THE
SHEEPS".
CLOTHING
By LOUIS JOSEPH VANCE
=====
* == Author of : ===.....—=
“THE LONE WOLF," "THE BRASS BOWL”
Ete.
CHAPTER XII—Continued.
—14—
“Anyway,” Lydia returned, "I’ve the
address In my pocketbook. Mrs. Beg-
garstaff is stopping there too, you
know, and I’m to lunch with her Mon­
day !”
“To be sure!” Craven opened his
arms and stepped toward her. “My
dear, dear girl, you don't know what a
help you are to me !"
Lydia didn’t move or speak ; but her
direct and searching gaze proved dis­
concerting. With arms almost about
ber. Craven hesitated, his look at once
abashed and aggrieved. “My dear
Liddy !” he expostulated.
The girl sighed and shook her head.
“I’m sorry, father. No, please don’t
say anything more. I'm glad to be of
service; and perhaps, in the course of
time, I shall understand you better.
But tonight—” She made a helpless
gesture, in unfeigned sadness. “There
are too many misunderstandings be­
tween us, and I don't seem able to
think clearly enough to reconcile them
tonight. Tomorrow, I hope—•”
She was at the door before Craven
found a reply. "At your pleasure, my
lady !” he laughed, not pleasantly. “I
confess it’s a new thought to me, that a
man in my position may have no se­
crets from his child.”
“Please don’t say any more tonight,”
Lydia begged, with her hand on the
knob.
“Oh, very well !” he returned with a
shrug and grimace of strained patience.
“But—half a minute!”
Opening the door for her, he followed
out into the ball, where a stolid bellboy
was waiting for his answer to the
knave of clubs. To him Craven pre­
sented a piece of silver.
“See my daughter down to the ladles’
entrance," he said, "the Forty-sixth
street elevator, you understand—and
nfter that send up the gentleman who
brought that note, by, the Broadway
elevator."
"Yes, sir,” the youth mumbled ador­
ingly to his tip.
Craven stood watching the figures of
Lydia and the bellboy diminish down
the perspective of the long corridor,
until they turned a corner
“I thought possibly Mrs. Merrilees had
arrived during the day—”
“Yes,” Lydia affirmed, “she did—this
afternoon, I believe.”
The smile became even more remote­
ly regretful. Tm sorry, but Mrs. Mer-
rtlees Is not among our guests.”
Some Instants later Lydia became
conscious that she was staring, to the
pained embarrassment of the young
man. Hastily averting her gaze, she
remarked the clock, and mechanically
noted the hour: it was a quarter to
eleven.
“Are you sure?” she faltered.
“Oh, quite.”
But Craven had promised to meet
her there, had given her the necklace
to deliver to Betty at the Margrave.
Impossible that he could be mistaken
as to his fiancee’s hotel, he who had
been flying round all afternoon, “get­
ting Betty settled”—his very words !
Insensibly Lydia’s eyes darkened
and became informed with an expres­
sion that had suited better the eyes of
one by right of years more inured to
mental anguish.
"But surely this is the Margravel"
“Yes It is. Mrs. Merrilees may be at
the Plaza, or the Savoy, or the Nether­
lands, even the St. Regis—not quite so
near. If you care to sit down a mo­
ment, I’ll inquire by telephone.”
“You're very kind," said Lydia ; “but
I fancy I won’t have to trouble you.
Mrs. Beggarstaff will know. I hope I’m
not mistaken in believing that she Is
stopping here?”
The smile of the young man passed
the bounds of strict decorum, as from
a desk clerk to one of the public. He
was enchanted to be able to answer
reassuringly.
•
••••••
“It was good of you to come over so
late, dear—to please an old woman.”
With this the Dowager Dragon took
Betty Merrilees into her arms and
kissed her on both cheeks.
“Truth to tell, for the fun of it,” said
Mrs. Merrilees. “I was glad of an ex­
cuse to stay up. I’m possessed of a
devil tonight. If I wasn't at heart a re-
CHAPTER XIII.
“I’m Sorry, but Mrs. Merrilees Is Not
Among Our Guests.”
spectable widow woman, I’d cut loose
and misbehave scandalous. For two
cents I'd head a mob to burn the cus­
tomhouse and lynch that man Loeb.”
Divested of her wraps, she sailed
tempestuously into the drawing room
of the Beggarstaff suite—where Peter
Traft uprose from comfort in a wing
chair and bowed politely.
