Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-03-03
'Jo3S0N GOES SKATING

81 went to the roller skating rink this
afternoon with Mrs. Kaystreet and her
daughters observed Mrs. Jobson. esspert-
mentally. after dinner one evening q couple
OF weeks ago.
..oh. you did, hey.. said Mr.. Jebson.
looking up from his Star-paper. Fine WORK
for woman that's been married about a
hundred and fourteen years, like you have.
or as 1t seems to me you have, anyhow.
What Is the sign-second childhood? You
didn't happen to,ve gone over to the va
cant lot and made few mud-pies this aft
ernoon. did your
But there were lot of married folks
older than we are there" said Mrs. Johson.
gently. after a pause. Lots OF them skat
ing. too. Mrs Kaystreet is a good deaf
older than l am--she was two grades ahead
of me in the old Force School. and that 5
how I remember. Well. she had them on
this afternoon. and she skated just as well
as her daughters"
"oh. she did, did she?" snapped Mr.. job
son. We'll. there's a hunted look In Kay
streets face most of the time, II you've
noticed it. She'll be keeping Kaystreet home
making dolls clothes presently. That rink
must look like an outing for members oil
the old ladies' home. It's wonder you
couldn't dig up something better to do than
to fool around a place designed for the
helplessly young"
'sOh, only went with Mrs Kaystreet and
her girls because they wanted me" replied
Mrs. Jotson. "And-and--weli, you know l
used to be great roller skater at the Kinks
they had In Washington years ago. before
we met"
Did. hey?" said Mr. Jobson. acridly. so
I've heard. 1t seems to me. before"
And don't you remember that you told
me, years ago, that you yourself used to
be fancy skater around the roller Kinks
that were going in Washington before we
metz" said Mrs Jobson. IT'S queer We never
happened to come across each other at those
old-time Kinks. Were you really q gooo
roller skaterT'
Madam" grouched Mr.. Jobson, sepul-
chrally, Il used to play pretty good game
Of duck-on-the-rock when / was at the
duck-on-the-rock age. but that isn't any
reason why I'm going out today ana make
an exhibition of myself playing dnck-on-the-
rock. I could play whopping game OF
shiny when I was at the Skinny stage OF
IL went out in front of the house now and
played shiny? You've got about a. much
perception as to the proprieties as chip
munk, that's what is ailing you. wouion
be In the least surprised to hear that you
put on q pair of roller skates yourself and
went clomping around like an ice wagon.
Well you needn't be surprised at ALL :
replied Mrs. Jobson, spunkily. because !
found that could skate just az well as
could when l was a girl. Hadn't forgotten
a bit about 1t. All came back to me as soon
az got on the floor. And enjoyed 1t Inn
mensely. and had a perfectly grand time.
Mr. Jobson gazed at the wife Of his
bosom over the top OF his paper with I'M
utterable depreciation.
We'll, ia like to have seen you. that's
ALL" he said, sardonically. I'D like to've
had fash at you sailing around like a
cookstove trying to climb tree. You mus
have been sight
II wish you'd accompany me to the rink. .
put in Mrs. Jobson. venturesomely. II real
~ believe you'd enjoy 1t. There were lots
OF men a great deal older than you skat-
ins this afternoon. 1t would .be fine exer-
else for you. And then, you say you used
to be such good skater"
'Itud be Just as well IL you'd cut out
saying that I said that l used to do this
end that, madam" said Mr.. Jobson. II
said that l used to be idiot enough to go
ploughing around on a pair of roller skates,
and said that knew how to do 1t as well
as anybody In the game, and what 1 said
goes as 1t lays. But I'm none of the fifty
seven varieties of pin-head that I used to
be. you'll be good enough to remember. ana
that's why don't purpose to be wheedled
into making a monkey Of myself at this
stage Of my life for the sake Of affordfng you
and your brainless friends amusement. IL
you want to go whangtng around looking
like a somebody trying to ttfvate herself
to do 1t, but any time you find me laying
myself open to the knock that I'm trying
to make folks believe that I'm back at the
Reggy-off- e-boat stage want you
to send me q picture postal announcing the
fact, that's all"
Then the front door bell rang and a CALI
er came In, providentially for Mrs. Jobson,
for it opportunity prevented Mr.. Jobson
from interdicting any further visits on her
part to the roller skating rink
Mrs. Jobson went to the rink with the
kaystreets again on the following after
noon, and. while sailing around on the
rot1 y1rfaR ha nt.eyft nut ahay,,.
She wanted to get Mr.. Jobson TO the
roller skating rink, but she well know that
there wasn't chance In a million of her
being able to entice him to the rink by ordi-
nary methods.
So after dinner. on the day of her second
visit to the rink. she said to Mr.. Jobson:
THAT Mr.. kaystreet is a jealous sort of
man. think. He was at the rink with his
wife and daughters this afternoon-I went,
too. Mr.. Kaystreet put on a pair of skates
and got along fine, only once he slipped and
went down. Well. when he got up and re-
turned to where We wereHresting l told him
of what fine roller skater you used 10 be.
The jealous creature Just laughed aloud,
and he said that he remembered you at the
skating Kinks here in Washington years ago.
He said that you used to fall down every
ten yards, and that the sound of the bumps
that you gave yourself sounded like a bass
drum solo. He may have been only fooling,
but it's queer to hear man say things like
that, when he knews they aren't SO, isn't
it?"
Mr.. Jobsons eyes snapped
80 that confounded bonehead said that
about me, did hep he barked. We'll, of all
the skillet-lidded preyaricators-said that
was falling down and giving myself bumps
all the time, did he2 Well, If I couldn't
have skated double rings around that mushy
individual I'd have jumped into the Potomac
river twenty years ago. So Kaystreet's
skating himself. and four-f1ushing around
telling people that never did know how to
skate hey? Well I'll
Mr.. Jobson ddu't say what he'd do. But
q sudden light of determination appeared in
his eyes. and Mrs. Jobson, from long expe-
rIence knew that she'd won out
Mr.. Jobson drilled around to the rink at 10
o'clock on the following morning when
there were few skaters on the floor, and put
a pair of roller skates on. After a couple
of turns around with one of the instructors
the knack came back to him with a rush
He found that he was still bully skater
as he really had been in the old days
Moreover. he found that it was just as
much sport as it had ever been. After bust
ness that day he went and purchased an ex-
pensive pair of skates for himself and an
other fine pair for Mrs. Jobson. He set
them down on the sitting room table with a
defiant bang when he reached home He
didn't let on to Mrs. Jobson that he had
visited the rink that forenoon-she doesn't
know that part of 1t yet-but he stood and
waited for Mrs. JObson's question which