Corvallis gazette., July 09, 1907, Image 4

j Their Underground ;
5 Elopement.
J '
Hy Horace Stacy.
Copyrighted, 1907, by Homer Sprague. ?
i
"What's the matter with slipping.out
How and getting married?" demanded
Dudley Winthrop. "You are over le
gal age, and the marriage cannot be
nullified on the ground that you are a
minor, even though that ridiculous will
does make you Mrs. Eaton's slave for
three years more."
Elizabeth colored.
"You see," she said shamefacedly,
"auntie is afraid of some such thing
and and John watches."
"You don't menu to say that she has
had the footman act as a spy upon
you?" lie gasped.
Elizabeth nodded.
"You don't realize how bitter auntie
Is," she explained.
"Just because my father married an
other girl? Surely that does not ex-
"LET'S l:UN" SHE OltlEU AS HE HTJltBIED
FOliWAltD.
use her setting the servants to spy
Upon you. We can slip out of the side
door, then."
"Robert is in the side street with
the carriage." she said, while the blood
dyed her face a deeper red. "I'm
afraid that there is no chance, dear."
"But you would if you could?"
"You know that, Dudley."
"I'll make the chance," he said. "I
never heard of such a thing. I'm go
ing now. I don't want to take a chance
of meeting Mrs. Eaton until I've had
time to cool down. I'll send you
word."
Winthrop passed out with a pleasant
adieu to his hostess, ml as he de
scended the stops the sudden alert
ness of the fcot'.nau in the Eaton liv
ery toM him that Elizabeth's suspicions
were correct.
Mrs. Eaton had never forgiven Dud
ley Wluthrop's father for his fancied
Blight. She had determined to marry
him, hut while he was attentively
courteous ho had given no indication
of his preference for her. For all of
that his marriage to another woman
had been a defeat she had never for
given, and now that she was the legal
guardian of her sister's child until
Elizabeth should become twenty-one
Bhe threw every obstacle In the way of
the match between the two young peo
ple, even planning to frustrate an
elopement through the watchfulness of
her carriage servants.
Dudley had an appointment with an
but of town acquaintance, and when he
came to Forty-second street he turned
his steps toward Broadway. The man
he sought was In the grill room in the
new hotel's basement, they told him, at
his desk, and presently Dudley found
himself facing the long marble corri
dor from his seat at one of the tables.
"What's the procession?" he demand
ed as he pointed to the persons who,
after descending the stairs, vanished
down a short corridor just beyond.
"Going to take the subway," said
the visitor. "I thought you New York
ers knew everything. Don't you know
that the Knickerbocker has two en
trances to the subway one through the
cafe and one down that hallway? It's
great on a rainy day."
"It's good any old day," smiled Win
throp as a sudden inspiration came to
him., "I'm glad I found it out."
After that Winthrop became a regu
lar occupant of the table that gave a
view of the corridor, sitting there some
times for an hour after the black cof
fee had been served, and at Inst his
patience was rewarded, for Elizabeth
came hurrying down the stairway.
"Let's run!" she cried as he hurried
forward. "I told auntie I wanted to
stop ami telephone. She only knows
xne nou'i irom xne restaurant, anusuus
having a cup of tea in there this bless-
ed minute, safe in the knowledge that
the Bi s are cn guard outside."
Siae was dragging Winthrop down
the corridor and across the platform.
Throu.T'.i the tunnel came the rumble of
an approaching train, and they slipped
through the gate just as it came to a
stop.
"Which way are we going?" she de
manded as she settled into a seat.
"Downtown," he explained. "There
Is a little tunnel that leads over tc
the uptown platform, but I wanted to
get away quickly. We can get off at
the next station and cross there. . Dr.
Bliss lives on Ninety-sixth street"
The plan was simple enough, and
though there was a wiii for an up
town express, they were soon on board.
There Is a curve at Forty-second street
where the tracks swing Into Broad-
way, and here the tram slowed down.
