Montour American., August 25, 1910, Image 3

HER SMILE.
Where Other Things Failed It
Worked Wonders.
By EDWARD C. BINGHAM.
(Copyright, 1910, by American Press Asso
ciation.]
I am an attorney ill a village about
which cluster a number of prosperous
farmers.
One day a man named Hugh Jor
bert came iuto my office and asked me
to take a case for him. Jorbert was
thirty-two years old and a line speci
men of a man. lie was well looking,
well off and a bachelor. When he stat
ed his case 1 was astonished. A. young
widow from the city, twenty-four years
old, had spent a summer in the neigh
borhood and had turned the heads of
half the young men who had met her.
Jorbcrt wished me to bring suit for j
him against her for 523.000 for breach
of promise to marry him.
No such suit had ever before been j
brought in the county. Such a suit
had rarely anywhere been entered by
a man against a woman, and Jorbert
was the last man 1 should ever suspect i
of wishing to demand damages for his !
blifc'hted affections.
I endeavored to dissuade him from
.a king action in the matter, saying
that it would only injure him in the
community and would do IJO good. Now
and again one of these fascinators are
let loose on the community and do a
lot of harm among the men; there was
no way to stop them or to punish j
them; the best way was to ignore
them. If men were so foolish as to bo
duped by them they must take the con
sequences.
But Jorbert was bent on pressing his
suit, so I wrote a preliminary note to
the widow, informing her that I was
instructed by my client to claim dam
ages for his wounded affections and
would be pleased to receive from lier a
"1 SAW THE JUDGE. 11
iroposition for settlement. Although
was September, she had not yet re- ;
lrned to the city, and within a day j
r two she came into my office.
Mrs. Kate AJvord was unique. Small, j
lender, with a black eye never at rest j
nd a perpetual smile forever playing !
ibout a pair of exquisitely cut lips, j
'he appeared to be quite able to walk
hrough a whole regiment of men, I
mowing them down as she proceeded. 1
<he had not been in the office live min
ites before I began lo feel myself
-oniing under a spell. 1 endeavored ;
0 induce her to consider the matter in j
.and seriously, but failed. 1 asked her
112 she proposed to settle or stand suit. ]
She smiled and said that she hadn't
nade up her mind. I proposed that i
le have an interview with my client, j
.ie smiled again and replied. "Not at
resent." When she left me not one
>tep had been taken toward compro- 1
nlsing the case or lighting it. I had !
ained no evidence from her as to how :
;ar the matter had gone between her j
nd my client, whether he had a good i
r a poor case, whether she would set- !
e or light, whether she really cared j
nything for liiin or not. Indeed, I was
ao better informed than I had been
before she came into the office.
Nevertheless one thing I had learn
d. It was this. Mrs. AJvord was a
ivltch. I was a bachelor and had nev
jr been in the slightest degree affected
)}' any woman. Vet here within half
.n hour a woman had infatuated me.
A'hen she had left me with such a
mile as she might have given me had
been her attorney instead of Jor
jert's, and the door closing shut her |
'rom my view, it seemed as if 1 had
taken hashish or some other drug to
et my brain waltzing through para
dise. I spent the afternoon attempting
to fix my mind on my routine work,
out despite all 1 could do I was still
alking with the young widow about a
uit I was to bring against her for
breach of promise, which seemed to me
idieulous.
Within a week the widow came to
™e me three times. Her object, so she
laid, was to find a way out of the mat
ter. It occurred to me that she was
more likely to find her way into an
other matter of the same kind, with
nje for accuser. The second week she
did not need to come to my office, for
1 found myself constantly going to her
home. We were still engaged upon
the question of avoiding—at least I
thought we were—a trial of the case,
but got no nearer a solution. Then all
of a sudden the lady returned to the
city, leaving matters just where they
,iad stood from the first.
