Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-06-25
QUICK LUNCH RECORDS

The manager of the quick-lunch palace
shuddered, although the day was hot. and
bestowed a gaze of mingled wonder and re-
preach upon the broad back of the man
who had just picked up number of dishes
of food from the counter and was weaving
his way through the crowd with them skill
fully balanced In his two hands like a
vaudeville juggler picking his way across a
stage filled with tossed-up paraphernalia-
Say hoarsely inquired the manager.
Cd je see what that man took with him to
eat?"
The man to whom the question was ad-
dressed had not noticed.
"A bowl of milk. dish of sliced cucum-
bers. two devilled crabs. and a piece OF
rhubarb pie" groaned the manager feeling
tentatively Of the fourth button OF his
Waistcoat.
Just try and figure that out" he went
on. How would you like to try com
bination like that-milk, cucumbers crabs.
and pie2 When that man first came IN
here-it was during the first bad hot spell
of the season-and selected that assortment
of dainties 1 passed him my Montmorency
smile.
"'Bet2 said l.
HE looked me over without blink.
HeyY sail he.
that you could beat him over the links by
2 up and to play. and you didn't make
goCdY
He rested his crabs and cucumbers and
his bowl of milk and his pie on the counter
and looked me over.
"'Say. what's the matter?' he finally ask
ed me. with mystified look.
Then 1 told him how weird that COM
bination of his looked.
".Oh. that's it, IS it?' said he, smiling.
Don't you let little thing like that bother
you. Y'ought to've seen my grandfather
He used to smoke clay pipe and eat but
.r{p
same time, and whistle "Old zap coon
without missing a note, and ne waikeu
over to his seat and began his dainty
luncheon.
II kept an eye on him. nevertheless: ana
looked I'D the telephone number OF the
nearest ambulance hospital. But he just
went right ahead as he's doing now;
while I was still studying him. couio
not keep nv eyes off of him-he walked up
to the counter and selected piece OF colo
mince pie and tall glass OF iced tea 10
top off with. .,,
and that's about his regular MONDAY ration.
He's got to be one of my show pieces. lie
Figure A in the exhibition.
"But there are others. See that little man
over wonder with the white Siders and the
pink cheeks-the one off there In the cor
ner? What do you suppose his regular VIII
ter and summer high-noon rejection Is. ana
has been for years past? A plate OF preao
and butter, two large dill pickles ana a
cup Of cocoa" Every week day of the year
that old boy with the white things at the
sides of his countenance commits that KIND
of an assault and battery on his diaphragm.
and say. just look at him-cheeks pink ana
healthy, eyes as clear as filtered well water
and more hair on the top Of his head than
I've got. although he's sixty. If he's day.
He told me the other day that he hadn't
had a sick minute in sixteen years. That.
by the way. Is how 1t is with most of the
cormorants. The tougher the kind OF con-
generations they habitualy get away
with, the healthier they look. But they're
probably born that way. And as matter
of fact. the majority of the men who come
in here for lunch seem to just try to loop
the loop with their digestive apparatuses."