r;
THE SUNDAY OREGOMAX, PORTLAND. JULY 23, 1911.
Br WALTER TAL.MADGK AND
PHILJP LORINO ALLKN.
Dole: citt had been without tn
Ings from th rest of th world
for tore who! years. The editor
of the morning Polaris could not help
feeling a trifle despondent m he re
flects! that la all that time Ms paper
had published not a single line that
could properly be classed as "news.'
Ids only consolation was the knowl
edse that his rlral of the Aurora
Borealis was no better off.
Journalism In the center of the
Arctic Circle, aa everyone knows, has
lt peculiarities. As the night and
day are each six months lone, the
.-turning newspapers go to press In
pr!I. and the evening- newspapers In
October. They have no cable nor tel
egraph service, but depend for their
foreign news rhiefly on the occasional
whalers which drift Into the polar
waters or are carried thither frozen
In the Ire. Sometimes no news at all
comes to hand for months or years of
ordinary worldly time, but when It
due come It comes In such batches
as to overwhelm the editorial staffs
completely.
la t7. for example, the Aurora
Borealis. by a wonderful display ef
newspaper enterprise, secured on, of
the greatest cops on record. It
edition rf that year contained the
startling nes that Fort Sumter had
been fired upon, that the Southern
states had seceded from the Union.
that a four years war had taken place,
that the North had finally triumphed.
and that President Lincoln had been
assassinated. The Polarl. of the fol
lowing; April did not secure a arrap of
foreign news In the meantime, and Its
front pace contained only an account
of the marries- of a prominent Eskimo
chiefs daughter, and an article on
the cultivation of bananas, which had
been clipped from aa old maa-aslne.
A disabled brlgsntia. In 1T. had
brought news of the war .between
China and Japan, and her captain had
hinted that war between England and
the t'nlted States had also been Im
pending when he left port, two year
before, on account of some sort of
trouble that nobody understood re-carding-
the boundary of Ten sue la.
The Polaris, which ad always been
more or less afflicted with anglo
phobla. had "spread" the story thus:
war:
knv.uand and this cnited states
at hwords" point
British Uon Prowling- About Venes
uela I'ncle 8am ttays Hands
Off Declaration of War
Expected Illy.
Ever since then. Pole City .had been
waiting val-ily for news of the war.
In the years of suspense, the editors
availed themselves of the opportunity
to write long- and learned editorial)
on International politics, and Incident
ally to abuse each other. They had
plenty of time to think up clever re
torts and manag-ed to make things In
teresting. In lieu of foreign dis
patches, the Polaris printed a series
f extracts from Boccaccio's "Dvm
eron." and the Aurora Borealis fol
lowed suit with an expurgated version
of the secretary of Agriculture's re
port for the year I'M. In spile of
these attractions, however, both news
papers fell off In circulation, and
something had to be done.
Then It was that the Aurora Borealis
adopted the methods of the "Journalism
that does things." It appeared on the
evening of with Its entire front
psge devoted to the announcement
that an Ice famine was Imminent, un
less radical measures were taken to
prevent It. Tables and chart war
presented In proof of the aesertlon.
The paper advocated the calling of
an extraordinary session of the Munic
ipal Council for the enactment of ap
propriate legislation.
An Ice famine In the Arctic region
was such an utterly unheard of
fling that the mere mention of
Its poesihillty almost raussd a
panic. At all events the special session
was called, and within a month th
following ordinance stood on th stat
ute book:
-Wtien I. It shall he unlawful for any
vers-wi bv the application of beat, other
tnaa thai ff the sun. or by any artificial
rn'hol to tha. melt, dlsolv. or In any
erlier av rttcw to llouii or fluid state
ARE AMERICANS GOING THE PACE
Heavy Death Roll of Past Six Months Among Hani-Working Professional Men of the Country Leads to Question
HAS the American man reached the
limit of his endurance?
A contemplation of some recent
deaths of prominent Individuals In all
part of the country suggests tt he
..
For more than half a century now.
particularly tnre the Civil War. Amer
icans have been gnln a pace such as
prohbly never has been equaled In
l.uman history.
Backed by a country of boundless re
sources and unrestrained by any artl
r.-UI limitations such as prevail In the
older world of Europe, they have lived
In a frensy of territorial exploitation.
rtirn.l construction, telegraph expan
sion, and Industrial promotion, to say
nothing of political experiment and
e olution.
Coming, for the tnoat part, of parents
or grandparents who lived close to the
soil. and. therefore. possessed the
hardihood of the out of doors, they
have hitherto had the phyto,u to stand
'most any amount f labor and to
support to the last degree their own
wonderful Initiative. But. with the
concentration of business In the big
dries, and with the tremendous multi
plication of the responsibilities which
modern commercialism Involves, there
hegln to be evidences that either th
phvatquea are weakening or the tasks
which Americans have set themselves
to do are too vast for human nature
to w thst and.
