The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, September 21, 1904, Image 2

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    A SUMMER
When ranoon blunt their bugtas blow
And bellow o'er the deep,
Ami o'er the hay the blithe wind piny
And their wild wm nail kcppi
Wrenthed with t he fomn, appear At eve
A flu" re fair mid frnil.
Alone she stand upon (he ands
And cana each passing tall.
She fee the ship of Xanadu
Hport with tho laughing wind.
And galleon gay from far Cut hay.
And merchantmen from I ml.
But heed not ail thee ni-ROHlc,
Their glimmering mils and spar:
Calm a the Fnlen, serene she wait
Beneath the (ilent stars.
"Dear heart," 1 cry, "a thnnKaud fleet
"Sweep o'er the stormy cn.
"Cannt thou divine, lv innvk or Men,
Whetiee come thy snip fort hue
"And hither when, with gleaming ail,
"It speed from shore unknown.
"Whither, 1 pray, doth lie thv wayf
"Wilt thou lare forth alone"
HmmtTHmtttffHttTfrmtttrtttfmrtTfvtTTtft
J ON AH :
A TRUE SEA YARN.
By GEORGE GRIFFITH,
(Author of "The Stolen Hulmitti lne," Jto.)
i
The oldest cf all sea superstitions,
M far as I have been able to trace dur
ing many wanderings over the fields of
ocean, is that of Jonah, and only once
have I seen it, so far as the outer
senses are concerned, proved to the let
ter. To the sailor before the matt
"Jonah" means an unlucky man. That
Is to say, a man who has had no luck
In his own life, and brings no luck
wherever he goes, especially on board
ship and this is the story of such a
man during the period that I was ship
mate with him.
Two vessels of the famousBlackwell
line, left Melbourne loaded with wool
about 30 years ago. One was the Lin
colnshire, and one of the somewhat
mixed crowd forward of the mast was
an old shellback named Bill. None of
us knew what names he had used when
he had signed on, and he never told
us. He was JtiBt BUI.
From the captain's room to the fore
peak there was no man on board that
stately old craft more learned In sea
craft than Bill was. From truck to
kelson there was nothing about a sail
ing ship that he didn't know, and yet
he had not been many days at sea
before BUI, stranger to all of us, as
we mostlp were to each other, began to
be looked upon with simpleton. He
was "an unlucky man." Little jobs
that he did as well as any man on the
Seven seas could do them somehow
went wrong while, the work of a novice
held good, and, worse than all, he had
the fatal gift of prophecy. '
We lost the Somersetshire the first
night out, and Bill said as she faded
away into the twilight:
"Well, we'll sec her again before we
see old England."
The morning that we sighted Staten
Island that pyramid of rock which is
commonly called Cape Horn was as
fine and bright as you would see a
spring morning off the coast of Eng
land, and not much colder. The sea
was smooth; we had a fair wind, and
there were only a few white- fleecy
streamers of cloud in the sky. Every
one on board seemed to think that we
should get safely round that dreaded
corner of the earth; but when I came
on deck at seven bells (7.30) that
morning I saw Bill standing on the
forecastle head.
"I guess we'll see that thing
again," he said, "before we've done
with It."
- He was right. Within an hour or to
the barometer went down with a jump
nd all hand were hard at work short
ening sail. Square masses of fog, each
distinct from the other, and konwn as
"Cape Horn blankets," were looming
up round the southeastern horizon.
That afternoon the tempest burst on
jg. Then came 20 days of stress and
. strife and struggle, during which the
gallant old ship was driven mile by
mile down toward the Icy solitudes of
the South Shetlands.
It would take many pages to tell the
,tory of that fight for life and the hope
of home, but in the end we got a
alant of wind, and, true enough, we
aw Staten Island again. This time
we got round and caught the good
outhwester, and for days and days
more we tore away northward under
very stitch we could carry, and cer
tain daring spirits ventured the opln
Ion that we should have a good voyage
home.
"It ain't over yet, sonny," said Bill.
.'There may be some of us won't see
the ud of It.'