EUzabeth, looking through the win-
dow, gave a littie scrs-am. Standing
in the entrance" from the Knickerbock
er was her aunt with a most laughable
expression of bewilderment upon her
face. It was just a fleeting tableau;
then the train gathered speed, and
Elizabeth sank back In her seat
"Auntie has just discovered the
flight." she announced, with a low rip
ple of laughter. "Her'expressioa was
the funniest thing, Dudley."
"I wish I could hear what she is say
ing," he chuckled. "I fancy that she
will lose her faith in coachman spies
now. It's a mighty good lesson for
her, Elizabeth."
"To think of your disinterestedness
in giving the lesson'." she said demure
ly. "It does great credit to your gener
osity." They both laughed at the suggestion
until the train shot Into the Ninety
sixth street station and they hurried
above ground.
Half an hour and the kindly old rec
tor had escorted them to the door.
Elizabeth clutched the certificate of
marriage as though she feared to lose
it and sighed with relief as she heard
Winthrop give his address to the
driver. 1
But she gasped' as they drew up In
front of the house and saw the Eaton
carriage driving slowly up and down,
while the footman paced the walk.
"Auntie must be waiting for us," she
said. "Do you suppose she is very
angry, Dudley?"
"Let's find out," he suggested as he
helped her out and ran up the steps.
"Are you married?" demanded Mrs.
Eaton from the drawing room as they
entered the hall.
"Half an hour ago," declared Win
throp. "Then," she said practically, "I shall
have to make the best of it, I suppose.
But I must say that when I saw that
the hotel advertised every modern con
venience I did not suppose that that
included facilities for underground
elopements."
"There's only one old fashioned as
pect to the affair," laughed Winthrop.
"And that?" asked Mrs. Eaton cold
ly. " 'And so they were married,' " he
quoted, " 'and lived happy ever after,' "
and he drew Elizabeth Into his arms
and kissed her.
The Old Spelling Class.
Rev. George Channing wrote an ac
count of the school of his youth, which
he attended just after the Revolution.
Girls and boys attended together the
primary school and sat on seats made
of round blocks of wood of various
heights, which were furnished by the
parents. Children bowed and kissed
the teacher's hand on leaving the
room. The teaching of spelling was
peculiar. It was the last lesson of the
day.
The master gave out a long word,
say, "multiplication," with a blow of
his strap on the desk as a signal for
all to start together, and in chorus the
whole class spelled out the word in
syllables. The teacher's ear was so
trained and acute that he at once de
tected any misspelling. If this hap
pened he demanded the name of the
scholar who made the mistake. If
there was any hesitancy or refusal in
acknowledging he kept the whole
class until, by repeated trials of long
words, accuracy was obtained. The
roar of the many voices of the large
school, all pitched in different keys,
could be heard on summer days for a
long distance.
The Indian's Reply.
A distinguished army officer tells a
story on himself which relates to the
days when he was a young lieutenant
in the far west a good many years ago.
He was of a party who had gone to
see the Indians at Spokane Falls.
Among the redskins was Chief Moses,
who was fairly well educated and
spoke capital English. The young lieu
tenant addressed Chief Moses in the
Indian tongue, saying, "Moses, I have
often heard of you, and I have seen
your picture and your same In the
newspapers, but I have never before
seen you," and, offering bis hand, add
ed, "I am glad to meet you." Moses
scanned him from head to foot, and
as the young man stood with out
stretched hand the lengthening silence
and stolidity of the chief were becom
ing painful, when old Moses at last
and with great deliberation said In
English, "Young man, I have never
heard of you before and I have never
seen your picture in the newspapers,
but," he added lightly, "nevertheless I
am glad to see you," and accepted his
hand.
Real Forbidden Fruit.
In some countries there grows a
kind of fruit belonging to the shaddock
family and which Is commonly called
"forbidden fruit" It is similar to
grape fruit, but is larger, and the Inside
is somewhat coarser than the delicious
acid delicacy of which we are so fond.
