HUNTING THEIipM;
WHITE-TAILED Pof
DEER HMI
BY \ / /
. TftLOBORE ROOSEVELT
.copyright. 18S5. by G. P. Putnam's S»ns.
Published under arrangement with U. P.
Putnam's Sons, New York and London.]
afternoon, while most
/ I of us were away from
T B the ranch-house, one of
'I IO cowboys, riding in
from his day's outing
over the range, brought
word that he had seen
two white-tail deer, a buck and a doe.
feeding with some • tittle on the side of
a hill across the river, and not much
more than hall' a tnile from the house-
There was about an hour of daylight
left, and one of the foremen, a tall,
fine-looking fellow named Ferris, the
best rider on the ranch but not an un
usually good shot, started out at on< e
after the deer. Ferris found the deer
easily enough, but the.v started before
JUe could get a standing shot at them,
and when be tired as they ran.he only
broke one of the buck's hind legs, just
above the ankle. He followed it in
the snow for several miles, across the
river, and down near the liov.se to the
end of the bottom, and then back to
ward the house. The buck was a cun
ning old beast, keeping in 'he densest
cover, and often doubling lon his
trail and sneaking oil to one side as
his pursuer passed by. Finally it grew
too dark to see the tracks any longer
and Ferris came bome.
Next morning early we went out to
where he hnd left the trail, feeling
very sure from his description of the
place (which was less than a mile
from the house) that we would get
the buck; for when he had abandoned
the pursuit the deer was in a copse of
bushes and young trees some hundreds
of yards across, and in this it had
doubtless spent the night.
When we got to the thicket we first
made a circuit round it to see if the
wounded nninial had broken cover, but
though there were fresh deer tracks
leading both in and out of it. none of
them were made by a cripple: so we
knew he was still within. After work
ing some little time we hit on tie
right trail, finding where the buck
had turned into the thickest growth
While Ferris followed carefully in on
the tracks. 1 stationed myself farther
on toward the outside, knowing that
the buck would in all likelihood star;
up wind. In a minute or two Ferris
came on the bed where he had passed
the night, and which he had evidently
just left; a shout informed me that the
game was on foot, and immediately
afterward the crackling and snapping
of the branches were heard as the
deer rushed through them. Iran as
rapidly and quietly as possible to
ward the place where the sounds seem
ed to indicate that he would break
cover, stopping under a small tree. A
minute afterward he appeared, some
thirty yards off on the edge of the!
thicket, and halted for a second to I
look round before going into tlie open.
Only bis head and antlers were visible
above the bnslies which hid from view
the rest of bis body. He turned his,
/ >
Each took an with r, aiut th • body slij>;«■<
along very easily.
head sharply toward me Jis I raised'
the rifle, and the bullet went fairly'
into iiis throat, just under the jaw,
breaking his neck, ami bringing him
down 111 his tracks with hardly a ki k
He was a tine buck of eight points,
unusually fat, considering that tin
rutiing season was just over. We
dressed it at once. and. as the house |
was so near, determined we would
drag it there over the snow ourselves.)
without going back for a horse Each;
took an antler, and the body slipped
along very easily, but so Intense was!
the cold that we had to keep shifting
c'.des all the time, the hand which
grasped the horn becoming numb al
most immediately.
When not much molested white-tail
feed lu the evening or late afternoon
but if often shot at and chased the.v
only come out at night. They are very
Ohio Oranges.
A Bellefontaine (Ind.) man who re
cently returned from Kenton, which Is
also a "dry" town now, says he went
Into a fruit store while there and asked
for two oranges and laid down $1
When the oranges were handed to him
he found each one contained a tiny
circular flask of whisky.
Workingman Senator In France.
The first workingman In France to
be elected to the senate took his seat a
few day* ago. His name Is Victor
Reymonency, and he Is employed ID
the arsenal at Toulon.
| partial to the water, and in the warm
I summer nights wilt come down into
! the prairie ponds and stand knee-deep
| In them, eating the succulent marsh
plants. Most of the plains rivers flow
' through sandy or muudy beds with no
| vegetable growth, and to these, of
: j course, the deer merely come down to
, drink or refresh themselves by bath
j ing, as they contain nothing to eat.
