Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-04-01
OEARTH Of FUN TODAY |
IN april FOOL" LINE
Disputed Small Boy Reels His Lima
and Pockets His ,
Bait"
Jokes Now and Then Keep Custom
Alive-colored Man Gets
Bitten" Two Ways. .

lat prosperous-app pocketbook
lay on the pavement near 18th street and
pennsylvania avenue this morning. Tho
pavement was wet and sloppy from the
orizzle OF rain that fell all morning. but
the pocketbook looked as IL 1t might hays
oeen dropped just a few minutes before
from the warm. dry pocket of some male
FACTOR OF great wealth. But
1iose observers noticed that a ffre black
thread led from the wallet to a stairway
and when the eyes OF the close observer,
followed the thread from pocketbook 10
stairway it was easy to see that the other
END or the thread was clutched firmly IN
the grlmy fist OF small boy. The lads
race bore the expression Of a misantbrope
however and to one who paused and
dueried, Getting any bites, SOM the hoy
spake:
Nav; nuttin' DOM Desc durn rec
porters queered all de fun. Dew print n
IN De pofpers how dis is April fools day
ana now yer not to pick up any loose
aW' dey 60 an give away de hull bust
ness. an kid can't have no fun a-tall
folks is gittin' too blame wise"
Reels Line and Slows Bait
Whereupon he reeled In his line. slowed
the bait in an inside pocket and started
down the street, still mumbling, and look
ing for place where passersby perhaps
would not prove SO knowing
But If this particular urchin was disap-
pointed in his hopes for A little harmless.
Jun, others were more fortunate Although
the wet weather proved a handican 10
lads trying to work April fool Jokes on
pedestrians, many such jokes were per
petrated, most of them belonging in the
time-honored, moth-eaten class In the
schools many of the children made April
iools OF classmates and teachers, and in
some OF the public offices, the clerks
participated in the fun making
what one man, who walked the street,
tnought looked like box of cigars came
near causing trouble in the southwest
section. An elderly colored man was on
his way to work when he spied a neatly
wrapped package partly hidden in a tree
box.
The package looked like a box of
cigars to the discoverer, and he picked
II up. but at once concluded that part of
the contents Of the box was missing.
Thinking some of the cigars had been
removed from the box. he opened the
package and was Mortified when a real
live rat jumped out the box. The old
man yelled. but quickly recovered from
his fright and continued in the direction
Of the river.
0PEA Coo1 NO more, TOT Elm.
you can't fool me no more" he said
when a neatly wrapped bottle caught his
eye on the next block.
Stay there. bottle" he said. aloud. II
don't want you"
A short distance behind him Was an
other colored man. He had not been
fooled. nor had he given April I Q
thought Picking up the package and re-
moving its covering. he found himself
the possessor of what he called 6 bot1s
Of red liquor"
Did you drop anything?" he shounod
to the elderly man ahead Of him.
you can't fool me no moro bout 6tuD.
pin and pickin' up things today, WIS
the response. and looking around he saU
the bottle Of whisky.
Did you ever See anything like M"
asked the elderly man. when you pic1n
up something you gifts fooled. and II you
don't pick it up you gifts fooled anyhow