Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-12-01
BY SEWELL FORD

lie IL pi'b"'iS NAVY ic''o lis III
hours comm to him.
And for IA minute there ] thought
both Wee and We're let in for fond
clinch act with Miss Casey, AS it is
she takes it out in pattin' Wees hand
and calm her Dearie.
"a week Wedne sday, eh?' says
Miss Casey. SAY. amt that grand;
And believe muh, mean to work up
some little party for Stubby. It's due
him, and the old lady
"Of course it is" agrees Wee. "And
Torchy, YOU must do all you can to
help"
Very we'll, major says 7 salutin'.
And from then on | reports to Wee
It's only the next night that ! gives
her the first bulletin from the front.
what do you know" says I. Miss
Casey has IA hunch that she might or
ganize block party for the big night.
I don't know whether she can swing
it or not. but that's her scheme"
But what on earth is u block party.
TOrchy:" Wee demands
why" explains, cts small town
stunt that's being used in the city
these days. Very popular. too. They
get all the people in the block to chip
in for a ation--.decorations, mu-
they raise block service flag. 1t
talk some organizin'. though"
How perfectly splendid!" says Wee.
And that is just where you can be
uSelu
SO that's how come to spend that
next evenin' trottin' up and down this
block in the COS between 9th and
Amsterdam. j must say it didn't look
specially promisin as a place to work
up community spirit and that sort of
dumb-bell flats, most of 'em with
Room to Rent" signs hung out and
little basement shops tucked in here
and there. Maybe you know the kind
the asphalt always Uttered with pa
per. barbage cans left out, and
swarms of kids playin' tip-cat or
lashin' about on roller skates. Cheap
and messy. And to judge by the names
on the letter boxes you'd say the ten
ants had been shipped in from every
country on the map. Everything but
straight Americans.
Yet when you come to count up the
service flags i'll the front windows
you had to admit that Miss Caseys
block must have a good many regular
citizens in it at that. There was more
blue stars in evidence than you'd
find on any three brownstone front
blocks down on Madison or up in the
Seventies One flag had four. and
none Of em stood for buffers or
chauffeurs Course SEINE was only
faded cotton. few nothing but col
ored paper, but every star stood for
IL soldier and I'll bet there wasn't a
bomb-proofer in the lot.
Whether you could get these people
together on any kind of celebration
OF not was another question. We be-
gins s WITH Mike. Mike ,l place. on the corner
party. III ante twenty-five. And, say
] got cousin in the knights Of Co
Mmbus who'll give you some tips on
how to manage the thing"
The little old Frenchy in the Paris
ian hand laundry gave us boost, too
Even ]. Streblitz. high-class tailoring
for ladies' and gents, Clipped in ten
and told us about his boy Herman.
who'd been made corporal and was
at Chateau Thierry. Inside of three
the whole block. got half dozen of
the men to go OIL the committee. had
had over 500 subscribed and the thing
was under way.
II just know you could do it," says
Wee, when tells her about the start
that's been made.
Mel! says J.. why it was mostly
Miss Casey. About all did was tag
along and watch her work up the en-
thusiasm; She's some breeze. she is.
When l left her she was plannin' OH
two bands and free ice cream for
every one who came.'
AS u matter of fact, that's about all
I had to do with it, after the first push.
Miss Casey must have had q busy
week, but she don't lay down once OH
off. All she asks is il Wee and me
couldn't be persuaded to be OH hand
Wednesday night as guests Of honor.
I'VE wouldn't miss it for anything"
says 7. .
Well, we didn't I'd heard more or
less about these block parties, but vi
never been to one. Course, I wasn't
sure just how v would take it 'gsttin' =
mixed up in a mob like that, but was
bankin' OH her being good sport. Be-
Sides. she. was wild to 60 and see how
Miss Casey had made out. =.
And say, when we swings in of 9th
avenue and I gets my first glimpse
Of what had been done to that scrub
by. messy looltins block, 1t got gasp :,
out Of me. First off, there was strings
Of Japanese lanterns with electric
lights in EN-, stretched across the !,
street from the front Of every fiat
butldin' to the one opposite Also every
doorway. and window was draped and
decorated. with bunting. Then there
was. all kinds of flags. from little ten
centers to big twenty footers swung
across the street. There was q whaclt-
in big Irish flag loaned by the A. o. H:
two Italian flags almost as big; I DONE y
know how many French tri-colors and ID
some that !. couldn't place: .Czecho-
Slovaks maybe. And besides the Ian
terms; and extra arc-lights there was
red fire burrin' liberal. Then at .either r
end Of the block was a truck backed
UP with band in II, and they was
teartn' away at all kinds Of tunes from
the ."Marseilles" to. :K-k-k-katie," =.
while bumpfn' and bobbin' about on the !.