AR -
«4
WIDE OPEN
SPACES
Vv
By FANNIE HURST
~—
ure Newspaper Syndicate.)
{WNU Service)
(© by Mc(Cl
NE of those experiences that
you read about in books came
to Alonzo Meterberg when he
was thirty-one, and on the up-
ward plunge of a wave of success as
a young surgeon that was carrying
him to the top of his profession.
He walked out of the office of one
of his most distinguished confreres,
with his own suspicion of himself cor-
roberated. One of his lungs had a
hole in it. Tuberculosis had him. The
man who was considered the most bril-
Nantly promising plastic surgeon in
the city of New York, and that meant
practically in America, was doomed,
at thirty-one, to exile. If not per-
manent exile, and most probably that,
then for a period of years that was
apt to play havoc with the soaring of
is career.
Well, Melerberg was a
as the average
of remaining
young and
ing off to for
that might not be worth
With his mind, the latte
won. But love of |
in this
mere
brain.
In the end,
out to a shanty
and dryness
being,
The wide open spaces,
try.
Cactus Post
struggle
man to go
of
gument
ar
Doctor Melerberg
town of an altitu
necessary to his well
and there took up his abode,
God's coun-
ack to nature,
was all those, A
smear of a town situate
of a mountain that
desert and
1p in glory over Cact
down In mu
as dry, as t
champagne
life Doctor
incredibly lov
he did not
clear ring
into the wild
lined the m
the slope
SHOW-CADS, came
us Post and went
was
Glory
fit morn
goodly
en and
Fearlesq
And ve
the mont
the years,
lay hold
of him
Monotonsy
The ol
Closing hi
his hook
could vis
Incandes:
were sf million
sand mile
clad ones, wrapping
and rid out
nings, i : ibran flare
life along New York's Broadway
tal stimula .
The vol
ce of th city
‘t.ov
ont.eved
Years and
% nlien to these
into
of
Men
oncerts,
ti warm,
pulsing note of humanity. That
it. Humanity
wns
The doctor was lonesome
unto deatp. The wide, open spaces were
too wide. Too Hur ity
ft charmed circle closing within it
and and
Secretly, the nostalgia was
almost more than the doctor could
bear, And yet, he knew that, some
how, he must stick it out for another
year. He knew himself on road
to recovery but he dared not hasten
the way along that road. Another
year, what with careful living and
right habits, would see the spot on his
lung healed. Another vear!
Sometimes, during the passing of It,
the doctor feared for his sanity.
Tedium of waiting. Terrible, terrible
tedium of waiting.
Then there was his sense of dell.
cacy and of actual fear of revealing
his state of mind to the people about
him. To the sweet-eyed Clarissa who
rode In twelve miles on horseback to
tend his shanty for him day by day
and rode home through the purple,
star-spangled desert without fear, The
cowhoys, the ranchers, the homestead
ers who had been his good friends.
Who took him along on their jannts
iotd the heart of the universe. Who
taught him the secret things of nature,
Who had been kind to him. Who were
kind to him,
It was unthinkable to let these good
people know how the heart within him
was a heavy thing.
Up to the very day of his departure
for the East, he kept it from them.
Had not the heart to tell them that his
departure was final, That he was
open. wns
life
love warmth and
beauty,
hecomis ez
the
forever,
They had been good. Kind. Thelr
delight In his cure was scarcely less
than his own.
When he finally stepped Into the
rattling tin can of a car that was to
drive him the forty miles to the near-
est station where he took his train, it
was with the understanding that he
was to return to them in the autumn,
His shanty was to be there and walit-
ing. His friends.
Like a sneak, the doctor turned his
back on Cactus Post, knowing he had
led to them and yet had lied out of
the kindness“of his heart. The little
group of them waving him good-by.
The fellows, Bless them. The hand-
ful of women in their calico who had
been so kind to him, Mrs. Hodges,
the general storekeeper's wife, who
had nursed him through bronchitis,
Sweet-eyed Clarissa who had tended
him so falthfully., Bless them,
The city met him like a boom of
ocean, a surf of humanity running and
hissing up against his feet first
step off the train,
ding. lang. The heart leapt
in his bosom, The eager, quick-footed
men, There! ‘The women in thelr
furs and the beautifying wrappings
that he had so missed. Even their
painted faces! Gaiety was here, Pulse
life. The swam ity.
