Evening star., 1920-11-07
HEARD AND SEEN

| Ihat Is question Of great interes;
to visitors. but II should be considered
also by residents of Washington
Thousands Of the latter have never
taken the trouble to visit many Of the
points of interest in and around the
city.
so familiar are many with the
sights" here that they have never
taken the trouble to really investigate
buildings they pass every day. or visit
parks and other places which they
know about only by hearsay.
There are residents here who might
as we'll live in London in so far as per
lsonal acquaintance with historic spots
here is concerned. Men who have
lived here for years have never been
up" in the Washington Monument
lothers have never seen the House and
Senate in action, while still others
Ioniy know Mount Vernon is down the
river because they have been told
labout it.
1t would take an ordinarily swiftly
imoving individual several months to
|properly visit and inspect all the his
ltoric buildings and places and visit
llesuirely the parks and other inter-
testing places in the District.
Yet many people have an idea that
the thing can be done in a great deal
less time-in fact, in a negligible
length of hours, as witness the con-
tversation of couple of prosperous
Hooking gentlemen aboard car last
week
They We're talking earnestly, as the
icar moved along toward Union sta
ition.
Pretty town." said one. Some time
when I come here I'm going to see il
lrght"
He nodded his head.
I'm going to hang around three or
four hours" he said.
City post Office officials had quite an
unusual experience prior to election
day in helping hundreds of men ant
women prepare absentee ballots for
transmission to their home states. A
few of the states. including Virginia
required the certificate of post
master.
Among the questions which the
voter had to answer was one concern
ing the weight of the absent one
This question often proved stickler
for both applicant and postmaster or
assistant postmaster.
| When one woman was asked how
much she weighed her reply was that
she didn't know-the postmaster
would have to lift her. When the
postmaster demurred, the woman
guessed her weight.
But this was totally ecIipsed by the
reply of stout. smiling woman who
came into cast her first vote. She
was as roly-poly as they come. some
1 MI b0 he. c1o hao NJ
meal tied with a string, or mcder-
ately slim barrel.
| How much do you weigh. madam -
asked Assistant Postmaster w. H.
| Haycock.
| Tell 'em TIM as broad as I am long
| smiled the woman.
| Unusual shops have long been the
boast Of metropolitan cities. From the
days Of Charles Dickens to the pres
ent, authors have loved to write Of
queer shops. small places not always
run on strictly business" principles.
where the customer may find so1ace
| for a tired soul as well as material
articles.
| Washington is not without such
places. although one has to know
where they are to find them. This
perfectly obvious statement is neces-
sary. for these places do not blazon
forth their wares to the public.
One little violin shop seems actual
| ly to want to hide itself away on the
second floor of busy downtown
street, so that unless you have musi-
cal friends you might walk past it
for years and never suspect its pres
ence.
| Yet walk up a pair of crooked steps.
and you step into as romantic a place
as author ever wrote Of or real per-
son ever visited. The owner, musi-
Istruments. He has old and priceless
instruments casually lying around.
jwaiting for some one with several
thousands Of dollars to claim them.
He does not seem particularly inter.
tested when their future owner shall
show up. In fact, he would rather
iplay them himself. or loan them to his
friends and patrons. He can repair a
bow with deft hands. and send you
Iaway with q pleasant feeling of hav-
ling met a gentleman and true musl.
clan. When you are out on the street
you can almost feel that he is too good
to be true. and that the next time you
go back there you will find his shop
gone. and the whole thing fgment
OF your Imagination.
Then there is Nick the cobbler. If /
ltold where he keeps his pleasant shop.
jsurely hundreds would make a pill
tgrimage with worn shoes tomorrow,
and that would not be right. for he is
lnot equipped to handle too much shoe
line ending. He nends dispositions as
Iwell as soles. He takes a personal in
!terest in every shoe he mends. SO that
iunwary tacks that stick up at odd
moments in the best regulated heels
lind themselves at Nick's mercy for
the rest Of their natural life. When
Iyou leave this mans shop. humble as
III is, you carry with you a great deal
3more than q mended pair OF shoes.
He sends you away smiling.
| CHARLES e. TRACEWELL.
min on nIrnnrln