Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-07-31
Around the CITY

a man in an open car sat on the end
seat of bench which was otherwise
vacant.
He was young man with waist ten
years too big for him, and with the pre-
| mature chin creases that come from
feeding the body at the expense of the
brain. Otherwise he was fashion plate
of Panama and cream serge: the trou-
sers pulled up to show russell pumps,
with hosiery of lighter tan-polka-do dotted
isle
The car stopped at a leafy turn OH
Capitol Hill for two passengers to get
on.
The elder wore the habit of a Sister of
Charity and the child she held by the
hand was a pale stalk of girl who had
the appearance of being all bones and
growing pains.
The young man did not move, and the
woman who had spent her life, from
youth to age, working in hospitals, orphan
asylums and probably on battlefields,
way back in war days, flushed with en-
barrassment as she tried to pass the
child over the Gibraltar OF fat voting
man.
Then a passenger In whose face was
| the Hebrew splendor of the Old Tesla
ment did the thing that stands for Amer
lean manhood.
He leaned over from the seat behind
gripped Gibraltar'S cream serge Shout
| ders and quietly slid him down the va
cant space: That was all there was to
| it. but say
It was fine while it lasted.
An old horse was dragging a cart
along 9th street. The rickety wheels
| of the cart were caked with country
clay, and the colored driver-whom
the Great Potter had also formed of
country clay-seemed half asleep, as he
drove along in the sun.
In obedience to the BE kind to your
horse label tackled on the cart. old
| DObbin wore One-plece ROBE OF lace
curtain, patched and shriveled. but
wholesomely clean. and another rag OF
the lace was draped over his ears with
the ends floating as q protection from
flies
| AS personal addition to his comfort.
and seemingly Independent OF the limp
reins he kept to the side of the street
where the trees made shadow-bouquets
between stretches Of glazing gray as
phalt.
AS the old horse and his old driver
went their way, doing some honest
service with the slow sureness of that
tortoise we all know about, man on
the sidewalk paused at sight OF the
white lace robe and floating veil. Then
| he whistled.
And the tune was Mendelssohn's
wedding March"
1t was such a compelling whistle
that other passers by aroused them
selves from their midsummer days
apathy to catch the suggestion and
award it chuckle of Endorsement as
they dropped along under their UNI
brellas.
enough to see joke. at ninety, and
something dreadful in the shade-never
mind about his gray hair and equato-
rial belt line-stopped wh1stling and
turned a corner.
And old Dobbin kept dragging along.
A plain woman in white sat alone at
cafe table Another woman. young, hot
and garrulous, joined her.
why, this is Miss Blank, amt II!
thought 1 recognized you! You gave our
lawn fete write-up last spring. Re-
mem ber?
The Miss Blank woman looked up with
the indecision Of one who finds it diff
cult to single out any one lawn fete from
an aggregate of, say, forty-eleven-
I'VE had it for the church, you know
Chinese lanterns and music and all that
A friend Of mine was sure I wrote 1t. He
said 1t sounded just like me. I'm awful
glad to see you. I hate to eat alone.
Nom and I started out together. but she
got TO scrappin', as usual You know
how nom is
Miss Blank remarked that she didn't
know MON. She said it as If she was not
sure that she considered herself acquaint-
ed with MONS daughter.
"Oh my mothers all right She's as
good as gold. but all the same. she's
nawful nagger. When I was kid she
fused at me day an night because |
wouldn't study. Course 1 studied all
that was necessary unless 1 wanted to be
teacher. an as I tell her. what good
did it do her: I got a edgercation, same
as everybody else. Even now that I'm
married she don't let up. At first Jim
used to get mad at her. but now he sides
with her every time. An 1 tell you that
gets me red hot, with the two of EN-,
sometimes. Just to show you. nom got
all sorts of provoked with me because
got this dress secondhand. / think this
dress is all right, don't you? And this
morning she boiled over on account Of a
white feather boa I'm thinkin' Of buyin'
off woman who advertised it for sale.
Nom bought me black lynx last winter,
but I want a white feather one to wear
round me cool evenin's in case I go to
Atlantic City. 1 drather have ostrich
tips, but this one is of chester feathers-I
guess that's the name of them soft.
soiled and I guess 1T Is. for the ad
owns to its being two years old. But 1t
ought to be cheap for that reason. don't
you think?'
"Dirt cheap" agreed Miss Blank
"And I could clean it good as new with
gasoline. Say, you look awful cool and
fresh, and I'm just about roastin'! II I
had my way, I'd wear white the whole
summer through, only can't afford it.
I've run my feet Off tryin' to get rea-
sonable washerwoman, but they charge
more'n more every day. How much do
you pay?"
Miss Blank paused long enough to pic |
ture q thin, dark woman forever over a |
tub. and some odds and ends of children, |
like so many open-mouthed birdlings. |
waiting to be fed. Then she dispensed |
her information.
IT pay what my laundry woman asks"
'em whatever they choose to charge it |
sets 'em I'D SO that they won't work |
cheaper for other people who have to
'conomize| don't think that's right!
Now, honest do yOu?"
'Oh, I'm always doing wrong things.
It's the habit Of lifetime"
Miss Blank admitted her drawback with
a complacency which the other woman
considered her bounden duty to reprove.
Yes, but you've got no right to do |
wrong things to other folks! And, be-
sides. look at the injury you do yourself.
Here you are, scrimpin over your lunch,
eatin' half a cant'lope. instead of givin'
yourself good, nourishin' food-I guess
I'll have soft crab and some peach ice
cream. I've got to go such a long ways
to see that boa I need somethin' to sus-
tain me- An then. just as like as not,
1t won't be what l want. an I'll have my
trouble for nothin'. Say, l guess you
know every place the way you have to
run around. Tell me what car 1 better
take.
The hot and garrulous young woman
;,,<., nd ma VkF