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About The Sunday Oregonian. (Portland, Ore.) 1881-current | View Entire Issue (April 11, 1909)
THE SUNDAY OREGON IAN, PORTLAND, APRIL .11. 1903. JERRY, JUDITH AND THE RETIRED WITCH tKHV A.ND JIUITH FITLHER m J twins, and for that reason their birthdays came on the same day. They txsian by each getting birtnday presents for the other, hut they soon found that in this way they didn't get the thins that they most wanted, so they decided that each should get the right present and make believe that the other save It. This plan proved to be more sa tin fact ory. They were (retting ready for their 7t'i hlrthday and had already dune a good deal of ihonolnt without lln.linrr evaMlw what they wanted to give 'hemselves. On the very last day before their birth day they set out for another attempt. As they lived in the city, It was easy for them to go to the shops. "We must find something this time, tleri-v." Judith said, "for If w don't we shall have to ho without our principal presents. 1 shall be very much disap pointed If you don't get yourself home thing that you want from me." "I wish we didn't have so many things already." Jerry answered. "It would be (treat deal easier then. "It is unfortunate." Judith admitted. "but we must not be discouraged. We must do the best we can." So they set out and soon reached the shops. The first one they came to had large window filled with uncomfort able looking wax ladies wearing dresses of all Rinds. there was nothing there that they wanted. Then there was a boot and shoe shop, and then a candy shop, and a drug store, and a Jeweler's and toy hop, hut nowhere did they find anytnlnsr that they cared about. At last they came to a little shop between the large ones. It had only one small window and there was nothing In that excepting a lango black cat with yellow eyes, which sat looking at them tnrough the glass. "What a lovely cat!" Judith said. "Do you suppose it's for sale? It would be Just the thing for you to give nie." "No harm going In to see," said Jerry. So they opened the door and entered the shop. The forward part of it was dark, and on both sides tho showcases were covered up with red cloth, so tnat it was Impossible to see what was in them. In the back part of the simp there was more light, and there sat a little old lady, with white hair and spectacles, knitting. "flow do you do. my dears?' she said. "What do you want to buy?' Now. it happened tout this Utile old lady was a retired witch. She really anew a great deal anout magic and wlte.i- li-aft an1 oil (hut -t . . f . I , i . . v... working hard for a great many years h made up her ,mlnd to come to tun Ity. where she could be undisturbed, and -h opened her little shop, so that she night, have something to keep her from ellnT lonesome. She was very kind tjiearted and obliging. Jerry suddenly thought of something that he would like, and he said: "I want How Easter TtV AMANDA B. TIARHIS. L1TTI.K lilldegarde, the burgomaster's daughter, ccmo down early to break fast. What a wonder! And with her beautiful hnlr nicely braided, her dark blue velvet bodice on, and her gay street petticoat with the band of embroidery around the hem, and her velvet cap in her hand, she was all ready to go abroad She was in such liH.Me to ee the family that she slid down the balusters children rtkl that two hundred and twenty-five years ago as tiny do now. Then she went skipping ami whirling on her toes Into the morning room, n here the great carved tshle was sot out. laden with sa vory, (.teaming things, and her father and mother and I lie rest wore ready for breakfast. "It Iiae come. come, come!" sho cried. "The fpring has come; truly, surely come, llret.-hen hrought nie some violets and Andreas has seen a cockchafer." The staid burgomaster of Nuremberg and his gracious wife ook-d lovingly at the beautiful young fa.-e. all flushed and eager, and they knew what was coming. "And von kiulw." continued lilldegarde. In dancing excitement, "you know the girls must be told. oh. may not Andreas go, and Wllhrhu. ami t'onrnd?-lt will take them all all ovej- town and tell? ' And lrt nie go! Oh. may I, to Philippine and Katharlna and lnclien? 1 must: I must!" Now. what Via li nil about? AVhy. Spring had come to the uuaint old tier limn city of Nuremberg It had coin.'. In deed, after the cold, northern Whiter. Toil should have lived there to know what Spring meant to the people" es pecially to the children. Two hundred and twenty-live vears nsn. when Uttl" Hildegarde. the burKoinaster's daughter, lived thoiv. Nuremberg was tortined city. It had high, double wall-. of soild masonry, with great, massive gates tnat were open ll.rougli the dav but closed and barred at nightfall. To be Mire, no walls, however high, could keep out the .