At times the white-tail will lie so
' i close that it may almost be trodden < n
( One June morning I was riding down
j along the river, and came to a lo:i„
I bottom, crowded with rose-bushes, all
j In bloom. It was crossed in every di
rectioti by cattle paths, and a drove ■ !
] long-horned Texaus were scatters!
; over it. A cow-pony gets accustomed
to travelling at speed along the catl1 1
trails, and the one 1 bestrode threaded
its way among the twisted narrow
| paths with perfect ease, loping rapidiy
: onward through a sea of low rose
1 bushes, covered with the sweet, pink
| flowers. They gave a bright color t
I the whole plain, while the air wa
| filled with the rich, full songs of the
i yellow-breasted meadow larks, as the;,
j perched on the topmost sprays of flit
! little trees. Suddenly a white-tail tlo
I sprang up almost from under the
j horse's feet, and scudded oft with her
i white flag flaunting. There was no
j reason for harming her. and she made
a pretty picture as she bounded light I;,
off among the rose-red flowers, pass
Ing without heed through the ranks of
the long-horned and savage-looking
steers.
Doubtless she had a little spotted
fawn not far away. These wee fel
lows soon after birth grow very cun
ning and able to take care of them
selves, keeping In the densest part of
| the brush, through which they run and
dodge like a rabbit. If taken young
they grow very tame and are most
dainty pets. One which we had round
the house answered well to its name
It.was at first fed with milk, which
it lapped eagerly from a saucer, shar
ing the meal with the two cats, wli
rather resented its presence and cufl
ed it heartily when they thought i
was greedy and was taking more tli.i:•
its share. As it grew older It WOIIW
eat bread or potatoes from our hands
and was perfectly fearless. At nigh;
it was let go or put In the cow-shed
whichever was handiest, but it was
generally round in time for breakfas
next morning. A blue ribbon with a
bell attached was bung round Its neck
so as to prevent Its being shot; 1m!
in the end it shared the fate of ali
pets, for one night It went oft an>
never came back again.
Only once have 1 ever killed a white
tail buck while hunting on horseba
and at that time 1 had been expecting
to fall in with black-tail,
j This was while we had been inakitu;
a wagon trip to the westward folio-*
I ing the old Keogh trail, which v !••
| made by the heavy army wagons that
! Journeyed to Fort Keogh in the ol-
I days when the soldiers were, except
n few daring trappers, the only whit*
; men to be seen on the last great bun!
I ing-ground of the Indians. It wa
j abandoned as a military route several
! years ago, and is now only rarely
! travelled over, either by the canvas
topped ranch-wagon of some wander
ing cattle-men—like ourselves—or else
I by a small party of emigrants, In to
| or three prairie schooners, which con
i tain all their household goods. Never
j theless. it is still as plain and distinct
as ever. The two deep parallel ruts
cut into the sod by the wheels of the
heavy wagon, stretch for scores of
miles in a straight line across tin
level prairie, and take great turns ami
doublings to avoid the impassable por
tions of (he Bad Lands. The track i;
always perfectly plain, for in the dry
climate of the western plains the ae
tlon of the weather tends to preserve
rather than to obliterate It: where ii
leads downhill, the snow water has
cut and widened the ruts into deep
J gullies, so that a wagon has at those
places to travel alongside the road
j From any little rising in the prairie
! the road can be seen a long way off.
j as a dark line, which, when near, re
j solves itself into two sharply defined
parallel cuts.
I On the trip in question we had at
first very bad weather. Leaving the
I ranch in the morning, two of us, who
were mounted, pushed on ahead to
' hunt, the wagon following slowly, with
■ a couple of spare saddle ponies lending
I behind it. Early in the afternoon, while
' riding over the crest of a great divide,
which separates the drainage basin
of two Important creeks, we saw that
a tremendous storm was brewing with
that marvellous rapidity which is s
marked a characteristic of weather
| change® on the plains.