It was only a few days after this
that a sudden and unexpected order
lame to shorten sail. All bands were
on deck and we stripped ber, until
the big ship was under bare poles with
only three fore and afters set. Then
the spanker was bralled up and
furled, and still the wind kept drop
ping and shifting and puffing from
different places, and then came night
and silence night so black that It
could not have looked blacker to I
)llnd man, and silence made, If pos'
tble, more Intense by the occasional
ap of a sail, or the clack of a rope
gainst a must or the standing rig'
King and so for hours we waited for
the hammer of fate to strike us, the
Lincolnshire swinging lazily to port
nd starboard, no doubt wondering. If
4blps have souls, as some used to say
they have, why she had thus . been
tripped of her wings, and stopped In
the midst of her splendid course.
Lnd then upon the silence ' there
ton a sound which no man who has
net- neara it can ever lurgei -a gen
IDYL.
And the wild, wanton wind I nhea
It Rthilant Furies flee,
And on it wing thi ong It bring
Like otne weet minstrelsy:
'Ti for my love ship here 1 wait)
"tt coineth o'er the u.
"To hear awny for aye and aye
"My own true love and me."
"OSeal" Iprnv, "From thy dark depths
"Thle, onlv thl. I crave;
"When Time at last my life hall rait
"Upon thy luyMio wave.
That mine may he the ship for which
"My Iiove dot h watch and wait,
'To bear her own In path unknown
"Heyoud the Uoldeii Uale."
Then out aoro the harbor bar
Our gnl I not hip shnll ride,
The futile four of nil our year
Hunk 'nenth the elriiing tide.
And then upon the Nhorele Pea,
Where Allah water play.
Our trvnt we'll keep upon the deep
rorevcr nun n any.
Cbarlei A. Barnard, In lioxlmry Gazette.
tie sigh In the distance rising to a
hiss.
"All hands lie down and hold on!"
came a sharp order from the quarter
deck, but most of us had obeyed be
fore it was uttered. We knew what
that sound meant, and down we went,
hanging on to the first solid thing that
came to hand. The hiss rose to a
scream, the scream deepened Into a
roar, the firmament split from hori
zon, as though the sword of the Arch
angel had clovened It through. Then
came a crash of thunder like the
trump of God, and then the heavens
and the sea seemed to come together,
and for the next few minutes, which
seemed like hours, we were fighting
and struggling and gasping for bretah
with a roar of wind in our ears and
a choking of water In our mouths. The
sails went out of the bolt ropes like
so many rags cf cotton, and the stanch
frigate-built ship heeled over as
though a squall had struck her under
full sail. For certain uncounted sec
onds we hung between time and eter
nity, and then the blast passed. She
righted, and the water flowed oft her
decks through the swilling scuppers,
and a man who was holding on the
main fife rail near to me said, as he
got up and shook himself:
Well, If that ain't the end of Bill.
It well ought to be."
But it wasn't. Bill's end was many
days off yet.
The pampero went as it had come-
out of silence and darkness back Into
silence and darkness again. The mer
cury in the barometer rose to its nor
mal level, and the next midday saw the
old Lincolnshire stooping and swaying
under every stitch that she could car
ry, beneath the cloud-dappled skies of
the region of the southeast trades. And
so, day after day, we went north
eastward over the lonely sea till the
good wind began to die away into
puffs and varying breezes, and the
clouds Joined together into a dense
brown pall, and the rains came down,
and the waters that were above the
firmament flowed in unceasing streams
into those that were below It.
After that we drifted with the cur
rents and were driven by sudden and
fitful squalls from this quarter and
that into what is perhaps the most
ghostly and terrible region of the
world, the zone of equatorial calms.
The water is without a ripple, the
heavens without a breath. The tar
bubbles up between the planks, and
the drinking water gets warmer and
warmer, and the boiled pork and salt
horse grow more loathsome every day
and then other ships drift like
ghosts out of the night into the same
area of elemental death, and so it
goes on.
But something else goes on aleo, and
that is work. Now no good seaman
ever objected to wcrk in Its proper
time and seasons; but of all things ab
horrent to the real deepsea sailor's
mind the most hateful is the sailor's
Eleventh Commandment.
Six days shalt thou work and do all
that thou art able,
Antf on the seventh - holystone the
decks and scrape the cable.