Within six months the metropolitan
dal'les alone have recorded the deaths
of over see men. prominent In busi
ness, politics or the professions, from
such sudden afflictions aa apoplexy,
heart disease. Inflammation of the kid
neys, acute pneumonia, acute Indiges
tion, and appendicitis. Many of the
men hav been stricken at their desks.
Others hav collapsed In th streets.
Stl'.t others hav fallen while on their
pleasure tours abroad.
Summary of prath.
Her Is a summary compiled by th
Boston Herald of th total number of
prominent persons dying from various
sudden or brief-lived afflictions these
six months.
rro-n bean failure 13
yrom appler ............... S4
From pneumonia 5S
y-roni suci.l cause, miscellaneous. o
From stomach limes ................... -3
y-rom kicn-v ailmeata -
rrom prslsl I"
s-rvoi cumpllcaclua of aiunent. . ......... Is
! lee. snesr. hall, froet. sleet or other
form ef frosen or congealed water, within
the corporate limits of this cltv. unless the
water produced by such thawing, melting,
or nlsovlns. he put to Immediate use for
domestic, or eullnerv purposes.
pertton 3. It shall further he unlawful
for an person to cut. saw or break, or In
any other way convert Into regular or Ir
regular blorhs or pieces any mass or accu
mulation of Ice or anv pari thntof found
within the corporate limits of this city, un
less the Mocks or pieces o produced be used
at once for the construction of houees or
other bulMlnss. or for the extension and
maintenance of the public hlghwae.
This law had been In force about six
weeks when something happened. The
Chief of Police and the Town Crier had
gone a league to the southward to at-
tend the annual meeting of the Olympic
Reindeer Itaclng Assoristlon. The Town
Crier's bltie-esred reindeer Asbestos
had won the I'm a Major stakes, and the
two men set out for home In a hsppy
mood. They were nearlng the city,
singing an old Eskimo folk song, when
the Chief of Police, 'who was driving,
suddenly pulled up his dogs, snd asked
In a whisper. "IH you see anything odd
about that Iceberg?" pointing to a
mass of Ice that towered a hundred
feet above them. The road at this
Mm
awo K7I.n'S .r ma
point ran along the shore of a bay and
several Icebergs had been piled there
bv a recent norm. "There.- snouted
the Chief, "a light burning Inside of
that berg!"
"By all th ghosts of Sir John Frank
lin!" exclaimed th Crlr.
Just then th forward starboard dog
yelped, all the others Joined In, and
they would not be quieted until pocket
handkerchiefs were tied over their eyes
to shut out the uncanny sight. Then
th two men. each grasping a six
shooter, started on hands and kneea to
Investigate th phenomenon. Th berg
was high and dry upon th shore, so
when the pair reached It they decided,
after a moment a whispered conversa
tion, to creep around It In opposite di
rections and report results on th other
side. On the side chosen by the Chief
of Police the Ice was ao thick and so
full of snowflakes and shell Ice that
his Investigations cam to nothing.
Therefore, when h had crawled to a
point which he though waa about hair
way around, he abated himself com
fortably on a block of Ice to wait for
hla companion. He was not naturally
of an excitable disposition, ao h
amused himself by tossing bits of Ice
Into th black water that gurgled and
surged a dosen pares from his feet.
Thus quarter of an hour passed.
"Must have been th longest way round
hla end." he muttered. "I'd better go
after blm." end getting down again on
all fours, th officer of the Isw con
tinued his crawl. Ha had gone bur a
few feet when he ram to a sort Of
elbow projection which was In deep
From operations for appendicitis, etc..
From nervou breakdown
inpecitted
Total
Total number of above by ages:
ftetveeii ?o and SO
fltrn 'O an1 4U.
Ft w ern so and .to.............-.-
7tsieert and .....
rtetween and '......
fitaen M and o
? plus ..............
Ace not glro .........
. It
.llH
.31
. 3
. -o
. 4
.let
. s
Total l
Total and ages above by occupations:
Attorneys Between JO and . :
40 and 0. S: b and 0. 3: 10 plus. 1;
age not given, J. Total. .
Bankers Between 30 and 4". I: 40
and 4; in and : and i. :
Cj and ; 70 plus, i; sxe not given.
3. Total, li.
Brokers Between 34 and 4". I: 40
and . I: 10 and 0 : to and S. 1:
and 70. I; 7o plus. 3:Vge not given.
2. Total. .
Contractors Bet ween 50 and 0. 2;
( and '. 7: ti and 70. 1: 70 plus. 1:
age not given. 4. Tots I. li.
Courts Between 30 and 40, 1; 40 and
i". : SO and (0. 4 ;0 and .'. t: ti and
". : 70 plus. 1: age not given.