I put into operation the legal ma
chinery preliminary to a trial. I am
bound to admit that Jorbert bad a
;ood case. There was very little evi
dence in writing, but what there was
would count for a good deal. For my
part, having made the acquaintance
•>' rim widow I JUI not si-inch m~—
serious It. uuu »ti.
ten. but the cohi ,;en and ink words
apparently meant qAilte enough to Jus- 1
tify a finding for Hie plaintiff. I laid j
out my plan of attack, got my written |
evidence all where I could lay my ]
hands on it and put all the papers In I
the safe pending the trial. Hut I did j
not put the widow In the safe. That
Is. I put her there, but she would not j
stay She was constantly look
ing at me from anywhere, nowhere, i
with those eyes of hers and that im- j
perturbabie smile, as much as to say;
"Dear me! What a funny affair this j
is!"
When the case came up for trial I ■
made the discovery that a young law- !
yor just admitted lo the bar. one of |
the men whose hearts she had
wrecked, was to conduct her ease. 1 \
also learned that the defendant had!
been in town a fortnight, and, although j
she had not been to see me, she had
made the acquaintance of the judge
before whom the case would be tried.
I knew then that I had inching to hope
for in the way of rulings from that
judge. I considered it fortunate that
the jury would not be impaneled until
the beginning of the trial or she
would doubtless hold every one of
theiu by the heartstrings. As they
were being selected and she was asked
if she objected to a juror she said,
"Oh, no, not the slightest," and smiled,
just smiled at liiin; that's all she need
ed to do to make sure that he would
liud a verdict for her.
For my part, 1 found a temporary
antidote in my professional position, i
1 became absorbed in my work of plac
ing my evidence before the jury in its
most favorable light. Though I say it
myself, 1 did my work well and made
a very strung case. As for the defense,
there was no defense made worthy of
the name. Bui all the while the widow
sat in the presence of the court and
smiled. If the judge was called upon
to make a ruling she smiled at him
and he ruled in tier favor. If I was i
making a strong point against her she
smiled at me and 1 desisted; she
smiled at the Jury, the spectators, the
reporters —any one, every one in the
courtroom.
When the evidence was all in and
the rebuttal had been made—or. rath
er, had not been made—the case was
submitted to the jury. 1 knew before
they retired that the widow had made
the impression on them, as she had on
every oue, that the whole affair was a
farce, besides having captivated them. I
They were out ten minutes and re
turned, finding for the plaintiff and
awarding a damage of 'J cents.
A very small sum to pay for a bro
ken heart.
When the widow left the courtroom
every man in it arose and bowed to
her as she passed out. She smiled on
us all. It was not a smile of triumph;
it was a smile of good will. Any other
kind than the latter was not lo be
conceived of from this woman, who
seemed to possess a heart big enough
to take in all mankind.
The matter being settled, I saw no
reason why 1 should not call upon
Mrs. Alvord. As 1 entered 1 met her
attorney coming out lie looked like a
man bent on suicide. Strange to say,
his condition did not prevent me from
taking his place, proposing to the wid
ow and receiving in reply a smile and
a refusal. I had not got a block away j
from the house when I saw the judge
who had conducted the trial walking
in the direction from which I had
come. I knew that he was going to
follow in my footsteps and to meet the
same fate. I could not learn that any
of the jurymen tumbled In on me and
the judge, but none of them had any j
acquaintance with the widow.
A few days after the trial and our |
defeat Jorbert came into my office to
settle up. lie was the only man con- (
necred with the case who had had no
connection with it except to bring the
suit. Of all of us he seemed in the
most contemptible position. The jury j
had virtually snubbed him by docid- |
ing in his favor and assuming that his
broken heart was worth but two cents,
nut he showed nr. mortification at ills
defeat. I assumed that, having done
the best he could to show the con
demnation of the woman who had en
snared him, he was content to let the
matter rest. lie paid my charges and
went away.
Soon after this 1 received a note
from Mrs. Alvord asking me if there
would be an appeal. 1 replied that I
bad not received from my client any
notification of such. This brought an
other note in which the writer said
that if~the plaintiff" thought of mak
ing an appeal she would prefer that
he make it to her instead of in the
courts.
At last after all this fuss, after win
ning over not only her opponent's
counsel (myself), but judge and jury,
this woman had shown her colors.,
Cramming back my feelings. I sent my
client the note.
lie wrote me a reply directing me
to inform the late defendant to his
.-.jit that, having shown her methods
to the world as a caution signal to all
young men, lie had no further interest
in the affair.
