Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-03-25
HER IDOL SHATTERED

W sAo 6iodP ia ehS CdAc ailofS-afu tuSs
hadn't been talking about anything of the
sort-'1 was good deal crowded by a Bit
ter memory this afternoon in walking
along the lower part of Pennsylvania ave-
nue.. I don't often get down that way
nowadays, but every time 1 hit up that
section Of the strand can feel my whole
frame suffusing into the heated bushes
of humiliation. I'll tell you why.
Il began to hustle for the price of my
clothes in this town before I was twelve
years old. Had the usual experience Of
kids who go UP against the job-hunting
game at that period of their years-got
fired from, or disconnected with, job one
day and had another the next, and kept
pretty much on the move all the time, so
that inside Of half a year I'd worked in
quite a number of different sections OF
Washington. When I'd find myself out of
a job I'd hang around to get the first pa
pers off the presses. SOS to nail the boy
wanted ads, and then I'd sprint with the
rest of the shavers for the plants of the
advertising employers. 1t was a busy, busy
life, that, but it was part of the game.
and so l managed to grab out a couple of
dollars week with pretty fair regularity.
when I was about twelve and half
years old / was vet in the job-hunting
line, and at that time I got hold of pref
ty good job-office boy for a firm of F
street patent attorneys, at tWo-hfty per
week. All had to do was to sit outside
in the hall and take in cards to the mem
bers of the firm and run errands over to
the patent office-nice, clean work, with
no clothes-dirtying. and lots of heavy sit
ting around. l liked that job a lot, and l
decided to make real effort to cling to 1t.
"At this stage of my years l was nope
leSsly in the tolls OF a young woman, aged
eleven, who lived across the way from my
peoples house on the HILL / sure did
have it bad. / can see that sirens two
little blonde pigtails and her nice little
plump plaid stockings and her cute, tip
tilted, freckled nose right now. used TO
lie awake o nights and figure on the Jew
els and precious stones I'd be buying little
Agge one of these old days. l had never
made much of hit with Aggie
while | was going to school, but
when 1 knocked off going to school and
went to work she dropped her contemptu-
Gus attitude and she became mine ana
was hern--like the sex, isn't t?-because
was working, don't you see?
well when / got this swell tWo-hfty-per
lob in the patent attorneys office L did
heap of Dragging about it to little Aggle
every time l met her. L used TO Always
manage to meet her when l was togged out
in my swagger Sc suit with long pants
and with my 81 .4S derby tipped back from
the front SOS to show my front hair neatly
plastered down, and l put on heap or oog
over the fact that was an office man ana
no mere dub of a person employed IN
trade-carrying bundles and mopping UP
the aisles. When l got that Job Aggle
wouldn't bother her head looking at the
kids who were going to school, ana sne
passed them up with extreme haughtlnesS
when they volunteered to carry her stack
of books home from school. She conducted
herself like an engaged young woman, all
right, did Aggie, and l felt that II was
cinch that she'd walk up to the altar with
me Just as soon as 1 got taken into the
patent firm.
Then, Just when my hopes were highest,
I went up against a day of disaster. In
going over to the patent office with an arm
full of documents and drawings l stopped to
look at dog fight or something and lost
the drawings and documents. When got
back to the Office and told 'em lost my
lob in q hurry. They wouldn't listen 10
any old explanation, but sent me right away
I wouldn't have minded this so much If 1t
hadn't been for Aggie. just couldn fetcn
myself to the point of telling Aggle OF tnal
Jolt I decided not to tell her, but to hustle
around for another job, and trusting to her
not getting next to the fact that Ia peen
bounced from the patent attorneys once.
But 1 didn't have much luck IN gettlng
another Job. l was out of work for all OF
four days, and by that time l was getting
worried I pretended to Aggie that l was
still working for the patent people anu
carried myself before her with my custom-
ary sangfroid but when I began to go shy
in handing those candy hearts with love
notices on them over to Aggie l guilty.
suspected that she was liable to get on TO
me- So l was in a mighty desperate frame
of mind when l answered the nrst boy
wanted adj that had appeared since I'd
been fired.
II got the job. 1t was in the dog-goned-
est msasliest little gents furnishing store
on PENNSYLVANIA avenue between Az ana
9Th streets that you ever saw. It's long
since disappeared, so 1t doesn't make any
difference if I name the exact location Inc
stock in that store must have been worth
fully eight dollars. l was hired as general
striker around the plant-sweep-up, box
opener. and all that sort of thing-remuner-
alton 81 80 per calendar week.
II hated to take the JOB, put the necessity
of coming to the front with noticed candy
hearts and other lollipops for Aggfe forced
me to take it. l hoped and prayed that
she'd never find out that was working III
such a low place. and every time was sent
ont anywhere I'd look up and down the
street first. SOS to be sure that she wasn't
.:Well. I'VE been a long time getting
around to the miserable experience started
to tell you about, but here II is:
about five days after l took that mean.
soualid Job, and it was on a Saturday, the
boss ordered me to yank out the step-ldo-
der and the bucket of water, ana 10 WASH
the windows on the outside had nor
rihle premonition in my soul that I'd be
discovered by Aggie somehow or another II
I performed this stunt right there on Penn-
sylyania avenue, but had to do 1t, all the
same. ,,
ing away at those dinky, grimy windows
with an old rag, and then wiping on the
wet with a fistful of old newspapers, when
the maidkin of my heart, little Aggie, all
arrayed in her best, came along with an
other Young woman of her own age. Ihey
We're on their way to the matinee at the
Old Dime Meseum-membert the Old Dime,
that stood where the post office now STANDS!
"Aeeie came upon me so suddenly that !
had no time to bolt for it. and there stood
on the stepladder, grinning greasiiy at her.
and my soul PROSTATE, wondering what
she'd do. .,, =,
well she just stopped with the other girl
and gazed at me with vituperation ana
scorn for a whole minute without ever noo-
ding at me- then gave her head TOSS ana
nassed on up the avenue. I've been stepped
on and man-handled quite NUMBER OF
times since then in trying to make my way
through the game of life,- but III be eter-
nally gee-whillikined If I've ever been maze
tn feel so dirt cheap l was made to feel
on that occasion
And there was nothing doing so TAR as
snuaring it with Aggie was concerned; she
wouldn't even look at me. 1t was all on
7 tried to tell her that evening that was
through with that job and never meant 10
90 back to it, but her idol had peen sIat-
tered and she CURED up on me like cater