Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-03-05
Around the City

Way up town there is fenced-in lot
that the cars pass, coming and going.
| A woman was walking by the fence. It
isn't necessary to explain that she was
saving carfare-there is entirely too much
| of this rushing of private affairs into
print. She was just walking by the
fence. and
Well, she didn't exactly walk by the
fente. either. for when she got to it she
stopped. A man was painting a-sign on
the fence, and she thought she would
like to look on.
He was an Oldish man, with nothing
special about him one way or another
Just like the majority of us-and after a
bit he noticed the woman with a friendly
nod. as If to make her welcome, and
went on with his work, as If she wasn't
there.
He was covering half the fence with
the patent ad of company that has
daubed it's cereal all over town, all over
the country and if it could see the way
clear. would slap it on the walls Of
Jericho and down to the far end of the
corridor of Time-which is a perfectly
SHY thing to say, OF course, but never
And the painter man was doing it fine.
There was field with cow in it and
tree-shaded road leading to a house on
a hill And right down in front, COB
bling up the whole foreground, were fat
letters red enough TO madden any cow
but don't let's bother about the letters.
Inc curious thing about the sign was
tnat the grass seemed to be waving in a
breeze. the shadows lay cool along the
roadside, and the smoke curled up from
the chimney as real as if 1t were made
from burning wood
You know how to paint"
The woman scarcely realized she was
no Itch,
Il used to think so. but the world didn't
agree with me. Each of us has some lit
tic talent under a napkin. Youth fools
itself with the idea that the talent is
starved my early life on art Now do
signs and get my three meals a day.
What sort of talent did you find under
your napkin. and what did you do with
it,"
The oldish man gave the woman a
whimsical glance, and then with, one dab
changed u brush full of white paint into
cloud on sky.
So the woman told him--but it really
isn't worth repeating.
You know those water wagons that 60
around town-the truly ones that sprinkle
the Streets? Well, 1t takes four min
uteS to- I'LL one
Yesterday one of the big cylinder-tank
kind, painted yellow, was hauled up to
a water plug and the driver connected a
hose. A passing woman stopped to look
on.
at meal time. and the woman. charmed
by even the suggestion Of a snake, kept
on watching. Pretty soon the driver
switched the water off and began to coll
up the boa constructor that had gone
back to An everyday hose.
Then the woman asked deferentially.
as behooves a butter-in. how long it took
to fill the tank. And the driver answered:
-Four minutes." Then he got on the
wagon and went about his business, and
the woman spurted ahead with the COM
placency that betokens superior state Of
mind.
She was telling herself how many peo-
pie there are in this world who don't
know how long 1t takes TO fill a water
wagon.
She was a merry little soul with eyes
like sunshine and a laugh that was a
tonic for the blues.
And she was telling another spinster
soul about a neiSnbOr who. for important
to keep her little girl over night SO that
she wouldn't be around
I'VE got along fine until the time came
for prayers. 1 supposed, OF course. she
She had to be teached. Then, to wheedle
her out of a clue. I asked her to tell me
just one word of what mamma taught
her-and I wish you could have seen the
SDOCkcQ dStOHiSIlIuent Oh tudt yOunSSt6T
as she asked me If didn't know a word
of prayers. 1 tried to redeem my reputa-
ton by starting the Our Father but she
had lost faith In me. And the first thing
knew she was off in q corner kneeling
bolt-upright with her face to the wall and
most devoutly apologizing-aloud:
Lord. dear. you will have to excuse
! me tonight. Ny mamma Is too sick to
hear me my prayers, and I'm staying
with a lady who doesn't know q thing
The story was interrupted by q whistle
| that meant that each spinster must scut-
| tie off to work.