This was my last official act in the
case. The widow went back to the
city engaged to the plaintiff and Is
now Mrs. Jorbert.
A Remarkable Dinner Service.
The remarkable dinner service made
by Josiah Wedgwood for the Itusslan
empress. Catherine 11., In 1774 consists j
of 95:2 piecs, and on each piece is j
painted a different view. The body is j
of a pale brimstone color, and the
views are painted in a rich mulberry
purple. As the service was intended •
to be used at the palace of La Ore-1
nouilliere (meaning marshy place full
of frogs), each piece also bears a
green frog within a shield OP the rim.
The views represent British ruined
castles, abbeys, parks, bridges, towers,
etc. Several pieces are decorated with
views of Ilaiupstead, and there are
custard cups with views of Richmond
and sauce boats with the scenery of
Windsor park. In many cases the
views are the only pictorial records
left of the old buildings. Altogether
there are 1.282 views paiuted on the
OC>2 pieces.—Connoisseur.
On: Way.
Gentleman (hiring a valet i—Then I
understand you have some knowledge
of barbering. You've cut hair off and
on? Applicant—Off, sir. but never on.
—Boston Standard.
I A Love I
j Story §
§ 5
1 Q The Teller Brina> About a Q
• Real Ending Herself. £
i o y
! • n
• By F. A. MITCHEL. •
0 O
• Copyright. 1910. by American Press •
I O Association. O
o*o*o*o*o*o«oo*o«o*o»o*o*o
I am an old maid. I have never had
a love affair and never expect to have
one. Perhaps this is why 1 take an ln-
Itt st In the loves /' other people.
Nothing is so attnfl■ .to me as to
watch a young 0' drifting into
that current whic first moves so
imperceptibly that i are not aware
they are in it. Indeed, so unconscious
arc they of being incipient lovers that
it does not occur to theui to conceal
the fact from any one else.
I remember oue day sitting at my
window sewing when a boy and a girl
passed on the other side of the road. !
The boy's straw hat was dingy, and ]
there was plenty of ventilation In its
crown. His ouly other clothing was a ;
shirt and trousers. No shoes or stock
ings. nothing around Ills throat, his I
collar being open and displaying the j
tanned skin. The girl's clothing was
neither better nor worse, and there |
was about as much of it.
The two were evidently absorbed in |
each other. What they were talking !
about 1 was too far from them to hear,
but it was of vital importance. It j
may bo that the boy had been "kept
in"after school and they were Indig- j
tiant over time thus lost to play. It
may be that some urchin had smashed
the china head of the girl's doll. |
Whatever it was it was being discuss- :
ed with animation.
And I maintain that those childish .
interests are of more real Importance I
for the time being than those which
come later. No addition to an adult's
stock of wealth gives the same test as
a new toy to one of these little peo
ple.
Often afterward I saw these two.
and always together, in this they
were different from other children
who play, boys with boys and girls
' with girls. I learned that they were
Ilenry Morse and I.ila Bunker, a farm
er's boy and farmer's girl. Indeed,
we were all farmer folk, all knew one
another, everybody being Interested in
some degree at least In every one else;
a simple community and more than
usually free from the petty jealousies
common to mankind.
Henry Morse's father was deter
mined that his son should have a good
education, nrd the boy was sent away
to school. After this 1 used to see Lila
going by our house, but no companion
supplied Henry's place. She was al
ways alone, and I fancied her think
ing of her other self. But this was
simply fancy on my part. As I have
said in the beginning, not having had
any love affairs of my own, I conjure
up love affairs for others. In this
case of Ilenry and Lila I knew
nothing of what was passing between
them except from observation, so I
may be excused for filling in occasion
ally that the story may not seem too
disconnected. At the last I was pres
ent and shall not have to draw on
my imagination.
When Ilenry came back from school
there was a more modish appearance
| to his clothes and on his manners.
S Poor I.lla. who had remained on the
farm, had only an unadorned beauty,
freshened by pure air and sunshine
They were now about sixteen years
old. though Ilenry was half a head
taller, and I could not see that their
1 interest in each other had waned.
