Evening Star Newspaper, October 19, 1889, Page 9

- mal < THE EVENING STAR: WASHINGTON, D.C., ‘SATURDAY, OCTOBER 19, 1889-TWELVE PAGES, a ”F BRUDDER BONES ANDOLD TAMBO | opinion that minstrels, as a rule, are much bet-{| THE FUTURE OF TONGKING. as I write, there are | Written for Tax Evesme Stan ter looking in burnt cork than with their nat- — the 500 franc shares of} mE ROYAL CANVAS-BACK. Some Curious Points About the Way s A Misgoverned Country, Said to be ural complexions.” Minstrel Show is Run, PLENTY OF EXPENSIVE INNOVATIONS IN THE BUSI- NESS—SOME OF THE THINGS THAT CosT—HOW A COMPANY IS ORGANIZED—GETTING UP THE JOKES ORIGIN OF TAMBOURINE AND BONES. Little Lord Fauntleroy was fastening on his flaxon curls in front of » long mirror in Brud- der Bones’ dressing room. His prinking was elaborate, perhaps because he realized that the diminative British nobleman was a new and bot unimportant addition to the features of begro minstrelsy. Shortly he would go upon the stage and recline at the feet of that typi- cally verbose personage, the interlocutor, in attitudes of studied charm and grace, posing a8 scontribution to the general gorgeousness of the mise-en-ecene. GORGTOUSNESS WANTED NOW, “Gorgeousness,” said Bradder Boues him- self to a Stan reporter, “is what the public de- mands in minstrelsy today, and the business is moving altogether in that direction. The time has gone by when a stand-up wig and a big square patch on the seat of the pantaloons were al that was needed in the way of costume for an artist in burnt cork. Asa substitute for this primitive get-up we have this season, rep~ resenting the most utterly swell thing thus far attained, the Monte Cristo dress of black satin with knee breeches, diamond-buckled shoes, lace trimming and white wig. There is no telling how far beyond this the minstrel attire of the future will go, but something must be found each year more magnificent than the last, or patrons will not be satisfied. Nothin less than eight end men—four with bones an: four with tambourines—is tolerated, and the musicians, instead of playing in line with the vocalists and jokers, as formerly, must be in what we call Shakspearian garb, elevated upon higher planes behind, with the bass viol player in the middie distance. It is all very artistic, you see. The vocalists themselves are in sev- enteenth century court dress, while the dancers in the ‘Terpsichorean Interlude’ can swear mothing so correct as cream-colored sat DOUBLING UP. “But all this must be very costly.” “Very much so. It costs big money to runa minstrel troupe nowadays. Salaries are much larger than formerly and the number of peo- pie necessary to make up a company is consid- erably greater. You saw our parade on the streets this morning. They were quite a little army. The costumes are an expense of no small importance, too, but we save a good deal by doubling up.” “And what is that, pray?” “Simply that every man we hire is expected to do at least two things. It is always so in every minstrel company. No instrumental per- former is engaged unless he can play a brass horn in the street parade as well as something or other else in the first part, serving also in the orchestra during the restof the show. I myself, and tambourine likewise, must doa funny act or two, solo, in the course of the pro- gram, with song or monologue, and the vocal- ists are obliged to serve as dancers also, or otherwise, while the supplementary end men do plantation sketches and soon. In the farces that usually conclude the performance all hands are apt to be called upon.” ORGANIZING FOR THE SEASON. “How is a minstrel company organized?” “Tt is started, say, in August. The manager has made contracts with certain men to form the nucleus of his company at the close of the previous season. He writes them to meet him on such and such a date, let us suppose at Trenton. N. J. Meanwhile he has kept his eye on this performer or that one, and has discov- ered two or three new ones that he wants, may be, so that the company he would like is pretty much arranged in his mind beforehand. He communicates with all the people, and at the time appointed they assemble at the rendez- vous, A theater has been hired for their re- hearsals, the understanding being that the company’s hotel bills are to be paid by the manager, but no salaries until the first public rformance is given, from which event wages Las Rehearsals are from 10 o'clock to 1, be- fore dinner; from 3 to 6, after dinner, andfrom 7to9in the evening. The evening spell 1s usually devoted to the first part—most im- portant of all—when the vocal and instru- Mental music is practiced. As for the jokes, they are not got = in the way that is popu- larly supposed. If Bones and Tambourine or- ganized them in concert they would be too cut and dried; and so it has been found best for Tambourine to discuss and arrange bis own jests with the middie-man, or interlocutor, rivately, and for Bones to do the same. hus, neither end man knows just what the other is going to say, and scope is given for impromptu originality, while the interlocutor, having the key to both ends of the arse, is able to control it and bring out all the points. The middle-man’s function iss much more important one than is commonly im- REREARSING THE OTHER PARTS. “And the other parts of the performance?” “Each must have its hour of rehearsal. The @ancers must go to work to form their act. ‘They have been gathered from various quar- ters, and it may be that no two of them know just the same steps. The dancing master, who always leads the terpsichorean interlude, teaches them what he requires and makes them Grill until they move like one man. Then, too, the funny man who does the song and mono- logue must exercise with the orchestra, so that his accompaniment shall be just right, with the breaks in the proper spots, and the ‘poetry music,’ and the smashes of the drum, and the toots of the cornet appropriate. The indis- naable wmd-up of the first part has to be re- | es aswell as the concluding farce, the plantation sketch, and soon. Meantime ward- robes are prepared and new notions for fun- making are thought up. It is wonderful how little it takes to raise a laugh— and you can never tell what will do it. Why, the other day I came out on the stage to sing a dude song and carried for the first time a cane that I had made witha mir- ror about a foot square on the head. Between the verses I would gaze into it and curl my moastache, turning it now and then aa [ sang 80 ag to throw @ gleam of light into the faces of the audience. I do assure you the people went into positive hysterics; they thought it was so amusing. It was nearly as big a success asthe paper pinwheel button-hole