Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-07-28
AROUND THE CITY

| woman was going along in the dark.
It was not a cheerful neighborhood to be
| In after 10 O'Clock at night. There was a
fog that made the pavements mucky and
| shut the sky from view. The gas jets were
| blurred under sweaty glass and each shop
| on the straggy street was closed except
| one that had a shutter door with red
| light behind 1t. At the curb in front of the
shutter door a pathetically patient white
horse, hitched to a cart waited for Its mas
| ter inside.
| There was a shanty at the corner Of the
next street. and the woman plunged into
the sea Of shadows that engulfed its porch
The knock she gave brought a fat and
unctuously smiling colored woman to the
door. AS 1t swung wide, the woman out
side caught a snap glance of a half dozen
| men and women about a table, that was
Uttered with the red and green ruins OF a
| watermelon. Then the door was closed to
| a discreet crack and the smiling race OF
the hostess sobered, as her caller said:
II got your message. Marthy, and after
| your niece had gone 1 was so concerned
| about your illness that I thought L had
| best come and see what you need"
| Law, Miss Ann, honey. what you want
to trapse out here for dat. for, huh? Dat
Jimmie ought to be ashamed of herself,
scarin' you. like dat. I jest sont her for
! little advance money, cawse our sussiety
| meets at my house tonight an hadn't de
| lust cent 1Or 1reSDmentS. You
what in de Lawd's name did you go an
| tell Miss Ann ] was sick for, huh?'
| "'Cause you done tole me to say it, OATS
| why" flashed a spry young voice behind
| q watermelon rind.
you shet up, miss, an git clean plate
an cut Miss Ann chunk Of dat melon
| out'n de heart. You oughter be ashamed
| Of yohsef gal, dat's what you oughter
| But Miss Ann didn't wait for the chunk
out of the heart of the melon. She just
| exchanged a chuckle with Marthy at her
| own expense, so as not to cast damp
| blanket over the feast and then retraced
| her steps to the car line.
The light still burned behind the shutter
door, and the white horse still waited for
| his master
AS she stood at the track an old. old
| woman numbered toward her carrying a
basket that weighed her lopsided.
| woman who waited, as the other came
alongside.
1T is that. num- answered the old
body as she set the basket on the bricks
and rubbed her arm.
AN it's a long way I've got to carry it,
mum: but it's me heart that's heavier than
any basket this night, with me daughter
down with the fever an the baby ailn' so
mum. It's trouble we see in this world. with
sickness an starvation. ne priest is good
to US. the Lord bless him. but we amt the
only folks he's got on his hands. I'm
waikiki me IWcIty 6Qudl CD tLlS H6ht ~
take home the wash to the lady. but she's
one Of them kind that puts off her wash
bills. an me daughter sick an weak for
bite"
old woman and her sick daughter for one
highland when Miss Ann had boarded the
car she said to herself:
Il wonder If was sent out tonight espe-
cially to help that poor creature?
Il wonder who sent me-.
Two young women had to scramble past
q dumpy young man to get to vacant seats
on an open car. He was exceedingly
dumpy young man, and the embarrassment
Of the young woman turned them as red as
peonies and put ominous marks on their
brows.
The young man cast side glance at the
two when they were finally seated, and,
finding them good to behold, proceeded to
smlrk his approval.
The young women stared ahead.
The conductor swung along the running
board and called out, Fare, please.
The young man made chvalrous at
tempt to capture the tickets which the
young woman next to him was extending.
The young woman ignored him and placed
the tickets in the conductors hands.
Then the dumpy young man looked with
elaborate interest at the scenery on their
side Of the car and moved trlne nearer to
The young women, still staring ahead,
crowded toward the far end Of the bench
until they nearly showed colored man
into the street.
Then the young man touched a button,
and before getting out stared openly at the
young women.
, They continued to stare ahead
When he was off the car the one in white
swiss said:
Tried hard to get up a Irritation. didn't
hep"
"As IL any girl would notice a man who
refused to move up to give her q seat"
added the one in blue null.
And while they were settling his case for
him the dummy young man was crossing
the asphalt with a jauntiness that said as
loud as a megaphone:
Il know they are staring after me and
wondering who 1 am! Deuced fine girls.
tool"
But they were not staring after the dumpy
young man.
Two middle-aged women were walking
along the shady side Of the street.
The fat one in black grenadine pulled like
a grampus Of the fake nature species, while
the spry one in white cambria talked with
the vivacity of one who has nothing to
carry except so many sktn-covered bones.
why, I'm just as timber as when I was
| a girl. can run up the steps same as
ever. and always sit on the floor to put on
my shoes and stockings"
We'll, all I got to say" responded the
grampus. you ought to go down on your
marrow bones in thankfulness. for you are
a step for good twelve years. and left of
sitting on the floor the day I weighed my
hundred-sixty-five. I tell you what. Josie,
II we appreciated our blessings when we
had 'em. like my activity. this would be a
mighty flne world TO live I'M
Wouldn't 1t, thought
Two mon stopped to look at the moss
draped fountain in the Treasury plaza =,
One was an athletic young fellow with