I repret to say that cur skipper was
one of those misguided captains who
believed in this ordinance, and on the
first Sunday in the calmB, which was
our sixth day in that dismal region,
be had the watches alternately work'
ing at bending new sails and generally
getting ready for the run home. It
took a whole. Saturday and Sunday.
and when the wcrk was over Bill
looked up at the newly bent sails and
cursed them with a solemn eloquence
which somehow seemed curiously suit
able to the miserable monotony of our
surroundings. But this was not held
among us in the forcastle for a good
omen. We bad come to know that
when Bill cursed anything It gener
ally came to a bad end, and that Is
just what these sails did.
' Five days later we drifted out of the
doldrums and on the edge of the north
east trades, and then the good old ship
settled down to her work again, and
we went ripping across the short seas,
and on the second day fell into com
pany with our long-lost sister ship, the
Somersetshire. Her we raced neck and
neck for two days and nights, and on
the third morning, just as she was
leading us by a quarter of a mile, w
saw ber fore-topgallant-mast sway for
ward with one of her plunges and
come down amidst billows of smoth
ering canvas, and so we left ber.
nearly a lortnignt later was
awakened by the .hrtek of a blast o!
wind, a heave of the ship which swum ,
my hammock hearty up to the beams,
three distinct bangs, as of great ar
tillery, then a ripping and tearing of
shattered canvas, and then Bill's vole
just above the forecastle hatchway,
saying In a tone of grateful regret:
"There go the skipper's Sunday top
sails, blast them!"
Every man and boy was on deek In
an Instant, and then began a hand-to-
hand struggle fcr life or death be
tween human skill and energy and the
suddenly aroused elemental forces,
which lasted for 64 hours on end.
For about 12 hours we drove along
to the southward and eastward through
chaotic mingling of sea and mint
and rain, dominated by the ever louder
howling wind. The sea was not rough.
It had no time to be, for when a wave
upheaved Itself Its 'crest was cut off 1
by the wind as though by some huge
scythe and hurled In a blast of sting
ing spindrift across the struggling,
staggering ship, and then tho lashing
storm-driven rain beat It down again.
At daybreak It was "shorten sail
again and heave her to." Everything
came oft her except the close-reofed
main lower topsail, and then I was
sent with two others to lash a tar
paulin oil the weather ml.zen rigging.
The object of this was to drive her
head up Into the wind whenever she
payed off before It; In other words, to
keep her as nearly stationary as pos
sible.
This heaving to Is a last resort but
one In a sailing ship's fight for life out
in mldocean. The other is to let her
drive before the gale till it blows It
self out, or she hits something that
ends her career for good and all. Then
before the end of the watch came the
dreaded order, "Hands to the pumps!"
"Slowed If I didn't think so!" said
Bill, as we waded and hauled ourselves
aft along the swimming deck. "This
old barkln will never see Dungeness."
To which another old shellback re
plied with a growl:
I'm a Dutchman if I think you will
anyhow."
And then we went at It, the most
backbreaking and heart uj-eak Ing work
that a sailor can do. For three hours
out of every four for the next two days
and a night those pumps clanked, and
the bilge-pump on the lee side, with
which I made a much too Intimate ac
quaintance, rattled and squeaked, and
still the carpenter's face was longer
every time he took his ominous report
aft. Just before 4 on the morning of
the third day we heard the most ter
rible cry that man ever hears on the
high seas: "Man overboard!"
And then a voice screamed Into my
ear:
"It's Bill!"
What had happened was this: The
captain had found that the straining of
the old ship had opened her seams to
such an extent she was practically In
a sinking condition, so he bad wisely
decided to make a run for it and get
her on an even keel, so that perchanco
the scams might close and the leaks
stop. The watch on deck had been
ordered to set the lower mlzzentrysail.
The sheet was sodden and swollen, and
just for ono fatai moment it Jammed.
The men hauling on It let go to get a
fresh hold, and then with a flap and a
bang tho great sail "took charge," and
the men were hurled this way and that
as the heavy rope lashed to and fro
along the deck. When they picked
themselves up Bill had vanished.
