Evening star., 1909-05-23
Around the CITY

on 9th street.
1t was a torn-up corner, with plowed
earth where a terrace had been, and with
piles of lumber ripped from the walls of
what had once been a peacefully beauti-
full home. The dust of plaster had set
tied on two magnolia trees that still
guarded the entrance, and the shutters
were closed. like eyes that will open to
life no more.
I'm on my way to the library. What
are you doing down here?"
Just saying goodbye to the old house.
1t has always been friend of mine and
it hurts me to see 1t co.
"Oh, did you ever live here?"
why. no; just loved it because it was
white and cool and beautifully peaceful.
and because the grass was SO green and
| the leaves OF the magnolias so glossy and
strong-and I've always pictured such
happy things going on inside
Il feel that way about things, too. Still,
| I don't blame the owners for tearing down
| a house with all this ground going to
| waste. | suppose they'll run up an office
or an apartment house.
'Oh, l reckon. But to me it will al
| ways be the Gait home
| She stopped to pat one Of the old stone
steps, ana q lear 1eIl from the maynOll1
| tree and touched her hand.
Then the two women went away.
| A woman was in a store waiting for a
| clerk to tighten rivet in her glasses. An
oldish and very fat colored woman painted
in. and. as there was no other seat, and
as the white woman preferred standing.
she offered the other her chair
"Thanky. honey. 1 suttinly is wore out
trompin' round all mawnin' in the sun.
| come in heah to git me pair Of gold
| rim glasses for visitin'-one of dem kind
wild a gilt chain danglin' fun harpin
stuck in yoh har. l got good pair of
| steel specks to see outer. but l prefers
| gold-rim glasses for chuch, on accounter
de richness. l got loads Of money to buy
| 'em with. Law, chile. my ole mans jest
| rollin' in Welt. He's ben bricklayin for
| de govment for leven yeahs, an l got
| two washes. ] don't have TO steddy bout
money. laid off TO git me gold toof.
only my ole man done went an squander
| a pile Of cash buyin' teef for his ownsef."
"But yoh have good, strengthening
| teeth said the white woman.
"Yas'm, / amt no call to fine fault over
| my teef. thank de good Lawd. l amt
never had q ache in 'em yet. but | sholy
| has a 'miration for a gold toof in front
of it
And has your husband good teeth?"
Nome: he amt got none De dentiS'
| done abstrac' every one and put in a
looks like a chiny closet-it suttinly do
"Well. uh. isn't it better for him to
| have teeth that he needs than for you to
| spend the money on gold one that you
don't want?"
'Yasm, l does want 1t. l want it mouty
bad. You don't know my old man. He
| jest comes home fun wuk an sits round
| in his shut sleeves till supper's over. an
den he goes to bald. He amt got no use
| for teef''
mo use for
None in de Lawds worl', honey. He
! don't go into sussiety like l does. l like
ahead an git 'em. He's gwine gimmy de
money for dat gold toof mex pay day,
effen we lives an nothin' happens"
| And as the white woman paid for her
glasses and turned to go she said to her
| self:
| Dickens, dear, if you could only come
| back | would introduce you to Mr.. and
| Mrs. Boffin-in charcoal"
| An automobile stood at the curb in
| front Of a theater. 1t was an imposiE &
machine of FURNISHED brass and GRIM
| son leather. and as it's owner came out
one of couple of children asked, with
| the conf1dence-or maybe impudence-
that goes with innocence and bare
! legs:
Say, mister. drive us round the
square. won't you? We amt never
| The man paid no attention and
| whizzed away. OF course. children are
| a nuisance, but, it would have been
worth while, maybe, to give two small
| girls a memory to last them life
time
| And, maybe. again, got himself ar
| rested for kidnapping.
You never can tell.
Intelligent men and women hurrying
along street presumably have indi-
vidual objects in view, and yet, between
Franklin Park and Pennsylvania ave-
nue. people paused yesterday to watch !:
| A young man rolling two automobile
wheels together, as a boy rolls hoop;
A laborer who let a section Of gas
| pipe fall from his shoulder to the pave
ment:
| A batch of children playing hop
! scotch;
| A balky horse attached to a buggy,
and young woman in such ridiculous
slippers that she could barely peg
along.
| In line with these exciting incidents
| was a thin-faced woman saving tunes
on fiddle. and with an open-mouthad
| bag dangling suggestively from her
arm. She escaped notice.
A man who was not young and
| whom no one could call handsome
stood at store door and gave some
thing in his scooped hands to two
passing, attracted by the delight in the
| two small faces. loitered close enough
to see what was going on. The things
| in the mans hand were red and gilt
tobacco tags.
! 1t was a very ordinary incident. but
| man who will remember to save a
| tag every time he buys a bag of fine
cut, just to give pleasure to a couple
of street kids. can't help having the
sort of heart that is better than Nor
man coronets-
| And that is all that really counts, in
| the long run.