The name forbidden fruit was given
on account of three dark brown stains.
on account oi inree uarK Drown stains,
, mc ""B" luai&s, v uitaiuuij
j show on this variety of the shaddock.
j The stains are close together on one
side -and are believed to be the marks
of Eve's fingers leftas a brand on
the apple whose eatln? caused so much
vrouuie m me onu. iwowwu umi
is much liked by people who are able
to get it fresh, but so far it has not
been shipped abroad as extensively as
Its cousins, the grape fruit and shad
deck. New York Herald.
Looking Ahead.
Boarders That bed's rather
for two. Landlady Three
New
have-slept In JLNew. Boarders Yes,
but we haven't boarded here long
CONDENSED STORIES.
The First Speech Delivered by PreeJ
' dent Roosevelt. ' -
President Roosevelt made bis first
set speech when he was ten years
old. At -that time he would a hold
sailor be. He had read all the mar-
velous tales of the sea, and his ambi-
tion was to sail the ocean blue in.
command of a stanch craft that
would carry him to the uttermost
parts of the earth. He was permit-
A vw i (rnvomcss to snend much
time about the wharfs of IsTew York,
and he thus became personally ac-
THE OLD SEA
DOS TOIiD
STOBIKS.
INTERESTING
quamted with many of the most fa-
mous skippers of that time. Chief
among his heroes was a certain Cap-
tarn Doane, commander of the clip-
per ship Eival.
ims Ola sea uos ubeu iu im tnu
mind of the future hero of San
Juan with astonishing stories of
storms at sea and hairbreadth es
capes from the sepulcher in Davy
Jones' locker. It fired the imagina
tion of the youth and stirred his
ambition. In 18G8 the boy who is
now president raised a fund by pop-
ular subscription for the purpose 1
of a library for the officers and crew ,
of the Eival, all of whom were his
friends. I
At the head of a delegation oi
youngsters he visited the ship when
it next came into port and with du
ceremony presented the library, con-
sisting oi iorty-nve volumes, to ui i
SKipper. xne presentation speecii
was made by Mr.' Eoosevelt. When
reminded a few days ago of this
event by an ' old friend the president
said he remembered it perfectly anil
that frequently he had wondered if
any of the officers or crew of the
Eival were still alive and if so if
they remembered his speech.
"I thought it was a mightj finrt
speech," said he, , "and so did Cap
tain Doane." St. Louis Bepublic.
What We May Come To.
Alexis Aladin, the leader of the
Eussian douma's labor party, was
marveling in New York at the
strength of the labor unions o
America.
"Now that I grasp the size and
power of these unions," he said,
smiling, "I see the point of a story
that I failed to understand coming
over on the boat.
"An American woman told me
this story. She said that a young
bride was found one afternoon cry
ing bitterly in the smoking room of
her club.
'"Why, my dear,' said an elderly
matron, Vhat is the matter with
you?
" 'Oh,' sobbed the bride, I'm go
ing to leave George ! Dear me, I'm
going straight back home to moth
er!' '"What!' exclaimed the matron.
Has George already proved unkind?
Well, there all alike, my
"But the weeping bride interrupt
ed her.
" Ho she said, her shoulders
shaking with grief. 'George is,
dear. He's perfect. But that brute,
of a Henry Simmons has refused to
buy Mrs. Simmons a new dinnei
gown, and District No. 4 of the
Amalgamated Wives' union has been
ordered out on strike !' "
Met the Emergency.
"With dread," said. President
Woodrow Wilson of Princeton, "ths.
youth of our land, now behold ex
i amination time approaching. I hope
. j
ti on & nT Tnpm will hA cn ill -nrfmnrpn
, - j. . j.j.
! and conscienceless as a student
, whom I heard Of last year.
t mis young man as ne Eat wait-
mg for his oral examination m
Greek saw passing down the line an
extract of extreme difficulty. This
passage would inevitably flunk him.
There was no time to lose. What
was he to do? "
"In desperation he seized hold of
n frail fellow student, who was sub
ject to epilepsy, and, ; though the
young man was quite well at the
timei he carried him out as if .he
! were in a fit.
on his return he eo an easier
-FOR THE? LITTLE ONES.
