Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1921-01-02
A SHOPPIN crowd swarmed
N around store door to see n
1 A man wedge his way to a car

at the curb. He gripped a
girl by an arm. his other hand holding
wire-stalked poinsettia bloom. its
hamboyant scarlet fiaring upward like
a flag passing by.
The girl had stolen the flower and
the crowd was having its say.
Poor little thing. doesn't look a day
over fourteen" Serves her right,
shes got just what was comm to
her. For the love of Pete, why
didn't she swipe something of some ac-
count while she was about it," Say,
mister. here's a lady says she'll pay
for it If you let her go. It's a shame to
Jail a kid for ten-cent rag lil<er that
why, l threw one of them things in
the ashcan yest'y, left over from last
christmas; The wages of sin is
death" I'd die before I'd steal so
much as a pin!' What a sad Christ
mas this must be for her to want
DIT OF color like that" Mister, didn't
you hear this lady offer to pay for it
why don't you let her skip
Inc man-store detective-answered
tne Daoei to the extent that he knew
MS duty and was going to do it, But,
you can't ever tell how thing rs GO
ing to turn out, which is why this is
such an exciting world to live in. An
other man who had come to the door
from the inside to see what the rumpus
was about, called out:
Bring that woman back
When the girl stood before him. her
race outfiaming the ponsettia and her
lowered eyes dripping tears. the man
TOOK the Hover from the detective. and
asked:
What made you do ito"
He had TO ask her twice Then she
thing red to decorate her room. be-
cause she was used to having il: il
seemed more like home. 1t was the
first time in all her life-she took il
without thinking.
Why didn't you pay for it?''
Her head went lower and the tears
ran down her face. She was out of
work. but she hoped to get a job after
New Year The detective interrupted
to say that you couldn't believe
thief on oath: she had stolen the goods.
and" Then the other man stopped
him:
Not so fast. my friend You couldn't
call it stealing if l give it to her"
And he handed the flower to the girl,
By some grace of womanhood slowed
in the soul of the shabby bodied, glo-
riously youthful culprit, she shook her
head in refusal. And the man seemed
to understand.
Il hope you get your job. miss-but
never do thing like this again as
long as ever you live"
A very old lady who had been
wedged next to the man in the door.
patted his arm without saying word,
and then made her way to the girl And
that was all there was to it, except
that
This can't be such a bad world,
neighbors, dear, when an everyday
manager of an everyday store can
stand out. shoulder to shoulder. with
that greatet of all bishops, who gave
the candlesticks to Valjean-
Yes. and to that greatest and ever
lasting Figure. who said to that other
woman:
Neither do condemn thee Go, and
sin no more"
x X X =
IF you remember that chfp-child
who meant to save and save until
she could buy her a ten-cent doll, it
may interest you to learn that Santa
called most Unexpectedly and brought
dotted muslin young lady, about
quarter of a yard long. with henna
curls and fur muff and toQue And
that he added a box of scraps-regu-
lar old-time doll baby rags-with
spool of cotton and tiny red silk
case with a row of needles stuck In
its red flannel tongue. Also. a china
tea set, a Mother Goose pictured in
gay colors and two pairs of stock
Ings-one pair of them filled.
The next evening the woman went
to the alley that calls itself a court
and asked the chip-child il Santa had
come according to her guarantee. and
if she liked his gifts? She was rap
turous over everything. only she
"wisht Santa hadder brought her a
bigger doll with a white satin train
like a brides"
Ungrateful? No. dears. Just human.
like the rest of us.
The little thing would have been
entirely satisfied with any dime doll
she might have bought for herself.
but. believing Santa could just as
easily have given her a princess
dressed in rainbow prisms. her I'M
charted imagination had created
fancy that no store in this town could
have duplicated. And it was entirely
all right for her to think that way
about 1t, because, honest: If you
had your choice, wouldn't You rather
have a big doll in a white satin train
like a brides, stead of a smaller one
in homemade muslin and pink sash?
You know you would. We are made
that way.
\ x X x
THERE IS a clever newspaper wom-
an-feature stuff-who owns a
pretty home and lives in it-alone.
Her friends include timorous
lady, who is SO sure that tragedy
will come to the solitary that she
makes frequent visitations of warn
ing, bringing, each time. choice hor-
rors in the way of burglars. murders
and the like.
So far, Fate has been kind. but
the fears of the timorous lady con-
tinue to seethe and her warnings
never lag.
One night in Christmas week, when
the lone woman was having a bl1the
little time with her friends. the
timorous one clasped an envelope in
her hand and told her to read 1T the
instant she got inside her house: 70
read every line before she went III
the kitchen, or down in the base
ment, Or
So the lone woman unlocked her door.
lighted the gas, went in the kitchen
and down in the cellar and out IN
her green handkerchief OF Dack
Garden. and then upstairs to her
room. And after she was. in ped,
with a lamp beside her and jolly
good book for an hours reading, she
Started in on the clippings in the
envelope: Details of burglarious at
tacks on lone women. murder IN
caIiar an assault from tramp hid
in The shadows of the kitchen pan
which seems to vindicate the
.daga that most of the harm in this
Worid is done by people who mean
we'll. But. anyhow: 1t meant Jolly