Those who read this yarn may call
it miracle, consequence, or coincidence.
as they please; but It is a literal fact
that in the very hour of poor Bill's
death the wind fell away and swung
round to the southwestward. The gocd
old ship was taken out of Irons and
got an even keel. The leaks closed,
and by breakfast time the Lincoln
shire was tearing away before a fresh
ening sou-wester wtth all her kites
out, and poor Bill's ocean grave far be
hind her. By midday the pumps
sucked, which meant that she was dry,
and after our lcng.weary struggle of
over 100 days, we never had another
stroke of Ill-luck. Off Plymouth we
picked up the Somersetshire again, and
the two gallant old craft raced neck
and nock up the channel like a couple
of long-parted sea-chums in friendly
rivalry. We were first up the river
and Into the Southwest India Dock,
and when we came to compare notes
we found that in the 106 days' voyage
from Port Philip Heads to London
docUs there was Just an hour and
three-quarters' difference between us.
But what took the conceit out of
both crews was the fact that there, ly.
ing comfortably at her berth loading
up for her next trip, was Green's old
Renown, one of the finest Blackwall
ships that ever floated. We had seen
her taking in wool beside the quay at
Sandridge, now Port Melbourne. She
had left nearly a week after us, and
had made the passage without sin
gle mishap in 84 days.
It was nearly 25 years after this
that I spun this yarn after dinner at
the chief officer's table in the saloon of
'the Union liner Tartar, on a trip heme
from Cape Town. When I bad finished
the chief officer looked a little peeled
and said:
"I don't remember anybody of your
name among the crew of the Lincoln,
shire, Mr. Griffith."
To which I replied:
"No. When you hock It from your
ship as I did at Wllliamstown you
don t usually sblD again under your
own name, do you?"
And then there wat a laugh, and the
erstwhile Bailor lad and the midship-
man oi the om uincoinsmre shook
bands ana baa anotner just ior aula
lang syne. New York Times.
An ostrich never goes straight to
its nest, but always approaches It with
many windings and detours. In order,
II possible, w conceal me locamy irom
oswtrvauon.
TAPAV'S rYNTR A UTtiYW FS
" "
THINQt PONE BACKWARD AND
UPSIDE DOWN.
A Japanese Baby la Ushered Into
the World In a Decidedly Imperson
al Manner Extent to Which Polite
ness la Carried.
The childish belief that on the oth
er side of our glohe all things are of
necessity upside down Is strangely
brought back to person when he
first sets foot on Japanese soil. If
his first glance does not disclose the
natives In the evcry-day feat of stand
ing calmly on their heads, It (loos at
least reveal thnm looking at the world
is if from the standpoint of thnt ec-
eentrio posture, for tliey seem to him
"e nd everything topsy-turvy
nil if the Inversion be not precisely
of the kind he expected, It Is none tho
less striking and Imprcsslbly nioro
real. To speak backwards, write
backwards and read backwards. Is
but the a b c of their country. Tho
inversion extends deeper than mere
modes of expression down into, tile
very matter of thought. Ideas of ours
which fancied Innate find In them no
home, while methods which strike us
as preposterously unnatural appear to
be their Inheritance. From tho stand
ing of a wet umbrella on Its handle
Instead of Its head to drip, to the
striking of a match away In place of
toward one, there seems to be no ac
tion of our dally lives but finds with
them its appropriate reaction. In a
land where, on entering a house, one
begins, not taking off his hat, but by
removing his boots, he gets at the
very threshold a hint that humanity
la to be approached the wrong end
to.
A Japanese baby is usherod into
this world In a sadly Impersonal man.
ner, for he Is not even accorded the
distinction of a birthday. From the
moment he makes his appearance he
is spoken of as a year old, and this
same age he continues to be consider
ed, with utter disregard for reality,
until tho beginning of the next cal
endar year. When New Year's day
comes he Is credited with another
year, but so Is everybody else, and be
finds he Is only one of many. Upon
the disadvantages of being consider
ed from one's birth up at leal one
year oiaer man one reany is, it
lies beyond the purpose of this artlclo
to enlarge, but It Is quite evident
that woman has had no voice in la
stltuting such reckoning.
If the baby chances to be a boy.
everybody Is Immensely pleased; If
a girl there Is considerably less ef
fusion shown. In the latter case tho
more Impulsive relatives are unmls
takably sorry, while the more phllos
ophic evidently hope for better luck
next time.
From the privacy of the domestic
clrclo, the Infant's entrance Into pub'
lie life Is performed pick-a-back.
