Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-04-12
AROUND THE CITY

Two young women entered a crowded.
car. One carried big chunk Of baby.
and a man gave her his seat As soon
as she sat down the boy began to cry.
II didn't cry. either--it bawled The en-
rrassed mother stood il on its feet
and invited il to look out Of the window
and watch the hossie- wossies The baby
didn't want TO look out of the window
and watch the hossie-wossies II pre-.
ferred to keep on bawling
Then the harassed parent bounced il on
her knee and asked it II it didn't want
TO 60 -da. The baby distinctly did not
want to go dada. 1t was entirely salts
fed to bawl.
A man on an opposite seat looked up
from his paper with a Disguised scowl
and the mother saw ii and turned as
red as beet. The baby kept on bawling.
Finally. the other woman of the party,
who was hanging to strap in front III
the mother and who had failed ill., a series
Of idiotic performances to pacify the
clild. hit upon an inspiration. She drew
from her hat blue-headed PIN. and,
keeping hold Of the point. held ii before
him. 1t was an instantaneous success
The baby went for it with both hands
in Its mouth. The mother beamed her
relief and the other woman looked around
triunphantly with the air Of one who is
expecting bouquets. The baby clucked
its delight and tried to swallow tho whole
pin The man with the newspaper looked
up with a mollifled grunt. and several
women who needed no label to show thai
they were In the wife and mother class
exchanged sympathetic glances with the
happy parent.
There are always exceptions.
A plain. spfhstery. sort Of person. who
was sitting near enough to note that the
hat pin was cheap affair. with the blue
glass head glued on and liable to come
| off in the baby's mouth and choke II to
death: asked the mother II she thought
1t was a safe plaything.
The poor soul was SO thankful to have
the baby quiet that she smiled amiably
and said she guessed it was all right. Thu
man scowled at the sptnstery person. and
| the wife and mother women looked at
her with accusing glances. as at an In
truder who was trying to break up q love
feast. The woman who had figured as
the peace angel must have considered that
her ability to mind q child was being
challenged. for she clipped In with an as
surance that implied a lifelong success
| I'm feeding babies with hat pins:
For goodness sake! The idea OF such
a thing. 1 guess you don't know much
about babies, do your.
NO" answered the spinster person. =
II
right we'll acquainted with hat pins
Then the man looked up from his paper
and grinned.
store window on 18th street 1t was
| a perfectly rational thing to do and no.
body would have given her a second
thought except for her surprised smile
and the way she turned her eyes mp.
down and around. as IL she was watching
| a thing not to be seen every day.
Another woman paused to see what the
attraction could be, and she also smiled
and turned her eyes UP. down and around.
Then man, who was sauntering up
and down the pavement as II he had a
date on the corner with some one who
was late lounged over to the window and
repeated the women's program.
The old adage that three Is q crowd was
demonstrated so far as to attract three
others. and by the time the FIRST woman
left there were eleven people smiling with
more or less excitement before the window
pane.
And all that connection was raised be-
cause the first butterfly Of the season
had appeared from the Unknowable, to
futter it's palest yellow wings on thu
chilly glass before disappearing into the
Where.
Two people stood before the registered
mail window Of a branch post ONCE.
The ono who was being served was 4
stylishly gowned young woman. whose
failed to seal It,
Just think" she exclaimed In q voice OF
sincere self-accusation. I've got $50 in
1t. too There II IL. good ana light"
and threw 1t back once more through the
little window. The young woman had
failed to put her own address on the
letter
"Oh. do have to do that when thd
att SavN't ~ ot<0
mind. 1T won't take minute
She scratched down the necessary siEa
nature and showed the letter back.
You should have written it on tba
MY dear me! I didn't know that
made any difference. It's the fashion
now. you know, to write 1t on the flap
well. there 1T Is. and you'll have to excuse
Ten cents. please"
The young woman handed out q s. bill.
The clerk with a desperate sigh went In q
drawer and made out the change. When
the young woman had gathered It up she
was going OF in hurry when the clerk
called after her to wait for her receipt.
The young woman turned and took up the
slip with an air that was playfully CO.
quettish.
.Oh, you needn't have bothered. know
you wouldn't cheat me. and besides, I
always love receipts, anyhow:
The clerk looked about as responsive
as stone god in q museum, and the
young woman gave way to the other per-
son who also had letter.
1t must have been properly sealed and
directed for the clerk. after hunting up
the address In the catalogue of foreign
offices. made out a slip and received the
exact change.
Then the other person tipped off silently
on soft-soled Chinese shoes, his yellow
face inscrutably bland and his long queue
dangling over his blue cambria shoulders.
She was too old for merry widow, but
she didn't know it, judging by her hat. 1t
was the size of an automobile wheel. tire
included. and it sported two huge black
wings that must have once belonged to the
bird OF evil omen,- and still possessed
enough diabolic life to want to fly all
ways at once. An umbrella q trifle larger
than the hat protected 1t from q sudden
shower. but her dress OF near-cravenetto
was spotted and warped by the rain.
And as she scampered under an awning
where another woman was already shell
tered she shook her skirts and burst oue
in informal anguish:
Amt it a shame the way some peo-
pie get their eyes cheated out of 'em? Z
suppose the clerks where deal know I've
got little income and have to follow
the fashions and they just charge me deu-
BILE for everything? I told the one that
waited on me down at Blanks that I
wanted a gown for wet weather and no
gave me his word that this goods was
imperious to the rain-and look at IT,"