bouquet that I wore one night recently, which went around as I paraded the footlights. Unfortu- nately. it got out of order right away and sol have not tried it since. But, as I was going to say, after everything is properly rehearsed and in readiness the company starts off for the city where the first regulae performance is given, and the season begins. It lasts thirty-seven to forty weeks, whereas ordinary dramatic shows nly cover about thirty weeks.” THE PAY OF MINSTRELS, “Do the men get well paid?” “Very well, indeed. You see, their hotel Dills as well as railroad fares are paid for them, outside of salaries, while dramatic companies only get their traveling tickets. A first-class end man is worth $200 a week; vocalists, dancers and instrumental performers fetch from $25 to 260. In old times minstrels used to be very dissipated as a class, but now they are obliged to conform to strict regulations and keep sober. If man gets drunk once, so that it interferes with bis work. he is fined a week's ; @ repetition of the offense is followed by dismissal All the members of the company are obliged by contract to stay at the same hotel, wherever they are, in order that they may be readily assembled for street parade, which is an important feat- are id the ‘attraction of business, in one-night towns especially. Rigged up in linen dusters, salmon-colored silk stove-pipe hats, and the erchestra ig band uniform with brass instru- mevts and Little Lord Fauntleroy in a tall shako for drum major, we make quite an im- posing display. Ours is a joliy life, on the whole. We do everything that is fun—even bave a base ball club 4 the company and a ¢ club for singing on the cars.” on do uae up your fresh jokes?” “Most of them are old ones revamped, but the best of our new ideas we get from the newsphpers and work them over. Of course, we are always on the lookont for fresh songs, end frequently we obtain them before they are Published from the authors, who glad enough to have them advertised. There are men, too—many of them journalists—who tura off comic verses by the yard, at an average rice of $25 a set, and sell them to us at about trate. Itiseasy enough to put some old tune to them. Most of these are never pub- Lshed at sil.” WHITE INSTEAD OF BLACK. “I noticed that all the performers in the first part of your show were white-faced, except the igh 4 Bones. “But, all the same, the sort of thii youcondemn is what the public wants what we are compelled to and more originally African, I have beard, too, that th banjo, which figured in the performances of th old negro serenaders, was brow; try by African slaves in the ; with strings across it; the principles of th guitar were applied to it and it grew to b what itis now. Yes, ours is a business ancient enough to be thoroughly respectable.” Written for the Evexrxo Stan. ATTRACTIVE HOMES. Pleasures and Profits Derived from China Painting. WITH PRETTY EFFECTS, china painting the subject is by no means ex. to other workers, be hackneyed, it is ove of interest to man; asto ways and means of attaining good re sults. If a@ person has any idea 0 especially the latter—the painting of china an easy matter and to most workers a fascinat ing pastime. brushes, fine if small designs are to be used, several tubes of the Lacroix mineral paints, in cluding a tube of flux, and a bottle of oil of lavender, also prepared by Lacroix, are enough to begin with. Some turpentine and old cloth: easier to paint directly on the china withou most articles written about china painting. FOR A BEGINNER. for a beginning. Deep blue green, for instance, is a beautiful and reliable color, the name being mislead recommending it fora beginner's use, for some the worker. A little of this paint is tirs used for a palette; a third as much flux added. to make it work easily and smoothly, of lavender is preferred entine as a _ thinning it. makes the paint This oil medium, more of china to look at asa guide for the manage. ment of light and shade or the are sent out by the thousands, Nothing can be better as suggestions for ama. Spode or Dresden china, while the ‘Empire’ with ribbons tied in bows with floating ends, give charming effects, easily managed after a little practice. failure Leng 8 A flat brush al ribbon to be is the kind to use. Charge it well when tied in a bow. gives this effect to some degree, and these SHADOWS CAN BE STRENGTHENED. flowers such as ane their leaves, can festoon, and the effect is very pretty. some practice in simple desi, attempt the things that are the most dij to arrange a decoration for @ saucer, aint a single piece. dish the knick-knacks of the toilet table. pretty article to decorate isa plate, either round or square, to hold the manicure utensils, loom up before us. The giving of Christmas within smal] enough limits to again be a source of enjoyment to the bestower. erally do is to ‘TINT THE SURFACE ing, and this alone fairly stamps their work as “amateur.” Little of the good china one sees in the shops has tinted grounds except the effect from the dull surface that firing over the glaze results in, It isa hard thing to do well, much prettier to show off the painted designs without the tedious process of tinting. In sprigged patterns a little practice will enable ope to make every stroke of the brush tell, each tiny petal needing but one sweeping stroke to come out in delicate beauty. After the flowers sre painted in With a light touch and have dried, as theydo in a few minutes, they need a retouching to give the shading on flowers and leaves. A very pretty resuit is gotten by scattering flowers singly and in tiny sprays, each one in a differ- ent color, but with all the leaves green, thus giving a pompadour effect. An excellent green for most purposes is brown green, which fires rather an olive in tone. These suggestions are no more difficult to carry out than the single spray curving around one side of a plate which has prevailed so long and the results are much | prettier and more artistic. There are several china firers here now, so that the necessity of sending china out of town to be fired is done away with with all its risks, THE COLORS AFTER FIRING, The colors do not change so much in firing as one might suppose, and after painting awhile it is easy to tell about what the effect will be after the heat is applied and so judge as to the degree different colors will be al- fected. To do much at china painting one must have a table that can be left with all the imple- ments spread out, only cleaning the brushes when leaving them and the palette, though this can be used two days in succession by ne the dried paint with the oil of lav- ende? If one must clear away all signs of her occupation after each