Strapped securely to the shoulders of
a slightly older sister, out he goes,
consigned to the tender mercies of
a being scarcely more than a baby
herself. The diminutiveness of the
nurse perbulators Is the most surprls.
ing part of the performance. That It
Bhould be possible to entrust the safe
ty of one infant to another proves
the preconsclousness of the children,
but this surprising maturity of tho
young implies the law of consequent
immaturity of the race. That which
has less to grow up to naturally
grows up its limit sooner.
At a school a student has a monot
onous time, He Is given the "Trl met
rical Classic" to start on, that he may
learn the characters by heart, and In
cidentally pick up a few ideas. This
Is followed by the "Century of Sur
names," which Is a catalogue of the
family of clan names. Next comes
the "Thousand-Character Classic,"
wonderful epic as a feat of skill, for of
the thousand characters which it con
tains not one Is repeated. How those
children must hate to go to school!
Three more books succeed these
first volumes, differing from one an
other in form, but In substance slngul
arly alike, being highly moral and
pious.
Marriage to the far Oriental is the
most Important mercantile transaction
of his whole life; it Is therefore too
weighty a matter to be intrusted to
bis youthful Indiscretion, for although
the person chosen Is of lamentably lit
tle account in the bargain, the charac
ter of her worldly circumstances Is
most material to it. It Is certainly
easier, if less fitting, to get a wlfo as
some people do their clothes, not to
their own order, but ready made, and
all the more reason fof it when the
bargain is for one's son, not one's self,
So Japan looks at the arrangement
from a strictly paternal standpoint
and Ignores suet) trifles as personal
preference; love, as we understand It
being an unknown quantity.
Japanese civilisation is in a sense
not unequal to our own. Some one
bas said that "It is not In the polish
the real difference lies; it is In the
Bubstance polished." In delicate tact
and good taste they have as a people
no peers. . Art has been their mistress
though science has never been their
master. Perhaps for this reason the
result has been the more widespread
for their culture is not tbe attainment
of the few, but tbe common property
' of the people. ' But little need be said
t m-nua ih oivin-mtinn r inn,i
J where ordinary tea-house girls are
models of refinement, and common
coolies, when not at work, play chess
;()r nasttme,
: Their development as a 1 nation
Bhows a peculiar case of Importation,
' a condition of ready-made develon-
ment- From boforo the time when
they -bcfion to leave records of thoir
actions. they have been Importers, not
0f merchandise, but of ideas. They
bave invariably shown tho most ad'
vaneed free-trade spirit In preferring
to take someone else's thoughts and
and plans rather than to work out
any schemes for themselves. And they
continue to follow the same line In
life. A hearty appreciation of the
things of others Is one of their most
winning traits.
Their politeness Is widely known.
We should probably consider it impos
sible In this land of hurry to carry It
to the extent which Is demanded In
Japan. Fur Instance, upon entering a
house, after tho painfully low bows
are exchanged, a conversation some
thing like this ensues:
"Thank you for tho pleasure I had,
the last time I met you."
'I beg your pardon for my rudeness
on the last occasion."
How ran you say such a thing It
was I who failed to show you due
courtesy."
Far from It! I received a lesson
In good mnnners from you."
Mow con you condescend to come
to such a poor house as this?"
'How can you, Indeed, be so kind as
to receive such an unimportant per
son as myself under your distinguish
ed roof?"
At last, amid a final chorus of apol
ogies, the guests come to anchor upon
tho floor.
Socially they are a delightful peo
ple; their hospilallty.ls universal, and
their ever-ready smile warms the
heart of the foreigner. A. M. II.
A TWO-POUND POTATO.
Of Gant Proportion, It Originated In
8outh America.
Somo time ago a brief report was
submitted by United States Consul
Hnyncs at Rouen, France, dealing
with a new potato which was being
grown In somo parts of Europe, and
the matter attracted such widespread
attention that he was compelled to
make the subject a matter for a sub'
sequent report.
This wild aquatic vegetable was In
troduced from the banks of the River
Mercedes, Uruguay, and distributed
In France by Professor Hcckcl, direc
tor of the Colonial Institute of Mar
seilles. In Its original stoto the
tubercle Is very bitter, but Dr. Heckel
pronounces the results of four years
of experiments with It marvelous.
