Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-04-14
AROUND THE CITY

A bicycle had fallen on the bricks.
NO passerby had taken the trouble to
set 1t back against the curbing, and there
1t lay In the shadows that were deepening
from sunset to dusky gray
Two men were crossing the street toward
the bicycle. One had a stocky body and
unsteady legs. and the other was clean-cut
and thin. AS he stepped on the tagging
! the stocky man stopped short, gasped and
then gave nervous chuckle. made I'D of
even streaks of horror and relief
Hello. dad. what's the NATTER" asked
the younger man.
on. nothing: nothing. 1 Just thought
that bike looked a little funny"
The -sprawling wheels and reared-up
imagination.
What's there funny about 1t? Looks
like bike. What else could a bike look
Iike?" oN
me elder man gave a second chuckle
that was all relief.
Nothing. son; nothing. A bikes bike
and that's all you can make of it! Good
thins, too just thought. at first, that
And by that time they were beyond the
hearing of the person who was walking be-
hind. w
Shadows are sinister things They can
make fallen bicycle look like two coils
and a reared-up. hat-crested head
Ever notice it?
I've come to take I'D my july note
please"
The client who entered a real esto+a
office with this announcement was neither
young nor beautiful. and she looked like
she knew 1t and didn't care. Anvbodv
who has had dealings with a workwomsn
VINO Is buying lot and has threa notes
ahead knows exactly the way she said II
nice young clerk came forward in
quired the woman's name went hack to
an iron safe, hunted up a special envelone
TOOK out one blue note, and after receiving
principal and interest, stamped It thres
times with Cancelled" In perforated let
ters-and the transaction was done.
When the woman had Joined another
woman who was waiting outside she
asked:
Ever buy lot on monthly payments
of SO, at five PERI"
The woman who had waited signified that
she had never bought lot and never ex
pected to. She preferred a house
We'll. you missing a whole bean
Strengthening out the interest every month
is about the most exhilarating thing I
know about, except getting identified at a
bank"
why. that's easy enough"
IT may be for you, but the minute l
start to do sum the figures kick up their
heels and dance out of my mind"
That's because you lack concentration"
explained the woman who had waited.
Il prefer to owe it to my versatility of
genius, If you don't mind. Anyhow when
the interest began to climb up the clerk
who first had me in charge figured it out
for me that the increase would be 10 cents
one month and IL the next. We kept
up that system pretty regularly for three
years. except for once in a while when the
the notes were put on the market and the
firms that held them would total up a few
extra cents or dimes. I soon learned that
all / had to do was to look positive and
stick to my regular rates, and the mathe-
matician would yield. When was trans
ferred to a new firm the clerk figured out
that the interest was a dime q month No
more, no less-a clear saving Of six cents
a year. Just now, however, a new clerk
took me in hand. He could see. of course
that the note was for $25, but he wouldn't
| take my word for 1t that the interest was
$40. Insisted it was only thirty-eight My
positive look had no show whatever with
| the bit of figuring he had done, SO I was
| just wondering whether 2 cents would
compensate for loss of faith in my regular
clerk. when a most imposing person came
| forward and began figuring with an austere
elegance that | can feel bat not put in
words First he looked at the date on my
blue note. Then he looked at calendar