Total. 3.
iKK-tors Between 0 and 30, 1; 30
and 4". :: 40 and SO. 5; SO and (0. 4:
o and ... I: S and 70. 3: 7') plus, 1;
age not given, 6. Total. J J.
jtSovernment Official-" Between 30
and 4. I: 40 and 50. 3: SO and (0. : 0
and S. I: (5 and 70. ; 70 plus, 1: sge
not given. 13. Total, 41.
Insurance Between 40 and 50. l; SO
and to. 3: 40 and 1: t& and 70, 2:
70 plus, 3: age not given. . Total, is.
Military gnd Naval Between 40 and
to, 4: SO and (. 4: to and S. 4: S and
7", 3; To plus. 1; age not given, 7.
Total. 13.
Political Officials and Politicians
Between 30 snd 40. 3: 40 and 50. 1; 50
and . 17: tO and tS. 11; 45 and 70,
10; 70 plus, 3; age not given, 14.
Total. 7t.
Presa and Publishers Between 40
and S". : l and to. (0 and 5. ;
(5 and 70. (: 70 plus. 1; ags not (Ivan.
10. Total. 45. r
Railroads Between- 40 and 50, !: 10
and t-l. 5; 0 and 5, 5: f5 and 70. :
70 plus. 4: age not given. 1. Total. 27.
Prewar Baakera.
No occupation seems to be Immune,
and of all occupations subject to these
sudden deaths, th bsnksr's and th
v-v
. 7
ar. m a T.
pS 0
shadow. Tha path around It was nar
row and slippery, lie hardly dared to
look up for fear of sliding- down the
Ice Incline Into the sea. and was not
prepared for what he aaw when he
turned the corner.
The Town Crier was sitting there
holt upright, his long- legs stretched
out In front of him and his big hands
lying helpealsly In his lap. Ills lower
Jaw was hanging, what had Vvldently
once been perspiration had frozen on
hla forehead In lines of bead-like
Icicles, and every hair on his big fur
cap and coat stood out like so many
bristles. His eyes were wide open and
staring straight ahead at the big berg,
I The Chief of Police, too, glanced In that
direction, and gasped. A layer of out
side Ire had evidently been split off
and there the glint from within
streamed much more brightly. Inside
the berg, perhaps 10 feet away, was a
man. lie waa seated comfortably In
a leather-covered chair and waa puff
ing away at a meerschaum. On a
table at his side a lamp burned. The
man was evidently warm, for he had re
moved his coat and waistcoat. A
couch bed near him had been opened,
making It seem probable that he was
on the point of retiring.
t'tterly oblivious of the approach of
his friend, the Town Crier sat staring
stupidly nt the strange sight. Tha
Chief of Police, however, recovered al
most Immediately from his astonish
ment. If anything, he was practical.
He had begun life as a copy boy for
the Aurora norealls and had gradually
risen to be City Editor. In fact It was
thla position of prominence on the ack
nowledged organ of the so-called
"Freezeout" party that had finally se
cured his appointment as Chief of Po
lice But once a newspaper man, al
ways a newspaper man. He had the
bacilli In hla blood and he could no
mora get rid of them than the Town
Crier could his love for whale-oil cock
tails. So It happened thst In him tha
evening paper still possessed a very
loyal and very earnest news get
ter and on who from hla official po
sit Ion often aecured for It "stories"
that Its morning contemporary had
striven for In vain. It waa, therefore,
th news value of the man In the Ice
berg that first appealed to the Chief of
Police. It was not only th Importance
of th circumstance of the discovery,
but also th possibility that th
stranger might possess news from th
great world to the southward of a
much later data than that published
three years before by the Polaris. Un
doubtedly he would know th result of
th Anglo-American war, which, at
laat accounts, was on th point of
breaking out
One thing only troubled the Chief of
Police. It waa but two weeks to th
time when the morning paper would
go to press, and If th news of tha Ice
bound man's existence became public,
that paper, and not hla paper ho atlll
called the evening paper hla would
benefit by the discovery and very like
ly bo enabled to give the first news of
the war. Means must be devised for
holding tha story until evening. His
official position might help him. and
the Mayor and Municipal Council were
on his side, anyhow.
Ha grasped the Town Crier by tha
collar and gave him a very energetic
ahaklng up. The hanging lower Jaw
waggled a bit. then closed with a snap. ,
the staring eyes rolled around In their
sockets, and finally fixed themselves
on tha officer. A moment later a ring ,
of cold ateel waa pressed against his
:!,nPi J. ... " 1VU in 1., v,.
guess what will happen If you ever
breathe a word of what you have seen."
In silence tha two men walked to the
sledge and In silence they drove to the
Town Crier's house. Hla wire was
waiting at the door, but In his terror
tha unfortunate man could not aay a
word. He only atood trembling and
ataggerlng. "Too bad this should hap
pen." said the Chief of Police, shaking
his head. "Ha II sleep it on oeiore
long. Put him to bed now, and don t
let anv ona see him until I call again."