We purr-Hi hard to get out of the
open, riding with loose reins for the
creek. The center of the storm swept
| by behind us, fairly across our track
j and we only got a wipe front the tall
I of It. Yet this itself we could not have
faced In the open. The first gust caught
us a few hundred yards from the creek,
almost taking us from the saddle, and
driving the rain and hall In stinging
level sheets against us. We galloped
to the edge of a deep wash-out, scrum
bled Into it at the risk of our necks
and huddled up with our horses under
Mrs. Longworth's Shell Chair.
Curious collections of shells are com
ing to the L'nited States, and shells as
ornaments In every sort of way are
seen in modish homes. Mrs. Nicholas
Longworth is fond of shells, and she
got some exceptionally fine necklaces
and bracelets in Hawaii. She has a
lovely little shell rocking chair. The
woodwork is Inlaid with tiny irides
cent shells and water color landscapes
framed In exquisitely tinted shells
Navy men who goto the south seas
are begged by their friends for the
small opal shell which Is seen so much
just now strung on gold for neck! »-■
neath the windward bank. Here we re
mnined pretty well sheltered until the
storm was over. Although It was Au
gust. the air became very cold. The
.vagon was fairly caught, and would
have been blown over K the top had
been on; the driver and horses
without Injury, pressing under the lee
ward side, the storm coming so love
that they did not need a roof to protect
them from the hail. Where fhe center
of the whirlwind struck It did great
damage.
The wagon came onto the creek,
along whose banks we bad taken sliol
ter, and we then went Into camp, li
rained al! night, and there was a thick
mist, with continual sl.ntrp showers.
i all the next day and night The
> wheeling was, in consequence, very
> heavy, and after striking the Keogh
> trail, we were able togo along It but
a few miles before the fagged-out look
> of the team and the approach of even
1 Ing warned us that we should have to
' go info camp while still a dozen miles
from any pool or spring. Accordingly
we made what would have been a dry
* camp had it not been for the inees
sant down-pour of rain, which \v>•
gathered in the canvas wagon-shoe!
I / N
The bright-coU>rc<l patch dUappearwt.
and in our oilskin overcoats in suffi
cient quantity to make coffee, having
with infinite difficulty started a
smouldering fire Just to leeward of the
wagon. The horses, feeding on the
soaked grass, did not need water. An
antelope, with the bold and heedless
curiosity sometimes shown by Its
tribe, came up within two hundred
yards of us as we were building the
fire, but though one of us took a shot
at him, it missed. Our shaps and oil
skins had kept us perfectly dry. and
as soon as our frugal supper was over,
we coiled up among the boxes and
bundles inside the wagon and slept
soundly till daybreak.
When the BUU rose next day, the
third we were out, the sky was clear,
and we two horsemen at once pre
pared to make a hunt Some three
miles off to the south of where we
were camped, the plateau on which
we were sloped off Into a great ex
panse of broken ground, with chains
upon chaius of steep hills, separated
by deep valleys, winding and branch
lug in every direction, their bottoms
filled with trees and brushwood. To
ward this place we rode, Intending to
go Into it some little distance, ami
then to hunt along through tt near the
edge.
As soon as we got down near tin
brushy ravine we rode aloug without
talking, guiding the horses as far as
, possible on earthy places, where the.v
would neither stumble nor strike their
feet against stones, and not letting our
rifle barrels or spurs clink against any
thing. Keeping outside of the bras':
a little up the side of the hill, one o!
us would ride along each side of the
ravine, examining intently with our
eyes every clump of trees or brush
wood. For some time we saw nothing,
but. finally, as we were riding both to
gether round the jutting spur of a
steep hill, my companion suddenly
brought his horse to a halt, and point
ing across the shelving bend to a patch
of trees well up on the opposite side of
, a broad ravine, asked me If I did not
see a deer In It. I was off the horse In
a second, throwing the reins over his
head. We were In the shadow of the
cliff-shoulder, and with the wind In
our favor; so we were unlikely to be
observed by the game. I looked long
and eagerly toward the spot indicated,
which was about a hundred and twen
ty-flve yards from us, but at first could
see nothing. By this time, however
the experienced plainsman who was
with me was satisfied that he was
right in his supposition, and he told
me to try again and look for a patch
of red. I saw the patch at once, just
glimmering through the bushes, bit!
