Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-10-07

some fifteen or twenty words along.
I'VE have church yard here said the
editor person.
nv stock of enthusiasm was running low
about this time, but I gave a pretty re
spectacle imitation of man throwing tit
from extreme surprise.
General Phillips is buried in the north
east corner of it." continued my visitor.
Once more l did the best 1 could, but my
effort was weak.
They have never found his body"
Historical Ammunition.
That's a pretty fair sample of a two-hour
chat with my visitor. the edtor-in-chief of
the Petersburg Snort or words to that
effect Every time l got a going down the
main line of boom conversation he'd flag
me or throw the switch or slap a torpedo
on the track And when he had fired all
his historical ammunition at me he spiked
his guns and retreated I'm willing to
swear that when he got back to his office
he didn't know he'd been on train, much
less Greater Washington Exposition Spe-
cal
LIN given to understand, however, that
the californian wasn't any exception to the
general run of Petersburgians, and my own
observation bears this out. Everybody
seems to be Just soaked in assorted historl-
cal data. They carry full cargoes all the
time and don't mind throwing a bale or so
overheard if there's anybody around to
pick it up. One merchant came near-in
my foolish estimation-proving an exception
to the rule But he spoiled everything.
When | called upon him, soon after the
special arrived in Petersburg, he was just
as glad to see me as if I'd been his long
lost uncle just back from Nome with
red flannel undershirt and eleven pounds of
nuggets He clasped me to his heart, told
me how much he liked Washington and
then asked me how long the special had to
stay in Petersburg. When 1 mentioned
that it was only few hours he nearly
wept
why" he said-and here's where 1
pccted the Greater Washington movement
to get a grand boost-"you ought to stay
here a couple of days. You're not doing
yourselves justice in quitting us soon"
Great BattIefelds.
Why" 1 asked, tingling all over in an
tcipation of the coming frank statement
of the business we could do and the mis-
sionary work we could accomplish.
"Why?" cried Mr.. Merchant loudly,
why? I'll tell you why. There are some
of the most historic battlefelds of the
civil war right around here. If you spent
a couple of days looking around I'm right
sure You could pick up some bullets and
maybe a couple of belt buckles"
7 didn't say a word. I just looked long
and hard, and drifted out of the door in a
trance. But 1 thought whole lot The
Greater Washington Special sidetracked
while busy missionaries strolled through the
historical gardens of Petersburg. pucking
bullets and belt buckles and chatting of
things that happened in the dim and dis
tant past Isn't that a picure?
Fayetteville, n. c., is another town ofthe
quaintest. Here, too, the good folks are
long on history and short on most every
thing else. l have never been to Rome, but
l suppose when l do go there some native,
instead of showing me what's going on
now. will lead me into dark corner and
tell of the days when husky gladIators
went twenty rounds at O'ReiIly's on the
Appian way, and Caesar and the vestals
smoked cigarettes and watched the fun
Waiting for a Train
l was in Fayetteville twenty minutes be-
fore l was greeted by any other citizen
than curly horned that | pas ed OF
the platform of the railroad station I'm
not sure. but think she was waiting for
train. Or maybe she was the station
agent. Anyhow, it doesn't matter. But
when did finally meet an animate object
in human guise l heard all about Fayette-
VILE inside the first half hour. and before
l had a chance to air a Greater Washington
adjective.
Fifty years ago. it seems. Fayetteville
was Il civic hummer Wagons and mules
and horses and oxen, and every other kind
of transportation agent Hoped up and
down the main street, loading freight and
unloading freight and making a scandalous
fuss generally. Everybody was busy and
everybody was prosperous. Money poured
into the town and mighty little got away
again. All the houses were painted side
bar buggies were common household pets
and some of the very rich residents had
parlor ornaments that came all the way
from Paterson n. ]. Fayetteville was the
commercial. social and art center of North
Carolina.
But now? Well, the change is noticeable.
Amelia the darling of the house, plays
with her dolls in the main street from
dawn to dark and loving mother knows
she's safe. In the back yard a clothes
prop might fall and give her a knock on
the head. but in the middle of the main
street she's as safe as in her little bed. If
a clay-stoCkinged horse wanders by, Anne
liza knows its first name If a cow. Amelia
rubs its velvet nose and rings the bell