-Spring: but in those severe Inters not a child but f.-u shut In Hlght through the city flowed the river tYsnux. and outside the walls were broad plains and beyond Uu- plains were green hill. pleasant places to wander I'ipr in warm weatner. nut seeming so far away, so inaccessible till Spring came. And yet .so longed for! Violets grew there. startlowers, gcntianellas beautiful things without number; birds sang, butterflies were everywhere when Spring had come lo stay. To the little maidens of Nuremberg it meant something moi-e. for they hud festival day of their own. Not dancing round a .Maypole or observing any ciu- mm ever Known on this continent, hu they went in a procession and drowned or burned or buried the Winter. now u whs uone snail te told pres enuy . llildegarde had until now been though too young, but today she was not onl lo have a part, hut to be the chief per onage. Mif could hardly eat her break fast for Joy. and by the time the sun had oegun to noou ins narrow streets with warmth and brightness she was skipping aiong rrom nouse to house, and Andrea and the other men-servants were going all over the city. Py noon the gray town seemed to have blossomed out with little girls. All dressed In white, they came tripping riown me stone stairs and on to the bur fgomaster s limi. The sfreets were full lor them. They kept coming and coming I trom the baker s house and the barbr r--oin ine nraiser and the seamtress and the woodcarver s, Just the Fame a rrom tiie weauny nurgner s: rich or poof, u mane no oinerenee. At the burgomasters the double doors at the portal stood wide open, and In the long hall there was a biasing flre. fo: however genial It might be outside, in those houses of stone it was still chilly the mistress stool waiting to receiv the little maids; a mately but most gra cioitti lady, sweet of lace and with sue loving ways. How noble she looked In fcsr handsome attire, with gold coins In 1 - . . : - . . : : How the Twins Found the Most Wonderful Birthday Presents and What Became, of the Summer Sled and the Walking Doll BY ACTON ARCHER a sled that will slide up hill as well as down, and that can be used in the Sum mer as well as in the Winter." "Dear me!" said the little old lady. "I'm not sure that there are any left. Ix't us see." She roso and put her knitting aside, and led the way to the counter that was on the left of the shop. She. lifted the cloth that covered the showcase, end there, snro enough, was a sled. There was nothing else in the case. She had some difficulty in getting the sled out, but "Tie managed il at laat and handed It to Jerry, who could hardly believe hts eyes. "Now. what do- you want, little girVT" lite old lady asked of Judith, covering: up the case again: Judith had been wondering for days what she wanted, but when she heard the question sho thought of something as suddenly as Jerry had. "I want a doll that can walk and talk and sing without being wound up," she said. "Dear me!" snid the old lady, just as she had said before. "I don't know Came to the the meshes of the netted cap on her head, a high ruff of costly lace about her neck, and a richly-wrought chain of gold falling like a chatelaine over her elvrt gown. She mothered the little Bit's as they came flocking in. She tied ireti-nen s necklace and fastened the buckle on the shoe of the barber's little laughter. Mlgnon's hair she braided over, and she set a etitch where Katha- ina had torn the embroidery on her' kirt. Siie smoothed down the daintv bodices, she put a deft touch here and another there, until all the flock were ready. Scores of rosy faces, sparkling eves. bright young heads, with braids of golden nair that was the sight she looked upon. And what beauty In the white garments. wrought with such quaint Tembroidery In duo and red, as no one sees outside hose countries of Central Europe, such as Saxony and Wurtemberg and Bavaria! Quaint little Nurembergers. what a picture they made! Then in canio tho one wood-carver who excelled all the others of his craft, bring- ng a tiny casket, a work of price, carved n such wondrous designs as none but the artificers of Nuremberg could exe cute. In the-casket, fit to hold jewels, was laid a doll, elegantly dressed in the uatume of the place, and with Hilde- garde and Philippine bearing It between hem. heading the procession, the little maids set out. marching two and two. hat an odd custom, though in similar UttU taa6s set out marc)7ro$ ways common to many of those countries. Ths doll represented Winter, and they were going to drown It. IHiftti in the street they went, and on. Charming sight for a bright Spring day In that gray town! If one. could have been In Nuremberg then Though for whether there are any left. Xet us see. She took the covering from the case that was on the right-hand side