sitting it requires con- siderable courage to get to work, but if every- thing is ready except to mix a little paint one having only an hour at her dis; can make ittell. China school-mistress” who mer holiday in this energets assault orated porcelain. A SET OF SIDE PLATES as they are sometimes infelici- is & good idea for to on undec- E : H He a ls where i! here, very popular, ‘ve heard that said before,” said Bradder fer therefore, And it's my belief that minstrelxy will grow more spectacular and less African every ear. It’s a pity, I admit. The origin of the usiness is all African, The bones, I have learned, are a primitive African musical instra- ment, and the tambourine of today is simply an improvement on another musical device ght to this coun- shape of a gourd SUGGESTIONS TO BEGINNERS—HOW THE TABLE MAY BE ORNAMENTED AT LITTLE EXPENSE— THE CHANGE IN COLORS—SIMPLE DESIGNS With all that has been written in regard to hausted. Many little difticulties are all the time With more advanced painters new successeg are being constantly achieved, and thelr experiences and experiments are of value So, though the theme may and from time to time some hints will be given drawing and painting in oil or water colors— Very little of an ontfit is needed for the first experiments. A few camel’s hair for cleaning brushes are also needed. With a previous knowledge of drawing it is much the drudgery of putting on the design, either in freehand drawing, in India ink or by trans- ferring it. This latter method is described in Some small flower, single or grouped, is good It is well to do this and the leaves in monotone at first, very pretty results being obtained with a single tube of paint, ing, for turquoise blue is the shade produced by this tube. with almost the same effect before ag after firing. This is one good reason for colors look so differently before and after firing that the result is often disappointing to squeezed upon a plate, tile, or whatever is and these worked well together witha worn spatula, as the steel palette knife injures some colors, Enough oil of lavender is then added by many to tur- as lossy after firing and is smoother to work with. It is a good idea to have some well-painted piece rouping of the flowers, The printed designs, however, which e to be avoided by any lover of individuality in her work. teur beginners than the sprigged designs of fancies of festoons of small flowers or garlands These ribbons ure The best way is to paint the bow and ends first, as a oils the rest if already painted, out as wide as one wishes the with paint and give a sweeping motion in paint- ing the curves. Deepen the shade where the under side of the ribbon would naturally come The brush as it works When once the ribbon is accomplished—it can be rubbed off with a cloth wet with tur- pentine and done over until successful—small tmenots, for instance, with arranged in a spray or After 8 colors may be mingled, the flowers in one color with leaves in another, either natural or conventional com- binations being followed. A beginner is apt to cult todo well. Caps and saucers are usually the first thing tried. It is comparatively easy but to paint a cup well requires more skill, and to do two things alike is much harder than to For this reason little odd are the best for firstexperiments, These can be putto a variety of uses, as they will serve equally well for bonbons and olives as for Another which every young woman now possesses, All these are especially good for gtfts, and a thought for the coming holidays is a timely one in connection with decorative work of ail kinds, To bave afew things accomplished to- ward that season conduces to great ease of mind as Jong lists of friends to be remembered - ought to be a pleasure, and when it begins to be burdensome it should be brought One of the things that beginners in china painting gen- of the porcelain as a background to the paint- expensive wares, where the rich color is usu- ally under the glaze, giving « very different and the brilliagt white of the French china is Filled with Riches. VAST COAL FIELDS JUST OPENED—MINERALS OF MANY KINDS IN AMAZING QUANTITIES—THE FRENCH. COLONIAL AUTHORITIES AND THEIR FATAL POLICY—A PROPOSED RAILWAY. From Tux Stan's Traveling Commissioner. Tonoxina, September 1. The first explorers of Tongking saw in the Red river. which crosses it from frontier tosea, the great highway to and from the vast and wealthy provinces of southern China, This was the dream for which Francis Garnier and the rest of the brave band of Frenchmen schemed and fought and died. Today it is known to have been indeed the ‘baseless fabric of a vision.” The Red river has been explored to the Chinese frontier and found to be unsuited to serious navigation fer the greater part of its length, to be both shallow aud full of rapids. The future of Tongking, therefore, if it has one, must lie in another direction than that which inspired its conquest, Bat has it a future—this 200,000 squaro miles of varied country, which bas cost France 36,000 men and unknown millions of francs—will it some day give back these lives and this treasure » hun- edfold, or is it destined to drag on in mis- government and amid political rancours for few years, till evacuation closes the shameful chapter? That depends. But for my own part I do not see bow anybody who has had oppor- tunities of closely observing Tongking in dif- ferent parts can doubt the possibility of a ie e arising with beginners about which they would like advice. dreamed. : FERTILITY OF THE COUNTRY. . To begin with, the most striking superficial feature of Tongking is its fertility, Wherever Ihave seen it the land has been green with trees and “in verdure clad” or covered with luxuriant crops, The enormous delta of the Tied river is or may be a vast rice field, but af- ter the splendid crops of last year nobody doubts this. Before many years the chief rice supply of the far east may come from Tong- king. And in countless other parts of the country, all the travelers have told us, show moist low-lying land equally suited tor rice cultivation. Already experiments have showa that wheat will grow admirably on the dry uplands. Its grain is smaller and browner and much heavier than in Europe, the cost of eul- tivation is not more, while the selling price is at present 50 per cent higher, Oleaginous grain is already grown in considerable quan- tity by the natives, who extract the oil by a curious process of their own. sion of land has just been tuken up to be planted with sugar cane, and there is no doubt that many other agricultural products need only intelligent introduction, A PROPOSED RAILWAY, Again, consider the question of opening up southern China, Garnier’s