Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-05-01
Around the City

A woman stopper UclOiC tiO '-AS''
of mans furnishing store. The woman
with her was lettering ahead when tiie
other called her back.
Just come here and look at this, VIII
you-.Panama hats from five to twenty
five dollars What do you think OIL
that?"
The second woman sauntered to the
window and glanced at the sign Inc
other woman kept on talking
There's consistency for you. Just you
wait till my husband gets home. that
all, He's a nice one to be fussing at me
because 1 paid $40 for this hat got way
back at Easter-I guess he thought L
wouldn't find out how much panama
hats cost II he didn't tell me me
who? Him? My husband? Not much
he HASN'T Where do you s'pose mes
going to get money for panama mats
with all the children we got and me
trouble? I'd like to ketch him trying 1t
once. Amt it like man all over
fussirie at the money women spend on
hats and then paying SO for panama
untrinmed. It's just part ana parcei VI
their meanness-
And a spipster person who had over
heard SO much passed on, wondering how
lonr a lady with lung trouble could keep
up solo like that-and TOT no" iohs the
other woman would stand It,
Two men were arguing near newspa-
per bulletin board The discussion was
so excited that a plain sort OF couple VINO
had slowed up in passing to listen caught
the sound of "twirler, tally, curve
and other curious words.
And the plain sort Of woman said to the
plain sort of man:
what on earth are they fussing about.
pap"
which seems to hint that the cave man
s still in our midst.
The man was the father Of the most
ran,s gable child that ever. etc. and the
woman was just plain sort OF person at
And the puzzle In this small incident is
to find out which of them did the talk
II don't say 1t because he's my child.
of course. but really that baby is He's
got A great way of talking to himseif.
and the other night after my wire NAG
we heard him reasoning out little pain
he had in his chest.
az must a caught cold. must
caught it when the man was putting the
co san ,s os interrupted and the subject
was changed.
He was an oldish man, with more than
his fair share of bones. Ana the bones
were rheumatic Also the bones were
covered with insists or the proWh that -
poverty's national color
Over one hand that had retired from
active life dangled hand of shoestr1ngs
The other was stretched FORWARD WIN tns
pencils il foolish enough to buy. Many
people passed him In the hour that
changed from dusk to twilight, Dut no
one noticed. until man came along
and stopped.
He was such big. strong. happy-go-
lucky sort of man that 1t seemed. some
way, as IL ne had come by for the express
purpose of showing how different human
beings could be.
"How's trade. daddy"
NO sales yet, SIR" The answer was
given with the ab!ect gratitude OF
creature who Is used to being cowed.
That's tough-well, keep a going. ana
good luck to you"
And the big. strong. happy go-lucky
man started on his way Before ne mao
covered a trees length he was back
Lord bless my soul! II you don't
make sales. the pot goes empty. Here,
daddy, take this little lift.
He went into his vest for greenDack'
showed It in the distorted hand, and was
of again. He did it SO exactly as II 1t
were a common occurrence. like, say, IN
wiling another fellow to help make Milwau-
kee famous that the chances are he Will
never give the incident second thougnt
untfi-until a voice reminds him:
II was hungry and We fed Me-
Ever consider the why of things?'
The woman who asked could have ex-
pected no reply from the woman seated
beside her in the car. for she kept on
without pausing. though with lowering
of voice:
"Why do you suppose the man across
wears that odd jade ring on his watch
chain? Don't let him see you looking.
The other woman accommodatingly OBJ
served the circlet, which was too large for
a ring and far too small for bracelet.
Then she looked at It's wearer, whose
kindly gray-bearded face showed no sign
of any past romance for which the anu
let might have stood. Then she remarked:
pretty, isn't It? l had a green jade
bracelet once. only It wasn't real Real
tade costs money. / reckon his is real.
He doesn't look like person who would
wear imitation.
WHY of his wearing 1t at all. He wouldn't
be carrying around a charm Ike that just
reason back of it-and that's what
want to get at.
It didn't in the least seem to occur to
her that the gentlemans motive might
be exclusively his own affair.
Charlie wax is a small plant in a pot.
Charlie the ONCE boy, brought 1t to the
room and put 1t on the WINDOW Sill, ana
the woman named IL.
1t is a busy room, with a telegrapher
forever racing his typewriter neck and
neck with a jabbering wire in box;
with Chariie-boy piecing puzzles between
copy rushes, and with the woman scrib-
hltng things that are always tremendous.