Strong Muscled Boys and Girls Will
Find Turtle Game Amusing.
Any number ; may play turtle,
and no one player is "it," for all
are tf together. The game com-
mences eaeh choosing the kind
of & turtle te mteild3 to te. One
.a land tortoise, another
r r " ' i . a
snapper, another a mud turtle, and
on. Then they all sit in a row,
resting their chins on their knees
and each holding his left ankle with
Hs right hand and his right ankle
with his left hand- 'lhis is a very
difficult position , to keep. At a
given signal i J turtles start for a
goal, a short cistanee away. It is
the object of the game for the tur
tles to waddle to the goal and go
back to the starting point without
removing their hands from their
feet. Many let go before the prop
er moment ; the others shout, "Dead
turtle," and keep on, leaving their
unfortunate companion in the back
ground. The rules of the game de
mand that he wait there until the
first successful racer reaches him on
his way back and touches him with
his elbow, by which he is supposed
to instill new life into the poor dead
turtle. The latter immediately
starts out again and finishes in the
best style he can. As there are al
ways several dead turtles, he is nev
er lonely in his .effort to succeed.
The winner is, of course, the one
who returns to the . starting place
first. -
The District of Columbia.
The District of Columbia since
commissionerB -aU of whom are ap-
inted b tlie president and con-
, th(J genate Congres3
makes alrlaw8 for the District. Cit-
f th District have no vote
for national officers. There is but
one government for the entire Dis
trict, with which the city of Wash
ington is now considered as coex
tensive. Concerning Stamps.
They are useful.
And they are interesting.
Even to the noneollector.
The Jamestown variety is now
"it."
In 1853 the government first is
sued stamped envelopes.
Since that date 327 distinct varie-
jes iiave t,een w 0ut.
n envelope issued in 1874 was
recently sold for the sum of $360.
An Eastern Proverb.
The Brahmans have a proverb
which has been translated thus :
Six little words lay claim to me
Each passing day
I ought, I must, 1 can, I will,
I dare, I may.
East and west men spend their
lives deciding among the six, and
the last is the one that makes the
trouble.
The Size of Noak's Ark.
Noah's ark was about as big as a
medium sized church that is, 450
feet long, 75 feet broad and 45 foet
high. New York American.
The Hero,
Within the farmhouse kitchen wide
The children clustered side by side
While Walter told, with bated breath.
How father's sheep had met with death.
With glowing eyes he did declare
How, with a gun, he'd chase that betUf
Or brave the wildcat's snarling rago
Or any other beast engage!
The girls, with shivering, fearful joy,
Marveled to Ijear this valiant boy.
And with the twiUg-hf a deepening hue,
. Fiercer his .deeds of dario,S grew, ,
iThen mother saldCome,; Walter, run
And get a pail of water, son!"J . t
But Walter said: "Hear Rover bark?
I would, but It's so awful dark!"
Piiiliiclntl Record.
I
S I
i.
ssage.
"By XZ. F. "Bryan.
J Copyrighted, 1907, by C. H. Sutcliffe. J
The porch was a pleasant plr.ee in the
quiet of the summer afternoon. Mrs.
'ondon rocked slowly back and forth,
pausing now and then in her sewing to
iook across the broad ' acres to the
wooded patch on the ridge that marked
the horizon. It was all hers, the rich
est farm in Liscom county, and yet she
sighed softly as she took up her work
again.
Mar Sirs. -Condon looked up with
a start Her thoughts had been far
back in the past when she was young
and as pretty as the girlish ligure that
stood in the doorway.
"Henry Griswold is coming to see
you this afternoon," went ou the girl.
"He wants to ask you for me."
With cheeks aflame she leaned for
ward and buried her face on the elder
woman's shoulder. Mrs. Condon push
ed her gently away and the gaunt,
tired face grew hard.
"Does Hank Griswold want to marry
you or the farm?" she demanded blunt
ly. "It ain't going to do him a mite of
good to ask."
"lie doesn't want the old farm!"
stormed the girl. "We're going to live
on his place."