“No wonder they call him ‘Loeb the
poor Indian' !” he commented. 'Though
I believe the poor man would die happy
if he could get Just one long, lingering
slant at you as you look tonight. Rip-
pin’ !”
“I feel like rippin’ something or
somebody, Peter,” Betty declared with
a brief, metallic laugh. Then she
deigned to notice the other man pres­
ent. “Oh, you. is it, Mr. Quoin? Hardly
expected to find you here.”
"Deep regrets !" the detective replied
cheerfully—and for that was shown a
cold if adorable shoulder.
"Oh, come now, Betty!” Peter pro­
tested. “Don’t cut up rough with
Quoin. Angels could do no more than
he has done today.”
“He still has a sneaking suspicion
that I really did smuggle that necklace.
Do you believe It too?”
“Don’t ask me : I might tell you.”
“And you?" Mrs. Merrilees demand­
ed hotly of the Dowager Dragon.
“I don't think you above anything
I’d stoop to—If you want the truth, my
dear. I rayself wasted several hours
today trying to make the customs look
foolish, and—how shall I sny it, Peter F
“Didn’t get away with IL”
"Much as I disapprove of slang-
thank you, Peter.”
"So all three of you are against me!”
Mrs. Merrilees lounged more deeply in
her chair, swept their faces with in­
solent eyes, and laughed unpleasantly.
“Well, I've been spoiling for a row all
day, and now I’m going to have one or
know the reason why.”
“Make your mind easy about thaL"
Peter advised gravely. “As a tidy
young disturber of the peace, Betty,
you show class.”
"Shut up, Peter!" Again her glance
challenged the three. “What's upF
she demanded in sudden suspicion.
“You didn't call me over here now just
to tell roe you believe me capable of
smuggling that collar—you know you
didn't 1"
"No, my dear." Mrs. Beggarstaff re-
plied; "but we did want to talk with
you about IL”
"Well?"
“It’s this way, Mrs. Merrilees,”
Quoin volunteered: “We’re all your
friends, and all my Intereat In this
matter la purely unprofessional as far
as you are personally involved."
"Mrs. Merrilees."
Mrs. Merrilees nodded brusquely,
The clerk retired to consult the room but focused an Interested regard on the
rack, and presently returned with the face of the detective. “Proceed," she
official smile, Impersonally apologetic. said sweetly
The taxicab chose the northwest cor­
ner of Fifty-sixth street as the most in­
convenient spot attainable to blow out
a rear shoe. But Lydia had drawn
luckily In New York’s gigantic lottery
of chauffeurs. This man knew his busi­
ness. Before the girl had recovered
from the shock of the tire explosion
and the subsequent shaking up he hud
brought his machine to a standstill,
Jumped down, and was communing
with himself In terms of confidential
profanity concerning the ruined tire.
Then, opening the door, he an­
nounced that this was the last stop.
“Sorry," he said, “but I got no spare
tire, and if I had I’d need half an hour
to make the change. Now I'll have to
wait for the repair car."
A prey to vague mistrust, Lydia got
out Southward the avenue lay black
and lonely save for the lurching lights
of an ungainly bus groping over the
wet asphalt ; to the north the plaza was
like a well In the air, shot through and
through with glimmering light.
“I don't know what to do," Lydia
ventured In her distress. "I'm a
stranger In New York—" With a pang
she realized how fatal such an admis-
sion might prove.
But her chauffeur was a prosaic soul,
who had never chartered his car to a
gang, and recked little of the terrors of
New York for the overseas immigrant.
“The clock says a dollar twenty," he
responded, with a disgusted Jerk re-
storing the "flag" to perpendicular.
“Oh!" said ' ”a brightly, after a
blank moment; and found her purse.
“Please tell me the way to the nearest
cab rank."
“Cab rank" was a term not In the
chauffeur’s vocabulary; but he grap-
pled manfully with its occult sig­
nificance. “You mean stand," he ex­
plained, not unkindly. "If you don’t
mind walking a couple o’ blocks, I'll
take you to the Margrave. That's
about the nearest, and anyway I got
to telephone for the repair car.”
“Thank yon," said Lydia timidly—
gratitude leaping In her heart to that
kind destiny which had ordered this
accident in Just this spot. The Mar-
grave!
Lydia marched resolutely Into the
hotel. She would be delayed not five
minutes longer than if she was to en­
gage another cab immediately. Let
Craven object if he cared to, when in­
formed I She had every reasonable ex-
cuse for desiring to rid herself of her
responsibility as quickly as possible
and wash her hands of the whole mat­
ter : she never wanted to see the collar
again.
