Evening star., 1911-06-04
SILK
PETTICOATS
Around the City

'Fresh daisies, lady, f. centser bunch. y
They were not fresh daisies. but when
you consider what an old body has to
60 through with before she can squat
herself on the curb, and what a time
she IL going to have getting on her feet
again
Lady. her daisies amt as fresh as
mine black. insistent hand held
out a rival bunch quite as withered as
the others.
Don't you lis'n to dat gal. lady! She
rot q etrappin' big husb'n' bringin' In
wages ev'ry week. an amt got nary
cent to my name 'cep'n' what I
yearns-''
"Lor. Aunt Julie Ann. you got piles Of
grandchildren-"
Aunt Julie Ann shook her head in out
ragged protest:
"Whats gran'chipn? riz six head of
chilPen, lady, an ev'y last one Of 'em
done serted me in my ole age. Cose.
dey comes 'roun to see me when dey
wants sumpin' off'n me, but amt never
seen de color OF deir money. an never
specs to! No. indeed, chile. Use de wuss-
est put-on 'ooman in dis Wash'nt'n, wiv
my husb'n daid ever Sence de civ-ral
wah an de guv'ment cheatin' me outer
my pensh'n right straighter long,
Fresh daisies are not desirable. but a
IreSh story
The white woman wheedled with her
purse and waited for details.
fessum. 'stedder me gettin' my little
penshtn money cry time 1t comes aroun'
/ haster pend on myse'f-an' my husb'n
shot in de laig he'p'n to fight foh de
nunion and den tu'n eroun' an die OF
de ganser-een. Yessum, an / amt got
nary center pensh'n yit-and me with six
header chillen to riz"
This being an unusual state Of affairs
Aho xurrvr ~rvt,~
asked what reason the government had
to give for such discrimination against
the widow OF a soldier who had practi-
cally died on the field. Aunt Julia Ann
shook her head again.
"Cose'. dey he'd to trump up some s'cuse
but 1t didn't mount to shucks. You can
have thee punches fuh 20 cents"
The younger and darker woman whc
had been trying to sell her withere6
blossoms to q customer who had refused
them took renewed interest in the ole
woman's affairs.
''Lor. Aunt Julie Ann. you know right
well you amt Ineligible to no penshin-
Whynte you tell de lady de reasonT'
She had got that far, when the white
woman reached down to the tin bucket
where the daisies were soaking, took ur
three bunches-the widest ones-and laid
. quarter in the old work-calloused palm
TITS all right, Aunt Julie Ann. Yo,
don't have to tell me a thing about youl
affairs, honey. and I hope you win sci
all your flowers. Good morn"
But Aunt Julie Ann had taken to tn,
war path. Her gray calico body heaveG
itself around to the younger woman an(
In her quaverfng voice was an intensit,
that only genius could describe. Ant
the woman who was buying daisies is no
a genius.
"Huccome you to sot yohsef In jedg-
ment on me an de guv'ment huh? S'poss
de church didn't jine me to NAH husb'n
Didn't ten dat ganger-een de f. yeahs
TIL he was daid? An didn't i riz his
six haid err chillen? AM did I ever gel
mahried afterwards sos any othah man
couider come In an mistreatn EN-
Lady. IL you amt never had but one
husb'n man. and you ben thoo fab an
water for his chillen an then see en
grow up an mahy of an say kiss
man foot to you in your ole age, an
me wiv de rheumatism so bad it mos
cracks nah back when / stoops dowr