Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-10-13

The bald little stared very HARD
at me, but 1 kept straight face.
Why" he said. after quite a pause, and
there was certain hoarseness in his voice,
Il didn't know that you-Gh-er-. BY the
way, were you born in New York;
NOT replied. IL born board a
Chinese junk, cruising off the Straits OF
Sunda.'
The bald little man got up from his chair
and shook me warmly by the hand.
Il felt sure you weren't born in New
York" he painted fervidly. Il was positive
that l knew all of the famous liars in this
town, and"
And then he bolted into the night, and I
was once more left in the enjoyment OF my
apartment, if anybody ever does enjoy a
New York apartment.
My next campaign vsitor-about four
evenings later-was Teutonc apparition
with huge mop of straight-up hair, alice
same the late Herr Most, jowl whiskcrs
like spikes, "A vast. tallowy mustache that
gave out certain maltous suggestions with
each eXhalation of its possessor. immense
pale whitley eyes screened by IRON
bound spectacles, and shabbiness, dinSi-
ness. featheriness of apparel that was all
but saddering.
Socialist Candidate on the Job.
When 1 opened the door and saw this
one standing in the pale light of the hall
it looked to ME like the quick touch for the
price of a pint. But when he opened UP
gutterally with Il am a socialists, nod" L
figured for second that he probably had
a bomb filled with nails under his coat.
and l started to hurriedly close the door.
''Way-id! Blease way-idi" he mplored
with hurt look, when he saw that | was
going to do that. Il hat you gone TO see
on boliteeks-zocialist boliteeks. l am
alderman candidate, yes, in this district.
helm? Vocalist candidate for alderman. it
is. / gone to see you abouid dot
OF course / invited that one in, too, for
man who will play favorites in extending
his Invitations to political callers Is a
squeak and curmudgeon.
You hat effer studied some socialism.
yes?' he asked me when he had sat down
in the dining room.
1 told him that I played a pretty nifty
game of pinochle and wasn't so bad at
tiddledewinks, either, but that
But hat you neffer geef yourself to the
study oof the great crimes vich humanity
it suffers, yes?" he asked, rising and spread
ing out his arms, and completely ignoring
my levity. HAT you neffer-vas is daS?"
He had his head cooked to one side and
was listening intently. Somebody in the
front room Of the fat was picking out.
with some difficulty, the Pilgrims Chorus
from "Tannhauser'' on the piano.
'Das is not played vot you call correct"
said my visitor. after moment of LISTEN
ing. Wait, show you vich way 1t should
be blay." 1 led the way into the front
room. and the person playing at the piano
willingly gave up the stool to the Teutonio
apparition.
Perhaps that bush-headed little German
man with the immense whitey-green eyes
and the spikey beard couldn't play the
piano, He not only played the Pilgrims
Chorus from "Tannhauser' like some-
body inspired, but he played the entire
opera of "Tannhauser," and then he gave
his own improvisations on the leading mo-
tives of "'Segfried and Tristan and
Isolde and The Flying Dutchman." and
then he waded into Hungarian rhapsody
and somebody's moonlight sonata. and he
was fed on all the bottled beer he could
possibly dispose of for more than two
hours and all in all it was one of the finest
evenings of music I'd ever had in New
York.
And he was the candidate of the social
list party for alderman the socialist
ticket, Not another word did he say
about socialism after he became inter-
ested in the music. He simply forgot all
about socialism and aldermanic ambition
ard the whole ''boliteeks thing when the
soft, clinging tertacles of the music he
loved wra pped themselves around his being.
The janitor told me that he was a piano
instructor living somewhere in the dis
trict.
The prohibition campaign visitor called at
an inopportune moment a few evenings
later. Somebody's birthday was being OBJ
served by a little dinner in the apart
ment that evening and humber of per-
sons were seated around the table. AZ