It was evidently defective hearing
alone that caused the desk clerk to re­
quire a repetition of the name.
HERMISTON HERALD, HERMISTON, OREGON.
“We’d like to have your personal
word of honor that you didn't turn this
trick.”
Betty laughed, staccato. "But if I
say I dldF
Quoin shrugged. "That would end
my interesL”
“And if it turns out I didn’t—eh F
'Then I may be able to tell you some-
thing to your advantage.”
Betty sat up sharply. “You mean
you know where my necklace IsF
“Did you smuggle ItF Quoin coun­
ter-questioned.
A note of unimpeachable candor in­
formed the woman's voice. T give
you my word of honor I did noL I know
nothing about it. Beyond the fact that
I myself placed a genuine necklace In
that case, and saw a paste necklace
come out of it—”
“There !” Mrs. Beggarstaff exclaimed
with a look of triumph at Traft
The face of this last suddenly as-
sumed a most unbecoming brick-red
hue. “That’s all very well,” he
grumbled, “and I’m not doubting Betty
a little bit; but,” be stammered and
gulped, “but I tell you now I can’t be­
lieve It of Tad, and as for Lydia—" He
made an exasperated gesture. “Quoin’s
crazy—that’s all !”
"What's this?” Betty put in quickly.
“Tad and Lydia?” She waited an in­
stant, her color waning. “What have
they to do with my necklace?”
“I'll tell you," said Quoin gently.
“Craven gave his daughter your neck­
lace, hidden in a Chinese puzzle box, to
bring through the customs, counting on
her exemption, as an alien, from rigid
inspection.”
Mrs. Merrilees rose from her chair,
staring fixedly at Quoin. “You know
this to be a fact?”
“I saw it in Miss Craven’s posses-
sion. The rest is inference from con­
tributory circumstances.”
The detective endured her stare
without flinching; though the color of
his dark face deepened and his breath
came a trace more quickly. Convinced
at length of his sincerity, she turned
away, moved to a window, and stood
there with her back to the room, gaz-
ing thoughtfully out Into the misty
chiaroscuro of the plaza.
“That’s why we wanted your word
you were on the level before we told
you,” Peter explained.
“I see,” said the woman In a gentler
voice. "Please tell me about IL”
"Very well.” Quoin responded with
the story, from his view and point, of
Lydia’s adventure In the fog. “It was
your necklace in the box, the real thing,
beyond mistake,” he concluded.
“But,” Betty argued, bewildered, “I
don’t see—”
“WalL I think I can make every­
thing clear. When Southpaw shut the
box and gave It up, on my demand, I
watched him pretty closely, and saw
him slip a playing card In with the
necklace. After I got outside I opened
the box up on my own account, partly
to satisfy myself about the necklace,
partly to have a look at that card. It
was a knave of diamonds.”
Betty swung back from the window.
"But what can that mean?”
"It's a question I think Craven can
answer—if he will. Anyhow, we’re safe
In assuming the card was intended for
him, and certainly It must have had
some significance. That, if you’ll per-
mit, establishes a secret bond of un­
derstanding between two known black­
legs and—Thaddeus Craven.”
"But why didn't you tell me this at
the time?”
"Because, very naturally, I wasn’t at
all sure you wanted to be told.”
“If you’ll please explain—”
“Quoin means,” Peter interrupted,
“you’ve been such a consistent per­
former, he hesitated to do anything
calculated to cramp your style, If this
thing was what it looked like—a frame-
up between you and Tad to beat the
customs.”
"But what right had you to jump at
any such conclusion?" Betty insisted.
“Because I knew you knew real gems
from false—and the necklace you had
shown us that very morning was coun-
terfeit."
“It isn’t possible!” Betty protested
hotly. “I saw it myself.”
“So did I ; and was interested enough
—well, you’ll recall I asked to see them
in a strong light? You were so satis­
fied you never looked twice. But I was
positive then that they were false, and
even more positive later, when I saw
the real collar In the puzzle box.”
“Still I don't understand.”
"If you remember. Craven took his
time about fetching that box from the
purser. It was a good ten minutes be­
fore he got back. He had time and to
spare to open your despatch box and
substitute the counterfeit for the genu-
ine—duplicate key you knew nothing ,
about, of course."
"Look here—’’ Peter begnn excited­
ly. then checked and turned sullen.