should certainly never have dreamed it
was a deer if left to myself. Watch
ing it attentively I soon saw It move
enough to satisfy me where the head
lay; kneeling on one knee and (as it
was a little beyond point-blank rat'
holding at the top of the portion vis
ible, I pulled trigger, and the brigh;
rolored patch disappeared from amom:
the bushes. The aim was a good one.
for, on riding up to the brink of tin
ravine, we saw a fine white-tall luv-k
lying below us. shot through Just :
hind the shoulder; he was still In tie
red coat, with his antlers In th"
Postal Course For Schools.
Postmaster O. C. W. Lang of Ba.v
onne, N. J., recently sent to the board
of education a communication asking
that the pupils in the public schools
be taught how to address and mail let
ters, how to make out a money order
and how to register letters. The post
master said that he had printed fifty
booklets containing information, and he
suggested that these be distributed.
The board adopted the suggestions,
and hereafter the pupils In all the pub
lic schools will receive instruction in
postal matters once or twice s week.
SHOOTING IN SILENCE
Efficiency of Hiram P. Maxim's
Sound Killer Proved.
DEVICE USED ON MANY GUNS.
Report of an Army Rifle With "Si- 1
lenccr" Attached No Louder Than
an Air Gun—lnventor Says the De
vice Will Work Perfectly on Cannon.
Hiram Percy Maxim gave the first
public demonstration the other day of
his new rifle silencer, the latest of his
Inventions, before a group of newspa
per men in the offices of his firm of
counselors In New York city. The si- I
lencer reduced the report from the
highest powered rifles of this and for
eign countries to the noise made by
1 the Initial cleavage of the air and the
"puck" of the bullet as it struck in a
packed sand backstop. The whole
sound was no louder than that made
by the discharge of an air rifle In an
inclosed gallery.
There was on hand In the lawyers'
ofllces a collection of rifles running all
the way from the little Winchester
22 repeater to the Springfield 30,
tho United States army rifle and (he
most powerful of Its kind in tho world.
Taking the Winchester 22 first, Mr.
Maxim fired a shot from the naked
gun to give an Idea of the report.
Then lie fired with the silencer attach
ed. There was a click about as loud
as one would make by snapping the
trigger on an old fashioned uiusket.
"Now," said Mr. Maxim, "If you will
analyze that noise under proper condi
tions you will find out that it consists
of two noises, one produced by the im- ,
pact of the bullet, the other by the
cleavage of the air. Vou don't hear
the gun at all, although you may think
you do. The proof of this comes when j
you make a test under military condi
tions. with the target at a sufficient |
range so that the Impact of the bullet
is not heard. Then you hear only the
swish that comes from the initial (
cleavage of the air. At the target you
hear the bullet strike and wait in vain
for the report of the gun."
He went on next to test the silencer
with a 22 Winchester automatic. The
result was not as good with this
weapon, because the ammunition cham
ber did not remain altogether closed,
and a certain report came from the
breech of the weapon. Rut the silencer
applied to a Winchester 30 high pow
er sporting rifle reduced its report to
the "puck" that an air gun might make.
The same was the case with a six
millimeter Mannlicher military rifle, a
seven millimeter Mauser, a 32-40 Ste
vens marksman's target rifle and a
Springfield 30, the new United States
army rifle. The demonstration with
the last gun was particularly con
vincing. After firing It a couple of
times with the silencer Mr. Maxim
took a little wooden frame to which
was attache*] by a metallic paper clip
one of his calling cards. This card
he held by means of the frame imme
diately In front of the muzzle of the
gun and fired It without the silencer
The explosion of the gases not only
blew the card to pieces, but shattered
the wooden frame and put the paper
clip out of commission. Then Mr. Max
im took another card and, having at
tached the silencer to the rifle, held It
In his bare fingers in front of the muz
zle. The gun was fired Mr. Maxim
exhibited a card with the "Mr." shot
out of It as cleanly as though the
bullet had traveled Its target distance.