Then h drove rapidly to tha office of
the Aurora Borealis and was closeted
for an hour or mora with tha Managing
Editor.
Tha Town Crier was not an elective
officer. Hla position carried with It
social prestige, and he waa beholden to
no man nor party, yet he was a sort of
hereditary rival to all other means of
dlasemlnatlng news. His waa the only
office In tha municipality that waa
pasaed on from father to son. It waa
tha last rello of tha old days when
everything In Pole City, including the
doge, the pole cats and pole fever, had
been hereditary. Therefore. It waa not
surprising that he felt no particular
obligation-to follow any course Just
Judge's two of th presumably most
quiet of vocations are among th
most afflicted. Banks ordinarily are
supposed to operate on short hours,
such as from 10 to 4. and court ses
sions are usually of about the same
length. But any one familiar behind
the scenes of the banks or in the priv
ate chambers of the Judaea knows that
of all places In American business life
these are perhaps the two wherein ac
tivities and responsibilities are the
most concentrated.
The banker of today Is th determln
Ing factor In almost every new enter
prls. anil th balance wheel In almost
every old one. He holds In lits hands
the destiny of men's credit, and de
tides upon their probable capacity to
execute what they have undertaken or
what thev propose to undertake.
Regnrdlcsa of the solidity of his
financial position, the hanker Is In
ceesantly In th renter of the whirl
pool around which American hulnos
swirls. And apparently It Is beginning
to tell upon his vitality to a danger
ous degree.
Next to the banker, the strongest
determining factor In modern com
mercial activity, of course. Is the
judge. It Is only necessary to recall
th large number of spectacular trust
and merger suits that have been be
fore, the court of late, or the large
number of railroad rate regulation and
rebate rase that were up for hearing
during Roosevelt's Presidency, to real
ise how vital th Judges position haa
become. By his decisions, prosperous
businesses continue or decline, wages
of thousand upon thouss." 1 of Indi
viduals are affected, and the welfare
of entire communities settled or r
versed. laay Judge Hie.
Before the bench, pleadings and testi
mony Involve all these issues, and It la
a weak Judge who can fall to take the
mass of these evidences and arguments
to his chambers and work deep into the
night and long Into th morning to
reach his conclusions. Where one ha
could lock his own door and go forth
almost simultaneously with the formal
closing of the court and reappear a few
minutes before Its opening on the next
dey. he Is now a prisoner of his re
sponsibilities and a victim of hard,
hard work.
Within six months, the metropolitan
because It would be pleasing to one or
the other of the political parties. On
questions of politics he kept his own
council, with the result that he had
ordinarily been classed with the float
ing vote. Be that as it may. he reached
his own conclusions about things, and
his adventure with the man in the Ice
berg was a fine thing to have conclu
sions about.
The man behind the bar at the sign
of the Red Walrus was famous for his
cocktails. He could mix cocktails out
of anything, and he could mix them so
thoroughly that a chemical analysis
would not have shown what was In
them. His establishment stood on Pole
City's Newspaper Row which was not
a row at all midway between the of
fices of the Polaris and the Aurora
Borealis. Here, when the sun was rac
ing along the horizon, the worhttes and
their opposltes gathered to gossip and
drink the long hours away. Here. 24
hours after the discovery of the Inhab
ited Iceberg, the Town Crier sat with
some of his cronies. He had been un
der a most strenuous strain, .and he
showed it. He was not by nature
either selfish or secretive, and he
wanted somehow to get out from un
der the responsibility Imposed upon
him by the knowledge he shared with
the Chief of Police. He knew of only
one way to shirk that responsibility,
so h sought the sign of the Red Wal
rus. No man would think of denying
him his cocktails, and with him -it was
come cocktails, go all reason and se
crecy and everything else.
In his company on that particular
occasion sat the telegraph editors of
the rival papers. As the papers never
published any telegraph news, ineir
duties were not onerous, and they spent
most of their time playing tiddledy
wlnks or tlt-tat-too at the Red Walrus.
It took Juet three cocktails to oil up
the Town Crier's vocabulary, and at the
fifth tha two telegraph editors were
sitting with gaping mouths listening
to the exciting narration of the occur
rences of tha past 24 hours.
The representative of the Polaris,
who had Just a fortnight to get
tha rest of tha story if It was
to be got at all. listened as ha
had never listened to anything
before. Whenever the Ton Crier
paused for breath, ha shouted for an
other round of cocktails. Th Town
Crier would drink one, the Aurora Bore
alls man would drink the second, and
then, when the third was artfully steered
to his side, would drink that, too, from
force of habit, without realising that It
waa mora than his share. The narrative
became mora and mora Incoherent as
tha minutes went on and was also Inter
rupted by the Aurora Borealis man's at
tempts to sing the National hymn, "From
Greenland's Icy Mountains." When
finally the Polaris man rose to go, the
other two, to all practical purposes, were
as Immovable as tha Pole Itself. Such
was his own excitement, however, that
he did not notice the presence of the
Chief of Police, who had been a allcnt
witness of tha whole proceeding.
