The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-09-22
ABOUTPEOPLE ANDTHINGS

On an uptown surface car IN New
York the other day a well gowned,
attractive young woman bowed cor
daily to a seedy and detected looking
individual who rose to leave the con-
veyance. The forlorn creature raised
his hat most respectfully, and the smile
that lit up his features almost trans
formed them.
Where on earth did you acquire
that acquaintance demanded the
young woman'S companion, as the dis
sipated looking object disappeared from
view.
In the oldest possible manner" was
the reply. Il was trying to find a bust
ness address enc day in some of those
misleading little thoroughfares east of
the bridge that make all kind of an
giles with one another and seem to run
toward all points of the compass at
once. AT last I appealed to a messen-
ger boy, and he glibly gave me the
information. Then up spoke this man
at my elbow-I had noticed him be-
fore-and gave me different directions
l thanked him, of course but carefully
followed the messenger boys instruc-
lions. Result, l got more hopelessly
lost than ever. Suddenly, just as was
looking about for some one of whom
again to make inquiries, up doomed
this unlovely specimen. I told yer
right he said, simply, and If yer
don't mind walking along by me I'll
take yer straight to the place. / was
born down around these parts, and
the crookedness O. the streets amt
changed much since 1 played hide and
go SEEK with the other kids bout in
EN- And as carefully as might my
most solicitous friend, he escorted me
through the mazes of moving vehicles
and the angled streets and landed me
at my destination. Since then he has
frequently doomed above my horizon,
and We never fail to greet each other
with reminiscent cordiality.''
1t was Winifred's first day in school,
She had five words to learn, and each
was spelled with three different let
ters. 1t was really very confusing.
They danced before her eyes and kept
slipping into one another's places
whenever she looked away from the
page. After an hour of earnest effort.
however, she felt sure she had mas
tered them, all but the last, of which
she was still little uncertain. In
the book, and when her stubby fore
finger was glued to the page just be-
meath this refractory syllable, the let
ters obediently assumed the order of
BED. But minute after, finger in
times seemed to be "edb,' deb" and
various other perplexing combinations.
It happened that Winifred's associates
kept their places during recitation,
and somehow the class was called and
In full blast" while the newest and
littlest girl in the school was still
struggling with the difficult word.
"Winifred," suddenly called the
teacher, .how do you spell 'bed?"
why, Miss Emily" returned the
small scholar, that's just zactly what
L wanted to know!' And she couldn't
imagine why all the little girls about
her laughed and the teacher bit her
lip and gave the word to someone else.
Charles Dudley Warmers assertion
that few people read In New York
the majority just absorb recent htera-
ture from other people and the at
mosphere-was illustrated by a small
happening in upper Fifth avenue re-
Gently. Two girls were standing be-
fore the broad window of a well known
publishing house discussing the plot
of new book which lay open before
them. '"They ought to open them at
new place sometimes. Blank & Co. al
ways do. Pm just dying to know what
comes next. Nellie told me what was
in the eighth chapter. Her chum read
it over mans shoulder on the Il the
other night. But 1 don't know what
comes in between, you see." "Why,
I'll tell you what to do. Annie belongs
to the library; make her get 1t and
tell us. Wish 1 had time to read Ii
brary books. Come on, let's hurry or
the gongll sound"
you are not. I see, of the same mind
as the New Yorker who was also under
some such small debt of gratitude to
disreputable looking specimen who
possessed the most amazing facility for
appearing at inopportune times. See
here said the obligated aristocrat at
last, I'll never forget the service you've
done me, and I'm perfectly willing to
take off my hat to you. But lines
got to be drawn somewhere, and I'm
going to draw it at Canal street. When
meet you below that Pm your friend;
above that, simply don't know you.'"