The card was not burned and only
slightly discolored by the gases
Mr. Maxim explained also that the
silencer diminished by abont 50 per
cent the of a gun on which it
was used. He was asked If it could be
applied successfully to larger ordnance
and replied in the affirmative. Mr.
Maxim declared that It would be easier
to apply til" silencer to cannon, up to
the largest calibers, than to small
arms, for the reason that the clement
of weight would not be a problem to
reckon with
The Maxim silencer, which is at
tached to the muzzle of the gun, has
the outward appearance of a thin steel
tube a little longer and greater in
diameter than a box of stick shaving
soap. It weighs for the heaviest cali
ber guns about eleven ounces and for
the lighter ones seven or eight ounces.
Cut It open and inside one sees ten or
tweleve little disks or chambers, pene
trated somewhat above tho center by
a hole slightly larger than the bullet
which Is expected to pass through.
The center of the disk Is pressed back
and the outside edge is rolled over so
ns to make a thick ring, hollow on the
Inside.
When the disks are in place In the
chamber the effect is that of a re
versed turbine fastened to the muzzle
of the gun. As the bullet is llred,
clearing the silencer without interfer
ence because the hole through the se
ries of disks is larger than the diam
eter of the bullet, the gases accom
panying it are caught by the first disk |
and by virtue of its shape rotated very
rapidly. Centrifugal force makes them
fly out toward the periphery of the
disk inside the rolled over ring, and it
Is only as they slow down that they j
can escape Into the next disk, where
the process is repeated. Thence the
gases go into the third disk, then Into
the fourth, and so on until their force
Is entirely Olssipated.
"It Is Just like stirring around a
wash bowl full of water," explained
Mr. Maxim. "You get It rotating fast
enough and a hole will rnn right down
through the center to the open escape i
pipe, but no wnter will run out."
The silencer is applied to the end of
the bnrrel by means of a thread on
which It screws.
Not Ducklike.
Mrs. Yeast—And did you at one time
call your husband a duck? Mrs. Crim
sonbeak—Oh, yes. That was before
I found out that he'd never take to l
water!—Yonkers Statesman.
His Cleverness.
Nell—Young Mr. Rlgwad Is no fool.
« r lle—No. He's clever enough to have
a rich father.—Philadelphia Record.
Never disclose your schemes lest
their failure expose you to ridicule as
well as dlsapvototment
ODDITIES IN BILLS,
Freak Measures Introduced In
the Legislatures.
SCHEME TO BENEFIT WOMEN.
Why Wisconsin Legislator Would End
Deception as to Sizes of Their
Shoes—Skunks Protected In an In
diana Measure—Make Water Wagcn
a Common Carrier Is Oklahoma P'^n.
A Dili in the Wisconsin legislature la
designed to force shoe dealers to prop
erly label women's shoes as to size. It
was prepared by ex-Assemblyman
Daggett of Milwaukee, who when a
member of the lower house eight years
ago made his sole claim to fame in the
introduction of a bill to forbid the
wearing of corsets by men or women,
lie said he didn't believe women need
ed corsets, because his wife wore none,
and that a corset was an Inducement
to Immorality In its effect on the vital
organs. lie now says that tlie Ameri
can woman's shoe is largely responsi
ble for the title "the weaker sex," for
the woman who cannot stand com
fortably because of a small shoe is un
able to perform her part of the world's
work properly.
Of the freak propositions Introduced
in the Oklahoma legislature that by
Representative Rill Durant, a Choctaw
Indian, to make the water wagon a
common carrier would possibly be
termed the oddest anywhere except in
state wide prohibition Oklahoma. But,
taking the business world into consid
eration, the strangest is the measure
introduced by Senator Reuben Roddie
to limit the number of banks in a
i town by providing extremely high cap
italization in proportion to the town's
population.
Such a measure has actually becomo
a necessity in Oklahoma because of
the adoption in Guthrie of the guar
-1 antee bank deposit law. So many new
banks were started when it became
known that deposits were being guar-
I anteed that the banking business of
towns was badly split up, and numer
ous failures were feared.
