Evening star., 1924-06-15
AROUND THE CITY
BY Mamie Lancaster

corner store and while she was
waiting to be served another GUS
toner came along-and, of course
they began on the weather:
| Did you ever see the like of such
rains? Something must have gone
| wrong with the earth, and no won
| der, after all the earthquakes and
| hurricanes we've been having. Even
| the papers don't know what to make
of it,
The other customer obviously
lacked the optimists faith in the
"Papers-huh! get my facts from
the Bible-the worlds coming to an
oh. l think you must be mis-
taken the interruption came from
very old man who had been buying
cereal in a box. ITO my certain
knowledge, the world has been
threatened with a sudden end by
Iorty-eleven prophets who got it from
scripture. When my father was a
young man-that's been a long time
airl-the folk;s IN his section got up
May festival on the grounds. of the
church for the benefit of the pastors
salary. After the congregation had
worked all the day before fixing up
booths and swings and baking and
roasting and making cakes and
lemonade for next days opening. the
snow fell that night and spoiled
everything.
so the congregation. being of a
plous turn, took it as a sign that the
pastor didn't need his salary that
year-my great-aunt proved it by the
Bible. To my mind, this upset in the
weather doesn't mean anything more
than one of Natures little tantrums
being woman, You know. Every
thing always comes right in the long
run"
1t seemed a comfortable doctrine.
md hn
out the other customer knew better.
The world WAS coming to an end. She
was telling the store man about it as
he weighed her sugar-"You see if it
doesn I turn OFT like l tell you"
And the man smiled pleasantly as
ne tied string around the bag:
"Wouldn't be surprised, ma'am-
II cents-anything more
X x x
THIS is about a plain soul as like
as match to all the other plain
souls you see going around alone
not being the sort of matches that
are made in heaven. Still, the cheap
est blue head carries its hidden soul
of f1re-which compensates.
Mentally considered. this especial
plain souls light is of the Pickering
quality to be expected of a blue head
but SometlmeS-JuSt sometimes
there flashes on her an unexpected
that leaves her with a
feellng that she has been ordered to
do a certain thing without knowing
Just what-you have felt that way
yourself-
The other dusk. for one time, she
had come home from the chill of an
all-day June rain into the friendliness
OF lamp that she was lighting with
every sense of being in for the night
when 1t suddenly came TO her that she
N must go out again. Not after awhile
right now. She didn't want TO go
out in all that Weather-though Of
course, she might have known she
would forget about oranges-she had
10 nave an orange for breakfast
still. she could do without for one
time-but no, she had to go out
so she went.
zie and she walked and walked and
had intended to 90 right
10 the store for oranges, but, some /
low, something made her keep on |
ihead. There was a cloud that shut |
out the sky, street lights were blur |
'ed under drenched bulbs. and the !
shadows were extra big and black.
30 she thought she would turn back |
ana go home, but she kept on all the
same, until she came to a woman
who wanted help. She was a young
Sh woman, who had tried to iumn
Lcross puddly gutter in a narrow
ikirt And the fall had hurt her |
knee. She didn't have enought money
o take taxi and she couldn't walk
o the car track. No, she wouldn't
ct the other woman get a cab but
I she would help her to the street |
ar she would be all right. because il
stoPped by her house in Georgetown: