Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-09-07
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answered tne DlaCk SlanteSS as she sank
heavily down on the STOOL which groaned
as her form found a sting place there.
Why, all right. Cordially replied the
clerk. as he reached I'D into a box and
brought down pair of black stockings.
which he passed, or, in fact, which he at
tempted to pass. over to the lady of color.
for the attempt was just as far as the sim
perfng little clerk got, because no sooner
had the licorce-comDlexioned dame caught
the sight of the stockings which were being
held out to her than she gave a shrek and
made such a swipe at the astonished little
man behind the counter. that. had she
landed on him with one of those washing
tub hands of hers, it would have been the
hurry-up wagon for the clerk, with a cot
in the emergency as wind-up
ITO think" screamed the lady of color.
dat 1 hab to cum all de way down hyar
FUN Champlain abernoo to be resulted
by dis huar white man. l betcher gwine
knock his debblish haid off. 1 sho'iy is. if
he da'r poke 1t out fun hind dat ar
counter"
And there is no doubt but what the
smoky -hued giantess would have been as
good her word. hut the clerk explained
afterward that his reason for remaining
Joined the Red Cross Society when a mere
youth. and he had conscientious scruples
about betraying his trust
At any rate he remained under the coun-
ter until the floor walker. who is a brave
soldier-at least he is a member Of the Dis
trict miitia-risked his life by ascertainins
what the trouble was, and then he poured
oil on the troubled waters by going behind
the counter and wrapping up for the queen
of Champlain avenue a pair of the cream
lest complexion stockings that ever came
out of that store. And with this parcel
slowed safely away in a capacious shop
ping bag the lady of color departed with
deep grin of satisfaction on her perspiring
countenance.
* X x
Strange as it may SEEM said a recent
visitor to the German empire, 1.-The Ger
mans, who have made such great strides in
commerce In recent years, have failed to
adopt the modern system of settling ac-
counts by check. Here in America almost
every one has bank account and checks
against it in the payment of practically all
bills. The convenience of the check in saw
ing time, in cheapness and in securing an
indisputable receipt is universally recog-
niZed. But in Germany the bulk of the
bills of the people are paid in cash, in gold,
silver or paper currency. When money IS
sent at a distance it is by means of money
orders. which take time in securing them
and add an expense that in our commercial
houses is avoided. But progressive Ger
mans are awakening to the disadvantage
under which they labor and are seeking
legislation that will make 1t possible for
them to pay their debts by the same sys-
tenn that prevails here. The trouble at
present is that they unable to pay by
check in many cases because of legal draw
backs which they now seek to remove"
x !: * X X
"The barroom bully is an arrant coward
when put to the test of war" With this
saying of the late Gen Rosecrans as his
topic. a speaker at recent civic better
ment meeting discoursed on the ways Of
the average bad man. of the modern cit
les. He read from a writing of Gen. Rose
Iiar 1x in,
which that officer described regiment OF
men from Cincinnati in the civil war. in
which there were many of the barroom
bully class who had been pressed into the
service or entered as substitutes to earn a
few hundreds of dollars. When these men
came face to face with the grim fighters in
gray of the Confederacy and they realized
that in warfare the rife m kes the puny
weakling a match for the muscular giant
the bulles just turned pale and fiunked
They couldn't stand rifle fire any more than
they could the steely bayonet Big brawny
bruisers who had been wont to swagger
about town with chips on their shoulders
looking for some weaker vessel to tackle
found in the fire and smoke of battle that
while their frames and muscles were large
their real courage was mighty small and
of the craven coward sort.
Better take the pale-faced, modest man.
nered Sunday school lads when you want
real soldiers-men who can face the bullets
the brawny red-faced DULLES of our cities,
who, when they are outdone in an argu-
ment. want to resort to brute force to set
tie the question in dispute" wrote Gen.
Rosecrans. and he should have known.
X X X
Merchants Of the far west are suspicious
of brand-new paper money. according to
a compositor employed at the government
printing office. When he received his money
60 5oc oil doll to
him lust as it was received from the treas
ury by the paymaster.
When 1 planned to spend my vacation
with the folks in my home state west Of
old Big Muddy l thought to surprise them
by having only brand-new money" he said
In telling the story. land consequently was
careful not to fold it. After 1 had been
about the little town for few hours felt
of my chin and concluded to get a shave.
The barber did not know me. and when
took a bright new dollars out OF my bill
book he took ii gingerly and turned it over
and over This all you got? he asked. I
was amused at his greenness, and said
there were more where that came Irom
and took the whole fat bundle out of my
pocket and told him to take his choice
Where did YOU come from. man.? he asked,
and to save time 1 had to tell him 1 was
from Washington and worked for Uncle
Sam.
For three days it was the same story
wherever l went Merchants were SO used
TO ragged and dirty bills that resembled
dish rags that they looked with suspicion
on brand-new money that had never been
folded. In the end l went to a bank and
explained the situation and asked to have
the new bills exchanged for the kind the
natives were used to. And even the cashier
did not like the proposition one bit. 1t
was some time before l could convince him,
with the aid of several letters l happened
to have in my pocket. that l was not
green goods artist with nerve enough to
try the game on country bank. Never
again will | try TO act if the government
turned out money for my especial benefit