Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-05-14

That was the thing that throbbed in
the back Of my head as she went on:
My daughters little girl has just got
over a bad case OF scarlet fever, and ii
has left her quite deaf, we are all afraid.
Isn't 1t dreadful? Such a pretty little
thing, too,
1t was dreadful truly. l felt sorry.
Then she went on and told me that her
daughters husband was failure. No,
lie didn't drink or anything like that, but
he just couldn't get along, somehow
Couldn't keep a position. Her daughter
had hard time making ends meet. 1t
was dismal.
And her own husband? asked her was
sorry for having asked 1t when she told me.
dabbing at her eyes. that her husband had
gone off somewhere. probably out west
several years ago. and had never written
a line back to her to any Of the chill
dren She didn't know where he was
And on. She was dabbing quite af-
fectinSly at her eyes by this time. and
| sought to comfort her. After a while
We parted. ! turned back after she had
gone. and saw her. big, heavy and heavy
hearted woman. slowly trndging up the
hill with her market basket
What the mounding years had done to
that peachy- skinned slight girl that | re-
membered well and had idoliZed so
hopelesSly a youth.
| struck into the Avenue at the Peace
Monument The north side of the Avenue
from the Capitol to Az street. al any rate,
| suppose il is the most incongruous
stretch of a great thoroughfare to be
found in all the world-mean. depressing,
out of all keeping with the glory OF WASH
ington.
X
| scarce had got into the Avenue when
Il man standing in front of a mission
house for men hailed me-
nal - said ba n Ia
hoarsened voice.
! had to look at him for a long time
before ] knew him. Then | made him
out as another boyhood and young man
hood friend He was standing in the door
way Of the mission house. and as he
quite looked like a guest of the estab-
lishment l found it needless to make any
inquiries as to that. Presently he told
me that he was a guest there. When
last 1 had seen him he was a well-to-do
grocer; nice nome. Wife, kiddieS, all OF
the trimmings that make life worth
while. / remembered, though, that the
elbowbending habit had been sort of
getting him the last time 1 saw him. So
here he was, down and out, grizZled, old
looking-he is my age, but certainly look
ed il he'd beat me to the world by at
least fifteen years-a guest of mission
house. Where were his folks? l asked
him. He didn't know-sort Of numbly
and hopelessly, he said he didn't know
Then he began to sympathize with HIM
self Wife had gwen him raw deal.
that's what she had Jumped him just
when he needed her Hadn't he given
her everything in the world that a man
could give a wife when he had the coin?
Hadn't he. etc. etc. Sad stuff. of course
and he became surgly over it, Course
he had drank little, like the other fell
lerS. but that was good mans fault
wasn't 1t? His idea Of his situation was
wholly distorted one. He didn't in the
least appear 10 hold himself responsible
for the least part of his misfortunes, L
gathered. Wife had given him raw deal
that was it. Jumped him when he needed
enlargement and all like that Them
when I started to nudge away. he maced
me for two. l compromised on the ace