Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-07-16

Iuly Is not n busy month with the clerical
force of any of the government departments.
but especially is this true of some OF the
judiciary divisions. 1t Is the beginning OF
a new fiscal year and matters are prac-
tically stagnant because of that and the alb
sence of the higher officials from the city.
Stagnation is particularly noticeable in
the office of the assistant attorney general
for the Post Office Department, where the
wrongdoer who uses the malls for his
schemes to defraud the guileless citizen Is
brought to account for his nefarious acts.
But there are resident workers of the de-
partment that do not pause simply because
the month is July and the sun is doing his
best to melt the asphalt on the avenue be-
low. Among them is an industrious spider
which, If to east reflection upon the lack
of energy in his human associates, mas
bulded himself web from the desk of Mr.
Lawrence to the pile of Revised Statutes
of the United States which are wont to
strike terror to the souls of the referred-to
wrOngdoers during the rush season OF fraud
orders.
The web is thick and strong, and unless
something exciting in the nature of COM
plants from abused citizens comes along
pretty soon it will not be possible to get at
the books when they are wanted. save with
the assistance of the corps of messengers
who are now at their ease in the corridors
and byways of the building. At present
there seems to be no inclination on the part
of the force to remove the web and the
industrious spider has a home all undis-
turbed under the cooling zephyrs of an
electric fan, where he lies in wait for the
unwary fly and the happy hearted mosquito.
x x X
It's singular what confidence fishermen
have in reports telling of good fishing"
remarked an angler to a Star reporter "A
few days ago" he stated, "a paragraph
that bass We're being caught off the wall
near the Long bridge. and the next morn
ing bright and early a score or more of
anglers were on hand to try their luck
The number increased from time to time
but no fish appeared above the surface of
the water. One man in the party admitted
he had gone to trouble and expense in or
der 10 get his line in the water and all be-
cause OF the short para graph in The Star.
One OF the men in the party said he
thought it was we'll to believe nothing you
hear, and was in a mood to blame The
Star for his bad luck when a sporty little
CHAP spoke up: Don't you believe anything
you hear| He said he thought not; GER
tainly not after the fishing trip.
He was forced to admit however that
he did believe IL had rained and discolored
the water between the time the paragraph
was printed and the time he cast his line
in the water, and concluded that the fault
had better sense than to make the attempt
after so hard a rain and added that his
confidence in the publication had not been
shaken after all
Several days ago aged woman, fran
and totterng. stood on the corner of 9th
street and Pennsylvania avenue, waiting
for car. The business OF the day was at
Its height. and wagons and pedestrians
were going by in streams. The street cars
going and coming were also crowded and
people were rushing about in a great hurry
to get seats.
Pretty soon the old lady left the sidewalk
and with great difficulty made her way out
to the center of the crossing. where the
policeman was standing
Would you please tell me which car goes
to Anacostia?'' she said In a quavering
voice.
The officer of the law turned around, and
when he saw who 1t was answered:
1T stops there-you can read the sign on
the 'front.'
The woman looked puzzled for a moment.
Then she slowly made her way to the curb
stone again. almost being run over by
nail wagon in doing 80. But she had not
been there a half minute when a big.
jolly-looking fellow, the driver of an ex-
press wagon that had stopped few yards
OFF. stepped up to her.
where do you want to go. madame?'
he asked kindly.
"AnacoStia.
We'll here's your car"
And the big fellow picked up the fraiI
little woman in his arms. carried her over
TO the car and put her in seat Then
stepping back to the conductor on the plat
form, he handed him a ticket and re-
marked:
Put her off at the place she tells you"
BOSS. | want two little flags with big