"WellF Mrs. Beggarstaff demanded,
while Betty and Quoin obliged the
young man by looking their curiosity.
“Oh, I don't like to say It,” he mut­
tered unwillingly. "You’ve made out
too strong a case against him as it is
—and I’ve always had a sneaking fond-
ness for old Tad.”
(TO dr CONTINUED.)
Ne Need for Delay.
Johnny was invited to a party, but
could not go, because he had to go with
his mother to the depot to meet his
uncle. Upon the uncle’s arrival he said
to Johnny: “If you are a good boy
while I am hero I will buy you a base­
ball." whereupon Johnny replied : “You
don't need to wait. You can buy It
right away. Just think how good I
was—1 stayed away from a party to
meet you."
A Word for the Rattler.
The difference between a tattler and
a rattler Is that the snake gives the
other follow a chance and the sneak
won’t.
LEARN THE POINTS OF A SOUND HORSE
EUGENIE WAR AID
ormer French Empress Active,
Plough 92 Years Old.
Consort of the Ill-Fated Napoleon III
Spending All Her Means and
Strength Caring for Wounded
at English Home.
30
NAMES OF VARIOUS PARTS OF HORSE.
L Muzzle.
2. Lips.
Nostril.
Face.
6. Eye.
Forehead.
7. Foretop.
8. Ears.
9. Poll.
10.
IL Throatlatch.
12. Neck.
13.
14. Withers.
15. Shoulder.
16. Breast.
17. Point of shoulder.
18.
1».
20.
21.
22.
23.
Arm.
Elbow.
Foreflank.
Forearm.
Knee.
Cannon.
24. Fetlock joint
25. Pastern.
2«. Coronet.
27. Hoof.
28. Seat of sidebone.
29. Seat of splint
90. Chestnut.
81. Abdomen.
32. Ribs.
33. Back.
34. Loin.
HORSES III ACTION
Advisable to Examine Animal
Carefully for Lameness.
OBSERVE THE VARIOUS GAITS
Perfection In Walking Ie Characterized
by Feet Being Brought Up Quick­
ly-Trotting Must Be With­
out Wabbling.
(Prepared by the United States Depart­
ment of Agriculture.)
Lameness due to a variety of causes
and of various forms, some not at first
apparent, should be carefully looked
for when examining a horse in action.
When lameness Is present only at cer­
tain times, it is known as intermittent
lameness, consequently it is advisable
to examine a horse on several different
occasions. In cold lameness the ani­
mal will go sound after he is warmed
up, while In warm lameness the im­
pediment does not manifest itself un­
til after considerable exercise. Flinch­
ing when the horse turns sharply indi­
cates shoulder lameness. The various
gaits should be observed from the
front, side, and rear, in order that the
desirable features and defects may not
be overlooked.
Walking.—Perfection in this gait is
characterized by the feet being
brought up quickly from the ground,
by their being carried In a straight
line, by lengthy stride, and by the
cycle being completed quickly. All of
these aid In producing a rapid walk,
which is a great asset to horses used
for any purpose. The defects of gait
which may well be noted while the
horse Is walking are interfering, wing­
ing, toeing in or toeing out, and spraw­
ling.
TroL—This gait must be square;
that is, it must be without any ten­
dency to wabble, shuttle, or mix gaits,
and the hind feet should follow in line
with the forefeet. In the roadster and
trotting race horse speed is highly
valued, while in the park saddle horse
a fair degree of nicely balanced knee
and hock action Is demanded. The
highest prized factor of the harness
horse expresses itself at the trot , in
extreme knee and hock action. Even
in the draft horse a square, open, well-
balanced trot with pronounced knee
and hock action adds many dollars to
his selling price. The common defects
of the trot are interfering, forging,
dwelling, hopping, and knee action
without a proportionate amount of
hock action or vice versa. Lameness
may be detected in the trot when It
may not be apparent In other gaits.
An abundance or lack of energy and
ambition Is apparent during trotting
by the general deportment and car­
riage.
Pace.—The pacing gait Is more or
less common In harness horses, and
it is useful as a fast road gait on
smooth thoroughfares. The charac­
teristic movements of the limbs In this
gait consist in the feet on the same
side of the “body striking the ground
simultaneously. The principal defects
of the pace are cross-firing and hit­
ting the knees.
