Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-04-09
Around the CITY

| He was a kindly gentleman with a
pleasantly reminiscent voice. And this
is what he was saying to friends as they
| sat together in the twilight:
I'm the oldest Evening Star carrier
now living. I served papers in 1853 under
Mr.. Locke, and I had little talk with
| him not long before he died and he told
me that my brother and I were his Oldest
| boys-and I am older than my brother.
There were less than a dozen newsboys
| in those days, and we had our regular
| routes. One would serve Stars at the old
! Kirkwood house and another at the VIII
| lard, and so on My brother and 1 had
the whole of Southwest Washington. We
called it the Island then, and we would
carry, between. us, 275 papers, folded
| once, under our arms. Fancy the pile
| that many copies Of The Evening Star
would make today!
1--WE didn't pitch our papers into
yard or on a porch, as the boys do today.
Each Star was put carefully in vestl.
bule, and in stormy weather we would
OPEN the door and tuck 1t in safe from
the wet.
"Christmas times everybody treated US
to oranges and nuts and raisins, and one
New Year day the subscribers gave me
S111 for the carriers address. Generous
present of So every New Year-but
everybody gave money to the newsboys in
those days-and everybody was kind.
Il remember once the printing press
broke down and they got eight darkies to
turn it. They worked with Will. ana
we boys waited around The Star office
until late that night to deliver our pa
pers Mr. Wallach gave us an oyster sup
per and 30 cents a piece. YeS-they were
gOod-old-times."
She was a fat woman in a tight frock
and topheavy with plumes enough TO
start young ostrich in business.
The headwaiter met her as she enter
ed the cafe. preceded her to table
in the middle Of the room and drew
out a chair. The fat woman puffed
doubtless mistook for outraged dig
nifty To the common eye she bucked
everything in this world depends on
the point of view.
II don't care to sit here with my
back to everything. l prefer that table
over there in the bay window"
She turned windowward, but the
walter. still presenting the chair, ex-
planned that the window table had
been reserved for a regular customer
who was about due for his luncheon.
II guess I've got as much right to
be considered as anybody-Anybody!
I'm used to the best that's going. both
here and in Europe-Ive been abroad
| twice and am going again. if the good
Lord spares me-and 1 give you to dis
tinctly understand that I won't be put
| on by anybody-Anybody!"
While she was giving the head waiter
-er-Let's be polite and call it Hail
Columbia nondescript young man
! bolted In. SHE'D his cap at a peg, hit
1t and swung himself on his two ac-
tive, long legs over to the table in the
| middle of the room
why. hello. that you. Mrs. Blank?
Talk about good luck, just hit it,
didn't I? How's Miss Mabel? Came
| near getting around to your house last
night: What'ch you got good today.
John?"
BY the time he got that far the fat
woman was beaming socially-from
the chair the head waiter had been
holding.
Which isn't worth writing about. of
course. except to show that one need
not necessarily go to sea to cast oil
on troubled waters.
Here's what one woman said to an
| other as they were passing a cage at
the Zoo:
II can't stand for coyotes. If you
had ever lived out in Washington state
| their bowling would give you the shiv-
ers. too! There was a woman on a ranch
In Adams county who died with her sec
Ond baby because the coyotes surrounded
the house and her husband couldn't get
| to the doctor. They seemed to know
that something was wrong, for they
prowled outside the windows and barked
and bayed the whole night through Her
/ husband is happily married again and
his second wife has a town house at
which she stays in times Of trouble. I
tell you. I'm not waiting for any sec
ond wife to come in for all the good
things. I snatch at every happiness for
| baby and myself as it comes along"
And then her voice trailed off into in
def1niteness.