The leaves are small and slender,
somewhat like those of the Irish
potato, and the flowers are abundant,
of a pale violet color, and very odor
ous, tho perfume resembling that of
Jasmine. New stums and tubercles
branch off In every direction all tho
year, and after one planting tho plant
perpetuates itself from the . broken
roots left In the soil.
The vegetable proper (that Is, the
tubercle) weighs from 1 to 2 1-2
pounds, and has a yellowish, wrinkled
skin, covered with luntlcels, which
disappear after culture. The pulp,
when cooked, has a slight greenish
color. At first they had a very bit
ter taste, but this has been greatly
Improved.
Planting Is done toward the end
of March, preferably In level ground
so as to diminish drainage. The best
depth sccmB to be above three Inches.
The digging, which Is a littlo more
difficult than that of the Irish potato,
because the numerous tubercles ex
tend In every direction, begins when
cold has arrested tho growth of the
plant. In the same soil the yield Is
greatly superior to that of the or
dinary potato. The Early Rose In one
Instance gave 3000 pounds to tho
acre, the American Marvel 3000
pounds, and the Solanum commersoull
8500 pounds.
The new potato requires humid
fresh, even marshy soil. In dry, son
dy, clayey soil tho yield has been
percent less than In moist soil. The
absence of sunlight causes a smaller
yield, with smaller and Inferior
tubercles, and 10 to 15 days later rip
ening. The foliage, refused by rabbits. Is
eaten by horses, cattle and sheep.
The flowers, which make their appear
ance about a month after the plant
Bhows. above the soil, continue to be
very abundant until tho harvest. A
rude attempt to extract the perfume
has furnished an exquisite aromatic,
very persistent, but faint Jasmine od
or. In tho fruit this perfume id so
strong that when specimens were
placed In an artificially heated room
to dry, tho room was uninhabitable
for the 15 days they were there.
There were three varieties of Sol
anum commersonll, characterized by
the color of the skin the yellow, the
rose and the violet. The last, which
was the best for human consumption,
presents the following characteristics:
Enormous and uninterrupted produc
tion, absolute Immunity from cryp
togamlc maladies, delicious flavor
(much appreciated by animals), ad
aptibility to moist soil and easy cul
ture. The Print of the Springs.
A politician, upon his arrival at one
of the small towns in North Dakota,
where ho was to make a speech the
following day, found that the two so
called hotels were crowded to the
doors.
Not having telegraphed for accom
modations the politician discovered
that he would hove to mako uhlft as
best be could.
He was compelled for that r ight to
sleep on a wire cot which bed only
some blankets and a sheet on it. As
the statesman is a fat man. he found
his improvised bed. anything but com
fortable. "Well," asked a friend, when the
politician appeared In the dining room
In tho morning, "how did you sleep?"
"Oh, fulrly well," replied the states
man, nonchalantly, "but I looked like
a wafllo when I got up." Youth's
Comrlon.
SUNG BY MRS. MAYBRICK
. i
"THE HOLY CITY" COMPOSED BY
HER HUSBAND' BROTHER.
An Incident In the Life of ths Amer
ican Woman Just Released Prom an
English Prison The Composer
Helped to Convict Her of Her Hus
band's Murder.
Jerusalem! Jerusalem!
Hear the angels sing;
Hosanna In the highest,
Hosanna to tho King.
It Is not difficult to Imagine Mrs.
Florence Maybrlck, once sentenced to
death for the murder of her husband
and now released, after spending
many years In an English prison, sing
ing the reTraln of Stephen Adams'
popular sacred song, "The Holy City,"
says the New York Sun. Hut it Is not
gem-rally l.nown that her voice which
first gave utterance to the strains
which were destined to becomo as
world famous as thono of Sir Arthur
Sullivan's "The Jxist Chord" or "The
I'olms," by Fauro.
The song was the work of tho
younger brother of the mon Mrs.
Maybrlck was convicted of poisoning,
Its composer was her most relentless
'enemy and was mainly Instrumental
In securing her conviction.