of the shop, opposite the case in which the sled had "been, and there was the prettiest possible doll, with real hair and eyes that would not only open and close but would turn from side to side. , "How lovely!" Judith exclaimed, clap ping her hands. "It the last one," said the old lady, taking the doll out of the case, which remained as empty as the first case had been when the sled was taken out. She covered the case up again with the red cloth and then stood the doll upon the floor. It Immediately ran to the end of the shop and back. again, carefully avoid ing the chairs on the way. Then It said: "How do you do. ladies and gentlemen? The song that I am about to sing for you is one that I composed myself and I hope you will like it." Then It sang a song in a very sweet voice, after which it danced prettily across the floor, turn ing around: on the tips of Its . toes, so that its skirt flew out around, as you sometimes see on the stage. Little Maids that matter it Is worth a voyage across the Atlantic to be in Nuremberg on any day of any year. To be there is like being set right down in the Middle Ages. I ne nouses are four and five stories high, made of stone, stone fronts, stone gables, stone balconies, with wonderful orna ments of Iron wrought in vines and graceful patterns, with sculptured figures on the eaves of the high pitched roofs, and over doors and windows. Not under the shadow of tho houses, however, but out in the sunshine, went the procession, the little feet tripping lightly over the paving stones. People leaned out of the high-up windows to look, gathered in the balconies, stood in the doorways. Young girls waited by the stone fountains, artizans came out of their shops, the blacksmith from his forge, the baker from his kneading board. On and on went the maidens', singing: And now w hav chasd Death away. And brought in the Summer so warm and gay Th Summsr and th month of May. TV bring sweet flowers, many a one We bring th rays of tb golden sun. For the dreary Death at last Is gone. Twice they crossed the river "which flows through the town, and as many atone bridges, and by mid-afternoon they arrived at a third bridge, and there they threw the casket into the deep water, and so drowned Bhe doll. Winter was gone; it was dead; it could return no more. TOO attO two Then, with Hlldegarde and Philinntna still at the head, the procession marched oacx to the burgomaster's house. Though a company with rumpled hair, and rai ment disordered, the bright eyes were brighter, arid the rosy cheeks more glow ing; and everybody, from the porter te "It's a perfectly dear little doll!" Ju dith cried, taking it up in her arms. She thought at first that It must be alive and not a doll at all, but when she looked at It she saw that its arms and legs were stuffed and its face was hard. Just like her own doll's at home. "Do I understand that these are for birthday presents?" the retired witch asked in pleasant tones. "Yes," Jerry replied. "She is to, give me the sled and I am to give her the doll. Our birthday is tomorrow." "They were made especially for blrth- the mistress, had a welcome for them. A table was set in the banqueting hall, where they all sat down and had a feast of holiday things; seed cakes, plum cakes, cakes with marvelous frosting, ' cakes trimmed with flowers, cakes holding the most toothsome Jellies, sweet meats, tarts every dainty that the Nuremberg bak ers could make. Then the ' blind old fiddler, Anselm, came and played the most delitrhtful marches, the airiest. Bravest aumn tho merriest, hest nf ail i irn,. . v.- little maids joined hands and sprang to io iiiuj.ii:. j uey sam tney were dancing A Rnrlnf in Tt.&l. it..i . . .... Ai.o, nine itei went skipping in an endless chain; then round u in i i-i luey went in a wniri or pretty SkirtR- hlllA even Brutrlrlln. a . ... I cheeks aglow with roses.' and the house mei ry wim meir uwcet voices. For Spring ii i n uoxue. At riiiKlr t-riT-i- a 1 .i.f-...a . .11 . ii 1 1 , i vi 1 1 v 1 1 1 1 mi ijvri the town to taRe the little guests safely nome. Miiaegarde stood in the door echo ing "good-night! good-night!" till all were out of sight. And she said, "Oh! it has been the hap piest day in all my life!" (Copyright, 1909, "j i - 'j, lo & onepara i u. 1 Sea Terms and What They Mean WE are all so familiar with many of the terms relating to the sea and to sea life that the origin of some of the more common ones will un doubtedly be a surprise to many of us. For an instance of this, take the word admiral. How many people think of it except as a thoroughly English word? Yet we are Informed that Its origin is In that last place that- we would expect namely, the East. It Is derived from Emir el Bach," which la Arabic for "Ixrd of the Sea." There Is hardly a language. It seems. that has not