Rush. Eagerness, Lights his The
hotel where he stopped had the warm,
perfumed quality to (t reminded
him of the bare should
and the whisper of furs
Life! Vitality. Sophisti
the men who
around. The
the universe matter,
his
loom.
Rireets
1
women
Here
made the universe
tion.
were
To women made
The elty caught him up once more.
Goaded him. Spurred him Ww
the month he was on the old tread-mil
gain, yearning,
he young
ace, The profes
forgotten
eye upon him
The doctor was hack
doctor wi
In the race.
And after
was borne
upon an
startled yo }
doctor that the race
His wor
r
ha y rod i
that spurred 1!
no
wr matter k, the scien
ifle curlosity
ove of it.
ere in these ma
The
im on, his
could not be best pursued
rts of men,
doctor had ¢
h sted of the
1¢ peace and !
He missed the
1 bherish
cle
ir
hk!
Ruin Left in Wake of
West Indian Hurricane
We hear a great deal about West
hut the Virgin ls
singul free from
ms that in
140 severe hur.
1
ot
inn hurricanes,
have heen arly
It =¢
there have been
anes, of which only ten touche
omas and St, Croix.
On July hich is called Suppll-
y 20, Ww
ention dav, all the pe yl
d to
July
; of the hurricane seas
preserve them
20 1s considered
at day the natives pack their
ined possessions and begle
ignal hill
When a storm is coming the govern
nent runs a flag up on Nignal hill—a
d flag with a black When a
second flag appears every one runs to
“bar up.”
The houses are all
heavy wooden
against the wind
and servants
mers,
GisK,
with
shut
provided
shutters, to
and rain
hurry about
nailing bars that
and windows,
When the third flag appears the
hurricane is near, though there is al
ways a warning of several hours.
Then the world grows dark, and het,
and still, Not a jeaf moves, It seems
as though there must he a mistake,
Then, suddenly, the gale hreaks.
The usual length of a hurricane is
12 hours. The wind tears off roofs
and uproots trees. The rain makes
noise beyond belief. And the black
night Is filled with lightning. The sea
comes In and floods the town, tearing
up the cement waterfront, beating
down the cabins on the shore.
At last it 1s over. Crops and groves
are ruined. Great palm trees fre
felled, And there Is devastation
everywhere, But the sky is blue ns
heaven, And the sun dances on the
waves, And the people all go up to
church, to thank God because he
spared thelr lives,
ham.
doors
with
close
—————————————————————————— A.
IME for ,diplor
proudly wurely receiving
them in proper cap an
gown, then what? Listen to fashi
answer——the
{ array of
| gowns that
of sweet
Let's ha
ing thes
there's
:! And after
and der
' Fawn Leaps to Front in
Color Parade for Spring
to the fre
ade of
flattering.
is 8 sendi mi iis het ween
hrown at ray with th points
of both.
Beige is ;
getting a ‘ play
hasnt been very popu
there
olor that 100k
ason., It
iar for some sea-
this se
gong, but olree are always
gome women who think of thelr spring
clothes in terms of a beige outfit.
Those of vou who get a suit of fawn
with n fur will find that you are
right In t pleture for spring.
As usual, there will inordi-
smart suits richly befurred and
smart p
vs
brow
the rig!
he same
grand for wear at ces from
on.
A richly furred sult is decidedly out
! of place In the morning and the wom
an who huys only one suit should be
| enreful to that the model is not
of the Invish type. Otherwise ils use
| fulness will be limited, while that of
| a simple, perfectly cut and detailed
| suit Is endiess,
®O0
Semi-Sheer Fabrics Are
Still Strong in Favor
It 1s easy to see through the reasons
for the exterded popularity of the
gemi-gsheer fabric. And knowing the
many virtues of the various weaves of
georgettes and sheer crepes, one la not
surprised to find that every house just
pow is using such materials in abund.
ance,
One sees more little frocks in semi.
gheer stuffs than in any other weight
or weave and it looks as though the
woman who finds the season incom
plete without a georgette or crepe
romain frock will be able to find sev.
