Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-07-12

arrived, others were arriving. and down
the street, like pack sof frenzied wolves,
came others by the hundreds, ravenously
intent on getting food inside of themselves
and hurrying away.
The Observer dashed to the counter,
chung there desperately and bawled for
beef stew But there was to be no beef
stew for him. A huge man with hand
like ham and sunset complexion was
making sounds like a II O'Clock whistle
in his effort to convince the counter man
that he needed a ham and egg sandwich
He reached right over the Observers
head, ciutched his sandwich, broke
through to the outer edge Of the surging.
seething mob and there carefully dropped
it on the tiled floor to the everlasting
detriment of the sandwich Then he
fought his way back for another one.
Hey" said hoarse voice. you keep
you're blamed elbows out Of my ribs.'
The Observer turned to behold a
cadaverous man. who was making
frantic stabs at distant piece of apple
pie. He was talking to his neighbor.
who see-sawed between doughnuts and
prunes
Think you own this place." asked
the neighbor amiably. as he retrieved
the prunes and poured judicious
quantity of the Juice into another
mans tomato soup.
mo man can dig me in the ribs and
get away with it, growled the seeker
"zat So" said the prune man nom
committally. Then came a great rush
and they were separated.
The lunchers that day decided that
the Observer did not need any lunch
1t may have been the Observers own
fault He may have looked liverish
that morning. Anyhow. the crowd
was determined to save his life. There
was another wild charge toward the
counter, and the Observer was swept
away from the center of provender and
toward the wall.
II want my beef stew" he roared
again.
You don't have to yell it in my
ear said heavy man sharply. Il
hope you get 1t and all that, but 1
gotta save my ears
II want my beef stew" moaned the
Observer. In his voice was a note of
despair.
All this time food was being dished
out with incredible rapidity and was
being hurled into the systems of the
There was little mamie couldn't
have weighed over ninety pounds-and
he was rushing for seat, proudly
bearing plate that overlooked with
ham and cabbage. The OLeerver watch
ed him in wonderment. If he had the
nerve to eat that portion of ham and
cabbage he would add about one-third
to his weight.
Then he went outside, and presumably
he died at his office that afternoon in
painful manner. 1t was considerable
of him not to die in the lunchroom and
Interfere with other peoples enjoy
ment :
Disheartened. the Observer turned
away. He will go back some other
day after that beef stew and when he
gets it he is going to see if he can
emulate the little man and swallow it
in two gulps.
From the lunchroom he went to the
street car terminal on the Avenue
whence one can go to Alexandria.
car was just pulling out. And a tall,
thin man. who runs a piano store in
Alexandria. was committing the fatal
mistake of thinking he could go faste.,
than a street car. He ripped after
that car like a terrified chamois He
called in breaking tones to the
conductor. But the car had half
block start On him and ultimately he
came back and shook hands mourn
fully with the Observer
Il wanted particularly to get that
car he said.
SO L noticed, rejoined the OBJ
server You will be a wreck for a
week after that marathon you did"
'Tt was important" continued the
piano man.
The cars are running every fifteen
or twenty minutes pointed out the
Observer
Whats that got to do with it?"
asked the piano man impatiently.
There will be cars running twenty
years from now, but that fact doesn't
vitality interest me. I have some bust
ness to attend to and 1 want to at
tend to it,"
Now look here said the Observer.
You must have some strong. impelling
motive that enables you to race like a
maniac in order to clip fifteen min
utes off your time. You know per
fectly well that you can do your bust
ness as well at 1880 as you can at
Ills, and"
Look" interrupted the piano man. /
The Observer looked A car for Airing |
ton was about to pull out and a fam
lily of excursionists were madly diving |
aboard it. The father had a handker- |
chief tucked in his neck and a cloth /!