! though the childish unconsciousness
that they were of different sex had
disappeared I us»d lo «ee them co
by the house together as form rlv. but
the prattle of childhood had given
place to the more sober conversation
of youth I often wish'-d I could hear
what they were saying to each other
Henry did so well at school that his
father decided to send him to college
I wondered what effect his four years'
association with young men and wom
en of the world would have on my pet
love affair. I feared that Ilenry. hav
ing become used (o the polished girls
he would meet, would return to see in
Lila a country girl lacking the airs
and graces ot her sisters of the city
j Would this alienate him? It was to
he expected that it would. And though
country born and bred myself. I don't
know that those of us who goto the
city and acquire city ways are to be
] blamed when we return and yield to
dissatisfaction at country ways.
Henry remained away a year at col
lege before he came back to the farm.
Then one July morning, when sitting
at my window darning socks, 1 looked
up. and there on the opposite side of
the road were the couple I had first
noticed eight or nine years ago as chil
dren. Though Ilenry was plainly
dressed, his clothes were not country
clothes. It seemed to nn- that he might
j pass anywhere as a city bred young
j man. And Lila—how my heart went
I out to the poor child in her effort to
; dress in a fashion more In keeping
| with the apparel of those girls to
| whom Henry had been accustomed! It
1 was all Inference with uie, but it was
plain to see that she had prepared her
self against his return to modify the
j difference between her and their habil-
I lments.
I wondered if be noticed this and if
It pleased or displeased him. Surely
| her effort was not very successful. In
the country one may get city fashions,
but it is not every worter who can
College Course For Country Clergy.
' The Massachusetts Agricultural col-
I lege offers a summer course for coun-
II try teachers and clergymen. The
i> clergymen's course Is for the purpose
of acquainting the ministers with the
, | problems of the rural community, in
order that they may take an active
i part in the movement now on toward
j rural progress.
Personal.
' j The Pastor—lt is very wrong, indeed.
1- to profit by other people's mistakes.
The Parishioner—Then you don't take
! a fee for marrying people, eh. parson?
,' —Browning's Magazine.
mat .aem But In the few mo
menta they were pawing It was Im
possible for' me to tetl If tbere bad
been any change In Henry's feelings for
LUa. 80 I pieced out the story In this
wise: Henry was beginning to see the
difference between her and the girls he
had met. I mean by "her" her clothes
—a certain deficiency In what city peo
ple call chic. 1 am not referring to
Llla as a soul, not even as a body, for
in bodily beauty she would doubtless
far surpass many a city girl. Well,
what do I refer to? Why, clothes and
manner; that's all.
After this nenry seldom came home
during vacations. 1 heard that he
usually went camping with his fellow
students. At any rate, X lost track of
my lovers. I was reluctantly obliged
to consider my story. If not (lnlshcd, at
least passing through a stage of Inter
ruption. Henry had become interested
in a career which would bave nothing
to do with farms or farmer people.
When he was graduated I learned that
he was Intending to study medicine.
Hut before he entered a medical col
lege his father, who spared no expense
on his education, sent him abroad.
When I heard of all these matters,
which were taking him farther and
farther away from provincialism and
his provincial sweetheart, 1 groaned in
spirit, for 1 saw that my love story
was likely to end in nothing.
It was some time before Henry was
to leave the medical college that 1
heard bad news of Llla. They said
she had some trouble that was drag
ging her down, but the docftrs could
not discover what it was. They could
not diagnose it—that is what they call
ed it. Her father sent to the city and
brought a doctor to the farm especial
ly to see if he couldn't tell what was
the matter with her. The doctor said
he couldn't Cud any organic trouble,
whatever that means, and the only
remedy he thought might benefit her
was change of scene, lie advised her
father to take her on a trip. But
Farmer Bunker couldn't afford to do
that, and Llla didn't care to go.
1 considered this merely a part of
my love story. It was plain to me
that Henry Morse had drifted away
from the little girl I had seen him go
ing by our house with when they were 1
children, and the parting was killing I
her.
