Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-09-13
AROUND THE CITY

An ancient colored man with twisted
legs was brushing a newly laid pavement.
At every step the distorted limbs seemed
to make a protest that was seconded by
the hoopedover back and by the time
withered face set in lines that it's owner
would have called 'moneful." And as
he worked with slow righteousness as tiny
girl ran out of house and called to him,
with the spontaneous friendliness Of bless
ed babyhood:
Hello! What you doing?"
The ancient colored man stopped to
enjoy the ray of human sunshine.
why, Lor' bless you, honey, Abs just
sweepin' sand in de cracks of dis pave
ment."
This occupation must have appealed to
the tiny girl, for she danced up to him
and caught hold of the broom.
I'm goin' to help you"
He moved the handle so as to let her
believe she was doing the sweeping, and
the two. as great contrast as the worlo
can show, were having a lovely time To-
gether when woman came out of the
house and the child had to go. AS she
trotted away she waved her hands and
called back good-byes, and the old man
looked after her until she had turned the
sand between the brick crevices.
But he wasn't the same old man. The
twisted legs and the hOoped-over back
took on really spry movements, and the
broom began to make a record for itself.
1t was only bit of childish friendliness,
but it went long, long way.
Two men who looked as if they were
made of the salt of the earth came to-
gether on a business street in the bust
ness height of the day. Both seemed to
be in a rush to sign important papers.
Hello, Blank, Heard you were out of
town.
THAT so? where?"
New York"
What for?''
Don't know"
wish you had inquired"
'"Then you didn't go?'
what for?'
Don't know"
Neither do /. Slong.'
"S'long-
And the spnster person who overheard
felt what a boon it is, now and then, to
hear them talk as man to man.
He lay stretched out at full length on
the bricks; his face upturned and the sun
beating down on his closed lids and open
mouth A crowd had swarmed and was
watching with morbidly greedy intent
ness the silent figure. and afterWard, the
emergency wagon that dashed up to the
curb. Two nurses brought out stretch
er and were lifting the case in it.
when
Somebody laughed, and the game was
over.
1t was just a ake-believe accident
played by a dozen children In the street,
but until the laugh aroused them to self
consciousness, each performer acted his
part with a tense realism that no profess
sional star can ever hope to achieve.
And yet they didn't seem to be particu-
larly clever youngsters.
They were just children having good
time
She wore a mussy black lawn and a
gone-mad hat with stingy daisies messed
all over one side. And she had tale to
tell.
She told it to woman whose ready
made tan jumper had every appearance
of having been bought after 1t was
marked down for positively the last time,
and whose part in the conversation was
confined to sympathetic mods and an eJac-
ulation whenever she could get a chance-
'.And she blamed me for making all the
talk! Me, mind you, and / amt ever said
a word about her 1 amt that kind.
don't talk about nobody. l got too many
things of my own to tend to. bless the
Lord OF course, | couldn't help KNOWN
what time of nights her husband come
home or when he didn't snow up at all
but, as l said to Mrs. Blank, VINO iVes
on the other side of me. it warn,t nothln
to me- one way or another, said, only, L
said, if l was in her place Ia purn gas
Ali night. / said. instead Of staying shut
up in the dark in house an oy myself
r said-and then as | told Mrs. Blank
how could l help KNOWN that the laun-
dry wagon wouldn't leave her wash with
out pay. She could easy have left the
money with me, 1 said, if she had it, 1
said and / would have tended to 1t, /
said-and then she having the nerve to
call me tattle
you I'D and tell me. L said. who 1 tat
tied to. and I'll face her. l said and prove
7 amt said a word. 1 said-but she Just
went in and slammed her door. OF course
she couldn't produce nobody l talked to-
because l amt talked nobody's affairs to
nobody. / amt that kind"
1t didn't seem to occur to her that Mrs
Blank would make an interesting wit
ness.
A man wearing a high beaver and suit
to correspond stopped a woman in brown.
Glad to see you. How are you getting
on?'
''Oh making money and growing fat"
The only thing worth noticing about this
small interchange was that the woman
wasn't fat and she certainly didn't look
as If she were making money.
AS they passed.:
She had on green dress that made her
look like the president of some grass
hopper association and by way of con-
traSt, her temper was of bonfire hue.
i,tct hot I 1n6 0i