Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-05-18
Around the City,.
W 18TH the late J. Barleycorn
M gone to-wherever 1t Ii that
Wv good spirits go-and Messra.


Bacchus and Book unavoid-
ably absent from the victory night
celebration. aquarians have q right
to their hurrah.
Patriotism was on tap every inch
Of the way from the Peace Monu-
ment to the used-to-be deadline, at
the far end of Executive Square
and there may have been a here-and-
there ag'in-the government person to
make good the saying that there is
hero and traitor in every crowd,
but
There sure was one lame gentle
man who refused to entirely respond
to the colorful and soundful occa-
sion-for why?
He had a long-tailed memory that
reached back to the civil war, in
which his brother had been killed,
he. himself. being too crippled to
run red" for old Virginia. He said
as much and a whole lot more In
literal heart-to-heart talk with a
woman who was damned against him
between the car track and a line of
dulOIHOUllcS IhdS AooACo AANO oA~S~~
beetles on parade.
"They can brag of this war all they
have a mind to, but can assure you,
madam, from personal observation.
that it isn't patch on ours. had
a brother who belonged to the
Rangers, madam, and one night
when we heard riders come gallop-
ing up to the house and then gallop
off again before we could get to the
door, we knew before pap could open
it that we would find Bud on the
piazza. and that the boys had risked
their lives to bring him home. And
there he was, stretched out in the
moonlight, with black streaks trick
ling over his face-and while we
stood there. all Of us dazed and pap
still holding his corncob. which he
had forgotten in his horror, along
comes the enemy cavalry. chasing the
boys. And II you had seen the way
they searched the house. madam, and
handled poor Bud to see If he was
worth taking prisoner-and heard the
questions they put to pap--though I
will say for them they helped him
tote Bud into the house when they
saw I was too lame to lend hand
you would know what war means. OF
course, have played this bond game
from start to finish and am ready
for any more they may deal out, but as
war. madam, cannot think it patch
on ours. speaking from the point Of per-
sonal observation"
For that lame gentleman the fields
Of Flanders were only SO many pop
pies growing in rows OF poetry lines
beautiful and sad and all that-but
not to be likened to the poignancy
of his memory of Bud stretched Out
in the moonlight with the black
streaks trickling over his face. Which
shows the value Of personal observa
ton.
X X X X
CHE was medieval lady in black
~ with chin ribbons, and for SOM
inscrutable reason known only t.
grandmothers she had climbed 81,
benches over an anYhS u SaWuuS
and hoof- trampled mud to get to tn
seats which she and the small bo!
with her were to occupy at the circu
matinee.
From the time she sat down Of
the half-back reserved" until tn
show was over it was palpable that tn
medieval lady's whole being was cen
tered on the impossibility Of her eve
getting back to earth again wit
whole bones. And she fairly shivere
every time the boy dangled his eigh
inches Of legs over the void. which
being q boy, he naturally kept o
doing. Also, being boy. he had hi
ambitions. The one in hand was
initiate, so far as space allowed.
glittering. pink-spangled trapea
performer who was swinging aboV
the center ring.
AS she leaped from bar to bar tn
boy clapped and cheered and CAV
an extra dangle to his legs. And
each dangle the medieval lady show
ed symptoms Of that thing we ca
conniptions.
When a fanfare Of trumpets sis
nailed the close of the turn and II
+~,oavo narformer was descending