Evening star., 1943-02-04

ouerseas. For approximately t,oo
icecks J. P. McEU0y. iDell-knotcn
ipriter, tuiu su6stttxts tor him.
ny ). P. McEvOY.
When I was young and charm.
ing. the white-headed boy Of that
time was the so-getter. He dashed
through life with . sign pinned 10
his coat tail-"Excuse my dust"
He was always tearing something
down In order to build something
bigger 30 he could tear It down to
build another hideosity even more
colossal. II he owned 3 forest ho
cut down all the trees ~ fast - he
could 20 that ali the soil would
wash away 20 that he would have
to hurry up and plant more trees
30 that he could have . forest to
cut down.
He madly dug coal out ol tho
ground and rushed It across the
country to . place where electricity
could be made 20 1t could be wired
to the coal mines 70 furnish more
light 20 the miners could dig moro
coal to make more electricity, I'd
nauseam.
It was all very dizzy and fasciJ
mating and almost everybody WANT
ed to grow UP to b . so-setter.
even though there was no agreement
about where one was going and
what one actually got after eetting
there. To "go" was the goal-to
get" was the dream.
Excuse Ny Dusts
Now that am "old and cray and
full Of sleep and noddins by the
fire," I often climb to tn uttlo
burying ground on the hin and visit
with the go-getters q my genera
ton. laid out up there In neat little
rows. Only this time the sign imt
on their coat tails, It's. on their
tombstones-"excuse my dust
sit down to rest On ons Of tl1o
graves, al sunk down IN the middle
like an old horse-ths grave, I
mean. not me-(al right, % am
sunk down . little In the middleD.
Anyway, I sit down and think about
the good old days when every one
was . go-getter. Every one but
me. And how every ono used 70
point their fingers ct me and ray,
''Yaah." And how used to vince
and stammer, and twist my ruush
woolen cap IN my todlworn hands,
and wish ! were old and grsy %
wouldn't have to b . go-esttsr.
Wen, have survived them IN. I
rattle around IN this Old ahell called
Ne. with considerable satisfacaion.
! can't move @ fast O I ussd %,
but hke the darky. I've already
"bdns where ! was guan:-so wiy
hurry3 All this eas rationins has
arrived 1t the rips noment for ne.
| There was = tirns when would
60 out riding, Just 70 feel ths wind
bUw IN my face. Most dor Iove
automobile rides for the same res.
son. I would always speed naadly
70 arrive ct some place which I
dishked - heartily couldn't wait
until ! could sst IN the car ana
escape 70 another place which I
detested svsn moss %.
Ths 0ssa1 nay Csusea
| When winter came I always
hurried south Just in time 20 rneet
N ths people I had In ths North
to avoid. How I lonsed for the day
when couldn't 90 South anymore.
Well. hers Il Il. I can't ut tn ssa
il ny rubber = too thin. the trains
and buses are ovsr-cxowded. % I
havs 70 stay hama ana rub two Of
The children together to ksep warm.
| Ye9 ! used u eat ana drink too
much, too and ! secretly prayed for
the day when could bo delivered.
The ereat day has come. The opA
WIN ration my food and I IN told
my ncker = even now be4ne turned
into synthstic rubber. Inaagtne
scientists brassins about this great
Invention" when any Of u Old
timers could have told them that's
what the lcker ~ drank usually
turned into.
Yss. have survived. am on
tcp-cn top Of the ground. / may
not b any better Oh than tho
others up here on the hill slseptng
Al around me-there = considerable
difference of opinion about this
but at least have the sour satis.
faction Of the last word. Under
each Excuse my dust" can scrawl
Mud In your eye"
Cplstributsd b. MeNausnt
0Uudieate. me)
| G\u~o6\WOe\