Evening star., 1921-10-23

+ you like a river with silver rlppleS
to it. and big ships fast asleep in
/ the Sunday sunshine, and country
road with blossomy weeds on the
side, and goat that will butt you If
you don't look out, just start from the
Capitol and follow the way the British
took that time in history, and walk
and walk until you come to fence.
1t is 4 wire fence that corrals the
whole of the navy yard section where
there used to be homes. and which lets
you know that when it comes to grow
ing Jack of the Beanstall. has nothing
on Jack Tar. And at the gate in the
fence guard will tell you in the
incest way:
Sorry. lady. but can't let you in
side. Ii you want to get to the water
take the path around"
So you follow the path until it
brings you to the silver river that
ripples to green country on the cross
shore. and where the big ships are
asleep and everything is silent. except
some launches .flivvering off with
fuss that breaks the ripples into
foam. And when you have been
there long enough to wish and wish
you owned a river to live by you
turn back and travel until you get to
a big building. where many wheels
go round.
1t is set in garden, gay with au-
tumn flowers and sweet with old-tlme
fragrance, and, as the door looks So
ciable. you ring the bell-to find out
Ia. lS ILr
But another nice guard tells YOU he
can't let you in, SO you keep on and
on until you come to a commons. run
wild with golden rod and sumac
bushes and some purple thistles go
ing to pod. laundering across it is
and on the side is a boy leading
perfectly ferocious goat. with black
spots on his grimy whiteness and
chevy lips. And horns! And the
boy tells you he would butt the life
outn you if he was to let go. and.
being as how the law is SO far away.
you try to vamp the youngster with
a nickel, which he doesn't want. be-
ing the sort of boy who runs to free
kles and the humorous grin that is
Irish, along with sparkly eyes that
are go-braghish blue. And when
you have heard of the deeds of the
goat, which you can see for your
self Is the finest goat in town, you
tag off in another direction that
brings you back to the bricks, where
you can look into a back yard and
watch a nice dark woman feeding
two big. strong winged. red-wattled
turkeys that gobble up their dinner
as the dark woman's family is. going
to gobble in turn. come Thanksgiving
and Christmas. And then your walk
lined with trees big enough and
green enough to start a forest-the
ones planted by a long-ago mayor.
and which stand today. SO many
sylvan senjnels to guard the fact
that there was time when we were
not a politically denatured people.
And then you strike into the road
the British took when they wanted to
take the town-and that brings you
back to the prosaically neat place
you call home.
And that will be all. for one time.
- X X
YOU could tell he had been an over
seas soldier by his cap. Also by his
crutcheS.G And he was waiting his
turn to board a car at an hour when
clerks were rushing home from work.
A woman ahead moved aside with
the laudable intention of giving him
heI cHdlSe hI d eed| Uu@ he "oseo
her back.
Much obliged to you. but am all
right. / am getting SO handy with
these sticks that I'd about forget
I wasn't born with them if kind folks
would let me-"
He said it with a. humor that inn
piled her. ability to comprehend. and
She accepted it in the right way. and
that was all there was to ft-only:
It taught her a lesson In common
sense. And common sense Is a good
thing to keep in stock-unless you
happen to be like the lady who
Dragged she had nothing common
about her-"not even common sense. =
* X
DEAR AROUND THE CITY,
an, one of your readers and hope you
will be interested to know that have
Just finished a 4,000-mile trip in fne
shape and feeling like Alice in this
: wonderland of the west. l never
dreamed the earth could hold such
| awful magnificence as these noun.
tains and deserta For two uays
| while going through Wyoming and
! Salt Lake deserts, saw nothing but
| dead volcanoes and alkalf and sage
| brush and stretches OF grayish salt
aand. I am In q water hole In the