rendered to the English tongue its tribute, and this Is vividly il lustrated In the names of the various officers of a ship. Our informant tells us that captain comes direct from the Latin "caput," a head, but the word mate owes nothing to any dead language, being almost Identical with the Icelandic roati," which means a companion or equal. The derivation of coxswain would never be suspected. Originally coxswain was tho man who pulled the after oar of the captain's boat, then known as a cockboat. "Cockboat" Is a corruption of the word "coracle," and, as many people know, the coracle is a small round boat used for fishing on some rivers In Wales, such as the Wye and Usk. So coxswain comes to us in fhls interesting way from tho Welsh. - i Commodore Is simply the Italian com mandatore, or commander, and naval cadet was originally the FVench "cap det," which, going a step further back- has the same origin as. the word, cap tain. The reason or the apparent anom aly is that all naval cadets were orig inally younger sons of noble families who before obtaining their commissions served as privates. Ould Ireland. Julia R. Galloway In Washington D. c. ) f cut. Thvrs's a ship that rldea at anchor la harbor by th sea. Where th restless waves are dancing all th day; And I sem to har hr calling, while aba's Beckoning to me. "Oh. I'm going "back to Erin, cam awav!' 8o msthlnks that I'll be going with the setting of the sun. When she turns her prow again across th foam, for my pilgrim daya art ever and my race Is naarly run. And I'm longing for ould Ireland, my noma. On tha green hanka o' Rtllamay I would lay me down to reat. Near the humble little cot where I was born ; Whr the modest yellow prlmrosa lifts nil ii r imiuni crest. ana ine snowy bloom la resting on the For I'm aure I'll rest the sweeter when I'm laid beneath the sod If I know the little ahamroek amlles above. And T bear upon my bosom when I gs to That blessed little emblem of his love. I hope t that you "We haven't any money, doubtfully. Jerry said "Never rnind that," the old lady said. "We shall have to charge them." She went to the door of the shop with the children and said goodby to thorn there. The black cat jumped solemnly out of t!ie. window and sat on her shoul der, looking at them severely with its great yellow eyes. When they reached the corner they looked back at her and waved their hands and she waved hers day," the witch said, will like them." Some Very Narrow Escapes From Death NARROW escapes from death are al-l ways Interesting to read about or to see on the stage. They are not so satisfactory to the persons who ex perience mem, especially. It Is said, be cause they hannen ton nulciiiv Tw.i,ntu art assigns a suitable period of suspense. which enanies the spectator to develop ana enjoy all the thrills due to a sit uation, but reality Is and hurl the fated Individual into catas- xropne before no can arouse his emo tions. Of rOIIrKP tVlla trlanr is - " 1- w til UJlJIUJt U to the theory of old-fashioned fiction. ........ mm iiuuuii in. a crisis unrolls the aii mi an extensive career and performs bleaching onerntlnn on tha iai. i. - would keep a coiffeuse busy for an hour. a win Miiaii w-as very busy re pairing the roof of a small railroad sta tion, when the cleat against which he was resting gave- way, and he began to slide over the edge of the roof. To vom a spixea iron railing below, he made a desnerate luinn tNtn - - express train was rushing by, and the nan iwiora on a roof of a car. m lit flu n sr hands fminit unit i , i i, ,.i n tilator-chlmnev. Ua wa --i miles to the next station and descended unhurt. More tragic was the. occurrence, on a Rockv Mountain rnllrnn -Kn employes of the Great Northern were speeding down a precipitous grade on a ll.ia . . n 11 " . - i ov ' Miut-a n nour, wnen a special train confronted tfcem around a r- j. uere was no avoidance of a collision. Two Of flu mA 4., -1 J. - - - ' ' - ii jumjieu lo death on the rocks below. The others Biuca to tne car, and one was crushed by the wheels of-the iitviiuin. but tho other man was tossed uninjured miv a- uiump oi ousnes wnicn grew on a projecting rock 20 feet below the edge of the cliff. It was the. only safe nlnre where he could have fallen. A Dr. Bach was cycling down the pass near Goschenen, in Switzerland, when his brake snapped tnd the machine da rted : . " i - . 