Representative A. Ward Copley of
Detroit has Introduced a bill In the
Michigan legislature to prohibit "Joy
rides." It makes It a felony for any
; chaufTeur to use a car without the
owner's permission and for any one to
ride in a car that Is liorrowed without
the formality of saying "by your
leave." At present the Michigan laws
do not have Jurisdiction over this of
fense, and the employers have no re
coarse but to "tire" the offending
chauffeur. The practice has resulted
In a number of serious accidents.
A. J. Cameron, a New York book
binder, will present a bill to tho Maine
legislature for the Interest on his claim
for binding, which was adjusted in
1901 The state has never paid Inter
est on lis claims, and a creditor has
sometimes been fortunate if he got the
amount of the original bill. Cameron
did a Job for the state in IH7S, but It
was not until 1901 that he received his
pay. Now he wants the interest, about
$2,000.
A freak bill appears on the calendar
of the Indiana legislature, but its pe
culiarity was not intentional. It pro
vides fur the protection of wild fur
bearing animals. A lynx eyed farmer
discovered that muskrats and skutilcs
will be protected, and he has pointed
out that the ditches and earthworks
that protect the farmer's land would
be ruined by muskrats. As to sknnks,
he says, no argument Is needed.
The bachelor tax bill by Senator
Claude Hudspeth of Austin. Tex., Is
not the only odd measure pending be
fore the Texas legislature. Rills have
been Introduced making It a felony to
play baseball on Sunday. Tho blue
laws of Texas are to be still further
strengthened if pending measures are
passed by prohibiting the sale of any
article of merchandise on Sunday.
This will close the drug stores along
with all other businesses.
Representative ,1. M. Davfs has in
troduced a bill into the Kansas legis
lature that provides for a bounty of
cents for each crow killed In Kansas !
and 1 cent for each 0.-g of a crow de- j
stroyed. Some Kansas counties aro in
fested with crows at certain times of
the year. They appear in great tlocks.
ruin apple crops and do considerable
damage to the corn.
A resolution has been Introduced in :
the lowa legislature prohibiting legis
lators from smoking in chambers and
from putting their feet on desks while .
dictating to feminine committee clerks 1
and stenographers.
America's Homecoming Fleet.
It has been around the world, everywhere
Its nag unfurled.
And It's proved the very finest of its
sort.
Wherever It has sailed It has been with
friendship hailed.
And they've cheered our ships and men
nt every port.
It has made our nation known a world
power from zone to zone
And respected as It never was before.
And the tributes it has won from the rise
to set of sun
It is bringing back in triumph to our
door.
Not a finer set of men have the ports had
in their ken
Than the .i&ckies on each Yankee bat
tleship.
Whether manning; guns at post or at ban
quet drinking toast.
Their praises are on every foreign lip.
We have shown what we can do with a
battleship and crew,
We have proved how much at peace
we'd rather be.
But if we're forced to war, well inten
tloned as we are.
We've the stuff from which they carve
out victory.
A peace cru!se it has been finer than the
world has seen.
And the nations have been clamoring
for its call,
And Its coming in broad sweep Is a mem
ory to Keep
in the records and the history of them
all.
V*s, it's won us a proud name, It has
given to us fame.
In its wide and comprehensive ocean
roam;
i In its world encircling story it has cov
ered us with glory.
But we're very glad the fleet is coming
home!
—Josh Wink in Baltimore American.
Art For Art's Sake.
"I like to see a man take an Interest
In his work."
"So ilo 1.1 once knew a policeman
, who was so enthusiastic that It posi
tively pained him to see anybody out
•< JailliO*lsTlil« Courier-Journal.
I Sfe Wooing of I
| Wilhelmina. I
Tiy Cecily Allen.
S Copyrighted, i:i08, by Associated 2
5 Literary Press. |
S fi
Of Wllhelniiua's taste iu dinner giv
ing aud the quality of her hospitality
there could be no question. The first
was above reproach; the second, like
that of mercy, was not strained.
