The Winslow mail., 1910-04-23
A LONESOME
SUNDAY


say that Washington is a lonesome
town to live in," observed a western
man who recently came back to
Washington to live after an absence
or several years, 'but it certainly did
seem TO me like one vast oasisless
desert last Sunday for fact
Last Sunday was my first Sunday
in Washington since I got back here.
I've been out in my little town in the
west for a number of years, and only
got back here a couple of days before
last Sunday.
When l lived here before | only
knew one family intimately. 1 knew
lot OF folks, of course, in a stiff. dis
tant sort of way, and was acquainted
with the people in the house where
L had my room just we'll enough to
exchange mods with them when l met
them on the stairs going out or COM
ing in.
But there was only one family that
l knew we'll enough to go and visit
with.
The man was chap I used to
play marbles and shinny with back
IN the little western town where we
were raised together. He came to
Washington years before l did, mar
ried, began to raise a family. and
when / got here the family was nice
ly settled in a fiat over in George
town.
''His wife was a mighty nice little
washington woman, and the kids
were interesting and lively. Used to
enjoy going over to see 'em when I
was here before above all things. My
visits over to Georgetown at that time
were right frequent They'd let me
sit around the fiat for few hours ev-
cry Sunday, and make me stay to din
ner more often than not, and | sure
used to enjoy those visits a heap. En-
joyed the dinners, too, after 'rassling'
around for what I could get at my
boarding house.
After dinner the man and I'd light
cigars that I'd contribute as my share
of the entertainment, and we'd sit
down in his den and talk about the
way he used to lick me, or | licked
him, when we were playing hockey
from school back in the little western
town, and cross-question each other
about what became of all the boys
that belonged to our particular gang
While we thus talked his wife'd come
in and sit down and listen to us with
her hands in her lap, and tell us that
we weren't much better than huge,
irresponsible kids yet-for we'd guf-
faw and holler so that it's a wonder
the folks in the other flats didn't rap
on the walls or complain to the jan
itor. I always hated to get up and
come away, used to enjoy my visits
over in that little Georgetown fiat so
much.
"Well, when got back here, feeling
lonesome like a mans liable to feel
after he's been away from town for
some time, l decided to drop in at
that Georgetown fiat on the next Sun
day-which was last Sunday. I'd
been feeling as blue as the deuce, and
| honestly did feel good over the pros
pect of going over there and meeting
my old friends.
"I reached there along about two
o'clock in the afternoon, and it all
looked so natural around that neigh
borhood that l guess l shortened my
stride in my eagerness to push the
electric button of that fiat.
/ remembered just the button to
push, and 1 gave it three short push
es, like I'd always done-three pushes
being the regular, understood signal
that l was the applicant for admit
tance down in the vestibule.
II waited for the little clicks in re-
ply that I'd been accustomed to, sig.
nifying that the vestibule door had
been unbOlted, or unbarred, or un-
locked-however it's done never
could make out-from the fiat above
But the little clicks didn't come.
"That seemed queer. They'd always
been home at o'clock on Sundays,
and it didn't seem possible that their
church services could last as long
as that
$50 gave three more pushes at the
button and waited again for the re-
plying ClIChO. DuI dShlA JuC OIlNh
failed to come
Then I felt something must be
wrong. l didn't have my glasses on,
but l put them on then SOS I could
look to see if my friends card was
there behind the bit of glass above
the letter box | saw at once that his
card wasn't there. There was no
card there at ADJUST the wood be-
meath the glass showing.
"Then l knew that the only family
that / was on visiting terms with in
Washington had gone away.
Funny, but blamed if the sunlight
didn't suddenly seem strained and
thin to me- | felt like chap that'd
been marooned, or something, Stood
there, kind O. dazed like, when the
janitor walked up the basement steps.
l asked him where the only family
/ knew in Washington had gone.