•
Easy Galts.—Plantation horses and
five-gaited saddle horses have gaits
that are easy on the rider as well as
on the horse. Such gaits are desired
principally for long rides and are
known as slow pace, fox or dog trot,
and running walk. Any one of them
may constitute one of the gaits of a
five-gaited horse, while the faster easy
gait demanded in such a horse is the
rack or singlefoot. This is interme­
diate between the trot and pace, the
feet hitting the ground one at a time,
producing a gait easy on the rider,
but tiring to the horse.
Cantor.—The canter, classed as a
saddle gait, may be described as a
modified, collected, and very slow gal­
lop. It should be graceful, easy, and
handily performed.
Wind.—To test the wind have the
horse ridden at a very fast gallop,
stopping him abruptly so that you may
36.
87.
38.
39.
40.
41.
Point of hip.
Coupling.
Hind flank.
Sheath.
Stifle joint
'
&
Seat of thoroughpin.
Seat of bog spavin.
Seat of bone spavin.
43. Seat of ringbone.
44. Seat of curb.
45. Hock.
4«. Gasktn.
47. Thigh.
a.
48. Quarter.
49. Croup.
50. Point of buttock.
51. Tall.
hear the passing of air through the
wind pipe. In roaring, or broken wind,
there will be a whistling sound each
time the horse inhales. When a horse
is affected with the disease called
heaves, It has difficulty in forcing air
out of the lungs, causing a peculiar
and very characteristic movement in
the flanks and abdomen, especially
after exertion. Horses affected with
heaves usually cough in a characteris­
tic manner after drinking cold water.
This cough may also be excited In af­
fected horses by tightly grasping the
windpipe at the throat latch for a
short time. A horse’s respiration is
greatly hindered by either broken wind
or heaves.
Adaptability for Specific Work.—A
horse may possess proper conforma­
tion, be sound, and have good action
yet still not be well adapted for a
specific work; consequently it is very
essential that he be thoroughly exam­
ined at the 'work for which he Is
wanted. If the horse is to be used
for heavy hauling or draft purposes,
steady pulling under all conditions is
an indispensable quality. For harness
use the horse should drive promptly
and freely with an easy, rapid gait and
an alert expression, taking Just suffi­
cient hold of the bit to be in hand
without causing the driver to pull on
the lines. The saddle horse should
have an easy, prompt mouth, with
style and graceful carriage.
Vices.—Some horses are difficult to
harness and object to taking the bit
in their mouths ; others Jump when an
attempt is made to place a saddle or
harness on their backs ; while still oth­
ers offer a great deal of resistance to
having the crupper placed under their
tails. If the resistance is due entirely
to a heavily muscled and consequent­
ly a strong tall It may be an indica­
tion of general muscular strength and
tension. While being hitched up or
mounted the horse should stand quiet­
ly and should start promptly but quiet­
ly on command. For any purpose the
following vices should cause the ani­
mal to be rejected: Balking, backing,
rearing, kicking, striking with the
forefeeL or running away. Less im­
portant vices are : Throwing the head
up or down, shying, scaring, breaking
loose when tied, resting one foot upon
the other, grasping the bit between
the teeth, rolling with the harness on,
or switching the tall over the lines.
Occasionally the last-named vice
causes the horse to kick, In which case
It becomes dangerous.
General Considerations. — Enlarge­
ments or scars (due to deformity, un­
usual mishap, or uncommon disease)
not conforming to any of those dis­
cussed should cause a horse to be re­
jected unless the nature of the cause
and the detriment to the value and
usefulness of the animal Is self-evi-
denL Experience gained by examin-
Ing large numbers of horses will aid
in quickening the eye and judgment,
thereby making it possible to perceive
readily any unusual condition, but it
should be remembered that a hurried
examination is liable to prove a dis­
appointment; consequently plenty of
time should be taken In making the
examination, because time Is much
cheaper than money tied up in an un­
satisfactory horse. In some countries
nine days are allowed by law to the
purchaser In which to learn of the
serious forms of unsoundness or vice
in a horse, so that in this country it
would seem fair to allow at least
a day for a fair trial when practicable.
If possible, get a history of the animal,
and while you are about IL get a his­
tory of the person having it for sale.
So many defects may be covered up by
such unfair methods as drugging that
It is a good plan to make purchases
only from those with good reputations.
Horses offered at auction sales should
be thoroughly examined previous to
their being brought into the ring, or
else they should be tried out in com­
pliance with the rules of the sale be­
fore time for settlement.
Finally, it Is well not to form the
habit of seeing only the defects, for
horses, like people, are seldom perfect,
consequently in Judging them weigh
the good qualities against the bad. A
horse should be valued by the amount
of service be will perform rather than
by his minor shortcomings.