"If he gets you," amended Mrs. Con
don. "It won't do a mite o' good to
arsrue. Sue. There ain't no fortune
hunter going to marry you."
"lie's not a fortune hunter," defend
ed the g'.rl. "It's a cruel, wicked, hate
ful thing to say!"
"You go right straight into the
house," commanded Mrs. Condon, "and
don't you come out here again until
you can be respectful to your mother."
For a moment the girl paused rebel
liously, but habit was stronger than
this new mutinous feeling, and slowly
she went inside. Mrs. Condon picked
up her sewing again, but her hands
lay idle in her lap, and tired eyes look
ed out across the fields. She had paid
a bitter price for those" broad acres,
and Hank Griswold, struggling with
his tiny farm, should never be their
mmm
SHE WATCHED HIM AS HE WOLFED HIS
FOOD.
owner. She had beeif forced into a
loveless marriage by an avaricious fa
ther, and her heart had turned to
stone. She could not believe In love.
It must be the fields that Griswold
wanted, it might seem hard to Susie,
but it wa?f or the best.
Down the narrow strip of road, run
ning like a dusty river between the
green banks of verdure, shambled a
bent figure. It turned In at the gate,
unmindful of Mrs. Condon's shrill
warning that she did not feed tramps.
"I'll work for It" he said eagerly.
"I'm willing to pay my way, but yon
people are so set against tramps that
you won't even give me a chance to
Work for food."
"I suppose you'll tell me next that
you're a mechanic on his way to a Job
that's been promised him," she said
scornfully.
"I'm a tramp, a hobo," he said de
fiantly. "It's all I've been for ten
years and more. I only work when I
have to, but I'm willing to work now
for the sake of food."
Mrs. Condon smiled approvingly. She
liked truth even in a tramp.
"I guess there ain't much to do," she
said as she rose to her feet. "The
wood's all split and I've got two men
for chores, but I'll give you some
thing."
The tramp sank down on the steps,
and presently she reappeared with a
bowl containing the remnants of a
stew and part of a loaf of bread.
She watched him as he wolfed his
food, and when he set the bowl down
on the porch she nodded approvingly.
"I guess you were hungry," she con
ceded. "We don't like tramps in
through here."
"You don't have to tell me," hade
clared, with a grin. "I knew a chap
what came from round here some
where. He was my side partner for a
couple of years. They used to call
him 'Starry Sam' because he had brace
lets of stars tattooed on his wrists."
"I know the man you mean," she
said, with an impassive face, "but I
didn't know he was a tramp."
; "There was a woman," explained the
tramp, seeing that she was Interested
and scenting a chance to get food to
carry with him on his way.
"He told me the story once. He was
Mrs. Condon's
I Kiln I: -kK,:?-'-. ,.or;'i
LP
made her marry a fellow that had mon-1
: ey. . aam couiun i sianu lor swing uw
another man's wife, and he lit out I
"He wasn't a hit in the city. Hla 1
fliRjinnniTiTOpnt- anrtor took thft hfiart i
out of him."
"I know." she said ouietly. "lie was
killed the next year while saving a lit- j
tie child."
Killed nothin"!" scoffed the tramp.
That was a stall for the girl he was
stuck ou. He was down so low he took. -,
to the road, and he got the clerk of a
lodgiug house to put up that steer. Said
he'd rather have her think he was dead,
than to guess he'd taken to the road.
You know the girl?"
"Yes, 1 know her."
"Well, don't tell her Sam was a
good fellow. It was only that he didn't
have anything to live for. You can't
blame him. lie's dead now. He got ia
with some yeggs after he left me and.
the bulls got him in Chi."
"The bulls got him?" The woman's
voice quavered a little.
"That's slang," explained the tramp.
"The Chicago policemen started to ar
rest him, and he tried to run, so they
shot him. Ho was a good man," he
added softly. "Say, lady, you couldn't
let me have some more bread, could
you, to take with me?"
