Evening star., 1916-11-05
AROUND THE CITY

In the downtown business section
there is an oldtime confectionery shop
with tables In the rear. The other day
the tables were filed with shoppers.
man or two and a parcel OF children
with the spotlight for one.
He was a restless. skinny child In
the process Of shedding teeth. His faoe
was spotty and his hair was Billikens
red. And he had very bad manners.
His mother told him SO. And he told
her she was another.
You, Edgar! Don't let me have to
speak to you again. Eat your lunch
and keep quiet" --
IT wisht you'd keep your spoon outer
my ice cream, mommer. You done ct up
moren half"
Shut up this minute, sirw
YOU have SO: n you only gimme
one cruller n you had three, sides
sangwich n a cupper coffee.
You Edgar! Will I have to speak to
Edgar became suddenly and ofninous-
lily quiet and his mother-scrawny,
peevfsh and pompadoured-resum her
conversation with another woman:
Well, I've never went to Europe,
myself. but rye met quite Few Eng
in, the way some of 'em speak our Ian
guage wrong-so / don't see what
makes our men any different from
~Wen, Of course, ! don't know,
neither, exceptin' what see in the pa:
pers, but I read it this morning that
some Ehglishman who come over mere
says he likes our men, only they are
too good. He says our husbands are
lot of granlmothers.
| yes, n our mothers is ole maids"
Edgar had spoken.
Her gray pumps were sriny. and
bulged over wobbly heels. Her shoddy
felt hat fopped down to ears weighted
with long-tailed wax beads. ahas
pearls, and her skirt was as shipped
off as an indulgent law will stand for.
Also she snuf1eu.
The two girls with her at the CATO
table made three of kind. each OF
them as common as tadpoles in ditch,
and all joyously young and loudly self
asserting.
That's a nawne cold you got Nrss.
Whereje raise it?"
The girl of the heels. pearls and
IT wed to a Haddoweed pardy a.
faidy queed. in a whide mudde dress
with low neck ad shord sleeds. Ad
whed 1t raid / had,ler rud hode without
dig aroud by shoulders. but 1 tode I
sh'd wuddy. ! hadda grad tibe. girds. l
dadced every dubber with Chardfe Browd.
adde said looked as sweed as peadch.
Say. you and that guy will be get
ting married first thing you know.
bar says I godda stop godig width
Chardie because he ruds width fedders
that drig ad gabble. but I tode her J
wasdt a chide ady logger ad that as log as
l was padig by owd board she cd ted to
her owd bisdess ad cid ted to bide.''
~ should say. That's the way l had
to settle u1omna: says to her: When
=, cyi,ih 70 yndp~ n boss all d2r-
[ says. she don't want no boss at home.
1 like momma, all right, but 1 don't see
why, I says to her. il have to work
like a woman. I says. why amt free
to act like one Besides what do
mothers know. anyhow? They don't do
a single thing but poke around the
house all day"
was snapped out by the girl who was
neither M'ree nor Katie. You girls
needn't talk. You don't know what
married once are easy. but it's nawne
thing. girls. to have widow on your
hands! Why. my mother runs around
heap moren what do because she don't
have to work her eight hours a day.
Yes, and she snaps up every fellcr that
comes to the house"
man and woman-oldish. homely
and bleesedly unconscious of either
fact-were chumming aion~ IN u III
franklin Park. As they skirted the
fountain the woman cali d te.ition 20
a couple of birds on its brim.
I'VE are going to have an early win
ter Sam. Look at the snoWbirds."
"Sparrows." corrected Sam.
No, sir: SNOW birds. Didn't I use to
see them by the thousands focking to
the farm just before the cold weather
set in?'
My dear child. don't you know the
sparrows killed Off the snowbirds q
pile of years ago "
oh. Sam. you don't tell me so! And
they were such dear little things. tool
| remember when l was a"
They rounded the fountain. AMI two
men in the path behind. having over
heard. considered the birds In turn.
Friend Sam is mistaken. Those arc
snow birds. all right
"Snowbtrds. nothing. I bet you a,
dime. they are sparrows-"
The men parted. and as the birds
winged away a woman on a bench
close to each passerby said to hercef:
1nv,'f Ly yhoY