They' say story writers often fall in
love with their imaginary characters. I
Therefore It's uot strange that a story ]
creator like myself should fall in love |
with a real person of flesh and blood, t
1 had always known the Bunkers, so 1
went to see Llla. That was In the I
spring—May, 1 think. 1 found her sit- j
ting in an easy chair at her window. |
pale, languid and without interest in j
anything, it may be that she devined
by my bearing toward uer that 1 knew i
what was the matter with her. At j
any rate, when 1 went up to her. took ]
her hand and drew her head down on |
my shoulder she left it there and seem- I
ed to get relief from the tears that 1
came.
While she was weeping on my shoul-1
der I was thinking. Not having any j
lover to bring back for myself, I wish- j
ed 1 could bring back one for this poor j
girl. And 1 formed a plan.
But it was some time before 1 car '
ried it out, uot till summer came. ;
Then 1 told I.lla's parents that 1
thought it would do her good to come j
and make me a visit. Since Lila said t
she would like to do so, they consent- 1
ed, and within a few days she was in !
my room, the room from which I had !
first seen her go by with her child ;
lover. 1 said nothing about Henry ,
Morse either as boy or man any mure 1
than if ho didn't exist. But when I
put I.ila in an easy chair at the very
window from which 1 used to watch
her and him and thought of her as she 1
was then and saw her as she was now
I made up my mind that if 1 was go
ing to make a good, real story of her |
case I couldn't rely on things to hap
pen themselves. I'd have to bring
them about myself.
I was thinking, too, that my love
story had been going on long enough
ami It was time It was brought to a
close Besides I.ila was so weak thit
I feared In In-r condition she'd eonfm >
some real disease. So 1 wrote l>r
Henry Morse, who had Just been tid
mi tied to practice, that 1 had a patient
in my family who was dying of some
disease that none of our country doe
tors could 'ell anything about and I
would pay him whatever he asked If he
would make a flying trip and diagnose
1 spelled it diagknous— the case.
lie wrote back that he remembered
me very well and would run down in a
few days
Of course 1 didn't let onto I.ila what
1 had done. She, poor child, wasn ;
dreaming what an influence my seeing
her go by my window so many years
before would have on her life. I hoped
Henry would come as soon as possible,
for she was drooping more and more
every day.
Well, one morning he came. lie said
he had answered my call after his
arrival even before going home. 1
was glad of this, for 1 was fearful he'd
hear something that might interfere
with my plan. I just led him upstairs
opened the door, and he went in and
I closed it behind him.
I reckon he didn't make as long a
call as that on a patient for a good
many years. I don't know what hap
pened between them—didn't see the
surprise of either of them. All I know
is that when he came out two or three
hours after he went In he looked at me
as though be was going to say some
thing. but pressed my haud instead.
Then I went into Llla. She had the
happiest smile on her face I ever 6a w.
She put her arms around ray neck and
cried and laughed. And that's the end
I of the story.
I don't see why real story writers
| don't do something themselves to fin
ish their own stories.
A Mayor's Bureau For "Kicks."
| Mayor Fitzgerald of Boston an
j nounced recently that he is going to
establish a bureau for "kicks." It will
i be an office In city hall, where two offl
j cials will be stationed to listen to all
| complaints made by citizens about rnu
| niclpnl service. Most of the complaints
| made at the city hall relate to tax and
j water bills, collection of garbage and
1 condition of streets, and citizens who
! have kicks to register don't know
I where to go. The mayor says the val
j uable time of clerks Is consumed in
I listening'to recitals of grievances they
I can't remedy.
INFANTS'DEATH
TOTAiJROWING
New York City and Germany
Are Alarmed.
STATISTICS CAUSE PROBING, i
I
Health Department of American Me
tropolis Arraigned In Report—Kai- j
ser'a Investigators Find That Mortal- i
ity Rate In British Empire Is Much |
Lower Throughout.
A tremendous growth In Infant mor
tality has aroused consternation in
Now York city. Across the seas a
similar cry comes from Germany.
The situation in New York led to the
issuance of a statement by the bu
reau of municipal research, which ar
raigned the department of health,
charging thnt city physicians devote
so much time to their private prac- 1
tice that they are unable to serve the ]
city properly.
Totals Are Alarming.
