Evening star., 1925-03-08
AROUND THE CITY
-By Mamie Lancaster

because mothers were out with their
children, but except for a few canes
and a couple of badges, I'm taking
my stun back to the men who stocked
me up. / sell on commission, so it
wasn't so bad for me as some others.
what I'm most sorry for is about
these homemade monkeys on a stick
MY grandson made them, and was
building on the little money that was
coming to him. He uged to be a fine
carpenter before he got crippled up.
but his mother is a hard worker and
takes care of him fine
And, of course. I'm not always as
unlucky as today. Seems like the
ladies didn't want badges. Only 10
cents, ma'am, and made real strong.
| thought the ladies would buy them
for the children. And colored right
pretty and cute too"
The customer bought four monkeys
You couldn't ask for anything more
complete than a 10-cent money on
stick, and when you take in the
added value of cripple waiting for
returns, why And, besides that,
suppose II had been a soap box.
All of which indifferent telling is
merely to preface the statement that,
according to seeming f1rst-class sau-
thority March was a poor day for
business. provided 1t was business
that represented badges, soap boxes
and monkeys on a stick.
A BIG man-big means business
1 a went on a long journey a few
months ago, and the other day one
who knew a bit about him CHANGED
by a shabby street where a row of
shacks had been torn down to make
room for building that will take up
the whole square. There Is something
so alive and human about planks and
bricks that once sheltered life that
you can even sense the wolf that al
ways stood at the door. But, all the
same, you wouldn't know a word
about this small thing, except that it
brought back memory of good
deed by the man who Is no more
And good deed is always worth re-
telling.
The man had in his management
the affairs of a client who owned a
little row of shacks. His collectors
had found it impossible to get the
rent regularly from one woman, so
the man went himself to give her a
happens If you don't pay your rent,
He was welcomed with affable apol-
ogies and given an exceedingly rich
promise Of payment.
II had the rent money, ledge sub,
all but de last dollah, an jes a soon
as 1 can riz that Timer comm right
eroun'-I suttny am"
But If you don't pay the owner
will put you out. He has a right to
his money, you know"
Suttin'ly he hasser right to eye'y
cent at blongs to him; yes. sub.
An jess es soon as I lay my hans on
that last dollah--"
Look here! I don't want to see
you put on the street in weather like
this l know how good you were to
your old man after he got too far
gone to do for himself, and what
lot of honest work you have done in
bill. Suppose I give you that dollar,
will you come to the Office in the
morning and pay up?"
Suttin'ly she would come a-rarin'.
jedge. sub. So the man handed over
his dollar and went away.
The old tenant failed to show up in
the morning. She was among those
missing the next day. and the day
after that Whereupon the righte-
ously wrathful man paid a second
visit.
Thought you were coming to pay
that rente"
why. good mawnin', jedge, sub.
Deed you did, an 1t come IN mouty
handy, too. I'm l haden a-had ii
when that oman come a stawmpin'
in on me to pay her that las dollah
owed ner fun my reegaliah I could
ener tunned out yes'ty wiv the Sis
tabs of Gallilean Fish'men an rid in
hack. You en- dress anyhow for
pahlah socials, but when you rides
in hack to buryins, jedge, you got
to weah a purple apin all boun' err
roun' with white an a collah to
match. The siciety 1 blongs to gives
sick benefits, an you gets 'sessed eveh
time sistah dies, so she en- have
chu'ch fun'l wiv four hacks amer
wreaf Of any kinder fowahs de
mo'ners calls foh. l got my wash
money comm to me tonight, an if'n
my madam pays me on time I suit
tin'ly gwine take that las dollah an
put IL on de rent"
What the "jedge" did isn't in the
story. but as the dear old soul kept
her home, one might guess.
And now the shack Is a mess of
debris and the old woman vanished
maybe to deeper 'sordidness or to
Heaven. There's no telling, but one
thing is sure
If every big business man in this
Washington was to let the outside
world know the actions Of his inside
life it might jar the old adage about
corporations having no souls.