Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-08-16
THIS AND THAT
BY CHARLES f. TRACEWELL.

Meantime the corn and hibiscus were
flying by the window at a prodigious
rate. Everything looked dry. How could
the corn know that within "a hours 1t
would receive the record rainfall In
years?
1t couldn't, and it didn't; the stalks
looked dry. the leaves looked very dry:
1t was corn growing in land without
sky, in so far as we could see In our
standing position, those dark green
blinds cutting off the landscape at
large.
After all, we could see by leaning
over the old gentleman's head, now
and then. that the landscape would
never have taken any prizes. No painter
would ever sit himself down out there
to transfer impressions to canvas.
Ordinary good canvas was worth
more than that
The atmosphere of our car was very
free. Gentlemen smoked when they
felt like it; our old gentleman, who had
fringe of white hair displayed very
prominently around his skull, insisted
on smoking a big cigar.
1t took him at least 6 miles to
light it, He struck match after match,
each match going out obllgingly as
the wind from the window struck it,
coming in by this time to provide fuel
for any cigar end, but somehow the
old gentleman had Il hard time OF it..
He kept striking matches and putting
away until he got red in the face; we
felt sorry for him
victory! His fire got 4 toehold on
the end of his cigar; his flaming breath
puffed it into conf1agration at last
he was smoking happily.
Most of his smoke first eaSed Itself
gently across our face, but we were
glad for it, because 1t covered up the
sulphurous fumes of the engine.
We could see great belcheS OF Gin
r-hlled smoke pouring down in a
mysterious manner from the roof of
the car ahead into the very door OF
our own vehicle.
Suction. no doubt pulled 1t in EX-
cursion trains ought to devise some
sort of anti-suction defleCtors which
would cause the smoke to be DETECTED
to some other car. 1t is not fair to
pull it all into the very coach we hap
pen to mount.
There went a: nice girl with a baby
in her arms. She had yellow hair,
bound around with a pink bandeau,
or whatever you call it. which Scrumpled
her bob in the back in most engaging
fashion.
She was a nice girl and looked at us
with friendly eyes. We were glad to
see her and sorry to see her pass from
our coach, but maybe she would come
back again. but she didn't. BY this
time the traffic in small boys for ice
water was too great,
Small boys in Knockers wcdged them
selves through the crowd, each young
ster bearing aloft big glass of water
Somehow the kids with the tumblers
did not seem to drip as much water as
those bearing paper containers.
There was no way Of seeing how much
water was in a paper cup. but one
could be reasonably sure that each one
held as much water as the law and the
railroad company would allow.
Just then the conductor came by.
He was big brute, with face like
| that of a COW, and the manner was eX-
tremely and unnecessarily rude-at
least it struck us that way, because we
we're angry already since we had to
stand up.
He grabbed our ticket with short
arm jab. tore off one end then stabbed
it back to us. We seized it with similar
yigor, slamming it back into our pocket
with true conductOrish vim.
When do we get in?" We asked, eX-
pecting to be glared at.
In Just an hour. sir gently replied
the brute. with a pleasant smile, as he
hurled himself upon our neighbor s
ticket