The report Indicates the seriousness
of the situation by citing these statis
tics:
"In the first week in June 20 per
cent more babies under one year of
age died than In the same time last
year," says the statement. "The ex
cess during the second week in June
was SO per cent, the third week 10 per
cent, the fourth 30 per cent, the first
week of July CO per cent, the second
week 53 per cent and the third week
of July 75 per cent
"The week preceding July 2, when
00 per cent more babies died than last
year, the maximum temperature was
three degrees lower than In 1900, the
mean temperature was more than four
degrees lower and tlio mean humidity
was seven degrees lower. In the week
of July, when 55 per cent more ba
bies died than the year before, the
maximum temperature was one degree
lower than In 1009, the mean tem
perature was a little over one degree
lower and the mean humidity was
four degrees lower."
Germany Is alarmed over the rise
in Infant mortality in the empire,
which now exceeds 17 per cent Out
of 2,000,000 persons born during the
year 351,000 died under the age of ono
year. The highest mortality by king
doms Is in Bavaria, 22 per cent The
lowest mortality, 108 per cent, is in
Prussia. Of the German cities Ham
burg has the best record, which is un
der 11 per cent. The infant mortality
in the other typical cities is:
Tor cent.
Rreslau - 23.2
I Munich ". 20.4
Leipslc 17.5
; Strassburg 17.3
| Merlin li t
j Stuttgart 15.7
| Dresden 13.2
English Mortality Lower.
1 As compared with the British isles
the infant mortality in Germany is
i very high. Here are some F.nglish fig
! ures for a year:
Per cent.
1 United Kingdom 10*
] England and Wales 11.8
j London 11.6
| Edinburgh 11l
Scotland 115
i Ireland 9.2
In New York, based 011 the number
! of births, the infantile mortality, by
I the latest statistics from the health de
i partment, 1910, Is about 10 per cent.
| The great increase in the price of food
■ iu America has led American doctors
1 to ask if America is not in danger of
I a deterioration of race due to insuffl
[ dent nourishment. This would show
first of all In infantile mortality, but
! the data would not be available in
i America until the end of the present
year.
EVEN ROOSEVELT FALTERED.
Years of Talk In Invitations He Has
Declined.
Theodore Roosevelt recently received
: the two thousand and thirty fourth in
vitation to deliver an address thnt has
been urged upon him since his return
, to the United States on June 18.
If he made one speech each calen
! dar day it would take him 5 years and
j 208 days to make 2,034 of them.
If he made one speech each week
day It would take him 0 years and
155 days.
Roosevelt speeches average about
an hour in length. Two thousand and
I thirty-four of them, delivered contin-
I uously, would consume 84 days and
i 18 hours, or 254 days and 3 hours if
| he observed the eight hour day of the
j Fublic Speakers' union.
Talking at the rate of 75 words a
' minute, which is the Roosevelt av
erage, 2,034 speeches would embrace
9,153,000 words.
To print these 9.153,000 words would
1 take 9,153 newspaper columns and
| would make 1,144 pages, with one col
i umn over.
Four Cents Deposits In Chile.
I Deposits In the Savings bank of
| Chile amount to $0,000,000 gold.
Money orders in favor of the bank are
1 issued free of cost, and all correspond-
I ence with the bank is free of postage.
This Is done to help the poor people
and encourage thrift Deposits as low
as 4 cents can be made.
New Gold Field Found.
British New Guinea reports the dis
covery of a new alluvial gold area.
Miners from north Australia are mor-
I lng Into the new field.
Courtship In China.
A curious custom prevails at Huav
ninghsien. in Kwangsi. On the fif
teenth day of the first month in each
year all the young ladies and gentle
men take a walk to the Yenyen moun
tain. Each damsel carries a little box.
which she deposits at the foot of the
hill. Any young gentleman desirous of
entering the bonds of matrimony may
select one of the boxes and take It
away with him, whereupon the fair
owner of the box makes herself
known, and an acquaintanceship Is
thus formed. 11l assorted matches are
not likely to occur, as this custom Is
observed only among the well to do
of society
LIVELY TENNIS
FOR THE TITLE.
Spirited Contests Eipected at
Newport Tourney Aug. 15.