An hour later a tally-ho coach dragged
bv a string of 11 thoroughbred dogs
rolled out of the city In tno direction
of th mysterious Iceberg. To the ordi
nary onlooker It appeared to be a picnic
party, and the banner which streamed
from the rear bore out this Impression.
It read. "Automatic Chess and Checker
Club." The Chief of Police knew better.
Ten minutes Ister two men astride of, a
tandem passed leisurely out of the city
along tha same road. The men were the
ralirlou and sporting editors of the
Aurora Borealis. They carried their golf
clubs and were undoubtedly out
for a
few hours' sport.
Once on the shore road the golfers
slackened their pace and the religious
editor let go the handle bars and tor
a teleacope from his caddy bag. "Great
Icicles:" he exclaimed, "they're at It
already." After riding a half, mile far
ther they could see without glasses a
crowd of men awarming around a Jagged
berg at the water's edge. The members
of the Polaris staff, alias the Automstic
Chess and Checker Club, were neither
playing chess nor checkers. Neither
were they picnicking. But they were
picking, picking away at the Iceberg
with axes and shovels and knives. Hav
ing seen this much, the golfers turned
and sped cityward at a much faster
pace. They rode directly to the city
courthouse.
The editorial staff of the Polaris were
making remarkably good headway. Their
efforts were evidently appreciated by the
man Inside, for he watched them with In
terest and smiled his approval. Merrily
and rapidly they worked, until suddenly
one of the editors noticed that the Chief
of Police was watching them irom in
base of the berg. The editor-ln-chlef,
who always associated that official with
record of deaths, whlfi also Includes,
of course, the telegraphic mention of
th most conspicuous deaths of all sec
tions, notes the passing away from
sudden causes of two Supreme Court
Justices of New York, two of Missouri,
on of Main, one of New Jersey (Court
of Appeals) and one of, Colorado. It
notes the tsklng off in a similar man
ner of two I'nlted States District
Judges Robert W. Tayler, of Cleve
land, and John II. Rogers, of Arkansas.
At Boston, the United states Circuit
Judge, Francis Cabot, died suddenly at
the low age of 53. while at Winchester.
Vs.. Judge William Atkinson, of the
Corporation Court, died at 1.
Furthermore, this sudden reaper
seems to sweep his scythe among court
clerks and employes as well as among
the JuJes. In June of this year the
stenographer of the 1'edersl Court In
the New York Postoffl'-e building.
Ctnrenco A. Parsons, died of overwork
at the age of 63. He had reported the
great tobacco and sugar-weighing fraud
rases, and the strain had been too much
for him. The official stenographer ill
Iepartment Five of the New York Su
preme Court. Kdwln A. Klngsley, suc
cumbed to heart disease at 47. The
clerk of the Supreme Court at Brook
lyn, Arthur K. Cabbie, became a victim
of appendicitis and died at 51; while
the clerk of the Queens County Court,
Oeorge W. Schoonmaker, pnssed away
when 30, or Just at middle age.
Pressure on Doctor.
Pouhtless It Is to he expected that
physicians would be comparatively
earls victims of overstrain, because of
the erregular hours which they are
compelled to maintain, but even here
the records show the surprising fact
that 25 per cent of the recent deaths
of physicians well enough known to
win newspaper mention take place be
fore the age of 50, and that practically
half of the deaths are due to apoplexy,
heart disease, or a similar sudden af
fliction. Many Merchants Succumb.
So, too. It is to be expected that the
modern merchant will become the vic
tim of the terrific pace to which de
partment store competition must sub
ject him. Arthur H. Hearn. for In
stance, of the big New York firm bear
ing his name, dropped off suddenly
the Aurora Bofealis, was inclined to be
angry.
"What can we do for you?" he Inquired
grufTly.
"Afraid I'll have to ask your young
men to quit. It's my move and I'm
going to make It," and the officer smiled
grimly. "I'm acting In the name of the
munlcipsllty." he continued, after giving
time for the workers to gather about
him. "and here's what the law of the
municipality says about destroying Ice."
Thereupon he drew from his pocket a
scroll of walrus parchment and read
aloud the law which has already been
quoted.
The editor-in-chief was again the first
to speak: "But. my dear sir, this isn t
Inside the corporate limits of Polo City!
The Chief of Police pulled out his
watch. "No," he said, slowly; "It's not
Just at present, but the Municipal Coun
cil la now being called to order ana
within 15 minutes, at most, a law will
be passed annexing It." Then he
chuckled and departed.
There was silence for awhile. Every
one was thinking hard. At length the
financial editor, famed for getting peo-
pie out of tight places, mounted the
seat of the tally-ho and laid a plan
before the expectant staff. The ordi
nance relating to the cutting of Ice, ha
said, expressly exempted that which
waa used to construct houses or for
public Improvements. Their sawing
and picking would be legal, therefore.
