Evening star., 1909-05-30
Around the City
Have you got your bill?"

Have you got your bill?"
The man in the brass cage spoke as
one whose word is law and whose law
is death.
/ No, the woman didn't have her bill. So
she had to drop out of place after walt
ing an hour to pay her taxes. and every
| body in the line nudged ahead as If they
were glad of it.
The old gentleman who took the wom-
ans place pushed his money and his
! bill through the opening in the brass
| cage The man inside slipped the bill
| to a second man in second cage, VINO
did things to it with stamping machine
and then passed 1t on to third man In
| third cage, who tore a slice OF and
showed 1t through an opening to the old
gentleman And the slice meant that
the old gentleman had paid his taxes for
a year.
Laws, warnt she foolish not to have
her bill ready" remarked black-serge
| taxpayer to one who wore blue gingham
and carried shopping bag that bulsed.
why, I've got so used to tending to
business that my husband says: Maggie
you know as much as man
"Well, say, Maggie, what l can't un-
derstand Is why my taxes are higher this
year than last. Amt that aueer?"
Nothing queer about it at all. It's
| Just that they think they can get ahead
| of YOU because you are a woman and
can't vote. What you want to do is 10
stand up to 'em and let EN- know you
| won't be imposed on, like l do. They
| don't try any of their shenanigans on me,
| because they can see I can tend to my
business like a man can. Watch me-.
She stood before the cage, pushed her
bill ostentatiously through the opening
along with some bank notes and silver,
and then, with n complacent look at the
blue gingham friend, was walking OIL
when:
"Wait for your change"
Come back for your receipt
An official who looked like Kyrle BelleW
playing the part of an undertaken halted
the Maggie woman. and by the time she
had collected her belongings the woman
who wasn't Maggie had paid her taxes
and was ready to go.
ITS all right about the raise. Maggie.
The man back of me says it's because my
property has increased in value Amt
Grand nothing! It's because you're
woman an can't vote. They'd treat me
the same way, only they know they
| dasn't."
Then the black serge and the blue
Bingham mingled folds fraternally as the
couple left the three cages.
And every body in the line nudged
ahead as If they were glad Of 1t.
She was an old woman dressed in gen.
| teel mourning, and she stood in the mid
| die Of the pavement on 9th street near
| F and leaned on a good stout cane Sue
| had so the appearance of having lost her
| way that one woman in the rush of
passersby was about to ask If she could
| be of any assistance, when the old Wom-
an quavered out:
| will you please give me change to get
| of tao haEan'f money with
me and I'm SO weak
The woman gave her quarter, but
after hurrying on felt ashamed OF her
self for not having taken so old and
feeble a person into the nearby cafe, just
! as she would have taken her own mother
| if she had had one-and then helped her
to her home. 1t isn't comfortable to feel
| lacking in delicacy, SO she turned TO
atone, when-there was the old woman
ouavering out to another woman who
| had stopped
will you please give me change for a
cup Of tea? l haven't. any money with
me and I'm SO weak
A thing like that is worth watching.
| so the quarterwoman stood at the cor
ner and kept tab. When eight women
| and an earth, earthly young man had
yielded tribute the old woman took time
! to look ahead. Then she turned sudde My
ana drifted toward the avenue. Maybe
she didn't like the looks Of the quarter
| Woman-some don't.
Begging is against the law, OF course.
| Of course But what are you going to do
! about it. when, for all you know. the
creature who looks TO you like foxy old
!, fraud may be an angel of help who
pawns her responsibility that others, less
! capable may have bread?
| Besides-whats the fun being a police
man unless you've got blue clothes and
| a badge?
| A girl Ct thirteen who was going along
=
another girl OF the same age. was inter-
rupted in her condolences by slip of a
child who wanted to join them.
You 60 right on and play, Sadie, and
leave me alone
Sadie whimpered and stuck
| I'm smack you IL you dont-why, .ook
at your arm: what have you done
Sadie?"
Sadie twisted her elbow around until
she caught a glimpse of bruise and a
speck Of blood.
Il fell down an skunt it, she explain
| ed. composediy.
You've poisoned yourself awful-hasn't
| she Katie? Now you're going to die.
| Run home to mamma before you drop
down dead-do what sister tells you"
Sadie groaned. as one who knows bet
ter. Then her face clouded over with
sudden, terrifying fear Then she ran
off howling. She believed.
And sister and Katie resumed their con-
| fidences.
| They were talking about boys.
| A cat was taking comfort on the sunny
| pavement outside store door. Many
! people passed. but only one person stop
ped to pass the compliments of the day.
He was we'll tailored man who seemed
Z, to be on intimate terms with cold bottles
and hot birds, but no lonely old maid from
Lonelyville could have stroked the cats $
ba1k more tenderly or talked nonsense to
1t In more whimsically coaxing tones. And
I> 49, {~l,&
| two young women who were walking be-
hind handled the incident this way:
II wouldn't live in the house with a
man who was mushy over cats"
me. neither. Daize. Fine lookin' feller,
too, amt he?''
And that is what one man got for being
sociable on the street with a yellow cat.
II wouldn't care to attend my own, but
like to go to other peoples"
| There was nothing worth noticing about