hopes of the Red river route were baseless, but what the river has failed to do the railway may easily accom- plish. An interesting scheme to effect this is at the present moment struggling against the vagillation of the authorities, It is the plan of the Marquis de Mores, who has gone over the ground himself with French engineers, and certainly on paper it is an attractive one. His idea is to supersede half the caravan route between Canton and Yunnan and Thibet. At resent the cost of transport is from three to four shillings per ton per mile—I am quoting the details he gave me himself—and the time occupied, in transit is from Canton to Namning, thirty days, and from Pakhoi to Namning eigh- teen day. At present from Yunnan and Thibet only opium comes back in exchange for piece goods. it has been well known for years that Yunnan is extremely rich in minerals, iron, silver, lead, tin, zinc, &c., but none of these can afford the cost of caravan transport. M. de Moresclaims that he can reduce the four shillings to three pence and the thirty days to filteen hours. The railway, f f h 3 t t iL place called Tien-An (you will not find it on the map), some distance on the coast north of Haiphovg and to run about 100 miles in a northwesterly direction toa point ona river where France has treaty rights of navigation to Lungchow, where there isa French consul and which is 100 kilometers from the present caravan route, Such is M. de Mores’ plan and the French government is said to have agreed to it provisionally and promised a land grant, é&c. If it is carried out other lines will con- nect the harbor at Tien-An with Hanoi and then strike still further north. Whether this line is built, however, and it is but « trifling thing of a hundred miles, the principal objection to it being that it looks too simple, I am convinced that railway communication with southern China via Tongking is a practicable scheme, MINES NOW OPERATED. Finally, as regards its minerals, the wealth of Tongking is not opentodoubt. Two years ago the government engineer sent out on a special mission by the French admiralty and colonial office to report upon the coal fieldsof Tongking gave a list of other mines worked by the na- tives, 117 in all, and among them 32 gold mines, 13 silver mines, 29 iron mines, 7 copper mines und 6 zine mines, Here Ican begin to speak from my own knowledge. On the concession of the Societe Francaise des Charbonnages du Tonkin, at a place called Kee a Ihave seen a “bowlder stream” of remarkably pure anti- mony, 3,000 yards long with an average thick- neas of 20 feet, and I have stoud on a solid block of pure oxide of antimony weighing 16 tons. In the same concession I saw a vein of oxide of cobalt measuring 100 yards by 500 b: one yard. And from a little further north have seen remarkable specimens of copper ore. Infinitely more important, however, than all these, are the coal fields stretching all along the east coast of Tongking. For years the existence of these was well known, and many times the commanders of French gunboats, who had been struck by the multitnie of outcrops, sent home reports call- ing attention to them and to the enormous ad- vantages which would accrue to France if they could be successfully worked. At last the com- pany I have already mentioned was formed two years ago to work a concession obtained by M. vier-Ohauffour and a large number of its shares were taken up in Hong Kong. At this time the venture was looked upon as risky, and many French and foreign capitalists fougnt shy of it. The story of the concession, if I had space to narrate it, would read like a chap- ter of an oriental “Monte Cristo.” To make an indisputable legal tender a ship was char- tered to carry 100,000 silver dollars to Tong- king, where the foreign population turned out armed to escort the bullock carts carrying the twenty-five wooden cases through the streets, Kefused there, the dollars were taken on board again to the court of Annam and the ship nar- rowly escaped destruction in a typhoon. Then they were brought back again to Hai- phong, where the French authorities finally accepted them. Now the societe has already 1,000 coolies, two engineers and a dozen mas- ter miners at work, A VAST CONCESSION. Its concessiou extends over scores of square miles, not one-tenth of which has yet even been explored. It consists of three districte—Hon- gay, Hatou and Campha, the first two being wholly coal. Ihave been over the whole of the worki: twice and into every one of the galleries, and even taken photo- graphs of the miners at work. SoI can 8; with some confidence, As regards the quantity of coal, it is Practically inexhaustible. There are millions of tons in sight and nobody can guess how much lies below. I have been in » score of galleries, each of them in a solid seam iL seven soams side by side, aggregating 54 feet of coal. And yet these are merely the pre- liminary works of prospecting. The ‘“Mar- guerite Mine” at Hongay is a great mountain of coal. Aa regards quality the pr ts are equally good. The works at present surface coal. Yet its analysis has excellent; it has been tried on board # French gunboat, the myself have traveled for two days in a launch with high-pressure engines bt all the time and kee; bd peenee of 1e E i HE all i ! : i i | si i i t f { future perhaps even beyoud that which Garuier | A large conces- | o meter gauge, is planned to start from a} from 10 to 20 feet thick. At Hatou there are |- John Chamberlin Discourses of the Gourmet’s Feathered Idol. WHERE IT Is FOUND, HOW IT IS SHOT AND THE MANNER IN WHICH IT SHOULD BE COOKED— FEARS OF ITS EXTINCTION—A PLEA FOR IT 48 THE NATIONAL BIRD. I approach a discussion of the canvas-back duck with a feeling of the profoundest respect. I never can think of that king of birds without said enough to show that certainly of ap: ous ® magnificent future for id, however. in beginning this t depends.” It depends upon the there is a possibility d pe hape even of per! follows the ienife freely side of ly im the breast in carving. r dexterously cut into only two pieces from ei the breast bone and the rest of the an old resident, “the boys of Washington be- lieved in the old saying, ‘There's nothing Sweeter than stolen fruit,’ and the earliest varieties of peach, apple or pear did not escape them nor did an attack of green fruit save an orchard.” “You mean to say that the boys of old were you when bi Sher it has been plac The fowl should be French authorities at home and upon their in- fluence on the authorities on the spot. and upon that alone. AsItried to make clear in my pre- vious letter, Tongking is grievously misgov- erned, Instead of finding a helping hand, the French colonist eucounters a closed