Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-07-23
Around the CITY

She must have been an architect OF
the brand that is born, not made, or she
never could have built out from the
back of her head the overhanging crag
of rats and puffs to accommodate the
prodigious hat that topped it.
She was standing with young man
in the shadow of an elm waiting for
somebody to come out of the House
office building, opposite, and while they
waited the man interested himself in the
torn-up track and the gang of brown
laborers who were Swarming over 1t like
SO many extra busy brown bees. The
girl was not interested in the tOrn-ur
track and she took no pains to hide her
indifference-which was perfectly natural.
Why should a young man have eyes for
anything under the sun except the girl
beside him?
So she tossed aside imaginary strands
of hair languidly with the back Of her
hand-you know-and her lips shaped a
silent word which couldn't have been
fattering, judging by the expression
that went with it. Then she patted her
lips to cover a make-believe yawn.
The man, failing to notice these fore
boding symptoms, called her attention to
the veteran felt hats worn by most OF
the laborers. some punched with holes
around the crown, some slit haphazard,
and one covered with pinhole stars, like
those other pinhole stars on the tin
"A fellow told me that a felt hat IS
cooler to work in than straw If ii is
properly ventilated
..Oh. don't be so silly
fat man came out OF the Office build
ing and waddied down the steps. At
sight of him the girls criticism gave
way to a jubilee of greeting and the
three took a downtown car.
Nothing to the incident. of course,
except when it comes to considering a
word at its full value.
A wheel had rcs~A from a market
wagon and the jolt sent vegetables and
oranges sprawling over the asphalt. The
negro driver, bewildered by the shock,
got OF the box and stared helpleSsly,
while the usual crowd began to swarm.
The wagon had sagged so near to the
Avenue car line that passing motorman
felt il urgent to call out an injunction
not to get on the track, and passengers
Grained their necks out of the open win
dows to tell the driver just what TO
do
And while the excitement was going on
a boy-a regular street tad-got to work
at the fallen truck. put everything back
in the wagon. patted the horse When II
showed symptoms of shyng, and, when
the time was ripe. jerked the dazed
driver and with his help tried to bump
the wheel into place.
He was the one person in the whole
swarm OF men and boys around who was
willing to help and knew how to do it.
To the others the disaster was merely
a free show
woman got on an open car. 1t was
such a breezy contrast to the n-baked
outside that she was opening her book
for long enjoyable whiZ. when her
eyes fared against the top line of a
letter held by woman in front:
Dear little fluttering bird in its
something or other-"nest' =
II is exceedingly rude to read letters
belonging to other people-every body
knows that-but how can you help it, il
mind gets mental grip on the situation
The woman behind read more.
though she had bunch of sheets, both
white and yellow, right under her nose.
make its scanning easy. But the nut
tertng bird business had stamped its
impression. and she forgot her book &c
watch the girls expression as she read
She was a fairly good looking young
person. and her bare hands and arms
were really pretty. Objection might be
made to the bunch of stiff curls and tc
the overrakish sailor, but take her al.
IN all she was as attractive as the aver
age. and Furthermore her usefulness was
ettested to by a shiny tin bucket of the
style that marketers use for butter. She
read the letter twice, and on her face
was a pleased consciousness of beine
really and truly a futtering bird in &
something or other nest because he
was telling her so in very black letter:
with hourishes at their tails.
Which shows what man can do.
1t Is utterly ridiculous, OF course, to cal
a good-sized. meaty girl, with skewer o.
false curls on false bun. dear little
futtering bird. but. all the same, love i!
the most beautiful, worth while hing il
the world. So
The woman. feeling all at once cheaI
and mean and eavesdroppy. left the fiut
tering, etc. TO her happiness. and started
in on a book that had only one man II
II. And he was dead
Two gir;s in very narrow skirts, Yer,
Dutch necks, very gauZy stockings anC
very foolish hats were lettering along
Market space, when one OF them chirped
out to the other:
Amt that Eddie over again?
The other girl must have seen the re
Semblance. for the two paused before
shop window and giggled, and giggled-
the way girls do.
Miss Pris sort OF woman who hap
pened TO be alongside the two also loode'
toward the shop window, to see what an.
sane Eddie could be doing under glass
What .she was rack over which
was displayed a pair Of trousers. cream
serge with gray pin-stripe a white Eel
'rah, rah' hat and switch of bambo
cane.
II was Eddie
--O
Aooipef thu pula,