Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-06-16
AROUND THE CITY

A well-gowned woman got out of au-
tomoblie before bank in the business sec
ton and then dismissed the chauffeur AS
she crossed the pavement she noticed a
small terrier lying in limp heap on the
bricks. its body quivering with pain. The
woman stopped to say a word of sympathy
and the tiny thing whfned its appreciation.
Then she went into the bank and transacted
her business. When she came out she took
the dog up and tucked 1t gently under her
arm. Then she looked up and down the
street as if in search Of a cab, and seeing
none, hailed a car going toward 14th
street.
At about the same hour and near the
same place, young girl, pretty enough to
be the Joy of some loving mothers heart.
reeied along the sun-shiny pavement Her
face was flushed with the red that youth
and innocence should never know, and in
her eyes was the silly daze that comes
from intoxication.
Men and women turned to stare at her
no need to describe their expessions-and
finally a policeman, who must have known
about her and had too much considerat ton
for her family to place her in custody, took
her by the arm, hailed a car, explained
something to the conductor and helped to
shove her in to make a free show for the
other passengers.
She was not as lucky as the little dog.
A man who looked like he owned a rail-
road was talking to man who looked
like he owned two. AS they stood at
corner they were appealed to by d wrinkled
brown woman who was leading a wrinkled
brown man. The man was blind and the
woman was selling matches.
The man who looked like he owned two
railroads fished in his vest, and putting a
bill in the brown mans hand, asked him
how he came to lose his sight:
Il never had none, sub. l was born with
nah eyes Shet."
The donor put another bill into the brown
mans hand. and his companion gave
coin to the woman. And when the vendors
were gone the man who had given lie bills
said:
I'm ready. any day, to share my last dol
lar with the blind. 1 had my eyes ban
daged once for week. and"
And he couldn't have put his thankful
he had taken three volumes to do 1t in.
She was in black lace plumes and pearls
In one hand she dangled a gold -meshed
purse and in the other she held turquoise
silk parasol with gold-frosted handle He
was dressed in the best that money could
buy She was pleading for something with
an intensity that furrowed her forehead
with worry lines. and he was refusing with
equal force. And as a third person was
passing this is what they were saying:
But, Tom, I've absolutely got to have q
dollar"
How are you going to get it when I
haven't the first red cent??
Maybe they were just funning, but
1t didn't sound like fun.
A young man and a boy about seven years
old were in a closed car, the man at the end
and the child kneeling on the cushions be-
side him. The boy asked endless questions,
finally saying:
Papa, what makes cars stop when you
punch a button in?'
The father. who was a patient and intelli-
gent man, explained the mechanism Of the
thing In simple words that the child COM
pretended. Then the small face took on a
plying expression.
Mamma don't know nothin', does she,
papa?"
The leading question attracted the atten-
ton Of every passenger in the car. and the
young man, feeling that he had his audience
you mustn't say that. son. Mamma
knows everything"
mo. she don't, neither!'' interrupted son
In contemptuous protest. Zoos when
asked her what made the cars stop when
you punch a button in she said: Stop both
erin me- or I'll box your ears What
makes 'em give you transfers, papa"
He must have been very intelligent man,
indeed, for he explained the transfer system
without trying to make an excuse for NAM
ma.
1t didn't seem to one listener, at least,
that there was any excuse to make; but
that listener was only a spinster, who did
not count.