Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-08-22
THIS AND THAT
by CHARLES +. TRACEE ELL.

There are two natural manifestations
which make one particularly appreciate
a home--a big rain in Summer and an
unusually heavy snowstorm In Winter
Recently the District Of Columbia
experienced the former to an unprece-
denied degree. It rained and 1t rained
and II rained. as the children say. 1t
did even more than Just rain-~t poured
Those who happened to be down at
the hayside when tho big rain started
and who came home through the down
pour. we're IN peculiarly good position
10 watch the phenomenon.
They saw 1t begin Friday night with
a rain which came down over the caves
of cottages in steady drip. somehow
reminding one of storybook rains, II
was 50 insistent. so wet, in a word.
The sky Saturday had taken on the
intense graynesS which comes only on
such mornings and then only at ocean
or bay, The drops had beaten the
cXpanse of water perfectly smooth. The
waves that broke on the narrow beach
were only : or 4 inches high.
The water sighed and dripped through
the leaves of the groves of trees 'front.'
ing the narrow road which had been
gray Yesterday. but which had turned
a scmber black, and held puddles at
intervals.
One had no idea, however that a
record rain was in progress. Even in
small things The prophetic sight Is lack
ing. RI mankind only could know when
the unusual is happening. the moment
1t begins, he might make better records
He would BE- more interested. and have
more vivid memories
Passing through the last Of the re-
sorts before turning Washingtoward, we
saw fcw brave bathers pretending 10
enjoy themselves In the rain beaten
watcrs Of the Chesapeake Bay.
II is true that there Is some enjoy
ment 10 be secured from bathing in
the rain. but usually the water from
the skies is much colder than any
body OF water even II 1t be the ocean
itself. and after time the steady
splash OF the drops on ones face be-
comes somewhat boresome.
Bosrdwalks and paeilions we're prac-
ticaliv deserted. A few girls in abbre-
Waited bathing suits IAN across the
street. One had blue stripes, another
red
3? this time the rain was sluicing
down An old dog ambled across the
road and disappeared into house
where The door had been held oblig-
inolv omen for him No doubt he found
warmth and drvneSs there,
So We went slipping down the MARI
boro road Just before the bridge over
the Patuxent was washed of Its moor
ngs--only we didn't know that until
hours later
II We had, We would have paid more
attention to the bridge
What interested us more was the
wide expanse of countryside with no
houses How unbuilt the United States
Is. after all There are millions OF
square miles of unoccupied land and
Of untitled land, and yet large per-
centage of the population insists on
budding together into cities and towns,
where land is expensive and habitation
costly. Yet there are good reasons for
this state of affairs. Without such
rrowdinv much of the comfort and
such happiness as comfort brings
would be lacking to many,
"
We slid into Marlboro along the
wrong side Of the street and stopped
1T small store. one In group. The
aggregation had wooden porch flush
with the sidewalk on II were seated,
in reared-hack chairs. several young
men. who gazed at arrivals with the