Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-02-04
BRUTE OF A MAN

II suppose the women folks would call
this male person that I'm going TO tell
about the meanest. commonest, oneryest
man In Washington" said the man with
| the square chin. What the men folks may
think of him'll perhaps be some different.
but they won't express their views. any
"The man, being on Uncle Sans wage
list In the 81. 4OO-a-year class. isn't exactly
able to perceive where he and his wife
break into the pink tea bunch. That is to
say. he hasn't social aspirations to cause
him to- stop paying his grocery bills or to
induce him to lie awake o. nights wonder
ing how he's going to beg or bride some
pin headed legation attache to lend him
distinction by honoring his roof, or to in
progressive euchre party at sassiety
boarding house. where all Of the ladies who
assist tog themselves out in their one
cream-hue China silk waist and throw the
high handshake
He doesn't see where this kind of a lay
Is at all necessary to his happiness or
peace of mind But his wife during the past
six months-or since my friend the onery
man. got his pay raised from 81 300 to
81. 40O-has been fizgigging around on the
outskirts of the pink tea gang, trying to
wriggle ih through the medium of samovar
tea served in 81 48 set of Dresden.
THE afternoon, couple of months ago,
when she managed to rope in the wife of
Way-back congressman TO hit up one of
these afternoon layouts of hers, marked
such an epoch in her career that she had
to announce right Off the special day when
she'd be at home.
Now, my pal, the mean man. puts in a
pretty fair days work for his government
wages, and when he gets home from work
he likes to sit down to a proper meal of
victuals. with his family around the board,
and the cat washing herself before the
basement latrobe.
When his wife got her afternoon at
home thing into commission, however, he
got his instructions to sneak into his home
by the basement route and to keep HIM
self slowed there until such a time his
wife. upstairs in her reception room
they pay $3.50 month rent-got through
talking about brushes and the higher and
nobler. and other little things like that
with the outfit of society queens who drove
up on these afternoons in f1fty-cents-an
hour barouches that looked like they were
suffering from boil weevil or tuberculosis
the barouches, l mean.
1t was up to my chum. the mean man,
to sit down there in the basement. MUNICH
ing on his nails and tightening up his belt
and longing for grub, until the last of the
at-homers had let up on the samovar tea
and gone home to dig up the cold pork
chop In the icebox wherewith to make
dinner-for the at-homers never sit down
to a square. hot meal ysee.
well, Jim--that's my pal, the mean man
stood for this end of 1t till last week,
ana then SedltlOn and DlOOQ-TeQ revolt
took possession of him.
He couldn't figure it out where he cut
in that proposition, with the taikfest
going on upstairs about the good, the true
and the beautiful on his Wife's afternoons
at home, while he hungry to the soul of
him, had to hang around the basement,
reading the Star down to the lost and found
ads, until about 80 O'Clock, when his wife
'ud release the s9-a-month maid from up
stairs duty and let her take off her maids
cap and slope below to prepare something
to eat. AS / say, this is what got Jim
a-going. He made UP his mind he was
going to be 1t; and he made 1t stick; and
that's the reason that he's the meanest
man in Washington, maybe.
Jim got home on tines o'clock-on
Wednesday afternoon last-his wifes at
home day. He had some bundles under his
arm. In one of the brown paper packages
was big tenderioin steak In another
were about dozen or so nice. big. juicy
Bermuda onions
as he got in by the basement route took Off
his coat set the coffee pot on the stove,
and started in to get his own dinner.
within about a quarter of an hour he
had about as nice a looking mesSso he
tells me-of beeksteak and onions under
way as he ever saw. He didn't open the
rear kitchen door. either, to let the onion
smell sneak out that way. Jim was on
the level. He wasn't trying to put up any
bluffs and he wanted the savory smell of
those frying onions to make itself at home
throughout the house, upstairs and down.
stairs.
Then he set the dining room table, not
neglecting to fix places for his two little
boys, who were kept upstairs huddled out
of sight on these at home days.
when the meal was smoking on the
table jim with his hair tousled and his
face steaming, made the best of his way up
the basement stairs through the powerful
and appalling aroma Of fried onions. and,
standing at the foot of the stairs lead
J,,c To
boys:
Hey there. Dick, and you, Bub. come
on down to your dinner!'
"Then he went to the door of the recep-
ton room and did a fine bit of acting-pre-
tending that he felt all kinds of dismay
and embarra ssment over showing up that
way. He says that the glare he got from
his wife came near willing him; but Jims
no gutter and he stayed with the game
my dear he said to his wife, I'm just
about due to make hit with you all right
I've cooked up big batch OF beefsteak
and onions, that you're so fond OF, and
what you'll do to it'll be plenty But
you busy, 1 see. Well III put yours
in place in the oven.
"Then he called the kids again from the
bottom Of the stairs, and went down to
the basement with them. the smell OF the
onions coming through the open hatch of
the galley. as it were, getting in its pene-
trative work
1.-THE at-homers, of course, with their
mouths pursed up in that Im-giving-you-
-merry-hoot way that they are on to.
arose and took their departure right away,
graciously remarking that they couldn't
think of interfering with domestic arrange
ments and all that.
Jim stood his ground when his wife got
below with blood in her eye, and he made
good his declaration that henceforth he
was going to have whirl~at being 1t.
Coarse mean sort of brute, Jim, isn't
he?"