0h TlU me;- How when "THe .Can 'the H&o I Ay forward at a terrific speed. At the foot of the mountain is a bridge spanning a deep river gorge. The physician tried to guide his flying machine on the bridge, but the front wheel struck a side wall, and he was flung over the parapet. While falling through the air he caught a chain hanging from a girder. ' The momentum of his body, suddenly arrested, nearly wrenched his grip loose, but he was a strong man and kept his hold. While In return. Then thev maH. hi.i. the park to try the sled. there was no snow on the ffmnml and the asphalt walks were as dry as they could be. "I don't believe It'll go." Jerry said as he placed the slod on the ground at the top of a slope, "but there's no harm In trying.' He sat down on the sled and Judith sat behind him. No sooner did ha lift his feet from the ground than the sled started off at a great rate, and they went so fst down the hill that an old gentleman who was strolling at the bottom had barely time to get out of the way when Jerry shouted at him to look out. He stood staring: after them In amazement to see them coasting on dry land, and he was .too surprised over It to say a word. "That's fine!" cried Jerry, highly pleased, as the sled came to a stop on the level ground. "Now let's try whether it will coast uphill." Both the children were much excited swinging in midair, suspended over the raging river and unable to improve his perilous position, an automobile came chugging down the pass.- The hapless man shouted for help, but he could not be seen from the bridge, and his cries were drowned by the noise of the motor and the sound of the river. A few min utes after the automobile-had passed a carriage drove across the bridge. Again he cried out for help, but in vain. The awful strain on his arms and fingers was becoming Intolerable, and the doctor was about to drop into the torrent to an in evitable death when two peasants came by and saw him. They flung a noose over him and pulled him up. He fainted and was still for a long tlrde. A father traveling with his young son on an English railroad last year had a harrowing Ave minutes. The child was leaning against the compartment door, when the door flew open and the young ster disappeared. The father frantically Jerked the safety rope, which stopped the train, and jumped out. He was as tonished and delighted to see the boy on his feet, running up the track. But at that moment an express on the other track came roaring by, and The engine knocked the boy down and passed over him. The farther groaned with horror. He could not'believe his own eyes when the train passed on. and the little fellow jumped up and came pluckily toddling back. The boy had .no injuries, except a few cuts. ' About two years ago a small steam yacht with a pleasure party aboard was off the outer harbor of New York when it was run down and capsized by a string of garbage scows. Of the eight aboard the yacht four clung to the keel of their vessel and were picked up: the others sank and vanished from sight. Among the latter was a young woman. Miss Fanny Day. She was reported drowned, and her family was mourning the tragic event when she walked in, very much alive and well. Her escape was extra ordinary. When the yacht turned over sv I Jtnc V$ De o' in "tire Weft n E s.rfe Eg'p'? the girl was drawn by suction under barge and came up in a dark space. A chain struck against her face, she grasped it, ana as soon as she could get breath screamed for help. A lid above was lift ed and two men pulled her up Into day light. It happened that a load of gar bage had been dumped through the bot tom of the barge at the moment of the collision, and the young woman, fortu nately, rose through the open trap Into at the remarkable qualities of the sled. Jerry dragged it proudly to the bottom of a steep path which led up one of me nms, and they placed themselves upon It as before. Up it went like lightning, not only to the top of the hill, but actually over the top and down on the other side. They were not pre pared for this anri 1 . . .1 i 1. ri 1 , . . , ' - ' tvHcu iier doll as they were coiner down Stop! stop!" she cried In great dis tress. "I've lost my new doll!" But It was impossible to stop the sled, and It turned out that there was no need of it. for the doll, after rolling over and over on the path, picked it self up and came running; down the hill after them. It came straight to, Judith and took hold of her skirt, for all the world as though It had been alive. There were never two children more happy than Jerry and Judith. They could not thank each other enough for the beautiful presents that they had given to each other. As for the family, they were more than surprised when the children returned home with the doll and the sled. Their mother de clared that she had never seen such a doll before, and their father, after try ing a ride on the sled, told them that he had never owned one like it whe.i he was a boy, and that they were very fortunate to have found It. All the companions who came to their birthday party were surprised and de lighted with the two presents. They never tired of watching the doll run ning about, dancing and singing, or of riding uphill on the wonderful sled. They spent a very happy and busy day and both agreed that It was the best birthday they had ever had. They were as careful as they could ; be with their toys, but as every one knows, toys do not last forever. Jerry Was poaittlnr on t li i.