Evening star., 1921-02-27
HEARD AND SEEN

Laughing at the United States
weather bureau is,rapidly passing out
Of style. il the sport cannot already
be said to have become q thing Of
the past.
When the bureau last week practi-
| cally predicted to the hour when the
snowstorm would hit the District, it
about gave the finishing blow to the
old jest about the unreliability of its
| weather predictions.
, Once upon a time nobody would
believe what the weather man" said.
1t was fashionable to laugh at the
bureaus predictions. pleasantly ridi-
cule Its warnings and never fail to
recount Its failures at length.
Perhaps even in those days the
weather bureau hit it, a great deal
more than it ever missed it, but
the misses became universal topics Of
conversation, whereas there were
none to do the prophets hits" JUS
tice.
Even here in the National CAPITAL
poking fun at the weather bureau
reigned. But those days are past. II
has at last dawned upon tn aver
age man. seemingly. that the bu-
reau, with its latest scientific instru-
ments. and its stan OF men who have
made a life work of this business. is
IN a better position to forecast
weather than the ground hog.
IT also is realized that if the Gre
aeor SENDS an unexpected air cur
weather bureau cannot helm IN for
us predictions deal only with known
conditions and conditions which it
may reasonably expect.
Nen ana Instruments can 20 no fur
ther than that
x K
1t was cold winter morning.
In front of one Of the city's large
downtown hotels four colored men stood
waiting, while two more were at at
tention across the street
Suddenly two well dressed men emery
ed from the hotel entrance.
The four colored men Immediately
swooped down upon the men. They
rushed close to them. and one of their
number seemed to snap his hands under
the nose of the larger of the two hotel
patrons.
The two paid no attention to the ac-
tions of the four.
The colored men then retreated to
their CORNER positions but kept a close
watch on the two standing at the hotel
entrance.
o.
whole pantomime was repeated.
1t got too much for an observer, who
approached the two watchful colored
men standing across the street.
What's going on over there?" he
asked.
"'Deed. boss" replied the man. they
is waiting to carry the drummers' cases. !"
He smiled. I'm after one Of dem Jobs
myself"
But for awhile it looked like more
labor trouble.
On his way to work for many weeks
a young government employe saw a
pretty face.
1t was just Autograph face on a
billboard. like thousands Of others,
but there was something about it
that appealed to the young Clerk.
Perhaps it was the wistful some
thing which the artists had managed
to get into the eyes. Billboard art is
not always Of the highest. but this
time the artists had managed to get
over a bit Of real expression.
Those eyes met the gaze Of the clerk
every morning as he went to work. AS
the lithograph managed to retain its
place day after day, while ads of
things to eat and to wear came and
interested.
Every morning as he passed the
board he found himself looking for
those wistful eyes.
But time creeps over everything,
even billboards. and fair Hthograph
ladies with wistful eyes that belle
their bespangled skirts.
Bit by bit the lady disintegrated.
Arm by arm. leg by leg. ear by ear,
the Hthograph disappeared under the
4 ekof
by time.
Yet those eyes persisted.
They were enough. AS long as they
greeted him each morning their
friend felt as if his lithograph lady
was still his. as, indeed. her wistful
eyes still were.
But one night there was a snow
storm.
The next morning his lady was
gone. CHARLES E.. .TRACEWELL