A GAME WITH THE OLD LADY

Evening Star, Issue 23379, 23 September 1939, Page 6

A GAME WITH THE OLD LADY

In the spring the giants of the forest blossom as joyously as the tenderest saplings, and the young in heart among humans recapture the lost youth of their teens. This is all the comment needed by a little scene witnessed in Copenhagen the other day. It was the first real spring day, and in the public park-the boys were playing vigorous football. A little old lady stood watching them with growing delight. It was plain she was being carried away not so much by the game itself as by the spirit which animated tlie players. Suddenly her hand dived into her black silk bag and pulled out a blue india-rubber ball. “ Catch,” she cried shyly and a little breathlessly, as with a determined gesture she flung the ball to a man standing near. Though taken completely by surprise by this sudden’ onslaught, the man (he happened to be a uniformed employee) caught the ball and tossed it to a young lady across the road, who, quite ready to join the fun, passed it on to an unsuspecting passer-by. In a minute a circle was formed, and the ball flew round and bade and forth, amid a pleasant give-and-take of jokes and laughter. The whole thing lasted five minutes, no more—five minutes of innocent frolic snatched from the day’s grey routine; but when that little handful of people went their ways it was with a smile in their hearts. The little old lady’s eyes were bright and shining as she put the ball back into her bag. “ That was nice,” she said, with a little laugh.