When German prisoners of war are
marched to a barbed-wire Inclosure
near Frimley, Aldershot, England, they
pass down an avenue below a beautiful
mansion standing on a wooden hill. It
often happens that as the Germans file
past the gateway lodge, a sad-eyed,
venerable woman Is standing or sitting
there. It Is doubtful if any of the
prisoners know that she Is the surviv-
ng consort of Napoleon III, who deliv-
•red his sword to the king of Prussia
it Sedan, September 1, 1870.
Empress Eugenie celebrated her
ilnety-second birthday recently by
vatchlng the sight of a new and large
ietachment of prisoners marching to­
ward their concentration camp. It
vas a dramatic contrast to the events
f many years ago which robbed her
if her seat on the French Imperial
hrone.
Surely there Is not another woman
n the world who has lived through
such experiences as this one, who
forms the link between the riotous
past of the French and the glorious
present of united democracies. It was
her beauty and popularity which aided
Napoleon III to establish himself as
monarch. It was the Interest aroused
by her marriage with Napoleon III
which enabled him to bring about the
Crimean war, although that war mark­
ed the beginning of his fall.
Engenie's Influence over her hus­
band was well known and It Is possible
that her Intelligence went far toward
helping him to realize that Prussian-
Ism was the real menace of Europe.
When the North German Bund was
formed In 1866 he knew that here was
his real rival. From the date of the
formation of this bund Prussia has
gone steadily forward with plans for
world power, and It must be with feel­
ings of Joy that Empress Eugenie sees
today the greatest countries on earth
allied with France against the old
enemies of Napoleon III.
Throughout England the name of
Empress Eugenie is revered. Wher­
ever charity and kindness were to be
found It was almost certain that her
name would appear in connection
therewith. Throughout the years that
have elapsed since she went to Eng­
land with Napoleon III after the de­
feat at Sedan, she has worked un­
ceasingly among the poor and the sick.
Her wealth has been at the disposal
of charitable organizations. Her only
son, Prince Louis, who went to Eng­
land with her, died on the field of
battle In Zululand.
Her home on Farnborough Hill has
been transformed into a hospital for
British officers. Since early In 1915
she has been using all of her means
and what strength she has left in car­
ing for these men who come to her
from the battlefields of France.
Taking No Chances.
A big mass meeting was being held
In Blimville. The well-groomed and
sllck-looklng individual who was try­
ing to separate the town from its
money arose to make a few remarks.
“Fellow citizens,” he opened up, “ap­
ropos—”
“Jist a minute, mister,” said a small,
sandy-whiskered man.
A look of annoyance crossed the
speaker’s face.
“What can I do for you?” he asked.
“I have here a pocket edition of
Webster’s dictionary, and I want to
look up that word ‘apropos.’ I don’t
intend to sit here and let some oily
tongued stranger slip one over on us,"
replied the sandy-whiskered man.
“You are little suspicions, I see,"
said the speaker. “Now, that word to
which you refer means—”
“Never mind what it means,” en­
joined the little man. “I’m looking it
up. I let a smooth talker sell me a
unicycle one time. He said it was the
last word in conveyances, and when I
paid the carriage on it from Birming­
ham I found I had purchased a wheel-
barrow.”
Possibilities of Bad Verse.
No one has yet written any adequate
appreciation of the possibilities of bad
verse. The verse, I mean, that is com­
posed at the crises of life, on the moun­
tain tops of exultation and in the joy­
less valleys, by persons unskilled and
ordinarily unpoetic. The verse that Is
hidden away in vases and bureau draw­
ers, never to be shown and always pro­
duced In some moment of vanity. Only
a true poet could write a just appre­
ciation of bad verse ; and from his pen
the words would come too much taint­
ed with the implication of irony. The
quality of bad verse is not strained.
It is written to suit no magazine’s
policy. It is rewarded with no check.
It is a brave denying of reality; a
prayer that is its own answer. It is,
to use Maeterlinck’s phrase, “a mak­
ing or invoking of wings by creatures
that creep on their bellies."—New Re-
public.
A Bit Mixed.
He—Do hurry, Kate ; the train
leaves In 20 minutes.
She (absent-mindedly)—Oh. be quiet I
You know it’s bad form to be on time.
Order is heaven's first law, but that
is no reason why we should want to
order everyone around Just to please
ourselves—Exchange.