The Washington times., 1908-10-11
Almost Deserted During
Day, Activities Begin
After Nightfall.
MALES AT PREMIUM
DURING DAY HOURS
'GrocerS Wake Up, Druggist Starts
Fountain, and Bust
ness Begins.
By THEODORE TILLER.

u 10 90 nome IN the DARK
Fastening out there early IN
the afternoon. I expressed a burning
desire TO round up its well-informed
citizenry and learn all about the place
DR. J. H Brooks. who had much TO do
with laying out the subdivision some
fifty years ago. inasmuch as his ances-
tors had thOughtfulIy annexed consider
able land whereabouts. quickly dlsinu-
stoned me.
You would converse with our leading
citizens2' he asked. o.: words to that
effect. 'Ha, you are stranger in our
midst evidently. We are all shutdown
ers out here. Wait around until night
fall and the folks will come in from
the Government departments. Our doc
tors, lawyers, merchants and other
leading lights never hang out their
shingles until after shutdown. Yes. in
deed, business picks up a bit out this
way at night"
The doctor was right. ! couversed at
length with the policeman. postmaster,
town barber and q Few women and
children, all Of whom have 10 stay IN
BrOokland during the daytime, until the
real population arrived at shutdown.
Cavalcade Desceuds.
As the hour Of 6 approaches a mighty
fcavalcade was seen descending from the
hilltops. upon which the Brookland cars
stop. The doctors prepared TO dag
nose the lawyars 10 expound, the vii
lage barber to sharpen his razor. and
The merchant 10 weigh out the daily
portion Of choice groceries.
Frantic CANNES heralded the approach
Of the head Of the family: joyous chill
dren did likewise and clamOred - know
what further reason existed for not
serving the evening meal. BrookIand
had come into her own and her male
population had become a fixture for an
other fourteen hours.
While waiting, 7 had learned consld-
cradle about the place. It is bounded
on the north by sites for colleges. on
the west by colleges. on the east by
more colleges. and on the south by still
other colleges. Everything except a
correspondence school IS represented.
and perhaps that will be as soon as land
can be cleared.
People never ask out there about 4
strangers name or business. It's what
school does he go TOP" The rah-rah
"
pronounced clerical garb. with theology
written all over him. the vIvacIous
seminary girl, the more sedate aspIrant
for a place in the clustered precincts.
ibewhiskered professors-they are all
everyday sights in Brookland.
One on Washington.
They are fond Of telling a story ike
this at the Citizens Association meet
ing. Mgr. O'ConneIl, head Of the Ameri-
can Catholic University. recently tour
ed Europe. He happened 10 casually
say something one night about Wash
ingtOn. D. c.
"Ah, l remember said a European
professor who was IN the group.
Washington? That's near BrookIand,
ISN'T It?'
Bishop O'Connell assured his hearers
that washington was near BrOOkIand
and stored the story away 20 tell the
folks back home. It is a typical ex-
ample Of Brookland pride What they
don't know over in Europe about Brook
land as a center of learning could be
put in ono paragraph.
I tried hard to find out Of the place
was grouchy about anything In other
words. If they'd been treated badly by
Congress when It came 10 the matter
OF civic improvements. l was hardly
able to scare up a grievance, personal
or otherwise. True. Congress had been
q little slow In providing sewerage IA
cilities for the northern portion of the
city. but members Of the Citizens As
ISOLATION seemed more inclined to blame
Mother Nature than the Commissioners
ed 10 lay the place out level. and Of
course the same sewer can't run both
UP hill and down hill. BrookIauders
have figured that out some time ago.
The Gas Question.
Then there's the gas question The
suburb has grown so that the gas mains
are not nearly big enough now. Further
more, it's growing so that they don't
know just how to compute for the fu-
ture. IT'S indeed a ticklish proposition.
for no one wants mammoth mains that
will encourage the meter Il. leak a little.
Meters are rather unkind bits of me-
chanism anyway.
But the town has no real kick. Listen
70 the explanation as given by "A F.
Kinnan, a "sundOwner'' and former
president Of the citizens association for
some eight years
I'VE haven't any real kick coming.
because we don't ask for more than we
know we can get. A lot Of associations
send out large requests for about every
thing that is going in the way Of civic
Improvements. they get about half Of
them and feel sore about the balance.
We learned better out our way, and
consequently stay pretty well con-
tented"
judge from talking to a number Of
BrooklCnders that the burg has the
system down TO a fine point. Here's
the way they do #:
The System Used.
''Well. Mr.. Commissioners. we've come
IN 10 ask for umpty thousand dollars
this year. You know Blank street needs
paving. and BrOtherly Love street needs
grading and the sewers are out OF COM
mission along Hooray street and
Yes. 1 know gentlemen" SPEAKS the
spokesman for the Commissioners. But
we can't give you Umpty thousand dol
lars this year. The best we can do is
steer thousand dollars
"Ah, is that it?" says the Citizens