AUSTRALIAN CHAMP TO PLAY.
Anthony Wilding, Who Recently Won
English Tournament, Likely to Make
Trouble For Americans—Larned's
Injury—Possibilities of Other Players.
This Is the period of the lawn tennis
season in which the tournament play
ers carefully scrutinize past per
formances and strive to read the rec
ords that form has revealed. It is their
endeavor to discern to what extent the
victories and defeats of the leaders
tnay be considered as having a bearing
upon the great event of the year, the
all comers' national championship on
the courts of the Casino at Newport,
it. 1., Aug. 13. There is a double in
terest attached to the study of the rec- j
ords at this time, as it Is a practical
certainty that the great and famous
Australian, Anthony F. Wilding, who
won the all England championship in
the challenge round at Wimbledon
from Arthur W. Gore, will compete for
the highest American honors. Wilding
is taking a wedding tour of the world
and naturally is visitiug the lawn ten
nis courts, to which he has been de
voted for years. South Africa, the .Ri
viera, and more recently the greatest of
all English tournaments have yielded
to the skill of his racket it was in the
finals of the latter that Wilding de
feated the American former champion
and internationalist, Heals G. Wright.
It is the prospect of being faced with
the problem of saving the American
championship and not losing it, as was
the case when Hugh Lawrence Do
herty, the famous little Englishman,
won in 1903, that has caused the Amer
ican followers of the game to take
stock, as it were, of the situation. To
begin with, it is not at all pleasant to
consider that William A. Lamed, the
preseut holder, is still somewhat crip
pled because of tendons that he pulled
in his semifinal match against Carle
ton 11. Gardner in the Metropolitan.
Still, it will be remembered that Ear
ned suffered a like injury last year dur
ing the time of playing the doubles at
the Country club at Westchester, N.
Y., that ho overcame the injury and in
season returned to his form to con
tinue his holding of the famous Eong
wood cup at lioston and later his na
tional title.
But Earned is always an uncertain
ty against a stranger and a foreigner.
Ills nervous temperament is such that
unless bis recovery Is speedy there is
a grave doubt as to whether or not he
can overcome Wilding, for to do so
he must unquestionably bo at his best.
This, of course, presupposes that Wild
ing is not defeated by some American
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WIT. I,IAM A. LAUNCH, FIVE TIME NATION
AL. CHAM I'ION.
on his way through the tournament.
Hut tin 1 quest km naturally arises. Who
is strong and skillful to check
Wilding? Heals Wright may be far
better on his home courts than he was
In England, and it took Wilding the
full five sets to defeat Wright. Of
course in this country the shade of ad
vantage will be npon the American
side.
As one looks over the field a group
of names of recent performers who
have displayed great skill rises from
the records. On the list is Frederick
B. Alexander, Gustave F. Touchard.
Nathaniel W. Niles. Wallace F. John
son. Theodore Roosevelt Pell. Carleton
R. Gardner, the two Californians,
Maurice E. McLaughlin and Melville
H. Long, and the young and clever
player. Charles L. Johnston. Jr.. and
another of the same class. GeUrge M.
Church.
The Lesson She Learned.
A fair western co-ed and one of the
male seniors fell violently in love and
neglected their studies shamefully.
Both were expelled. The fair co-ed
therupon wrote this Interesting reply
to the faculty:
Gentlemen—You have expelled me for
neglecting my studies, yet X have learned
at your Institution more than you will
ever know I have learned the meaning
of love. What ts the use of studying bot
any If I am not allowed to gather roses?
Why should I devote myself to astron
omy if I may not looic at the stars?
What does it profit me to spend years on
mathematics and neglect my own figure?
You have ' ?;pelled ray also. Do
you think !.<■ 11 unhappy? V.'e were mar
ried :tt e\ 1 .
RAINING CATS AND DOGS.
Various Explanations of the Origin of
This Expression.
Many explanations have been given
of the origin of the expression "mining
cats and dogs." One la that it is H per
version of the French "catadoupe," a
waterfall—"it is raining a catadoupes,''
or cataracts. Another explanation 1»
that the male blossoms of the willow
tree, which are used on Palm Sunday
to represent the branches of palm,
were called "cats and dogs" In some
parts of England, where they Increase
rnpidly after a few warm April show
ers, and the belief prevailed that tha
rain brought them.