-n , . , . n. : - - - - u . ii j t juiy when he accidentally ran Into a tree ; and broke one of the runners of tho sled. He had it mended and It was a good sled after that, but it was just like any other and he could use it only when there was snow on the ground. As for the doll, a stray dog caught it one day as it was walking beside Judith and ran away with it. Before the dog could be overtaken the doll was severely injured. Judith , felt dreadfully about it and insisted unon rnlnr h.pb . i. , ..i to see whetner It could be repaired. So ana jerry went to the place where they had first seen the black cat in the window, hut the shop was no longer there. Instead there was a great sky scraper that had been built where tin shop had stood and nobody seemed to know where the little old lady had gone. They never were able to find her after that, and the funny part of it all was that she never senl a bin for the, things that the children had bought. the chamber. Tho trap immediately erased again, leaving her in the hold of the scow, imprisoned In darkness and iiitn, out safe. Another narrow escape from drnwntnir occurred in Dublin. It was a foggy night, and a cab containing four persons drov straight into the Alexandra Basin. The cab happened to fall exactly across tho mooring came or a ship, the horse oil one side and the cab on the other. Al though the passengers were up to their waists in chilly water and boxed Ilka rats In a trap, they were safe and wers soon rescued by a rope at the hands of the ship's watchman. Only the horse lost its ' life. Automobile perils are becoming com monplace. Some years ago the car of Mr. C'onklin, a New York lawyer, was smashed to splinters by an exnress train but lie himself was carried along on the front of the engine above the cowcatcher. Only a few ribs were broken, and he re covered. Several cases of horses and car riages going over high cliffs In Kngland without serious damage aro recorded. A ' Parisian woman doctor once went to call on a patient at a private hotel and, en tering a wrong door, which had a patent catch, found herself trapped In an ele vator well, with the elevator slowly de scending on her. No one was In the lift. She shrieked for help, and finally sank down on her knees, awaiting death. Tho concierge heard the cries, rushed out and topped the machinery when the floor of the car was w-tthln a foot of the prison er's head. A similar experience and a favorite sit uation of melodramatic authors was that of a Connecticut farmer who Was cut tine w-ood with a buzzsaw operated by wind power. Ho slipped and fell on the car riage. He could not release himself, and the relentless machinery drew him ever closer to the saw until the teeth were slicing through his clothes. He would have been sawn in two In another mo ment If the motor had not ceased w-ork-ing, owing to a sudden fall in the breeze. He threw himself off the carriage with a desperate effort just as the wind fresh ened and the saw once more made its gineer's department have been very swift revolutions. Strand Magazine. Tho Flirty Little Fingers. T. A. Daly. In Catholic Standard. From the moment he could stand alone and toddle Across the bedroom floor from chair to clwir. There waa never any respite for his mother; He was getting Into mischief everywhere. There were someraaulta distracting down the stairway. And tumbles off the anfa, to be sure. And the bumps he got were really quite terrific. But none a mother's kissea couldn't cure. He'd a most plebeian fondness for the kitchen Whoae precincts were hia favorite retreat. And the coal hod held fur him a fascina tion. For he aeemed to think its contents good to eat But the thing that caused his mother's greatest worry. And made her ply her house-cloth o'er and o'er. Was his subaequent. invasion of the parlor. With his grimy little fingers on the door. How the whiteness of the paint was dese crated By those dirty little digits every day; . Though his weary mother wept anJ begged and scolded. He pursued the even tenor of his way. Jt was evident that he w-as only happv Wher. hla fingers held their share and more of dirt. And the only thing he loathed was. soap and water. And O. my goodness gracious! how that hurt But It hurts us now to contemplate the cleanness Of everything about this quel place: All the fingermarks that used to mar the woodwork Have disappeared nor left the slightest tracer For the last of them were wiped away last Sumirier, Olad Hummer that is gone for evermore' We are lonely. Lord, and hungering to see him. With his grimy Uttle fingers on the door.