Few English composers have more
successful songs to their credit than
Stephen Adams. Few have made Buch
a fortune out of royalties as ho. It
has been stated that "Nancy I,ee"
alone netted him a quarter of a mil
lion dollars. His "Warrior Bold,'
"Mlilshlpmlte" and "Blue Alsatian
Mountains" were scarcely less suc
cessful.
lie Is now extremely wealthy, a
justice of the peace and a member of
the Victoria Yacht club, and he bas
served two terms as mayor of Ryde,
Isle of Wight, in which capacity he
has frequently entertained the king
of England.
"Stephen Adams" Is merely the
nanio under which Michael Maybrlck
publlsltcs his songs. Mr. Maybrlck be
gan his musical career as a baritone
singer at local concerts around Liv
erpool. He Is the son of a well-to-do
shipping agent of Liverpool.
He and bis brother were widely dis
similar In tastes, character and phys
ique. The elder was a weakling,
feeble In mind and body, a hypochon
drlac, addicted to the use of drugs and
with a mind fixed upon commercial en.
tcrprlscs.
The younger, Michael, was a magni
ficent specimen of humanity, tall,
broad and athletic. Of aristocratic
temperament, be quit the counting
house and Btudled music In Milan and
Lclpsic. Tho elder remained at home,
always ailing, always scheming to
secure more wealth.
The brothers had only one trait In
common. They were both enthusiastic
yachtsmen
Mrs. Maybrlck was a good musician,
had a great liking for music, an ex
cellent voice and a love of conviviali
ty. Thus she drew together to some
extent tho brothers who had drifted
opart.
Her husband owned a fine yacht, a
feature of which was a muBlc Buloon.
There many well-known singers and
musicians were entertained. Michael
Maybrlck, who had Just leaped Into
fame as the composer of "Nancy Lee,"
but as yet had not gathered in enough
of the profits to Indulge his passion
for owning a yacht, was a frequent
guest.
It was on one of these musical ev
enings while the yacht was anchored
In the Mersey, that Michael Maybrlck
produced from his pocket a manu
script song which he said he had writ
ten that afternoon, while dreaming In
his cabin, and listening to the plash
of the waters. He hod caught tho In
spiration of Weatherly's words, but
tho voice part only bad been Jotted
down. The accompaniment had still
to be filled in.
Sitting at the piano, he vamped an
introduction and asked his Blster-in-law.
Mrs. Florence Maybrlck, to sing
"The Holy City" from tbe voice pait.
Sue was an excellent reader, and
readily did this, he filling in an ex
temporized accompaniment.
' Thus It was her voice which, for
the first time, stirred tbe air with
strains destined to become almost
classic.
It was some yeors after the trial of
Mrs. Maybrlck, and while she was
shut off from the world, buried with -
In prison walls, that "The Holy City1
was published and became popular.
Publishers to whom It was submitted
shook their heads, and declared it too
sombre In character and tone.
"llring us another 'Nancy Lee,'"
sold, "and name your own price. An
other waltz song with the swing of
'The Blue Alsatian Mountains' would
be a sure winner. This is very fine,
but it Isn't In the Stephen Adams
style, and the public would not staud
for It." ,
How erroneous was the Judgment of
those gentlemen has been proved by
the popularity of the song. Before a
year had passed they were clamorlug
for more of similar character. "The
Star of Bethlehem," "The Valley of
the Sea," and "Children of tho City"
followed; but none of them equalled
tho success attained by the song
which was first sung by Mrs. May
brlck, whose tragic history has at
length been brought to a peacefull
conclusion, and who may with special
meaning hereafter sing:
Hosanna In the highest,
Hosanna to the King,
A Perfect Lady.
The Ladles What sort of a per
son Is Mrs. Newcome, Mr. Hopper?
Tbe General Dealer She's a per
fect lady doesn't know one brand of
goods from another. Judge.
ODE TO A PLY.
Ton harbinger of everything torment-
ing.
You horrid little nmnarfltln flr. -
While I looked forward gladly to the
summer
I fur not that you, provoking creature,
would ho by.
I raved nl inn 1 1 he com Ing of the flowers.
Ami tried to feet piHitlo 'bout tbe
Murium
But here you are with all your testing
J lower,
all tny fanelr Into air tnke wing.
Today I tried to leep nt early morn,
inn you nun all your lirotliet uuu
And while i chin-ell "your sinter and
your limn.