Others trace the saying to northern
mythology, in which the ent is said to*
have great Influence on the weather,
and sailors still have a saying. "Th®
cat has a gale of wind in her tall,"
when she is unusually frisky. Witches
that rode upou the storms were suid
to assume the form of cats, and tba
stormy northwest wind is called "th©
cat's nose" lu the Ilarz mountains*
even at the present day. Then the dog
Is a symbol of wind, which in old Ger
man pictures Is figured as the head of
a dog or wolf from which blasts issue.,
The cat therefore symbolizes a down
pour of rain; the dog, strong gusts of
wind, which accompany it, and so a
rain "of cats and dogs" is a heavy rain
with wind.
SULTAN'S ARCHIVES DYNAMITE
Present Officials Dread Revelation of
Abdul's Espionage.
When the Young Turks captured th»
Yildlz palace in Constantinople, be
sides jewels and treasures, they en
tered into the possession of the whole'
collection of secret reports which had 1
accumulated there during over a quar-*
ter of a century, thanks to the activity
and industry of Abdul Ilamid's secret
agents. These archives of treachery,
corruption and Intrigue have not ye",
even been counted. but they fill "IVk
odd cases which have been stored r.C
the war oiHA special commission
Is engaged in classifying these report
but has he :i able to examine only
abont half so far.
This horof the old regime K
threatening to prove a Pandora's box
for the new government. The archives
contain evidence and records of the
shame of so many officials and others
who yielded to the corruption of the
secret service that their publication
would create Incredible confusion and
general consternation.
Raising a False Issue.
A story well known to lawyers of the
last generation is about the "umbrella
case." A man was charged with steal
ing an umbrella, and a number of wlt>
nesses went into the box tq testify to
the offense. The counsel for the de
fendant noted that each witness car
ried an umbrella (the time of year was
| midsummer, which explains the neces
sity for these impediments). As a mat
ter of fact, the prisoner had 110 defense
to make. The barrister, thrown on his
wits, exclaimed: "Gentlemen of the
Jury, did you not notice that each of
the witnesses carried an umbrella into
the box? Why is this, gentlemen? It
is done in order to infect your minds
| with the idea of an umbrella, to preju*
j dice the prisoner in your eyes, to raise
I 'a false issue,' and I appeal to you to
signify your deiestatiou of this con
certed action by bringing in a verdict
of not guilty." The judge, who Im
agined that little attention would be
paid to such a plea, took little time and
less pains to sum up the case. The
jury nevertheless brought in a verdict
in accordance with the resourceful bar
rister's wishes.—London News.
——————— \
Hot Air.
The sirocco blows hot from the high
lands of north Africa and falls on the
Mediterranean as far as Malta. The
salano jumps like a windy fireball
from the heat of the Sahara desert
and lands flatfooted in Spain. The
harmattan blow hot Sahara dust far
i into the Atlantic and gives nosebleed
I and makes -l.in and lip* pan-Ti and
I crack, while furniture and -hip tim
bers groan and crack and scream In
1 an agony of droughty despair. Tim
! khasmln blows Sahara's ancient dust
j into Egyptian eyes every fifty days.
! The pamperos perlodicaly blow down
! into Buenos Aires out of the unex
-1 plorod desert highlands of Rrazll, and
; the blowing cause- iuicldes and mur
ders to be more 1 nimoii and wounds
to break out aft'—l. with a heavy
death rate. Pamiios pass away in
a second, leaving the air fine.—Ex
| change.
Ssnd Swept Asia.
In the aril lauds of central Asia th<*
| air is reported as often laden with
I fine detritus, which drifts like snow
j around conspicuous objects and tends
to bury them in a dust drift. Even
| when there is no apparent wit il the
I air is described as thick with fine dust,
I and a yellow sediment covers every
thing. I.i Khotim this dusi sometimes
so obscures the sun that at midday
one cannot see to read tine print with
out a lamp.
■Mi
A RollaTbl#
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