fist, ‘The “functionary,” clothed in his little authority, has utterly forgotten that he is the servant of the colonist, that he has no other reason for existence except to aid and protect and eucour- age his self-exiled countryiman, As it is, while the colonist is the blood of the new country the “functionary” is the leech. THE GOVERNMENT LEECH. Day by day the.cry of the French colowial civilian goes up to heaven, “Pas tant d’admin- istration! Everywhere else in the world cap- ital is welcomed, no matter whose kot it comes out of. In Tongking alone gold must be stamped with “liberty, equality and fraternity” before it is received, and a man must b Frenchman before he allowed to labor with the rest. ‘Ihe anniversary of the revolution seems a joke when one learns in Tongking that one of the conditions attached to a concession is that nobody but Frenchmen shall be employed on it. I do not believe there is another country in the world which would make such & pitiful stipalation. Does France not know what is done in her name? or is she not ashamed, remembering "S$, to set such an example to-day to the world? I suppose it is wasting words inveigh against suicidal protection and the “tarif gen- but in conclusion I will say simply this, I believe, as every one who has looked into the matter betieves, that Tongking oifers a pros- erous future. But I know, as everybody who has looked into the matter knows, that she will ever reach it along the present road, A cer- tain per ney of appointment for the gov- ernor general, a relaxing of restrictions upon the colonists all round, a hundred times more resp ofticials to their wishes and re- quests, above all aglad welcome to cxpital and enterp from any source, tuese are a few of the primal conditions of progr It they do not come then France may prepare for the humiliation among the nations name of “Indo-China” will soon carry with it, In the words of the editor of the Courrier d Hai- phong, in the issue now lying before me, ‘inue as at present means the loss of Indo- China, it means the ruin of Pri the far east, Butif the tions come about then “le Toukinois,” like so many other expressions invented in scorn, will be handed down as a title of honor by the chil- dren of those at whom it was flung. Lenny Normax. D CHESTNUTS. Stolen Pleasures Sought by City Lads in the Country. a watering of the mouth. In the list of royal gastronomic delicacies he stands pre-eminent. His annual slanghter begins on the Ist day of November, and from then until cold weather wanes the crack of the breech-loader on the shores of Chesapeake bay will announce his doom. All summer the canvas-backs have been breeding in the far northern fur countries, whence in great flocks they are now trailing their flight to the bays and estuaries of the At- lantic, Nowhere else in the world are they found, North America is their only abiding lace. Gourmets hear of them generally as ig shot in the Chesapeake, but they are found in the shooting season along the Atlantic coast as far south even as Texas, Not infre- quently they are shot on Long Island, and I have heard of stray birds being found at Squan Beach and Barnegat and Egg Harbor. Chicago sportsmen find them even around their lake. Senator Hearst sent me a bunch of them found in California, Larry Jerome forwarded me a barrel full shot from the grounds of the Carrituck club in North Carolina and a friend down in Texas sent me half a dozen, which afterward graced a dinner in the Hoffman house. Of course these are all canvas-back ducks from the standpoint of the naturalist, but they are far from being canvas- back ducks from the point of view of the gas- tronomic enthusiast. The bird only reaches culinary superiority when it alights in THE CHESAPEAKE BAY and its myriad arms, Here ite flesh acquires a peculiarly delicious and indescribable taste, which is largely owing to its feeding on a plant called wild celery. This growth is not the nat- ural progenitor of our table celery, but derives its name from its resemblance to that edible. Water and climate in the Chesapeake, however, must contain some other and unknown quality or condition which brings the canvas-back duck to a state of perfection, for I am told that California and Illinois—I am not certain about Texas and North Carolina— aiso supply wild celery as food for the canvas- back, and yet it permits of no dispute that the fowl which come from those states is no more akin to a Chesapeake canvas-back than the rice bird of the south is equal to its own self when under another name und different food con tions it furnishes an incomparable morsel as the buttery reed bird of the Delaware marshes, As to the canvas-backs which are occasionally found along the shores of Long Island, their flesh is not distinguishable from that of ordi- nary ducks, because in the absence of the wild celery they demean themselves by feeding upon fish, So greatly sought after are these royal water fowls that nearly all of the available Chesapeake huating grounds are now owned or leased by wealthy gentlemen of Baltimore, Philadelphia, Washington and New York. The ramifications of Chesapeake bay, Back bay and kindred es- tuaries of the Atlantic make the map of Mary- land look as though holes had been blown through it bya dynamite explosion, and yet nearly every foot of this winding shore has ite Cheaper J right leased or sold to some strauger. ‘ar out in the water piles‘are driven AND “BLINDS” ERECTED, These consist of branches of trees—generally cedar brush, which docs not easily drop its foliage—placed between posts so as to screen the hunter. Decoys are not used because the canvas-back duck, unlike his more plebeian brothers, will not fly to them. The velocity with and the height at which they move make their capture extremely difficult Another obstacle to the hunter's victory is presented by the feathers of the breast, which are so com- ee laid, so elastic and so matted together y the oil from the glands tl the bird is protected as though by a coat of mail, and an ordinary shot striking the breast as the bird flies toward the hunter would be deflected as though from the steel plates of one of the new government cruisers, The best sportsmen wait with steady nerves until the birds fly by aud then shoot them from behind in the grain of the feathers, To do that requires extraordinary coolness. Of course this national prize commandssuch high figures in the market that there are men who are willing to sink the natural noble in- stinct of the sportsman to accomplish their destruction. ese adopt various prohibited measures tending toward wholesale slaughter. One of the most familiar of these is known as ing.” This consists in building the “blind” on shore within