Evening star., 1926-02-07

And II you touch the button a
the b a e m e n I
door, because the -
front porch is too -
high up, it will be E.A3
|"::: |::::: :. !: : s.
opened by a buoy ~p
antly bri g h 0ftAS Z ESS
owner whose well MEN ,EW-
come is elastic NNI,Mfr@tMTEE9k IN
enough to stretch ElEtjvoN 4 SFa,
from guests in nktTbtAA1~|-y
limouSineS to ped EpNsSMl~ -
dlerS from every tFEotlGSL \
J. J: : !" j: :
Where-it having upP edIsdW ~
become an appar- SbIohI1M NI
ent trade secret EtfqGpV pVoE-F>R
that she turns no EPISVES ,.FI1 w
applicant W. y. G--lSSz(;SS
And this owner /
will be Miss Mar ~ ~H~|
thellen, a retired
teacher. who has
rented her big house near the Caplto
to finish up her life in the home oi
her childhood. You notice that Whel
dusk time comes, each of us longs lt
return to the place where we started
though we find only memories tt
greet us.
If you are 4 pal, she will show you
how she has dolled up the old place
new furnace electric lights, laundry
trays and the old garden porch that
a builder has changed into n sun
room walled with windows, with big
gilt radiator and Il couch and maga
zines. But
Yesterday morning. for one time. a
Young man. i'll comfortable clothes
that needed cleaning, touched the
basement button to ask if he might
come in to get warm. and would the
lady give him Il hite-preferably hot
soup? Small Narthellen invited him
into the warm dining room, told him
70 take off his overCoat, and gave him
q paper to read while she fixed him
up a breakfast.
II have no soup, but hot milk will
he better for you in the condition you
are in. Where did you get that stuff,
anyhow. SOM"
Son obliged with the admission that
he got it outside the city, but that 1t
was easy to find anywhere. provided
you had the price.
Marthellen went into the back room,
which was the kitchen, TO heat milk,
sizzle up a slice of ham, and make a
pot of the very best coffee. ever
and you know how people who live
alone talk TO themSelVeS-it is habit
that solitude gives. As Marthellen
poured a bottle OF milk into a sauce
pan, she said to that snowy utensil-
aloud:
Il wonder if he came IN by the sta
ton or tramped it? My land. he 5
leaving And she hurried out to find
her guest halfway through the door
She caught him by the arm and
asked him what he meant 10y stealing
off in that fashion. The young man 5
face was wrathful and the anger in
his voice was streaked with the
pathos of one who has been betrayed:
Il heard you tell somebody in there
that YOU We're going to have me sent
to the station houSe-and | won't
go-I won't"
''You heard nothing of the kind
You come back here and wait for your
breakfaSt-The Idea" And she sort
of hauled and sort Of mothered him
back to the table.
He slipped the milk and said il was
TOO hot. She went out and brought
back fresh pint from the ice box,
and, as he tempered It to his taste,
she returned to the kitchen and was
dishing up the ham, when-there was
the man slipping away again-and
again she caught him and hauled him
back
Listen to me" says Marthellen.
You came to this house for something
20 eat. and You are not going 70
leave until YOU get it-hear me?'
But | heard YOU say something
about the station house
For goodness Sake-1rink your cof-
fee and stop talking such nonsense" "
BY the time he had finished his
third cup, N[artheIlen. having taught
big BOYS for near-lifetime, found out
that he was Il structural iron worker.
had "A good home in Pittsburgh and the
best mother. ever For that reason
she gave him no money, since. being
freshened up with a good. warm meal,
he would spend the money Tor the
stuff that all young people seem to
be buying. these days-so she gave
him a good talking to, and told him to
go home and stop grievinS his
mother
All of which is merely to suggest
that. while organized charity is a
most laudable institution. its routine
lacks the thrill-or. in this one case,
would you call it the kickoff indi-
vidual heIpfulness that works in its
own untrammeled way.
!: x *
1 REAL. estate man gave up his
handsome home here d little while
ago and went to live in mansion not
made 10y hands.
And. as each of US likes to recall
some plea sa Mt incident about friend
who will companion us no more. here
IS a small something he did-though,
likelier, it is written in big and shin
ing letters by that Recorder we know
about who puts us down in book:
One OF his clients owned a house
in a rundown neighborhood- - freight
ward near-and its tenant was behind
in her rent. The owner wanted his
lnoney-OWnerS mos in gen1 do-and
the collectors having failed to get it,
his real estate man went himself,
hecause-but never mind his reason.
For why:
If every business man in Washing
fon was to let the world know what
his scriptural left hand" was doing
it might jar that adage about cor
porationS having no souls. SO, to be
gin all over. the real estate man called
on an old tenant who was behind II
her rent He was welcomed with af'
fable apologies and given an extreme
" rich promise of payment.
81 has the rent, Jedge, all to the
las dollah. an soon as 1 C'n riz it
gwine come righterroun i suttingly
is"
But you are way behind, and if
YOU don't pay. orr collector VIII have
20 put YOU out. The owner has q
right to his money. you know"
''Suttinly that man hasa right to
ev'y cent he en- lay hans on-an
les as soon as en- grab that las dol
lah--"
.sT ooL- bare auury don't want tC