Yoii, loudly iiuzing, at upuu my
none I
In vain I I ii y upon the table wect
ui lightly ip, your "wein her eye'
on me.
And wllh h eruel nmllee nil your own,
inn kiioi'k yoiiiyoini'c,i 1011 iiuu uiy
tea.
t try to lie n ft III in tiny nou.
lint, gloating In your power of tor
ture riu-e.
You limilly sing your vnnril of lielpleis
mini,
Ami tiiko n walk with friend umtil
my hair.
I'm weak with Hying nt you round the
Mom,
Ah, nowl oneo more you're standing
on inv lump.
Just for oiiu blow! Ah! there you're oil
111:11111.
Ami half your linreui nibbling at my
loo I
There I no way to catch you that 1
know,
And lol u tlieino to make even nngels
weep,
That I In nil my pride of strength and
power.
Can t Hinollier you and get a little
lcep!
New York Su:k
JUST FOR FUN
"What does you think ab'ut Provi
dence?" "It's 'cordln' ter .!es how It
comes my way!" Atlanta Constitu
tion. "Why do sailors get sttooed?"
"Well. It's Just like your wc irln them
yachtln' togs ain't no part.cklar rea
son except that oilier fools Ij daln' It."
Puck.
"One thing I do not like al;out Nero,"
said the human torch, as tl. s flames
curled about his ankles, "Is his. habit
of making light of serious subjects."
Judge.
Mrs., Gadabout Mrs. Plainer sayo
she would not keep a girl who was bet
ter looking thsn herself. Mrs. Talk
about Well, that explains why she Is
always without one. Judge.
"Would you marry a man because
ho was rich?" aHlced the romantic glrL
"No," answered Miss Cayenne, "hut I
might refuse to marry one becauso he
wasn't." Washington Star.
Bongs Why Is social conversation
llko a hot bath? Joggs Give it up.
Uoggs Hecause In both cases when
you put your foot In you get Into hot
water right away. Princeton Tiger.
"Miss Pasay hasn't any beau at all,
has she?" "No, her post dlacourngcs
suitors." "Why, there's nothlns the
matter with her tiast. is there?" "Noth-
j ing, except that It's too long." I'hlla-
delphla Ledger.
"So you lost your position as under
taker's assistant?" "Yes. You see. I
used to be a conductor on a street car,
and I couldn't get out of the way of
telling people to step lively, please."
Washington Star.
Wlfey Do you recollect that once,
when we bad a tiff, I said you were
Just as mean as you could be? Hubby
Yes, darling. Wlfoy Oh, James,
bow little did I know you then! Glas
gow Evening Times.
Hicks I do try to be polite, but I
seem to be forever forgetting my man
ners. Wicks What's the matter
now? Hicks I Just gave a woman my
seat in the street car and forgot to
thank her for taking it. Philadelphia
Ledger. ,
"Oh, George," she exclaimed bitterly,
"I heard you tell your friend that you
didn't love me any more. Boo hoo!"
"Don't cry, dear," he whispered tender
ly. "I mean it as a compliment. Of
course, I couldn't love you any more
1 than j do n0w." Chicago Daily News.
"Dubley called up the fire depart
ment the other day and told them he
had an idea that bis warehouse was on
fire." "An idea It was on fire?"
"Yes." "What did the fire department
say to his idea?" "They threw cold
water on It." Cleveland Plain Dealer.
"Get out of here, or I'll set the dog
on you!" shouted the proprietor of the
country place to the tramp. "I only
wanted to tell you that your man down
there is in the field is not a truthful
man," said the itinerant, with bis bat
in his hand. "What do you mean?"
"Why, he told me he was working for
a gentleman. Good day!" YonUera
Statesman.
Qulckpen (a bookkeeper) Hello,
Thompson, where are you off to?
Thompson (a typist) I am going into
the country for a mouth's holiday. I
have Just been sacked by Closenst to
mako room for a lady typist at a small
er salary; but I'll be back at the oXce
In a month. Quickpen Think so?
Thompson Sure of it. 8he'U marry
him by that time, and after that she'll
make him employ a man." Plck-Me-Up.
O, Dear No.
"Is he a litterateur?"
"Oh, dear no. Why, he's able to sell
the Huff he writes." Chicago Evculng
Post