If they built a row of Summer cottages
on the beach with the Ice they removed,
and connected them by a road. The
plan was no sooner proposed than It
was put Into execution. All had more
or leas architectural ability, and the
houses put up by the Polaris Construc
tion Company as they laughingly
called themselves were not such mad
affairs a'ter all. They were Just Icing
the dormer windows of the third cot
tage when the Chief of Police appeared
again. He hastened his pace as he draw
nearer. "Stop! stop!" he shouted.
"Why stop, my friend?" called back
the financial editor tantallslngly. "We
are complying with the law." and he
pointed proudly to the row of trim lit
tle villas along the beach.
"Ah, ha!" said the Chief of Police.
"Tou did just what I thought you
would." Then, after assuring himself
that communication had not yet been
opened up with the man In the berg,
he continued. "Your legal editor
might have told you that you had
to have a permit from the Department
of Publio Improvements."
"We will send for permits now, If
you insist."
"I'll save you the trouble," said the
Chief of Police. "I have Just left tha
Commissioner and I can assure you
with heart disease at 47. He had
seemed to survive a period of illness,
had recovered, and had played gayly
with his children at the Christmas fes
tivities, when , the overstrained heart
gave way and he was gone.
Thn roll of dead among the Govern
ment officials and among political lead
ers, both locgl, state and Federal, is
of cluillenglng magnitude. To begin
with, there was the fall of Senator
Dolllver. of Iowa, at the very height
of his political power, at the beginning
of a career which might very readily
have terminated in the Presidency. He
was but 5- when stomach trouble killed
him.
Senator Hughes, of Colorado, who
died in January, was only too palpably
a victim of overstrain, his whole phys
ical system having given way under his
labors as a corporation attorney and
ADVENTURES
make his own plans Independently of
you."
"It strikes me. Williamson. there
isn't very much that w can tell this
gentleman," cried Carruthers, with a
bitter laugh. "Yes, we quarreled, and
he knocked me down. I am level with
him on that, anyhow. Then I lost sight
of him. That was when he picked up
with this csst padre here. I found
that they had set up housekeeping to
gether at this place on the line that
she had to pas for the station. I kept
my eye on her after that, for I knew
there w some deviltry in the wind.
I saw them from time to time, for I
was anxious to know what they wer
after. Two days ago Woodley came up
to my house with this cable, which
showed that Ralph Smith was dead. He
asked me If I would stand by th bar
gain. I said I would not. He asked
me if I would marry the girl myself,
and give him a share. I aaid I would
willingly do so. but that she would not
have me. He said. 'Let us get her mar
ried first, and after a week or two she
may see things a bit different.' I said
I would have nothing to do with vio
lence. So he went off cursing, like
the foul-mouthed blackguard that he
was, and swearing that he would have
her yet. She was leaving me this
week-end, and I had sot a trap to take I
Pi0'
-W? 1
that he will not issue any permits for
roads or buildings In the annexed dis
trict until It has been surveyed by the
city. That work will begin In about a
month. Better go on with the game.
It's your turn to move." This speech
was accompanied by such unmistakable
gestures that , the whole staff piled
Into the tally-ho and were soon home
ward bound. The Chief of Police re
mained for a while peering In at the
man In the Iceberg. Then he, too, went
home.
For the two weeks after that tha
great Iceberg waa undisturbed. Re
porters were assigned by each of the
journals to watch it, but their posi
tions were sinecures. Every now and
then, one or the other would sneak
back to the city, to return before long
with a mysterious valise or hamper,
the contents of which he would share
with his companion. On these occasions
it was observed that the man Inside
the iceberg would go to his cupboard,
take down one of the sundry flasks
and Jugs which he kept there, and pour
out something. Then, raising his glass,
and smiling at them through the Ice,
he would drain it, apparently to the
speedy success of their undertaking.
I-So, with convivality both within ana
without the iceberg, the time passea
merrily by.
With the near approach of Its edition
came a message to the representative
of the Polaris. It was from his man
aging editor and Intimated in unam
biguous termi that he "had better get
apmethlng done." So, when he next
vjame back from town, he was supplied
with all the apparatus for carrying out
a most artfully conceived scheme. .Un
der the long skirts of his mackintosh
were hidden II lengths of Jointed fishing-rod.
At the 'end of the first Joint
waa a three-quarter-Inch auger. "Take
these around to the sheltered side, and
I'll Join you In five minutes," he said,
handing his rival a small roast turkey
and a black bottle.
Three minutes later he was perched
on a little projection half way up the
burg, boring for dear life. When he
reached the end of one Joint, he put
on another and twirled that. He had
calculated Just where the ice was thin
nest and he hoped that In five minutes
more he would reach the chamber in
side, and then use the hole he had
bored as a speaking tube through
which to Interview the man within.