She rose without a word aud entered
the house, returning presently with a
fresh loaf aud some cold meat wrapped
in a paper. With a word of thanks
the tramp slouched off, and the summer
stillness fell upon the piazza again.
But .the woman's heart throbbed with
a dull ache.
"The bulls got him in Chi."
The sentence ran in her brain. So
this was the epitaph of her boy lover.
The heroic rescue, in which he gave up
his life for another, was but a figment
of imagination. She shuddered as
though she had come In physical con
tact with the thing that had been her
idol and who had become a loathsome,
ragged tramp.
Then her thoughts softened, tier
visitor had been right. Sam had been
different from the practical, unimagina
tive men with whom he lived. They
had made great plans for the future
their future? and disappointment hud
taken the heart out of him.
A dreamer, men called hlrn; a vislon-
ury, who preferred the pen to the plow.
It was for this reason that her father
had withheld his consent and had forc
ed her into a hateful marriage with
Condon.
She sat with idle hands staring across
the fields, with eyes that pierced the
veil of years. Her eyes were dry. Her
tears were long since shed, but the old
wound bled,afresh.
For years her heart had been as a
stone within her breast, but now it
softened under the influence of her
grief. The muking suu shot its beams
slantwise across the porch and warmed
afresh her benumbed sensation. At last
she stirred.
"Sue!" she called. The girl, her eyes
red and swollen from weeping, appear
ed in the doorway.
"You'd better bathe your eyes and
put ou your muslin dress," counseled
her mother. "If Hank is coming you'll
want to look your best. I'll say 'yes,'
my dear. ' guess you ought to know
better than me whether it's you or the
farm he wants. You've got a right ta
happiness."
"You ve thought it over?" asked the
girl as she kissed the faded cheek.
"I guess I've had a message from tha
Lord," she answered, "even though he
did pit k out a tramp for a messenger."
A Close Call.
We were sitting on the veranda of
our bungalow in Burma one evening
enjoying our after dinner cheroot.
Finally my friend arose and sauntered
into his bedroom. Usually lights were
placed in all the bedrooms, but this
evening for some reason probably the
moonlight the servant had not per
formed his duties. I could hear my
friend fumbling about on his dressing
table, and then suddenly he gave a cry
of horror and rushed out to the light.
"I have been struck by a snake," h&
gasped, and his face was deadly pale.
"Where is it? Quick! Show me!" I
exclaimed as I whipped out a knife.
He held out his right arm. There
was no mark on the hand, which I ex
amined critically, but on the cuff of the
shirt were two tiny scratchlike punc
tures and two little globules of poison
sinking into the starched linen and
leaving a sickly greenish yellow mark.
"You've had a close call, old man," I
exclaimed, with a sigh of relief, "and
now let us settle the snake l"
We found him coiled up on a small
mirror which lay on the table, and an
ugly looking reptile he was, too, ready
to strike again. He was a very poi
sonous snake, known as the Deboae
russeili, but after, my friend had done
with him it would have been difficult
for aDy naturalist to have placed him
in his proper genus. London Standard.
A Queer Inscript on.
A monumental Inscription quoted by
Mr. Thomas Walnwright In "Devon
Notes and Queries" affords an interest- .
ing example of the earlier of the uses
of the word "umbrella" which ax'e pre- -sented
In Gay's lines: j
Let Persian daraea th' umbrella's ribs dig-
play i
To guard their beauties from the sunny :
ray; I
Or sweating slaves support the shady load
When eastern mojiarchs show their state
abroad: i
Britain In winter only knows its aid j
To guard from chilly show'rs the walking
maid. 4
Perhaps the word "umbraculum" lnl
the Vulgate version of the history of
Jonah suggested to the author of the
epitaph to write: i
Blest was the prophet In his heavenly
. shade, i
But ah, how soon did his umbrella fade! !
Like our frail bodys, whiche, being born
.of clay, . ; - - i
Spring In a night and wither In a day.
The inscription Is on a monument
bearing the date 1684. Note and Que
J
j "e." j -- passage."
ries. I
In love with a girl, but her old tiar
is"