were absent,
they carried on prolonged conversations
over the high board fence by means of the
chairs. AS yet. the grocer said. no, one in
the neighborhood had dared to tell the
men that their wives were on good terms.
but such a catastrophe was hourly TO be
looked for. Naturally the neighborhood
was much torn up on the question and
felt impatient for the crisis.
when them two fellers finds out about
them two women talkin' over the fence"
commented the g~roccr-"wall, there'll be
more war, er, mebbe, less
AS the season grows colder, the wayfar-
ing man is frequently seen crouching over
a little fire in the woods or along the road
side, but a homeless mans
The Alley campfire built In the heart
Fireside. CT a crowded city. is some
thing 10 arouse amazement.
Early the other morning a city dweiler
noticed a blue smoke arising from his back
alley. and, always alert concerning fires,
he opened his back gate to investigate its
origin. In the center of the brick-paveC
alley was a brisk little campfire. con-
structed of rubbish gathered from neigh
horhood trash boxes. and basking in the
warmth was a heavily bearded. somewhat
tattered man, easily recognizable as be-
longing TO the clan of the wandering foot.
On being questioned. the man frankly owned
that he was on the road from nowhere 70
nowhere. and had rlade the fire because
lie was cold. Where he had slept he could
not be induced to reveal. so the man-of-the-
house read him a lecture on the visible
unkindness Of builGing fires near other peo,
! niles stables. after which he gave him q