Tha. Aurora Borealis man had eaten
tha wishbone and a drumstick before It
occurred to him that his companion
had remained behind for an unreason
ably long time. He wondered about It
for 10 minutes more, devoured a wins,
and then atarted on a tour of Inspec
tion. Rounding the corner he was
struck with horror at the discovery of
the way in which he had been out
witted. There was not a moment to lose.
With the black bottle still in his hand,
he dashed to the berg and began to
clamber up Its slippery side. It was
slow work and the Polaris man was
turning the drill like mad. Frantically.
the long rod was pulled out and thrown
aside, making a great clatter. The
Polaris man was now fairly dancing
up and down with excitement, and
shouting down the hole at the top of
his voice. "Hello, there! hello! hi, you,
inside there. Please come to the speak
ing tube. Over this way, where the
stick came through. Hl-1-1!" There
was no answer. "I'm reporter from the
Polaris," he yelled, and then listened.
"From the Polaris," he repeated. "Say,
has there been a war?"
By this time the Aurora Borealis
man had reached a ledge only 15 feet
away, but to save his life he could not
have cofhe nearer, for the Intervening
Ice was smooth as glass and entirely
too steep to climb. His foot touched
a Jagged piece of loose Ice and It gave
him an Idea. He laid down the black
bottle, seized the lump, and. taking
careful aim. hurled it with all hia
might. It would have struck his rival
squarely on the side of the head. If he
had not at that very moment bent down
and placed his ear to the hole.
There was no more broken Ice on the
ledge, but there was still the black
bottle, half full, a formidable projec
tile. The Polaris man was listening
with one ear, and with one eya was
watching every movement of his as
sailant. He could not dodge without
getting up and perhaps losing the an
awer to his question. Tha heavy bot
tle caught him full In the forehead
and broke. The heavy cap he wore
kept the fragments away from his
face, but the blow almost stunned him,
the liquor got Into his eyes and down
his neck, and a piece of the glass cut
THAT
as to the Deeper Causes.
local politician before he reached Wash,
ington. Senator William O. Rpelker, of
Rhode Island, a close friend of Sen
ator Aldrlch, collapsed with apoplexy
at the age of 87, while ex-Senator
Kittredge of South Dakota yielded to
kndney disease when he was only 50.
Reaper Among; Journalists.
Of course, t,he daily newspaper Held
may be expected to tell severely on
those who serve in it, because of its
uninterrupted strenuousness. But when
the sudden death list includes the pre
sumably placid field of book publish
ing, there is something to wonder over.
Book publishing has changed In recent
years, and the competition both In buy
ing manuscripts and in selling pub
lished volumes haa become enormous.
From merely passing literary Judgment
on authors' output, the publisher's task
OF SHERLOCK HOLMES
CONTINUED FROM FAGE 3
her to the station, but I w,as so un
easy in my mind that I followed her
on my bicycle. She had got a start,
however, and before I could catch her,
the mischief was don. The first
thing I knew about it was when I saw
you two gentlemen driving bade in her
dog-cart."
Holmes rose and tossed tha end of
his cigarette into the grate. "I have
been very obtuse. Watson," said he.
"When In your report you ssld that you
had seen the cyclist as you thought ar
range hia necktie in the shrubbery,
that alone should have ' told me all.
However, we may congratulate our
selves upon a curious and, in some re
spects, a unique case. I perceive three
of the county constabulary In the
drive, and I am glad to see that th
little ostler Is able to keep pace with
them, so it is likely that neither h
nor the interesting bridegroom will
be permanently damaged by their
morning's adventures. I think. Wat
son, that In your medical capacity, you
might wait upon Miss Smith and tell
her that if she is sufficiently recov
ered, we shall be happy to escort her
to her mother's home. If she is not
quite convalescent, you will find that
a hint that we were about to telegraph
to a young electrician In the Midlands
would probably complete the cure. As
his finger. Ho reeled, missed his hold,
and half slid, half rolled down the berg
to the bottom.
The Aurora Borealis man made a
hurried detour and at last reached the
little round hole in the ice.
At his belt hung the canteen in which
all Arctic reporters carry ice water.
"Still there?" he called. "Ja," came
the response. He emptied the whole
two quarts of water into the tube.
There was a great sputtering at the
other end, and a cry of "Donnerwet
ter!" Then a few bits of ice were stuf
fed into the opening and the water
froze, sealing it completely.
The representative of the morning
paper was sitting up at the bottom of
the berg feeling his bruises. "You
might Just as well have finished that
turkey," he shouted. "I got my story
In spite of you. He answered my ques.
tions."
His triumphant cry in reality only
half expressed the situation. It was
true that his questions had been an
swered, but a pair of simple affirma
tives were not much on which to base
the only Important, story of a decade.
