Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-06-18
Around the CITY

The man of the hour is always the man
At the helm. He may be guiding the
ship of state or controlling a convention,
but once in while, say. like that stormy
Saturday night. his post may be at the
brake of pave CART all depends on
what the hour needs.
The sudden deluge of rain found every
window open. The motorman looked in
side from behind the screen that served
a. windbrake. and, finding the con-
ductor unable TO manage the situation,
stepped in the car and pulled down panes
as easily and quickly as if he were she'll
ing peas. Then he went back to his plat
form and the car whizzed on
Every time a passenger got off the mo-
torman allowed time for an umbrella to
be opened. and when a last. lone woman
baked AT the downpour and rapid-fire
lightning. he paused long enough for her
to consider whether she'd risk it or ride
to the end of the route.
Maybe IL won't be so terrible return
ing-you're coming back. aren't your
The motorman, In the cheerfulest voice
and with a kindly regard for the poor
things nerves. said he believed 1t would
be better for her TO wait in the car IL she
didn't mind the extra fare. She didn't
mind the extra fare, so she went back to
her end seat. while the rain that was
raining cats and dogs instead Of daffodils.
banged against the windows, and the
lightning sizzled and cracked as IL all
outdoors was being fried.
Two young men who remained for the
round trip sat together up front. and
every time the car had TO wait on &C
count of the car in front that had some
thing the matter with It. the motorman
would look around the screen TO see that
everything was snug.
At one stop there came from behind
the screen the yelps and barks of a dog
that had neither body nor legs. The
young men chuckled and the motorman
poked whimsical face from behind.
AT the next stop a rooster crowed and
flock Of hens started TO cluck and
cackle. You could tell without seeing
that they were either mothering broods
or celebrating eggs. and then a calf be-
gan meoing for its ma.
When the car had reached the end OF
the route the motorman tried all the
windows again. gave a pointer 10 the
the two men. looked down TO the end
of the car TO see how the woman pas
senger was getting along. and then dis
appeared behind his screen to hold
family reunion The woman was too
far off and not sharp-eared enough TO
catch the words. but there was a jum-
bic OF voices; men. women and chill
dren. with the dog thrown in; all talk
IhS AobttHtI, laughing, crying ana DARK
ing
And though no one on the circuit
could lave given more realistic imita-
lions u seemed TO the woman that the
one object of the motorman's perform
ance was to lessen the terror Of the
storm for his passengers. The hour
needed A vaudevillan contrast to the
more serious play OF the lightning.
And the man was at the helm.
Two club women on a suburban car
were discussing the Maryland law re
gar6ing children.
ored women who bore the stamp of the
fields One was an ample soul with for
midable arms and a voice as military
as a drum beat Her companion was
brown and bony, and meek as Moses
is popularity supposed to have been, but
proba bly, wasn't. Beside her sat a choco-
late drop of a girl with Sis Hopkins pig
tails, tied with red ribbons that had
been washed and starched as stiff as her
Bingham frock and spick-span apron.
The ample one kept quiet until the club
women got out at station, then She
voiced her views:
Amt no rights 10 our children, Huh,
I'd like to see my ole man tempt to come
round bossin' me- I'd fling him out so
sudd'n' he wouldn't know whevver he
was afoot or horseback"
Il wish ! could do that away wiv Jack
SON. and the brown and bony one sighed
fearsomely."
"Marteeny. chile. don't you go tell
your pappy what dem white ladies ben
saytn'. or I'll lamm de innards outin' you
-heah me?''
Marteeny over stn with starch and