a few feet of the water mark. Through an opening in ita common cur, odd in color and size, but trained to his work, emerges and trots up and down in front of the screen and performs all manner of curious ties. Canvas-back ducks are afflicted with an insatiable curiosity, and although they will not come near a decoy, the dog’s maneuvers soon attract their attention, and strangel; enough they swim in a body toward the od object until they come within range of the hunter's gun. Then, if they are not “‘over- shot,”they can be picked off one after another, nor will they go away if the dog continues his movements until the last one is killed. It is needless to say that this method of capture is looked Spon along the Chesapeake much as the theft of a horse is considered in the far western country. Nearly every year new laws are passed to protect the canvas-back by for- bidding all unsportsmanlike methods in his ursuit and by a recent regulation the state of Vacyinaa only permits his shooting on three days of the week—Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, ————~-ee | SMALL BOYS A | | ‘The early frosts have played havoc with the chestnut trees and the burrs are dropping their contents on the grounds among the leaves, The emall boys from the city and squirrels in the country run a race in their efforts to capture the fallen fruit. The hickory nut and walnut trees are also shedding before the arrival of the cold wintry winds. Folks are now gathering the beautifully tinted autumn leaves for house ornaments, Sunday is the day when most peo- ple go to the country, and should the weather prove fine tomorrow hundreds of people will wend their way over the hills and through the valleys of the adjacent country. The valley along Rock creek is the place selected by most persons for such rambles, because of thé beau- iful scenery all along the creek north of the P-street bridge. Then further up the creek many will go tomorrow because the street cars run to Brightwood and Mount Pleasant, and from the latter place the creek is only a short distance, THE SMALL BOY'S EXPEDITION. This is the time of the year when the small boy makes an early start from home with the chances of receiving a flogging upon his return, The minute he finishes nis breakfast he starts for the woods. He arranges the trip the day before and has a bag of some sort in which to bring bome some chestnuts, hickory, or wal- nuts, and that, he thinks, may soften his parents’ wrath, Secreting the bag in the house the night before, he puts it in the bosom of hia {ares in the morning to avoid suspicion, If e happens to have a big sister who is good fabured-anongh to x bin: up @lunch he is all right, andif he has not, why, he will take his chances, Well, he makesa start and travels sometimes several miles before he sees a nut tree of any sort, Should the tree be near a farmer's house he is as badly off as when he started, for confronting him he reads: “BEWARE OF THE DOG.” “If could only get up the treo before the dog sees me,” he eays to himself, “I wouldn't care, but—, well, I'll try it anyhow.” He scales the fence and reaches the tree in safety, but the trunk of the tree is too large for him to climb, and after his feet have scraped along the bark several times there ap- pears a bull dog. “Say, mister, come here,” shouts the boy, but that does not frighten the dog nor does the man in the house hear the lad’s appeal until wser” has done considerable injury to Young America’s” trousers, A HAPPY TURN. Now he is sure to get a whipping, so he thinks, because his trousers are in such a dilapi- dated condition that he cannot go home until after dark. He is rescued from the jaws of the vicious canine and the owner of the chestnut tree pities him so much that he invites him in to dinner. It ia also dinner time in the city and his fail- ure to appear at the home table causes a feel- ing of uneasiness. The mother is worried, but the father has enough confidence in the boy to think he will take care of himself; but when evening comes and the lad does not’ appear the neighbors are questioned and search is insti- tuted. WATCHING A COVEY, It is s beautiful and interesting sight to watch a feeding covey of these ducks from be- hind a “blind.” They seek the wild celery beds frequently in company with the red-head ducks and while in the waters of the Chesa- peake they will starve rather than eat any other food, Their red-headed brethren, how- ever, are not so particular, and, while they prefer the wild celery, when they cannot obtain it they will readily gorge themselves upon fish, which diet, of course, speedily alters the delicate flavor of their flesh. The ducks dive beneath the water and with their powerful bills tear the Kenpo) adage away from itsbed. They cannot swallow it beneath the water and when the: upon it itis frequen’ the SLINKING HOME. All this time the little fellow, although bothered about his trousers, is having a good time, and when the eun is sinking out of sight he starts home and passes through the city under cover of darkness. Itis 9 o'clock when he reaches the corner grocery. Then he hesi- tates because he is sure of a fogging. “If I could only steal into the house and go to bed,” he says, “they would forget it iu morning when they saw the chestnuts.” After some hesitation he braves the storm and goes home. Instead of being received with a strap or cowhide his mother 1s so glad he has met with no mishaps and is all right that she receives him with tears and kisses. He roasts 2 chestnuts and goes to bed a tired, but happy oy. tise to feast 1g dl pase rom them by widgeons or bald-pates, which are not divers. These rapaci>us foes the canvas-backs drive with wing and beak, but th widgeons are agile and stealthy, and, therefore, are frequently successful in their thefts, THE COOKING of the canvas-back involves a problem about which there is much discussion. It is asimple feat and yet a most difficult one; simple, be- cause there is so little to be done; difficult, be- cause that little must be done exactly so or else all is lost. Having drawn the fowl, cut away the head and neck in one e and skin them, Leave the ill intact is import- tant because in these 0 juent culinary fraud, people whose tes se tell them infallibly what they are cases, pail apt to be suspicious, and they will only be satisfied that they are devouring a canvas-back duck and not ared-head by an inspection of the bill. The upper part of the bill of a red-head is of a scarlet hue that no amount of will alter. I have, however, known unscrup dealers and restauranteurs to it the bills of the binish-black the can’ 's beak, but that i it to which, —_>—__ The Masher Mashed. Three mashers went mashing as suited