eral models from which to choose,
——
Lace Trimmed
Another Instunce of the distinction
of grege and black is seen in an aft
ernoon frock of canton erepe with its
wide full sieeves trimmed with black
sntin Inset with deep beige alencon
luce.
ie sole to
implicity, and the
nnd for this reason
egarded as
r
frock
CHIC AND PRACTICAL
fis CHERIE SIHHHOLAS
A pajama costume like the one pic
tured is sbout as practical an outfit
as can bp devised The corduroy
which employs bright Line for the
trousers with orange for the blouse
top Is waterproofed, making it an ideal
sult for beach wear at the same time
that it is in excellent taste and will
give splendid satisfaction as a loung:
ing costume or to he worn during the
recreation hours of the day. Tal
lored effects such as this are particu
larly good this season.
ALAN
Collar of Old Dobbin
Suggests New Fashion
Fashion hag borrowed the design of
Dobbin’s collar for new spring frocks
Big, soft hoop collars of velvet or
crepe falling haifway to the walst are
worn with simple dark dresses.
Most of them ure caught on one side
with two large artificial dowers,
phie Bonlety.
Bervice,
as the
to work
Etna,
Mediterr:
han a quarter milli
the slopes of Mount Etng
is the mi
town
one
Catania, Birthplace of Bellini,
ing her
i ng up anc
PD . Bellini
rn there in 1802, an
t allowed to forget it.
nposer adorns villa
e city's finest parks
evenings
talian melodies
ilian band,
the white
one oan
sicoro
Via Etnae, Catania’s
tain. A third statue stands
those of kings and great Italian and
Sicilian patriots in the cathedral
There is a Bellini theater, once
the finest in Jlialy, and the Catania
guldes point with pride to the tablet
which marks the house in which the
composer was born.
The cathedral, and a lava elephant
atop a tall marble base at its front door,
are two of the most popular monu-
ments of early Catania, The elephants
origin 18 unknown but the eathedral
{8 credited to the prosperous reign of
the Norman King Roger. Bulit in 1001,
it was badly damaged by successive
earthquakes and eruptions of Mount
Etna, but each time It has been re
stored and used,
Agatha, the Patron Saint,
More honored than even the kings
monuments in the cathedral is that of
St, Agatha, Catania’s patron saint.
The head of her statue is sald to con.
tain the head of the saint who in de
fense of her virtue was tortured by a
Roman praetor in the Third century,
Among her relics is a veil which is
gnid to have miraculously diverted a
lava stream that menaced Catania in
1060,
Once a year, In February, Catania
turns out en masse to honor her. The
statue, mounted on two long poles, is
among
also
streets from church
by white-robed men. he
he procession is jam: to
r
under
of
Traveler:
cheerfulness,
and h
and
much to
sere
3 24 0 $11 yoys #
wit ality ¢ 0 y
mnital in governn
pila y.
education sul to be doing
stamp
$
out
and terrorism.
superstition an
This
ex-
ons
Yenge
for
emplified by holesale prosecut
against outlaw place
at the old Roman bathing rt of
Termini Imerese,
now taking
icily
and
wheat
In Roman times the Isiand of S
was called the granary of Italy,
while no longer ializing In
it ix one of Europe's mainstays in the
production of citrus fruits. Only Cali
fornia rivals Sicily as a grower of
jemons, A part of the lemon crop is
marketed in the form of citrate of
lime and lemon extract
1
Le
For thousands of years this football
at the toe of Italy has been the melt.
ing pot of many races. Its early in.
habitants, the Sikels, who gave the
island its name, were conquered by
Greeks, whose great cities such as Sy.
racuse dominated the land for five
hundred years. Next came the rising
power of Rome, during whose heyday
Sicily was given over to the. plunder
of successive governors. Roman op-
pression grew so cruel that gangs of
plantation slaves twice rose in revo
lution. Sacceeding centuries saw Sar
acen conquests, Norman kingdoms, and
Bourbon misrule, Finally, freed by
jaribaldi, Sieily became a part of the
kingdom of Italy.
Daring the last half century indus
trial conditions and political relations
have not always been te the liking of
the SKiclllans, so that the island has
been called the “Ireland of the Somth.”
Many thousand sons of the racial
melting pot emigrated to America,
pome districts being stripped bare of
men of working age. One town whose
present population is 25,000, has sent
10,000 emigrants to the new country,