Of Wilhelmiua's ability as an artist,
however, there was very grave ques
tion indeed. Those who had no desire
to defer to her dinners were very apt
to pronounce her pictures daubs, which
will explain why Dobson drew Rem
ington aside and reviewed the situa
tion. Dobson was taking Donald Rem
ington, who had just returned from a
year in England, to enjoy one of Wil
helmiua's Sunday night dinners.
"You see. she hasn't had a fair
chance yet, but she's awfully ambi
tious, and wo nil have hopes."
Remington nodded understandlngly.
He knew the type of artist, though
the rosy colors In which Dobson had
painted the dinner prospective hail
rather confused him.
"They lived on a farm—her folks had
all kinds of money, blooded stock and
all that—and they sent her to boarding
OT:H VHACUP.K N H SA ■:,
UEHTIiT.
school. You know how those finishing
schools kill one's style."
"From finishing school to studio,
eh?"
".Not much. You musn't make any
mistake. She isn't exactly a spring
chicken. She'll never see thirty again.
But we call her Wilhelmina because
she likes it—makes her feel as If she
was one of us."
"So does art defer to appetite," mur
mured Remington as be lighted a fresh
cigarette.
"Well, you wait. She went back
home from school and took care of
both the old folks till they died, three
weeks apart. Then she sold out every
thing In Indiana ami set up her studio
here in New York. She's brought along
a lot of the family heirlooms, mahog
any, hand woven stuff and all that,
and It's the greatest spot ever"
"How about her pictures?" Interrupt
ed Remington good humoredly.
"Well, say, you want to be careful
about those. She took the correspond
ence course iu art after she went home,
ami you know what that means. She's
an impressionist, and"
"Never mind harrowing details. I
am prepared for the worst."
Three minutes later he was standing,
stricken dumb, in a most gracious
presence. As be looked Into her clear
gray eyes, well set beneath a broad
white forehead, lie remembered having
seen just one such face In his busy
life It was the face of an Englishwo
man of title, whose peculiar gifts as a
mother had made her greatly beloved
of men.
"Did auy one ever toll you how much
you resemble the Countess of W.?" he
demanded suddenly.
Wilhelmina flushed faintly and shook
her head.
"You are so English that you don't
seem to belong here at all!"
"Oh, but I do belong here, aud I'm
every Inch American. I have a latch
key of my very own and no English
girl lias that."
All during dinner Remington watch
ed his hostess curiously. She seemed
so utterly out of place among her
guests, harmless. Irresponsible chaps,
hntiging on the ragged edge of art's
prosperity, ungroomed girls with enor
mous mops of hair and yellowed tin
kers which simke of the cigarette
habit.
"Looks like a Madonna among a
bunch of dime museum freaks. It's a
shame to spoil a good house mother to
make a poor artist. OJad. what taste
she had iu haugings and fittings!"
For Remington was an architect and
a good one. He could size up the re
finement and true artistic instinct as
stamped on a home. Irrespective of
cost or pretense, and he knew that so
far as hometnnking was concerned
Wilhelmina Stevens was an artist.
Perhaps that was why, when he
caught his first glimpse of her can
rases, he almost gronned aloud.
"Those birches nre wonderfully
true," he heard Dobson explain, and
he knew that the boy had picked out
the one best point in what he felt was
a landscape gone on a Saturday night's
•pree
The pathos of her pose was to him
rairly fascinating. Often after that ho
came to the studio, aud always his
heart sank within him as be realized
how absorbed and determined was this
lovable, young-old woman. She re
minded him of a family friend who
would sit enraptured at grand opera
or concert and yet who could never
strike a single true note or carry a
tune and who wept because singing
her babies to sleep was a boon de
nied.
Remington dropped into see Wilhel
mina oftenest when he was sure of
finding her alone. II» avoided her din
tens snri chafing dish mm
pers. lie round Wiihelmfna's society
h real inspiration In Ills work, for
Remington had a mission. lie wished
to transplant to the suburbs of New
York the love of old English architec
ture which he had absorbed during his
year In the English provinces And
Wilhelmina not only appreciated Eng
lish architecture, but she seemed In
stinctively to grasp its hjoilaineliln
principles.
