Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-06-23

Two men went to Mount Vernon the
other day.
When they had made the routine pill
grimage through mansion and grounds.
peered through ratings at the tomb with
in, inspected the ancient coach and
peeped into the kitchen they went on the
front lawn and looked at the river.
Another man. who seemed as II he
waded out Of green sea of foliage and
passed across the grass. At sight of him
one of the pilgrims held him up and
tapped him for Acknowledgement informa-
ton, either, but just for verification OF
his own cock-sureness:
George Washington was born in this
house, was he?"
The guard who maybe wasn't one
paused long enough to size up both mid
dle-aged, world prosperous men, who
ought. by right. to know a thing or two
about the father of their country Then
he responded with heartiest affability:
Yes, sir. And his father before him.
The answer was entirely satisfactory
and satisfaction is about the best thing
coming to us In this life.
A bunch OF tourists about to do the
calculate at woman who was crossing
the asphalt toward the Capitol grounds.
She was a slender old body, with a face
brown and dried like a tobacco twist but
she minced along in a flounced-out black
silk, a white berege shawl crossed primly
over her breast and one of those spoon
bonnets your grandmother used to wear
yellowfsh lace straw, you know, with an
inside ruche, a white ribbon curtain and
long StreamerS from a bow tied In stiff
loops under the chin
In one whitemitted hand she lugged a
red Powered carpet bag and the other
held raised Darasol-green watered silk
slit and faded, and edged with frill of
the same.
Two cameras snapped. and one tourist
raced pencil over a pad. While she was
doing 1t another dubbed out comments
that went like this:
Looks like she had come out of the
ark, doesn't she? Well, we've seen In
dians with earrings and Chinese and Japs
and congressman from everywhere, but
did you ever expect to lay eyes on such
a queer sight as all THAR
There was more to 1t, but enough is al
ways enough. so the bunch went up the
steps and native who had been lettering
down them suddenly took on speed until
he overlook the old woman and started
up conversation:
Beautiful day. isn't it?''
The old soul made the little bob Of the
with a sprightliness that showed her
yearning for talk:
Yes. miss An 1t sholy oughterbe, for
It's the Lawd's day. an He doeth all
things we'll This medder Ian Is mighty
nice an cool an shady after trapesin'
over de city streets out yander Pears
to me like dey oughterbe a spring under
somer desc trees. but 1 amt seen nair
one. l gets pow'ful thusty on a Sunday
after has billed dinner an got on nah
bes' f1nery''
1T is beautiful finery-'
The woman said it with an admiring
emphasis that set the old soul to BEAM
ing
Now you're talkln'. chile! Nah ole
miss gimme these close endurin de war
when Marse Gawge got killed an amt
never taken EN- outer de ches' tell /
come up a-visitin my gran'chillen in
Washington city. Evy day close is good
ernuff for down home in V'ginyuh, but l
lay has to weah nah bes' up heah on
de Lawd's day, no matter what dey all
say-De all say desc close Is too OLE
fash'n to weah. but l tell EN- ole miss
knowed what was fit an proper to weah
bettern any black niger folks what
woulderben her slaves, cep'n for freed'm.