Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1921-01-30

p, leaves-and open your eyes to all the
hidden VISIONS that you humans are
blind to. That would be a walk worth
taking"
But the chances are the young man
didn't have the first idea that he was
blind, or that he was a Farmer
Brown boy, or that one long, long
time ago. Some one made a parable to
fit his action and called it 1.-The Good
Samaritan
THERE are widows and widows.
There always have been. There
always will be.
This one was a bombazine and chin
ribbon relict Of the sort that can be
| relied on to wear weeds until the time
comes to put on that other robe of
| eternal whitenesS. And the spry diff
fidence Of her, as she took in the shop
i windows of Market space. some way
created an impression that her lawful
boundary was some way off-a forgot
ten old street that used to be fash
ionable," and that the warm sunshine
had enticed her into running away,
as a child might, to adventure into
the excitement of downtown esca-
pade-just as June seemed to have
frolicked into January. Anyhow:
i BY the time she got to 18th street
her interest was caught by a crowd
! near the market side Of the Avenue,
! big crowd that might mean any raw
tragedy in the making. No little old
bombazine lady would dare to try to
cross the Avenue with all those motor
cars dancing quadrilles on the asphalt.
SO she stood at the corner and fairly
teetered with excitement until a man
from across sprinted over:
pardon me. sir. but has anybody
been killed."
] 1psf ~ Il oosa n q
sprinted on. Then a boy flashed curb
ward land. naturally, he knew all
there was to tell:
> Nome; nobody been killed; just the
tailbode of a huckster cart come of
an spilled lot Of tunnips an p'ta-
The little old lady looked, somehow.
as if she had been cheated. She as
| good as admitted it to another woman
. who, supposing she was afraid to VEN
/ ture over, asked if she could help her
| across the street.
Thank you. but I was Just looking
at that crowd over there. I though,
! it might be a bomb or a hold-up. but
it seems it is only some wasted vege-
, tables. I am glad, of course, but the
papers are SO full of crimes and &C.
!, cidents-and as I have never seen
!. anything of the kind"
"You want to be around when some
!; | thing happens? I used to be that
way, too. until I took to the movies
Now I am so familiar with sensations
that I've sort Of lost interest"
The voice that had been plaintively
inquisitive, now registered virtuous
| shock:
ooh, no! could never go to a pic
ture show. My conscience wouldn't
allow me-"
had been educated to the knowledge
that a movie may picture as good q
! sermon as ever was preached. smiled
her conventional best in parting, and
that was about all, except that:
| It chalked down another proof that
de Maupessant was right in his in
sistence that excitement is as neces-
sary as salt. and that il we can't get
it lawfully, we go into our mental
| kitbags and sneak out that sinister,
civilization mothered characteristic
that the Frenchman called the spirit
of the mob"
tcPEAKING Of crowds:
A wise man with friendly eyes
told this little one on himself:
IT was going along when I noticed
la crowd swarming around an ambu-
lance at the opposite curb. Men and
women, all elbows and nudges, were
lshoving and hedging to get a front
view, and as an ambulance may mean
Amy sort of dramatic tragedy, nat
urally crossed over to find out what
the excitement was about.
"The driver Of the ambulance had
gone in a store to have rubber heels
put on his shoes"
TT had rained all morning. with moro
train coming down-zigzaE rainl
that seemed to be made OF something
lstronger than water.
Maybe it was because the cars were
TANNED and crowded. but, anyhow. q
woman was scurrying along q path
THAT sQuirmed like wet eel through
1.-THE Capitol grounds-with not even q
isparrow in sight.
At a certain point she paused ex-
tpectantly, though there was only the
lsoppy silence of the grass, and gray
iskeleton trees with bony arms up
lifted. She took a pecan from the
tpocket of her raincoat, and:
i Before it touched the ground a,
lsquirrel flashed out from the rainy
back on it's launches. The woman
waved a hand and called out:
"See you in the morning"
The squirrel had no time for ameni-
ties. But the woman was entirely
satisfied. She knew that the small
thing had been expecting her.
And that is enough to ask OF any
squirrel.
| X X * X
THE same rain on the cobbles back
1 of the market house:
Two horses hitched to a country
wagon were putting on airs. Any
| body with the traditional half-eye
could tell that much by the ostenta-
! ton with which they tapped ears
and nodded arrogant heads at other
rain-soaked horses standing stolidly
! around, especially one pallid gray
| that might have been the identical
| steed that Death used to ride until
| the poor thing began to show more
bones than his share and had to be
sold to some huckster for the sum
known outside Of arithmetic as .
song.
|