Evening star., 1923-09-02
AROUND THE CITY
BY Mamie Lancaster

once crediting a child with seeding
ideas of his own.
Donald, for one. being the only
child in a family of grown-ups, ma
turally absorbs information that
would pass unnoticcd in one with
playmates of his own age. He catches
up word here, and an expression
there, but when he puts them to-
gether like building blocks to form
some question out of the common,
all the satisfaction he gets is extra
hugs and kisses; a Dragging tie deum
likely. piece of cake. What he wants
is an intelligent answer, which he
rarely gets.
The other day--his four years
making a glorified picture of a
children's fashion plate for 1923-he
was walking with his mother when
his interest was caught y two
street tads straddling load of
planks In "A horse drawn wagon. He
wanted to know. and his mother told
considered the planks and the laugh
ing boys, and applied for details:
Are boys lumber. too?
She stopped TO kiss him twice and
run finger through his baby curls.
And the woman who was with her
knew that she meant 10 tell papa
the very first thing. 1t didn't in the
least occur to mamma that baby
boy had made demand on her in
telligence which she failed TO sup
ply.
Why shouldn't he ask IL boys were
lumber. seeing that from his jewel
case environment he knew nothing
OF boys street tads? And why
shouldn't he envy those hilarious,
barc-kneed, hatless youngsters and
sigh out WiStfully:
Wish ! was lumber, too
THEY were dabbing on rouge be-
i fore a mirror in the primping
room of a theater. after the matinee.
While they did it, each let the other
know how it was they got off the job
for the afternoon-valuable informa-
around:
The taller, older and prettier one
attributed her good luck to the fact
that she was a favorite with the boss.
The other young person accepted the
boast with the Indifference which you
notice usually greets our self-praise-
ments. and went on dabbing rouge.
This town must be eaten up with
office pets. You are the forty eleventh
one I've come across, and | only been
in this town a month. But you can
count me out. I got off because work
was slack and my lady chief told me
i could go home and mend a hole she
saw in my heel-she's a nice old girl
Well. then. didn't. Two other
girls wanted the afternoon off and he
wouldn't let them. But when | asked
he was sweetern a peach"
Il see. He could spare you best.
Ioull be out of "a job first thing you
know"
Hateful thing yoli-Say. if YOU ex-
pcct me 10 go on the street with YOU,
YOU gotta rub off somer that paint.
| wouldn't be caught dead lookin like
you do
Don't worry. lovey: You'll never
look like me. dead or alive. You
gotta be born To beauty like mine
and the girl who had Eormed her face
till il looked like brick. laughed out
with the graceless joyousness of a
street kid. II was laughter that
recognized the shortcomings Of a
snubby nose and freckles. and ex-
planned, somehow. that painting was a
new art, and that she was patting IL
OH with the same disregard to con-
sequences as the child who plays with
matches. But the other took her at
her face value.
The vanity of some people, You
can't you, KIDD
But the office favorite was miStak en-
Vanity does not speak for itself. 1t
yells.
All of which would be too foolish
to mention in this respectable place.
except that il was exactly the way
two daughters of the people went on
the other day--in Il printing room,
after the matinee.