Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1914-04-06
SEEN ON THE STREET.
TShenandoah World.J

Every once IN a Wnil0 you near
somebody, who knows better. say they
like to 60 to city occasionally just
! to watch and study the people"
| +, He M the kind Of fellow who goes
| abroad hunting scenery before he sees
Niagara Falls or the Grand Canyon.
For in no city in the world will you
see more totally different and univer-
! sally interesting types OF people than
on Shenandoah streets on a Saturday
afternoon.
wise guy" travelling salesman. His
home with it's wife and babies Is in
5000 population Smithtown, Ind, but
he registers from Chicago and puts on
airs in little burgs like ours.
Right behind him plods a middle
aged farmer in mud -splashed old
brown coat and heavy overshoes. He
is intent on buying weeks supplies
and on his face is pictured deter
mtnation that no more Of his money
will be left in Shenandoah stores than
absolutely and painfully necessary
because that is the way he has made
It. He came ITO this country "a years
ago with no change Of shirts and q
strong constitution. Now he has 800
acres Of land, a boy in college, wife
who works 10 hours day and Is using
her wedding dress lace for her Sunday
clothes. When the mother and father
wear out and die they will probably
own section and the boy will fool II
away in five years.
Here trots a pert little working girl.
She has a brisk, vivacious look on her
face but it if little strained. Her hat
has many long bright-colored stick
ups" on 1t and 1t cost s6.ss-a bargain.
Her coat is the newest cutaway OF
tango color. But her shoes-ah, she
couldn't make the pay check stretch.
They are cracked, unpIackeIied and
run down. Her hands aren't very clean
and you jump to the conclusion that
by the time she attains patent leather
pumps her hat will have faded. Poor
little girl. She only sees that which
glitters.
Another woman is coming-from the
country district too but say! she is
good to look at. She wears long
coat, too. but 1t is a kind Of plushy
affair, we don't believe it's quite this
years style, but it Is comfortable and
silky and nice looking This woman
has a face worth while-a joyous, con-
tented. motherly, like-me-because-1-
like everybody kind OF a face. And she
smiles mostly with her eyes which are
large and still very bright, although
she has raised eight or nine children
Fine children they are, too; doing well
for themselves, most OF them now. and
always tickled to death to get home for
one Of mothers dinners or an evening
with the old man and the old woman
And who is this elderly. leisurly NOV
ing man? You place him at once and
it is not guesswork either; you know.
He Is retired farmer. Fine old fell
low, too Worked hard for what he
has and knew enough to knock or IN
time to enjoy his pile while. He has
decided opinions too. you can tell that
by the way he is laying off the law to
the minister who Is walking with him:
he saves the country on an average OF
six times a day. Plenty OF money he
has-the farmer. not the minister
and invested safely in 5000 land. Yes.
he's pretty good citizen although he
kicks about taxes and improvements
considerable and thinks things are go
ing to the dogs.
The minister? Well. he discusses us
Sunday morning and is therefore a
little dangerous to analyze But he Is
a good minister. with good strong
jaw and knows what he believes Is
right and sticks up for it. His white
tie isn't very clean. though.
Two village toughs are passing just
now. Cigarettes, naturally, caps on the
back Of their heads, little swagger In
their walk, pants rolled high talking
loudly and little roughly-they aren't
naturally very bad boys. but they got
the wrong start and it will take some
hard knocks to make men of them.