them best Went mashing away as the sun went down, And each of them wore an em A necktie red and derby brown. ‘They mashed the young and they mashed the old, Nor maid nor matron spared they then; They ogied and stared with glances bold, ‘This trio of naughty mashing men. For men must mash tho’ women may weep, And mashers mash while coppers sleep, Now it's a school girl Sipping by; Now it's a motherly dame in @ cab, re's nothing too modest, nor yet too fly, fo escape the eyes that are keeping tab. blushed red for shame, ive ® general statement it is ee for tastes, ties of currant jelly, bu’ sacrilegious, for the fle: any additions whatever, cooked, furnishes a m Fea wen of delight. The: winged feet of Mercury. ‘THE RED-HEAD AND Naturally people will head is so difficult to Weill, as I have said wild celery for food the charmi tinguishes brother. is more But bear in times a big, fat red. toothsome morsel than The great scarcity of the royal bird Iam de- scribing presents a very serious problem for those who would grieve over its extinction. cover this delicious morsel with great quanti- perly constituted man into the seventh to be forgoten, the waiter who brin) from the range to the table 8) canvas-back except by the bill the latter should be so greatly preferred to the former. fore, the red-head falls into vicious ways, and when he cannot get the canvas-back will not. But even when they feed upon the same food the red-head is smaller fowl, and of course does not present thickness of breast which dis head is nut to be despised, and iu fact there are times late in the season when he is often preferable to the canvas-back. In fac Partial to green fruit?” was asked. “Yes,” answered the old resident. “Did you ever bite an apple behind a book in school when the rules probibited any eating during school hours? Well, the flavor is much the same. in those days there were but few peach orchards of any considerable size, and the uumber of trees were about as limited as the number of varietics. The grower might be ever so attentive to his orchard, but the boys generally sampled them when they took om tb —Kegrs blush toward ripening.” e and many t I really think that’is sh of the duck without , when it is orsel whic! Bitte the te is another thing not the bird id have the THE CANVAS-BACK. ask why if the red- distinguish from the of course, took risks with the peaches.” suggested a STAR reporter. “Yes, there we risks run," ssid the old resident, “and there was some rare in the shape of adventure, which added the enjoyment of those who escaped. 1 remember TRE MERIDIAN MILL RAID and the ludicrous scene which was there enacted. Inthe neighborhood of New York avenue, H, 12th and 13th streets there was a gang of boys ranging in age from fifteen to eighteen years with whom two or three men from twenty-one to twenty-two associated. In the mouth of Jaly, one Sunday afternoon, it was suggested that Cox's orci et Meridian Hill needed attention, That was ell that was necessary, and at once a ready assent was given and soon about thirty of the boodlums, with teeth set for peaches, were on their wi it was agreed, the orchard being back of the house, that the attack should be made from the ll go fishing and the beautifully plumage. mind that even a red- at all is a much more canvas-back. ad Year after year it becomes much more difficult to obtain, Those who fi them. I have never had nished the fowl tion, but year to say that they in number. It is my decrease is owing to the ll mai | prices to have it this is an evil—at least I —that cannot be checke lay up people for the extinction of the flew. proper conditions, and te greatness and install as the aational bird. ¢ is a craven, thieving, neyings to North Ameri: thing I could never w better fitted is the canv of the air, but of The male bird cannot be surpassed in beauty by any feathered dandy that ever ruffled plum- age. No bird has a nobler or more graceful carriage. Its tastes are its stupidity—which after all shouldn't bar it from a contest as a representative of any branch of the human race—its general conduct is beyond criticism, The man who has not beyond all this it is a tr the benighted inhabitants of other and older lands never put teeth in its succulent flesh w less they wander this wa} is transported to them. these arguments in its be! bird are strong ones and, whether or not the eagle continues in its present position as a representative of America, I will privately wor- ship the canvas-back as the feathered king of America. ——____- 00 TIPS UPON Dress From the Men's Outfitter. the loose. The sort call what the man or youth plaids and checks are The coat without a tail on formal occasions. his appeara: his attire. ———__ eee Why the Men Stay Awa: From the Louisville Couri ‘Lhe count of noses in shows, what everybody Not So Senseless From the New York Sun. Mr, Laker (angrily)—' allow a daughter of mine to marry Ted Lardly, idiot hasn't an; Sausa ebontic Stl cma cited jurymen en about: t. He was refused as a in a murder trial last week.” Mr. Laker—“You don't say! ites Lak alters it.” ——— A Responsive Congregation. From the Oil City Blizzard. The wicked flee whether any one pursueth or not. Ata meeting in West Virginia recently a colored girl became crazy with religious ex- citement and, drawing a razor, said she pro- posed to “kill the devil.” the church was empty. The Coldest Spot The coldest region in rice charged for them in restaurants have ttle idea of the trouble and cost of procuring charge more than @4 for acanvas-back dack, and yet last season I frequently paid $7 a pair for them to the professional gunners at Havre de Grace, The state of Maryland bas fur- after tation to England. The bon vivants of the ondon clubs have found that in the canvas- back we have a fowl that excels their fondest reams and they are willing to pay enormous grace their tables. I suppose aserious gricvance against the British if they were even remotely responsible THE NATIONAL BIRD. Ispeak strongly about this fowl, as will any man with a palate and who has eaten it under behef that this country would doa wise and triotic thing if it would remove the bald- aded eagle from his present pinnacle of baldheaded—and that I don't pa ject to for Lam inclined that way myself—but Ahalf dozen little English sparrows pecking about his head will put him to flight. He pre- fers barn yard thefts toa pursuitof food in his native wilds, and he is not confined in his jour- ever selected as the bird of freedom is some- aviary deity of this country! only the noblest and best of the fowls With a Couple of Hints About the Full- Coat. ‘Trousers are midway between the tight and fall and winter. In patterns down stripes, small effects are