Evening star., 1920-02-01
HEARD AND SEEN


saw some curious, even amusing, mis-
haps. especially when no real harm
resulted from sprawls upon the side
walks and streets. No one was safe.
Even the athletic had time of 1t,
and nimble young gentlemen who
prided themselves upon their sta
bility were as likely to slip as the
initiated the snail.
There was one particular stretch
of street and sidewalk that was
quite as icy as the tidal basin. Those
who ventured along it took their
limbs, if not their lives. into their
hands. One afternoon a young girl
was walking along this stretch. when
the pavement.
A young man hurried up and as
sisted her to rise.
Thank you" smiled the girl, do
ing her best to conceal her injured
feelings.
You must be very careful when
you walk on this ice, and watch
You can't be too careful
Then his feet slipped out from un-
der him and he was sprawling on
his back before he knew what had
happened.
Not often in this life does one get
chance to'do a good turn about as
quickly as that girl did.
Let me help you up" she said,
Offering her arm. She assisted the
young man to rise.
'One has to be careful when walk
ing on this ice" she smiled.
Is there any law against a person
on a street car using a handkerchief
into which to sneeze?
There must be some such law. if the
habitual actions of most people on
street cars can be used as an index
A man with a statistical sort of mind
last week kept count of 100 persons
whom he saw sneezing on the various
street cars he rode on.
The results were enlightening.
Ninety-eight of the 100. he said,
sneezed into the car without the
slightest attempt to use handkerchief
or hand as a shield to others. One
a man-did have the grace to sneeze
downward. and one-a woman-ac-
tually used her handkerchief to catch
her sneeZes.
II believe these figures can be du-
plicated by any one who cares to
keep count" declared the statistical
one. who. by the way. is a well known
government official. 'It seems to me
hot !, inf =
SO prevalent. it Is a real civic duty
for every one in confined places to
keep their sneezes to themselves as
much as possible"
Some persons seem to pride them.
selves on their ability to discover
errors of grammar and of Typography
in newspapers.
Taking into consideration the lit
orally millions of words printed in
newspaper in a year. and the com
given in which to prepare the mate
rial. newspapers as a rule show fewer
errors than almost any other kind of
printing.
What such keen-eyed persons should
pride themselves upon should be the
discovery Of errors in books long
printed, and upon which revision aft
er revision has been made. Then such
discovery would rank in the nature
of an achievement
A local reader thinks he is entitled
to medal for something he found
last week while reading Our Mutual
Friend" and 1t does seem that way.
1t Is easy enough to kiss a person on
the mouth. or cheek. but
Dickens Is telling. in book the third,
chapter 4. "A Happy Return Of the
Day" Of the walk home by Bella and
her father from tho party. and how
the money-loving girl tells Of her re-
lection of her suitors. except the one
who has money. The story goes on.
and then comes the prize sentence, as
follows:
The good soft little fellow drying
his eyes here. Bella put her arms
round his neck and tenderly kissed
him on the highroad."
Sparrows are fat this year.
"These little BIRDS" said the pro-
fessor. 'seem to be sharing in the
general physical prosperity which has
come to tho residents Of this land.
"On every hand you may note the
embonpoint of the sparrows, variously
reckoned as the curse or delight of
birdland. according to the personal
view of the beholder. which Is in
fiuenced by too many considerations
to be reviewed hero, Perhaps in some
future work. but at this time only the
fact can be stated.
"And that fact, to put 1t In common
phraseology. 10 simply that sparrows
are very fat this winter. They re-
semhle butter balls covered with
feathers and endowed with the activ-
ity Of airplanes.
'In former years winter was a hard
season on tho sparrows, Had 1t not
been for the kind hearts Of many good
more OF these birds
would have perished even than did
and their ranks were decimated with
each cold season.
But this year they fiaunt them
selves in the face of tho coldest blast
I saw q flock of them out
skating yesterday on tho ice on my