Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-08-30
AROUND. THE CITY

A nice. ordinary looking young man
was showing a rolling chair across the
| avenue asphalt In the chair sat young
| woman. who looked as if she had been ill
FOR year. Her hands lay limp in her
| lap and her eyes were closed.
| And as another woman passed them the
young man was saying with boyish eX
element:
Now. you can open them: What do
you think of that?''
| 1t was only some good. good husband
showing his invalid wife her first glimpse
Of the new District building, but, say
it made beautiful picture.
| A white lace brunette with double
| link of puffs around her pOmpadOur and
| two curls skewered>in the center was TAX
| ing a car ride with big blond man.
For the length of about twelve squares
| they said no word to each other, the man
| looking straight ahead and the woman
| sitting sideways so that the passengers
| behind could see that she was chewing
gum.
Il reckon the man with her is too dis
gusted to talk surmised one of two pas
| sengers just at the brunette's back. Il
should think he'd be ashamed to be
| caught with a gum chewer like that"
| sponded the other. ::she would better be
careful if she wants to catch him.
maybe they're already married"
mo they aren't. but they're engaged.
See the solitaire? Bet it's a real dia-
| mond, too
well. he must be hard up If he has to
| take gum chewer like that around town
| with him. 1 reckon she's got money!
Looks like it, That's a grand comb
bet it's solid gold. You don't see rolled
gold shining like that-Im awful sorry for
him. whoever he is. She amt stopped
| chewing a minute
him after they're married. poor fellow
Then the big blond man turned around
| toward the brunette.
He was chewing gum.
! If you should go along any quiet street
in the first ward you are likely to run
| across a neatly dressed colored man
whiting a piece of wood. If you are
selfish sort of person, intent your own
| affairs. the man, after one look. will pass
you by, If you are kindly faced he will
| halt you with some surprising sort of in
| formation. And if you are wise you will
know by his words that nature has
| touched his brain and said to him:
| Remain forever a child"
| In the fantastic world in which this
| cOlOred man lives he is an army officer,
and the thing he whites is always a
gun or sword. But he does not talk of
WdI Ills 1ledTt luIiS IL growing things
| an agricultural instinct inherited from
generations of slaves. And 1t is this SUBJ
ject that he introduces to passers-by who
| strike his fancy.
| The other afternoon, for instance, his
admiration went out to a head of cab
| bage a small boy was carrying in a bas-
ket. He stopped. whiting and smiled
| with delight:
That's a mighty fine punkin you got,
| little boy. You got it up this tree, didn't
you?"
The little boy laughed derisively called
| him looney and skipped on. The col
ored man looked up into the tree
branches.
'"rhems sholy fine punkins. Say, mis-
| ter, don't you see them punkns?'
Mister" was a middle-aged man who
| looked as If he was of some consequence
| in the world and his clothes were the
best that money could buy. He stopped
and looked up into the tree.
See 'em. mister? See them big pun
kins hangin' over the limbs? See all
| them curly vines an them little yaller
| blossoms an them big green leaves? See
EN-. mister?"
| look at the brown. eager face.
Certainly 1 see those pumpkins.
| Mighty fine ones. too
81 knowed you could, mister. You's
| got the kinder eyes l like
No wonder he liked them. For they
| were the eyes of Abou Ben Adhem, the
man who loved his fellow-man
If your shoe lace must come united. the
| best place to have 1t happen is in front
| of the White House.
That seemed to be the opinion of a
stout woman in tight gown, who stop
ped in front of the fountain laid her
silver meShed purse, roll of music, a
| blue-striped umbrella and bag Of may
be, buns. on the stone coping; put up one
foot beside them and then leaned over.
She didn't lean over. either. She just
tried and failed. When she had turned
turkey waffle red in her embarrassed
effort to conrfect her hands with her
foot, she looked desperately at her tan
pumps as if undecided whether to try
try again, or go on with her laces drag
ging. Her predcament appealed to an
other woman, who showed symptoms of
going to the rescue. but, as it happened,
two very young men who had been roll
ing cigarettes under the tree nearby got
ahead of the woman with the good in
tentions.
With bOyish wink at his companion,
one of the youngsters stepped up to the
united woman, touched his hat and
said:
Permit me, madam
Madam was only too glad of the chance
to permit. So the young man finished
up a bow knot in fine STYLE gathered up
the silver bag, the music, the umbrella
and the maybe buns. handed them to the
stout party, touched his hat and went
back to the tree to roll more cigarettes.
Right nice in him. wasn't it?