recommended. ‘This rule 1s fixed. When you buy a coat see that the collar sets weil. Many a man, otherwise well dressed, has nce marred by being indifferent as to the aspect of this very important detail of majority of churchgoers are women. The sterner sex never has any new bonnets. Secanineetemmnce~~f = “ooo and Coldest Day. From the San Francisco Examiner, rear, Above Columbia college « balt was — and as it was known ne there hy th men and dogs, and, guns on seen thorough cgenlaation rome suggested. (here was one young man who had seen sea u some little knowl- of manouvering a force. suggestions all bent a willing ear. It waa thereupon decided who were to climb, pick and shake the trees, who were to pick from the ground, and who were to watch for the man and dog and give the alarm on the a h of the enemy. In case of discovery was to look out for himself and to wait ata near the head of 15th street for the rest bis fellows. grumble at the high 1 hardihood enough to inner of legal protec- year I am sorry are less and less rsonal opinion that this greatly increasing ex- JIM WOULD 60 TT ALONE, “There was one who, having read of the exe ploits of the Texan rangers, determined that he would go as be pleased and do his full share. This was Jim De Karr, and being determined and set in his way he was not pressed % What he intended to do was unknown, but when the climbers got to work Jim was seen in a tree whose branches were bending with loads of green fruit. None from this tree fell to the ground, but the limbs were fast depleted, Soon Jim's broad pantaloons seemed to swell and from the ankle (around which be had tied stout cords) each leg seemed to grow till they suggested that he was afflicted with the ele- bantiasis, Itwassoon apparent that in a ttle time he would be WAIST DEEP IN PEACHES, “Just about this time from several parts of the field came the alarm ‘dogs,’ and a general scatter took place, all escaping excepting Jim, Some went one route and some others, but finally the spring was reached and the mis- fortune which had overtaken Jim was woreryee | all being certain that something fearful befallen him, for the last seen of him the men were driving the dogs off to keep them from molesting the peacb-laden Jim, However, wo waited at the spring till near sundown, when m came dowu without a peach, and at once toid the rest of the story as follows: ‘I didn't hear anything till the dogs were barking under my tree and I looked up and seen you all get~ tingaway. Then an old man came out, and when he looked up at me he laughed and said: “Hello! you've got nearly all my Didn't need any bags, did you?” I couldn't ea: anything, but when he told me to come down didn't climb, but fell down, I wished that the strings would break, put they wouldn't, and there I stood with my breeches legs so packed that I couldn't bend my knees, told him I would never touch his again if he would let me off, but he wouldn't, He said: “Now, sonny, I have some friends at the house and I want you to see them and walked me to the house.” The first thing I knew I was in a great long room where there were some ladies and gentlemen, and the old gentlemen taking me on the floor explained bow I was caught and how convenient my pants were for gathering peaches, Then he said, “You young rascal, when you want peaches come kon id ask for them.” Then he called two gentlemen and told them to take hold of the strings (which were tied in a bow knot) and pull them while he raised his stick and shou “Run, you young rascal, run.” You may your life I did and you ought to have seen the aches scatter, I didn't, but I heard them and aven't got one left; they all rolled out on the floor, said he in conclusion, ‘pockets out to be big enough onaraid. IfT had not tried to put the whole crop in my pante I might huve escaped. The old gentleman told me to ask for peaches if I ever wanted any, but E don't think I'll ask, for he will remember me." The best way is not to be a hog. ANOTHER EXPERIENCE. “There was another lesson learned from the experience of another member of the gang. No matter bow warm the weather he persisted in wearing shoes and stockings, and by bis shoes he was once caught. Not far from Franklin row was a fine pear tree with fruit luscious and plentiful. This tree was inthe garden of an officeholder who daily left his home at 8:30 am, But few people being about during the day there were opportunities for pear cribbing which could not be neglected. The place wassur- rounded bya fence of wood and iron, the uppet tion being inthe shape of pointed spear Reeds with barbs on each side. The fence was quite low, and it was not difficult to jump over and get the fruit. Our young admirer at 8:35 one morning came out, and taking it for granted that the owner had left for his office, cast bis eye up and —- the ye and woe jumped the fence and soon cor fang ae gt he wanted. Before he bell din he was hy by the sight of the owner, but be attempted to escape by jumping. bis foot on the stringer a barb caught one of his shoes by the sole, holding it tight, and he fell over on the outside, catching on his this uncomfortable position the owner found him with pears dropping from his pocket. “Oh! I'll break my foot off,’ screamed the bo; ‘Stealing rod syed accompanied by landed on the boy’s pan “ «Please sir, untie my ‘T'll break my foot.’ look at it in that hight d, but Icertainly would nobiest bird that ever I am seriously of the the canvas-back duck Not only is the eagle vularly ob- foul piece of carrion. ica alone. Why he was nderstand. How much as-back duck to be the He is not the water as well. refined, and apart from d flesh has not yet joys. Above and ‘ue North American, for or ite dead body it appears to me that ball ‘ns the national Joux CaaMBeRuix. TROUSERS. ed moderately wide are of taste will wear this all good, In the latter il should never be worn Journal. the New York churches kuew before, that the ‘as He Looked. “No, indeed, I'l never sense at all.” think you are mis- Well, that ia Gres mlsuies are you!” was the ish of @ ewitoh, wi ts. shoe,’ pleaded the the United States is the stretch of country on the northern border from the Minnesota lakes to the western line of Da- kota. At the Pembina, which lies near the fe -ninth parallel, the lowest temperature pe ey in the great storm of the winter of 1873 was 56 below zero. This is be- lieved to be the lowest temperature reached in Btates. thought the boy had enough be threw the switch away and untied the boy's shoe, out which the foot was worked; thei to walk to his door, ring nip ane An Eccentric Novelist. isa proper and conven’ tional one. I saw the novelist once in London and I shall never for- is a | self- ul EE Hi i i | z fi Ea