Evening star., 1906-09-09
AROUND THE CITY

Two young Chinese men in American
clothes and spectacles stood before a case
in the National Museum. That the ex-
hibit on it's lower shelf had caught their
interest was evident by a sudden but ex-
pressed excitement Of speech and an ex-
pressive futtering of their fingers. Even
after they had passed from the case they
returned to enter in notebooks the in
formation printed on an accompanying
card.
Curiosity Is contagious. AS soon as the
young Chinese men had gone another per-
son who had been dividing her attention be-
tween them and the fish pond went over to
the case. At first sight the exhibit looked
like cistern pump of ancient iron, lying
by another piece of the same old metal
that might be a sort Of lever three feet
long. Its dramatic interest for the Chinese
lay In the card. on which was printed:
Lock and key to the city gate of Picking.
known as the front gate. directly opposite
the emperor's palace. This gate was taken
by the United States marines, August IA.
1900. In the spring of 1900 the perlous sit
uation of the members Of the American le
cation at Peking. and their complete isola--
ton in the midst of a murderous populace,
demanded prompt action for their relief.
The commandant, Division of the Philip
pines. was instructed by cable June 6, 1900,
to send at once a regiment CT infantry to
Taku, and Major Gen. Adna R. Chaffee,
U. 8. ", was selected to command"
please move a little. SOS we can seer
The person who had been reading the
card made way for a heavy-shouldered dou-
ble-chinned young woman in all white in
cluding a rather crumpled embroidered hat,
and white ties that bulged over the soles
like raised dough. She clung to an under
sized man, who was plainly her bridegroom.
When they saw what there was to see the
young woman said. with an artless disre-
gard of the fact that the other person be-
side her might have ears:
"Lordy, Jim, thought 1t must be some
thing worth looking at the way that
woman was staring! Come along"
To them the lock and key of the city gate
OF Peking was only SO much rusty, time
gnawed iron. So they turned to metal
more attractive.
And when the case was clear the Chinese
men returned.
Two small boys, one trifie larger and
better dressed than the other, met in COM
bat on an F street corner. In something
less than a flash the smaller boy was on the
bricks with the victor pounding him with
roller skate. AS the usual crowd began
to close in the boy on top lifted his skate
| for a blow that would mean down and out
| for the other, when scrap of a newsboy
| whirled into the storm-center and gave a
| turn to the situation. His dirty little fist
| landed on the owner Of the skate, and for
| the next few seconds the crowd enjoyed a
| three-cornered scrap, in which each fighter
was mauled.. When hostilities had ceased
| and the crowd had gone its way one very
dainty young woman, who had been at the
ringsfde, said to plain woman in a plain
frock, whom she met in front of shop
| window:
'If that dear little newsboy hadn't come
tn the 7 bau MI fv,v
| self. A boys fist fight is all right, but
when 1t comes to using skates OF
course, would have stopped that boy"
deed w WAS ws Sefy sn oan,y youns in
and knotted silver neck chain, and the
| hands In her long black gloves were very,
very small
But she meant what she said,
Two women met at the umbrella stand In
the Library Of Congress. One was going up
to the reading room but the other, a spry
matron in blue linen, was on her way out
with a notebook under her arm
i've been reading up for my club paper"
she explained, she handed the man a
tag. But you can't guess my subject"
Early history of Jamestown" answered
the other woman promptly.
We'll. that is funny! Because I came I'D
expressly to study Pocahontas, but I hap
pened to pick up an old book somebody had
left on a desk, and, by the merest accident,
I've got the newest idea you ever heard
of. Don't tell anybody, because 1 wouldn't
have 1t get out for the wide world, but
you know what time we had with ice this
summer? Well, 1t won't happen again. be-
cause the title of my address is to be,
Save Your Snow"
Save your"
"Snow. Isn't it grand? You don't know,
| dear, neither did l until 1 heard it in the
| book but-you don't mind my looking over
my notes, do you? l won't keep you min
i ute.
~ Tho art of nrasar,,;,r enorx a,,.;-,. ~ =.
summer in warm countries was known in
the earliest ages. The practice Is men,
toned by Solomon, Proverbs, Chap. XIV,
verse 13' (hunt UP verse). When Alex
| Great beseigeG-can't make out name Of
| city, but it doesn't matter, anyhow-'he
| caused thirty trenches to be dug and filled
with snow mote superiority of cellars to
| trenches 'Pliny credits Nero with boiling
! water before cooling 1t in snow but the
idea was stolen from'-looks like 'Hypo-
/ critics.
"Hippocrates?" suggested the other
| woman.
| II reckon that's it-and when the Roman
| Bus'-cant make out the rest. Did you
ever hear of Roman Bus?"
| Never" said the other woman.
| well, the club wouldn't know, anyhow,
| so I'll just say that Bus preserved snow
| for three of the hottest months in years
by keeping 1t In hole covered with snow
| and'-looks like 'phosphates'-
IF 1t isn't 1t won't make the slightest
"Of course not To keep our cellars full
OF snow all summer is the thing. and I've
got directions here SO plain that any house.
keeper can do it, unless she lives In q fiat.
/ Grand idea, isn't it,
| 1T Is" admitted the other woman.
Then the spry woman got her umbrella
| and the two parted. one to go to the reading
| room and the other to stop the first per-
| son she met to tell them how to Save
| your snow
Chinese Duel.
From the Bangkok Times.
| On Sunday afternoon Chinaman Is re-
ported to have been killed In q house at