Remington had not dared to tell her
how inucb lie had depended upon her
working out his plans for the cottage
contest in the "ladies' round the year
guest." That was why, with triumph
lightening 11 is heels and brightening
his eyes, lie rushed inlo her studio one
stormy March day, the letter of su
preme Importance held nlnft. And
Wilhelmina sprang up abruptly from
the mass of pillows on her divan and
tried bravely but ineffectually to hide
her tears.
Remington stopped, joy freezing on
his lips at sight of lier obvious grief.
"Wilhelmina. what lias happened?
Tell me at once."
"Daniels sent, me home told me to
pack up my brushes and go away.
Ills class was not for such as I."
The wretched truth was out. Dan
iels, whose special course at the acade
my was for the chosen few. the few
with money to pay. had turned her out,
money or no money. Like many a
genius, he declined to teach I hose who
gave no promise.
And Remington realized bitterly that
the blow had been doubly hard because
of the fais<> hopes raised in tiiis wo
man's heart by those who Imd feasted
at her board.
Like a flash from the skies came his
inspiration.
"I am sorry if you are disappointed,
dear girl," he said, drawing her gently
down on the divan and gripping her
hand firmly In ills, "but it gives me the
courage to tell you what I wanted to
say for u long time. Will you drop
still life and the figure, oils and studio
life—and dig hard into architecture
and interior decoration? That's your
gift. I've known It ever since the first;
night I stepped into this room and
studied your hangings. And she who
helps to build a home is as great as she
who paints pictures for its walls. Will
you?"
"Do you thiuk I could really?"
His words had been balm to her
aching ears. She raised those wonder
ful gray eyes to Ills brown ones, and
her Hps curved Into a smile pathetic
ally brave and womanly. And again
Remington did the thing he had not
anticipated. He bent over deliberately
and kissed the lovely lips.
"I want to be your teacher," ho said
gently. "Not for a few weeks or
months, but always. Why. you know
we've done those cottage drawings to
gether and won! Here's the letter
We'll build one of these very houses
on tlie site I was showing you last
week. In the attic we'll have our
studio. Think of the houses we can
plan there, with the whole of Now
York harbor to Inspire us! And some
day when Daniels wants us to design
a house for him we'll laugh and turn
him down."
"Donald Remington," she said, stem
ly suppressing the dancing light in her
eyes, "do you call this a proposal of
partnership or matrimony?"
"Look me in the eye and ask that
question again." he said.
ITor glance fell before his.
"I am thirty-four tomorrow." she
murmured faintly.
"You are the loveliest woman in tlie
world and the only one for me. I
knew that the first time I saw you.
Besides. lam of age myself. Will y«wi
marry me tomorrow?"
"I will not!" gasped the astonished)
Wilhelmina.
"Why not?" argued Remington.
"Because 1 give a dinner tomorrow
night to a crowd and there is no time
to call it o!T. It was to celebrate the
coming of Ilaniels."
.lust for an instant the shadow of re
gret fell upon her lovely face, and
Remington, seeing It. took her In his
arms.
"Bless the nlil bear! It' he'd pro
nounced you a genius where would t
have lieen?"
Golf In High Altitudes.
It Is strange how many golfers thorn
are who fail to appreciate the great
effect the density of atmosphere has
oil the tiiirht of a golf ball. On a still,
misty day the bail flies about flvn
yards to ten yards less than It does
on a frosty day. when the air is keener
and more rarefied, and it Is always
stated whether truly or not Is un
known that In an east wind the ball
flies farther than it does when the
wind blows from the opposite and
more acceptable quarter. The writer
was fortunate, or unfortunate, enough
to play many rounds a few years ago
on the Johannesburg links in South
Africa. These links are situated some
0,000 feet above sea level, and the air
Is wonderfully rarefied. The ball con
sequently flew the most surprising dis
tance. As proof of this the winner of
a driving competition sent a ball a
carry of 'JCS yards, the second player
returning the modest distance of 22:1
yards. Yet neither of these two play
ers could approach the driving capa
bllities of good amateur golfers.—
Country Life.
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