Evening star., 1914-04-26

and of setting a generous table. ana
the captains of these boats never lack
for helpers.
Perhaps a good many overworked ard
underpad persons who chug-chug along
the road to the Chain bridge or Owe
the Aqueduct bridge on sunday III :.
hired automobile feel some throhs %
pity for these bort people whom they see
lounginS along the towpath under
the awnings of the boats III that strefCe
of the canal between the AGueduCt
bridge and the Saffoid chapel. The pitv
is misplaced, There is no reason for it
n boatman is good for about a hum
dred dollars a month. and he has no rem
to pay. his grocery hill IS light. and lie
has no gas bill. electric light bill. lam
dry bill. car fare account. telephone bill
and so forth. In most cases he owns
home somew here ZIP the canal and he
rests and takes life easy during the four
months of the year that the canal Is
ordinarily closed. His children go TO
school. and he and his family attend TO
their social and church duties
The Star man who i writing this once
upon time took dinner ia The cabin
OF the captain OF one Of these boats
one of the captain daughters was NerV
pretty. and the Star man has preserve
notes of an interview with her whic-
he wrote at the time. and part of wltc
comes in handy now TO show hgna
nature on the canal boat The canal gil,
said:
Life on the canalc oh. its fine when
came from boarding school. after com
mencement last spring. | though; tie
novelty great though. of cours. was
reared, not raised. on canal boat After
few trips 1t seemed TO grow monoto-
nous; then the monotony wore off and
settled down to the routine OF helpin-
mother get the meals. clear up the dishes
and attend to the children. We nearle
always have children on canal boats
We've got the housekeeping sSstematized
now, so that it goes along smoothly, ana
far possible we have eliminated
the drudgery of il
We know all the folks along the
canal and on it, and the prominent t
people in the villages along the way.
There is always plenty of COMPANY.
some OF the girls on the canal PLAY
the mandolin and the guitar and some
of them have good voices. Some OF
the young boatmen are musicaEsort
of American gondoliers. II there was
room on board ] would bring my piano
on the summer trips one gets so out
of practice. being without it all sum
ner.
Sometimes | go to party a
dance when we tie up at night When
we get to Washington | go to the the
ater. if there is anything very good
in town. to the moving pictures.
like to go down town in the afternoon
and look around the big stores. There
are SO many beautiful and interesting
things to be seen. 1t is hard not to
be able to buy everything you think
you want, but / suppose it is good for
ones character to have to deny ones
self
Perhaps the reader of these lines
have often looked at that long line Of
boats which usually may be seen on
Sunday extending from the Aqueduct
bridge to Mrs. Saffold's towpath sun
day school or boatmans chapel. 1t is
really a good picture. The long line
of boats having reached the wide
water" as that part of the canal is
called. Saturday afternoon and even
ing. or it may be that some come in
Saturday night They will discharge
their freight Monday. A good MANY
colors glow on the boats. Some cap
tains have fancy for painting and
decorating their barges. which are
really their summer homes. The avn
tngs over the after decks may be Of
various colors. At breakfast dinner
and supper time. smoke is coming out
of the cabin chfmneys and the. fra
GRANGE of coffee and bacon fills e air.
There are groups of canal boatmen
and their families visiting from boat
to boat. And then there are the
mules,
Many Washington people walk along
the towpath. but too many content
themselves with, looking at the pic
ture from afar.