Evening star., 1923-08-19
AROUND THE CITY
BY Mamie Lancaster

with yellow legs-that laid it's mas
ter many eggs, only the eggs had
matched into chickens-downy, golden
things that stumbled over every
crumb of earth, but followed mother
just the same. A woman came along
with some feed in a bowl. and as they
swarmed to her call, and as she
sprinkled, she let you know that she
raises poultry on that common every
year and has never lost one by rob-
bery-yet.
Then you come TO a quiet little
street. lined with trees big enough
and green enough and plenty enough
to start truly forest-the ones
planted by Mayor Bowen and which
stand today, SO many sylvan senti-
nels TO guard the fact that there was
a time when We were not a politically
denatured city
And then you come home and say
what nice walk you had.
LIE was giving a parlor audience
mostly women-a talk about
"thumbprints."
1t was a good little talk illustrated
by Photographic cuts passed around.
and had for climax a closing state
ment that of all the thumbs in the
world no two Impressions were iden-
tical. This phenomenal novelty of
nature registered thrills, ejacula-
tions and applause-and when the
time came for refreshments to be
served the speaker seated himself
on the platform-sawed-o off packing
box covered with crimson portieres
to answer any questions that the
ladies might care to ask And when
tho. ladies had told him all around
that they never dreamed nature was
as wonderful as all that-and wasn't
1t funny?--the exception came along
You notice exceptions always do.
Humanity speaking. she was an old
all her life. except for occasional
visits to her city folks-and having
'homed" pretty close to nature. felt
called on TO take her earth h-mother' s
part:
You said a fine mouthful about
thumbprintS, but why do YOU make a
special marvel of their individuality
when, in all the world, there are no
two people whose faces or bodies are
duplicates? There isn't a blade of
grass, or any other growing thing
of nature that is an identical pattern
of another, and great naturalfsts have
! discovered the same variation In
every live creature that crawls or
flies or swims. WHY do you make it
appear that this variation belongs to
thumbprints only?"
The speaker put aside his tea glass
and the chocolate cake with its splin-
ter of cheese. Then he explained:
Because I was speaking Of thumb
prints only
1t was an explanation that triumph
antly sufficed for all those present
except the old girl from the country.
And all of US are aware that old girls
don't count-whether from country or
town.
X X y
| IF you like your daily orangeade 1t
i may relieve any apprehension as
to an immediate shortage to know
| that Washington has the makings for
nearly a week ahead. Enlightenment
was come by like this:
Down where freight trains come in
a long line of cars loaded with
oranges, packed in boxes, stood on a
, track. Men were transferring the
cargo to trucks, and when a curious
looker-on wanted to know IL the
oranges were on the way to cold stor-
age, q nice person in overalls shifted
his cud and chuckled. Ignorance is
nearly always amusing:
"No, mum. Those fourteen cars
represent one Washington manufaca-
turer's shipment for about a week.
or and is then distributed around.
Fresh consignments come in every
few days"