Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-12-08
AROUND THE CITY

An elderly colored man, dressed fine
enough to go to Congress, was walking in
front of the Treasury. Instead of the
gold headed cane his dignity called for
he carried two opossums by their tails.
The sharp nosed, ratty little dead
things, all fur and frozen blood. must
have appealed to white woman, for she
stopped and asked the old man. with the
most informal affability, if he had freed
them.
He held them up for inspection, and ex
planned, with an amiable elegance that
would have put Chesterfield to the blush:
mo, madam. My hunting days are
long since over, but like to preserve the
old custom. l have just purchased these
opossums in the market.
1t is a good wide jump from the slave
who captured his 'possum from hollow
tree in the southern woods to the cOlored
citizen who buys them for the sake of as
ISOLATION
Which shows what evolution will do.
A man staggered and fell to the flag
ging in front of the Raleigh Hotel. To
the minds of two women who were pass
ing he had suddenly dropped dead. Well
dressed men from the streets rushed for
ward, and these were reinforced by an
other man who was leaving the hotel.
When the shabby, white-faced creature
was Ilteu, HIS IeeI mace nlOClOnS TO
themselves so the reScuerS stood him
upright and let 60, The man tumbed in
a hea0 on the bricks. The three men
picked him up again, and helped him a
little way W 18th street, where, at least,
he could fall without being quite so con-
spicuously in the public eye. While they
were doing it somebody chucked out that
it was a case of John Barleycorn, and
somebody else wondered how such a
poverty-stricken sort of chap could get
u-1,or yxrit h IN ms inns CO ho,,
And one of the two women who had
stood apart to watch the results said to
the other:
.Drinking!' And was so sorry for him,
because I thought he was dead! Isn't it
a shame?"
1t didn't seem to occur to her that she
might feel sorry for him as it was.
A newsboy was selling extras at a car
junction. And every passenger bought
eagerly except one man, who apparently
wanted his news without paying for it.
us it the Presidents message, Bub?'
Bub ignored him.
bradley verdct?'
Bub was making change, and paid no
attention.
Say, Bub, what's the extra for, any
how?"
Then Bub was business.
For 2 cents,' he said.
The car gave jerk; man on the
curb called out for a paper, and Bub
darted over to his customer.
The man who wouldn't buy tried to
glimpse the head lines of the extra the
passenger next to him was reading. but
the paper was folded carefully in the
wrong place. Then he glanced around
expectantly and listened, but no one dis
cussed the news loud enough for an out
slider to hear-which Is the aggravating
way of man when he buys an extra.
Just as expected" remarked a wom-
an to another as she handed her paper
to the conductor.
And that poor dear man had to ride
half way to Georgetown without knowing
what the extra paper contained.
A small woman with gray hair and pale
blue eyes stood at the curb across from
the bond building. 1t was a busy hour
vehicle that goes on wheels. On the
woman's face a waiting look.
Another woman passed her, went into
the building, remained twenty minutes
and came out to find the woman still
waiting at the curb. She. herself. had
to wait for car at that point, but she
was barely at the curb before the waiting
woman asked:
Twill you please take me across the
street? I'm too near sighted to risk it
alone"
OF course, the other woman took her
across the street, and equally, of course,
she asked
what will YOU do when you come to
the next crossing?"
"Just like did this time My guardian
angel always sends some one to help me
over. All have to do is wait"
1t wasn't the usual way to travel. but
it must have been good way, for in the
pale blue eyes there was look of perfect
content.