Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-03-13
The
Rambler
Wiped That ScowI
OFF His Face, Too
BY JACK JONAS

look at the engine of a stalled
automobile, to see If it's some
thing that can be fixed with a
jiggle on this wire or that.
Out on Connecticut avenue,
between the Zoo and Porter
street, the evening rush hour
is a big headache. Cars pour
out of Rock Creek parkway
and join the crush coming di-
rectly out Connecticut. BY
the time they get to the little
bridge beyond Devonshire, it's
akin to bedlam.
Despite 'No Standing" signs,
people keep getting let out
and picked up in front Of the
stores that line both sides of
Connecticut from Macomb to
Porter, just over the bridge.
And, despite mo Parking"
warnings about rush hour,
people seem to forget.
Then there's the problem Of
stalling.
The other evening at g.
about the hour of the big
jam at that particular bot
tleneck-was a good time for
stalling. The air was heavy,
muggy, the kind that lets
moisture seep into ignition
systems.
An automobile, vintage 1919
or 1850, was stalled in the curb
lane, snarling traffic consid-
erably. The driver was a
sweet young thing"
A policeman, riding one Of
those motorcycles with side
car, inched up to see what the
trouble was. He was scowl-
ing rather flercely. Policemen
get traffic nerves just like
everybody else.
He parked his motorcycle in
front of the stalled car and
walked back to talk to the
lady behind the wheel.
One word led to another,
and pretty soon the police
man, no longer scowling, was
lifting the hood. The usual
juggling of wires didn't help
at all.
He went back to his motor
cycle, found a rag in his tool
kit, and began wiping off the
sparkplugs. That didn't seem
to do much good, either.
Next, he was lifting off the
filter-that big, drumlike
gadget that sits atop the mo-
tor. He looked that over
carefully and set it aside.
The sweet young thing,
meantime, was sitting primly,
occasionally beaming a smile
of encouragement in the off,
GERS direction.
The policeman was a per-
sistent man, a credit to the
force. It wasn't long before
the scene resembled Joe's Cor
ner Garage, with parts lying
here and there on the tenders
and in the street.
Traffic was getting by some
how, despite the traffic stop
ping sight of a mechanic in
policeman's garb. The police
man put the parts back in
again and looked up with a
"now-try-it" look.
The sweet young thing did,
and the engine kicked over.
The policeman, busting his
hands in a satisfied manner,
got back on his motorcycle.
1t, too, started fine, and he
drove away.
Message
This is about two men with
missions. One is Sergt. An
tonic Cortizas, a sculptor who
works with the Army Medical
Museum. His private mission
is building citizenship in a
group of children living in
the Southwest neighborhood
around the museum.
Sergt. Cortizas has been
having troublt with his heart
lately. He had another attack
recently, and is again in Wal
ter Reed Hospital. Among the
"get-well" messages was a
cablegram from French Equa-
torial Africa. It said: "Best
wishes for recovery"
It was signed, "Albert
schweitzer," the great hui
manitarian and medical mis-
sionary.
Sergt. Cortizas last year did
a bust of DR.. Schweitzer.
Rambling
An Irishman we know says
he has the perfect st. Patrick's
Day telephone extension
BIT. -.
North Dakota Representa-
tive Burdick's inSiStence or
free bread in the House Res
taurant, even though he doe.
not eat bread himself, is rem
iniscent of the story of thu
Tennessee mountaineer WHIT
eny,oa xyaorc a oo foonoJ !, In, coll