Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-10-20

An excited man. out of breath and I'M
patient. was rushing toward the Post-of-
flee building few days ago, when the po-
hceman who does duty around that build
ing during the day stopped him
What are you looking for?' questioned
the officer.
Keep out of my way. Don't stop me-
replied the man. hurrylng away to"aru
the large stone building.
Perhaps | can help you" suggested the
policeman. accustomed to such replies
We'll you see. my situation is like this,
began the excited individual, stopping. Il
Just dropped a letter in the letter box at
the corner of 18th and streets. and after
l dropped it in | remembered that had
put no stamp on the letter. So L am gong
to get a stamp at the office.
What are you going to do, when you get
the stamp questioned the policeman.
I'm going to drop 1t in the same letter
box" was the reply.
''You don't expect that will help matters,
do you? questioned the bluecoat. Perhaps
there will be more than one letter III the
box without a stamp, and like as not the
stamp will be put on one OF the other let
terS."
The policeman helped him out of his
dilemma by taking him around to the car
riers' window. where stamp was left, with
instructions that when a letter addressed
to Mr.. So-and-so came in the stamp was TO
be put upon 1t.
HE isn't the first one or the last one to
be In that same fix" commented the po-
liceman to friend afterward.
* x *
Several of the young soldiers of the war
with Spain who were participants in the
parade at the recent national encampment
Of the United Spanish War Veterans In
this city bore the marks of battle in va
rious forms. Some of them hobbled along on
Ion 1AoS Ma
more than one empty sleeve in the long
line of paraders. But one soldier who at
tracted general attention along the line or
march was a tall young fellow who wore
the blue and gray uniform of the veteran
association He had been terribly diShg-
ured. almost his entire face having been
shot away by an exploding shrapnel in the
China campaign. HIS friends say he was
a handsome boy when he donned his uni
form of blue and entered the American
army to fight for humanity. Now his de-
formed features give him most grue-
some appearance.
He served in the Boxer campaign as
member of the 18th United States regular
infantry and was described by his COM
rades TO be game a tiger cat. His
company was sweeping forward through
rice field in charge against the Chinese
giving the typical Yankee battle yells. The
"chinks'' were being forced TO the rear in
great disorder when suddenly a line OF
guns were disclosed in the immediate front
of the charging Americans. AS the shrap-.
mel hurtled and shrieked through the air
one of them burst Immediately over the
company in which the young veteran was
serving.
There was crash like that of thunder
from a clear sky" he said, in describing
his experience to The Star. Then came a
blare of light and vivid lightning flashes,
and / thought l could feel my head being
torn from my body. When l restored
to consciousness my. face was gone, but
lived to tell the story, thank God.
K X
Thank goodness this is the last week
OF it," said the man from the suburbs, as
he walked back and forth ait the transfer
junction and mpatently awaited Mary
land car. The man was wrathy. and as
ne placed a well-flled basket of groceries
on the ground he continued:
I've always had an idea that l would
land in that place the preachers tell us
about. but it does not give much con-
Germ now, | have had a four months
foretaste of it, and the other joint will not
be so hard to endure. Openly and above
board, l say that the man who hangs out
for the hot months at one-horse, just-out-
of-town places is fit subject for st. Eliza
beths. Pleasant, amt ii, to lug around
bushel basket of feed and wait on street
cars? l never start home but what | ex-
pect to find when l reach there that one
OF the children has been called to the
Great Henceforth by some kind of an ac-
cident Every one of them has had some
thing the matter with them since | went to
this place for health. My! N.Y. What Ideas
some people have of economy and happ:-
ness. Seventeen mules couldn't pull me out
of town next summer. II ever I'm per-
suaded TO go out of town again. I'll buy
the whole settlement and stay there per-
manently. oh. it's great. Not. The neigh
bors are so clever and thoughtful. too If
you haven't any troubles they'll amble
around and hunt up few for you. I'll
shoot the first man who says out of town
to ME next year.
81 have come to the conclusion that the
really deserving do not appeal for help
said well-known real estate agent, and
reached this conclusion by catching up with
fellow who was working a game on me
In order to get "A place TO sleep at night.
The man had called AT the office four or
five times and asked for the keys to such
and such a house saying that he would
lock through and return the keys next day.
He always returned them promptly, saying
that the house did not exactly suit. The
fellow was decently dressed and had the
appearance of business man and a gentle
man, and did not hesitate to let him have
keys whenever he called for them
"One morning / was called from home at
early hour by the Illness of daughter,
and in passing a house to which the sup
posed house hunter had the keys l saw
him coming out. 1t not yet good day
light. either. l stopped him then and there
and questioned him, and he tod me that
he would call at my office and make an ex-
plantation At $50 when l came to my office
he was on hand. and with tears in his eyes
he told me that he had been sleeping in
vacant houses for more than month: that
he was out of work and without money;
that he knew IL was not exactly the square
thing to do, but that he was forced to
find place to sleep, as he could not walk
the streets day and night. l rather liked
the mans frankness and honesty and he
showed me letters which convinced me that
he was not a bird of passage interested
myself in his behalf. and succeeded in get
ting him a position with a good firm. He