Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-12-10

bunch of Brookand citizens were
standing about the big stove in the town
hall the other night waiting for the pres-
dent of the citizens association to put in
his appearance and call the meeting to
order. Outside there pitiless storm
OF sleet and rain which played a tattoo on
the window paneS The large lamps with
their red and yellow shades shed a flood
of mellow light on the scene.
Some of the Older members became rem
iniSccnt and one of them glanced at the big
regulator clock to note is the time Tor the
meeting had arrived. The town hall clock
had run down. and while the correct tune
was 40 o'clock, the hands OF the CLOCK
hid stopped at 40 o'clock the preceding
morning This episode reminded the Judge
of an occurrence many years before IN the
mountains of West Virginia, and he pro-
ceeded to relate it,
'.There was a young fellow in our town..
he began. who was In the habit OF going
on periodical SpreeS which lasted from one
to three weeks. One day he staggered INTO
his boarding house and in a most uncertain
manner tumbled into his bed. AZ many
occurred to his Kaleidoscope lnteiiect that
he would like to know the time OF day, so
he raped violently on the table beside the
he'd The landlady, a venerable woman who
had been reared in the mountains. respond
ed to the rapping. and peering IN the door
asked the young man what ne wanted
.''Why.' Inc said thickly. 'p-pl-please t-teli
me the time of day.? -...
Certainly responded the good-natured
old lady 1T is just o'clock.
door when the young man, his head a-Whiri
from too much mountain dew, ran ms
fingers nervousy through his dlsheVeieo
hair and Stdmmered:
.W-well. madam p-pl-please be kind
enough to t-tell me whether it Is O'Clock
in the morning or o'clock at nlsnei
The Brookland citizens laughed, wnen
small man who had been Unsecured IN one
nf the shadowy corners of the hall re-
marked driy: -,
if II was O'Clock yesterday, TO-DAY or TO-
morrow.
A good story has been going the rounds
of the folding room of the government
printing Office since election day. Ihe nero
or principal of the narration Is said TO be
a laborer in the big pgntery who went to
his home in one of the so-called doubtful
states to cast his ballot for Roosevelt ana
Fairbanks. While in his home town the
laburer sought to magnify his Importance
as much as possible as an employee of Uncle
Sam OF course, he concluded, it would not
be good policy or politics to let the folks
at home know that he was only laborer
at 81 per day, so he concluded to represent
himself as something higher and better If
occasion required. His principal duty in the
printing office, by the way, is to push big
truck laden with books, paper and things
about the building.
While he was in his home town, 1t Is re-
lated, one of his friends asked him what
sort of a position he had in the government
printing office.
oh" he replied, so the story goes. Il
have good one. l am one or the trans
porting clerks"
y = * =
warm discussion has been going on in
this country as well as in Germany. as to
whether purchasers suffer from the dealers
practice of submerging asparagus in water
to prevent its whitening or hardening. Vice
Consul General Murphy at. Frankfort re-
ports to the State Department the surpris-
ing results of series of experiments con-
duceted by the German Gardeners Union
TO determine the question. He says these
experiments demonstrate conelusvely that
the practice of keeping asparagus fresh by
placing it in waited not only lessened its
value as food but also defrauded the pur-
chaser by increasing its weight.
X <
There is a popular impression that the
United States Senate is largely composed
of men who have been in that body a
Very long time if not running back a gen.
Grafton. This idea is dispelled by the facts
which show that there are but seventeen
senators who were in service prior to 1893.
There are only nine senators who have
served over twenty years. During the last
few years good many of the men who
figured in national affairs during war times
and in the ten-year period of recOnStruc-
ton after the war have dropped out of
public view from one reason or another
Senator Allison is the nestor of the Sen
ate. having begun his service in 1873. Next
in length of service comes Senator Cock
rell, with two wears less to his credit, and
third. Senator Morgan, who began his SEN
atorial work in 1877, and his present term
will not end until 1907. with his reelection
practically assured Then comes Senator
Plat of Connecticut, 1879; Hale. Hawicy
Frye and Aldrich, 1851; Cullom, 1888; Teller
and Berry. 1855; Bate, Daniel and Stewart,
1887; Gallinger, Hansbrough and Proctor,
1891; Lodge and Perkins, 1893 All the
balance came in 1895. or since that date.
About half the members of the Senate have
been sworn in during the past four years
and on the 4th of next March the pro-
portion of old senators will be still smaller
as Senators Cockrell and Hawley will both
be out Of the Senate then.
x = = K x
eff YOU want 20 charge a person with
offense against the laws of the land"
Star reporter was told. lit is necessary
TO have the proof OF guilt. Hearsay tes-
timony may count elsewhere but it will
not go IN court
The speaker cited a case in which an
application was recently made for a war
rant i'm a case involving a charge of theft.
The warrant was wanted for a domestic
who was in the house at the time the
theft committed. 1t was stated that
there was another woman in-~the room
at the time. and the complainant was asked
why she wanted the warrant for the do
mestic and not for her guest.
Because | was told that the coored girl
took the PIN was her response,
Did YOU her take it," the clerk
wanted to know.
NO. sir was her answer
who did," was the next question:
Il don't know" was her frank admis-
sion. - -.
But" said the clerk. you said some
body told you the woman took il and-s-''
And so they did interrupted the wo-