"They had a war," he mused, "and
we won. That's every bit I know
about It." There was nothing for it '
but to trudge back to town. The re
porter did not relish the idea of fac
ing his city editor empty handed, and
on the way In he racked his brains for
some plausible excuse, but all to no
purpose. Then the sign of the Red
Walrus caught his eye, and he went in.
He was cold and wet. and wanted
aomethlng to warm him up. He was
shaky, and wanted something to give
him confidence, so he ordered a cock
tall, one of the famous whale-oil
cocktails. "That'll fix you," said the
bartender. It did.
"dot your story?" asked the City Ed
itor, a few minutes later, as the reporter
took off his coat in the office. "Story?"
he gurgled, 'tjust watch me," and then
began to write.
He forgot his bruises, forgot that he
really knew nothing about his subject,
forgot everything but the joy of let
ting his fancy carry him whither it
would. The lurid details of the Anglo
American war that sprang from his
fertile pen threw Gettysburg and Bala
clava and Thermopylae into the shade.
Not a feature was omitted. There were
the names of the generals (colonels
and majora picked out of an old Army
Register and promoted), the names and
dates of battles, with rough maps and
sketches concluded with a full account
of the siege and sack of London, quota
tions from tha Treaty of Peace, and
even circumstantial descriptions of the
particular indiscretions by which each
one of the popular heroes lost his pres
tige after the war was over. It took
up three pages and a special supple
ment. Pole City fairly gloated over It.
The reporter was put In charge of the
foreign correspondence.
Nearly all the rest of the paper was
given up to the description of a great
storm which had tdrn two shutters off
the Red Walrus, cracked the dome of
the Town Hall, blown the great seal
off the Pole, and carried away the
great iceberg, "which has been a most
picturesque object beside the road to
the Olympic racetrack." People won
dered at the latter Item, because very
few had noticed that Iceberg at all, and
none thought its appearance notewor
thy. At any rate, this one had floated
seaward, to drift, no one knew whither.
Six months later. Just as the Manag
ing Editor of the Aurora Borealis was
beginning to make up the formes for
his first pages, a little storm-tossed
whaleboat, with three half-frozen sail
ors on board, drifted into the friendly
harbor of Pole City. At once, half the
population of the town gathered In
front of the newspaper offices to learn
what tidings the derelict brought. The
Poralis, which was famou3 for the
promptness with which it bulletined
news, paid no attention at all to the
event, unusual though it was. Gradu
ally the crowd deserted the square in
front of its office, and strolled down
the street to the Aurora Borealis build
ing. Presently the Editor, who had
borne a sour visage ever since the big
"beat" of six months before, came down
the steps arm In arm with the Chief of
Police. They .were chuckling and dig
ging each other in" the ribs, and they
actually "hlppety-hopped" all the way
to the Red Walrus. The crowd began
to buzz with amazement. Then the
head copy boy came out and put up a
bulletin. It contained only a single
line, but It wss enough to keep the
crowd In good humor. This was all it
said:
"The War Was With Spain; Not Eng-i
land."
(Copyright by Flmrtstory Pub. Co.)
KILLS ?
has become almost as fierce and sav
age as that of the theatrical manager.
And obviously It is beginning to wear
him down.
But the list of sudden deaths is so
extensive and covers so many depart
ments of human activity that it sug
gests that the root of the evil is very
deep and that perhaps the American
people have a long way to go before
they can overcome the evils of 50 years
of abnormal haste and pressure. Not
only must the intensity of the work
ing pace be reduced, but so probably
also must the eating pace. For, it is
agreed among physicians that nerv
ously overstrained body is not In a fit .
condition to digest a normal amount
and quality of food, to say nothing of
handling the rich viands, the wines and
cocktails, and the other appurtenances
of a successful modern business man's
tabfe.
to you. Mr. Carruthers, I think that
you have done what you could to make
amends for your share in an evil plot.
There ia my card, air, and If my evi
dence can b of help to you in your
trial, it shall be at your disposal."
In the whirl of our Incessant activ
ity. It has often been difficult for me,
as the reader has probably observed,
to round off my narratives, and to give
those final details which the curious
might expect. Each case has been the
prelude to another, and the crisis once
over the actors have passed forever
out of our busy lives. I find, however,
a short note at the end of my manu
script dealing with this case, in which
I have put it upon record that Miss
Violet Smith did indeed inherit a large
fortune, and that she is now the wife
of Cyril Morton, the senior partner of
Morton & Kennedy, th famous West
minster electricians. Williamson and
Woodley were both tried for abduction
and assault, the former getting seven
years and the latter ten. Of the fate
of Carruthers, I have no record, but I
am sure that his assault was not viewed
very gravely by the court, since Wood
ley had the reputation of being a most
dangerous ruffian, and I think that a
few months were sufficient to satisfy
the demands of Justice. '
(Copyright by A- Conan Dayls.)
jgD 106.2