Evening star., 1923-04-22
Heard and Seen

Discovery of a live cat in a mail box
recently led officials at the Washing
ton city post Office to recall the odo
finds" made in letter boxes.
1t is not so much what is round; IL
is the fact that It has no business
there. for there is a severe penalty OF
law against tampering with one Oh
Uncle Sans mail boxes, and dropping
an animal into a box is held TO come
under "tampering."
Many years ago, just after a par,
ticularly atrocious murder, d malI
collector found himself late at nlght
reaching his hand into a box to get
out the letters. He was nervous any
way, as the murder had been com
mitted very near that corner, and the
murderer was still at large.
So when the collectors hand came
into contact with something cold ana
clammy he was nearly paralyzed, and
then when a large bullfrog hopped
right out into his face. whew.
He le, out yell that could De
heard clear to the main office. but
soon recovered, and gingerly reached
into the box after the letters.
x x
A small snake was dropped into a
letter box once not so long ago oy
some one with a poor sense OF humor
and little regard for the dignity or
the United States mail.
It is needless to state that the in
nocent collector from this box had
somewhat Of an upset when he opened
the door and the snake glided over
his hand and down to the ground.
Bad BOYS sometimes throw a COM
rade's hat or books into box, where
upon the harassed one must stand
guard until a collector comes along.
Then absent-minded people nave
been known to go up TO a letter ooA
bearing a letter in one hand and their
glasses in the other, open the slot and
solemnly drop in their glasses.
The next thing on their program
then, is a hurry call TO the Washing
ton city post office, where sympathetio
ears are always open.
On tha whole. however, the people
use the mail boxes. both package and
| letter, with the respect due them and
the great government which is re-
sponsible for them.
&x
MANY men hurry across the Mall
with important-lookinG packages OF
paper under their arms. but rev nave
| so hurried recently with the JOY felt
by DR.. Joseph n. Rose of the SMITH
sonian Institution.
For DR.. Rose had just finished the
| fourth and last volume of ms m9llu-
mental work on cacti. He mas neen
his difficult subject having led him
into far research and long study.
| To most people a cactus is some
thing like the primrose w was 81 70 rivsr.s reses
brim. at least on the deserts edge:
But DR.. Rose will tell you thas
there are hundreds upon hundreds OF
"cactuses," although he would neNes t,,ra
as that. And he will show you their
pictures, all done in colors In ms
! great books. When the world wants
TO know anything about the cactus
fomiiv II has to come to Washington,
D. c.. and ask DR.. Rose about IL.
*&
bright and enthusiastic young
newspaper man. who was among those
| covering the D. A. r. convention
thought that he had run onto a big
| story. It was during the days when
| "politics" was in the air.
Gathering few of his comrades
around him, the enthusiastic reporter
| heEan to issue directions SO as to
sef at the facts in the case in short
| order.
chamber and did not pay much atten-
| ton 10 a little white haired lady who
cat demurely nearby with her mind
seemingly nowhere in particular.
| "NoW YOU do this" spoke the re-
| porter to one. And you do that.
! he said intensely to another, And
Won 90 there" he Kissed to a third.
Then the little white-haired lady
"And you burn the papers. and I'll
steal the child. she breathed.
CHARLES z. TRACEWELL.