Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-03-17

to the country. and said he had partly ar
ranged to purchase farm. At his earnest
solicitation his suburban friend accom-
panied him to the country TO look at
tract of land Built over a small stream
was the creamery about which the pros
pectiye farmer had talked, but there was
no sign of a spring
After the two men had walked over the
farm in fruitles search for spring, the
prospective purchaser was heard to utter
an exclamation of delight.
Come over here" he shouted to his
friend.
What's the matter" he was asked.
I've found spring" was his explana-
ton
do you call that spring." asked the
suburban man in Disguised tone
IF It isn't a spring. said the man from
the city. what is it,"
Nothing but a settlement of rain water
in a hole that was made by the foot OF a
cow"
And I've been tasting It, Back to the
city for me-
* X x );
A retired Washington business man, VINO
has accomplished the around-the-Woriu
stunt, is authority for the story that the
inhabitants of the Gomera Island, in the
Canary archipelago have whistle IAN
suaee The natives can whistle loudly and
shrilly and therefore can converse a long
ways off. he says.
For instance, a Gomeran hunting m lie
from his home can ask his wife what she
is going to have for dinner
The story reminded veteran reporter OF
q quaint language the boys of Washington
used more than thirty years ago. and winch
was known as pigeon English This IAN
guage was used IN a slng-song fashion. ana
the words were constructed by tranSposing
the first letter Of the correct word to It's
end and adding the sound OF ZEE Thus
p q l
spoken in pigeon English would be as foi-
lows: ''Ill-a-wee ou-a-Yee o-a-gee 1th-a-"es
e-a-mee2'
Many OF the old-timers in this city will no
doubt recall that in their boyhood expert
ence on the streets of Washington they
used the pigeon English. which was the
rule in Juvenile circles here for several
years after the close OF the civil war
"One of the cleverest and bravest little
women | know" said an old scientist in
the government service, is the wife OF a
civil engineer in the employ OF the govern
ment in the west. They both are well
known in Washington and the husband
used to be stationed here. He was good
fellow at that time. is now for that mat
ter. but like some other good men in vari-
GUS lines of work he became so much ABB
sorbed In his work that he has let 1t OBJ
scure everything else, even his home life.
He is rapidly losing even his sense Of hui
NOR. and that is pretty nearly fatal to any
man. / knew him when he would make
joke or laugh at one. He was good COM
pany and could drop his work when he
went home and take it up the next day like
rational human being.
But now It is different. He has let the
professional side of his work get the bes.
of him almost like the drink habit. He
has gotten so that he cannot think or talk
of anything else. and while he Is a good
man. one of the best In the service he
was rapidly getting TO the pass where he
was no good except in an engineering So
ciety or figuring on plans for new enter
prtses. His wife saw ii and knew that 1t
was case Of going after him or losing
him altogether so far any home life was
concerned. And what do you think she
did? She regularly studied civil engineer
Ing so that she could talk to her husband.
She said that after she once got into 1t
she found that 1t was not nearly so much
drudgery as she had expected. She reads
all that she can get bold of on the subject
and takes the engineering magazines In
stead of more popular periodicals, In fact,
II she had 10 she would make a pretty fair
engineer herself. -"
THE result IS that she can talk shop to
her husband at night and lie enjoys 1t
without knowing how il came about, and
sometimes he actually gets into heated pro-
fessiCnal arguments with her. | know
them both quite well and while It seems
a little pathetic for woman to have to
go to such leug his TO save her husband
from himself and for herself. still 1t shows
an amount of grit and knowledge Of hu-
man nature that few women EFT men either
would display
i
\ housewife on Sd street northwest has
been congratulating herself on her recent
selection of a young woman from the coun-
try to take charge OF her domclIo while
she is at her office. The country woman Is
simple and guileless Of city ways as a
small child. She came from an away
back district. where the mercy "toot' OF
the steam car is never heard and where
horseless vehicles would be one o. the nine
wonders of the world to the natives. The
housewife In question has a daughter who
is making good progress as a pupil in the
public schools. The other evening the
daughter studying her lesson In
geography at the home fireside. when she
suddenly turned from her books and ad-
dressing the country woman said:
.'Pansy, did you study geography when
you were a girl?"
NO" was the reply, pap said ne reck-
oned as how geografy would not he much
good to q gal like me-"
But. of course" persisted the daughter
"you know something about 1t For in
stance, what country do you live IMP"
II don't live In the country now" said
the woman, putting up with pride. II live
In the city at present