Evening Star Newspaper, November 19, 1892, Page 11

os tl THE EVENING STAR: WASHINGTON, D. c. SATURDAY. NOVEMBER 19, 1892—-SIXTEEN PAGES. 11 DEXTEROUS HANDS. Animated Pictures Made by Flexible Fingers. 2 ART OF SHADOWGRAPHY. BtIhonetteeCast on an Minminated Sereen— How It ts Done—Behind the Scones With = Shadowgraphist The Pantomime in Wrance. Written for The Evening Star. RIS IS THE HOME P: the fantaisist—but then it is the home of all other species of ec- centric geniuses. These Tare exotics flourish in the genial art atmos- phere of the great cap- ital. Paris is the home of Trewey. fantaisist, mimic and shadow- graphist. He is the person.ucation of the grotesqus, the arab- aque snd the picturesque. Hiss eatforteiscast- ing silhouettes with his hands on an illuminated Sereen—silhouettes of men, women and ani- ‘mals, prajected with such extraordinary Gexterity of manipulation as to raise the diver- sion to the dignity of an art. lates his hands #0 ss to throw the | recently decapitated. This table was the trick shadows. The nearer the hands are brought to| table I have just mentioned. The looking the light the more the shadow increases in size | glasses between its legs reflected the sides of and loses its intensity, while on bringing the bands closer to the screen the silhoutte is ren- dered sharper, but smaller and smaller. Some little of cardboerd, cut, in different to represent hats, bonnets, &c., a occa- sod held between tho Singers, represent all sorts and con- ditions of people and things. He shows, for instance, a preacher in his pulpit delivering « Yigorous discourse, a concierge and s belated Jodger quarreling violently, = faberman in, boat having the usual Inck with the finny tribe <6 and resorting to liquid consolation from a big jug, and last, but not least, two Homeos sere- nading @ capricions Juliet. All these clever little scenes have to be seen to be appreciated. So elaborate are some of them, and so clever from a pantomimic standpoint, that one can | hardly believe that simply the two hands of the | performer ‘and some bits of cardbosrd con- stitute the entire deus ex machina. A little box | tied around the waist of the artist represents the pulpit, his bent fingers the canopy, while the preacher is made by the disengaged band. His faces of old men and women are excellent. You can see the aged military pensioner taking snuff, smoking and imbibing wine from a flask. The motions of swallowing are marvelously exe- ented, the progressive movement of the hand or arm showing the swelling of the throat occ: sioned by the descent of the food in the cesophagu THE LONG PRACTICE NECESSARY to acquire the digital dexterity required in shadowgraphy is never dreamed of by the a i tne walls, and it is needless to remark that the a jon was perfect. For weeks this clever illusion was the sensation of the French capital, until a number of inquisitive stu- dents from the Latin quarter discovered the secret. One of them took a pea shooter with him and fired a pea at the bi > fost to wee how it would act. He missed the | head, however, and landed his missile plump against’ the mir- ror. Of course {it bounded back, and the se- cret was out. Every day the students would visit the exhibition and amuse themselves firing peas at the decapitated head. The Frenchman who impersonated the ghastly object would rave and curse like one possessed us the peas Ianded on his nose, month and forehead. Finally the manager had to build a wire screen across the middle of the room instead of the simple railing, in order to protect his assistant. ‘The affair got into the papere, the trick was ex- posed and the public lost interest in the a iH. BR. EL —— MR. FINKENBINDER'S NEW STEED. An Incident That Forms an Epoch in the Family History. From the Chicago Tribune, “Here he is, Fan! Isn't hea beauty?” Mr. Finkenbinder pointed with pride toa chestnut sorrel horse be had Jed into the back yard from the stable. It was an animal he had ~~ I met him one fine day this past September ‘fm Paris strolling on the Boulevard des Italiens. I had met bim in this country two years | roams and he remembered me well, as I did ‘im. In fact Trewey is hard to forget when ence you have come into personal contact with him. He is about forty years of age and re- sembles « French abbe in appearance. A shovel-board beaver hat, such as are worn by | French ecclesiastics, and a long rusty black | cassock with white lawn bands would com- lete the picture. Beside being « shadowgraph- he Trewey is one of the greatest of living mimics and a sleight-of-hand performer of rare | excellence. Having taken a course of lessons | in legerdematn this summer from the famous | Varisian cafe performer, Marko, I am prepared to bear witness to | FREWEY'S ABILITIES AS A PRESTIDIPITATEUR. | With the brim of an old felt sombrero he is| liable to produce his inimitable tabarin or | twenty-five heads under a single chapeau—por- | traits ranging from a Parisian chiffonnier to an | abbe, and including such great historical per- | as Frederick the Great, Napoleon, | Mu 2, Robespierre, Franklin and Washing- | ton. The soft felt hat in his dexterons hands | is 80 —— as to assume the shape of any | required headgear, and Trewey's exceedingly | mosile face does the rest. Not a word spoken during the execution of these portrai ures. Itis all pantomime and facial play. It is no Spinnx problem presented for -solution— — has no ditficulty in recognizing the pice ‘Trewey and Tux Stan writer went into Uttle cafe not far from the Theater Robert Houdin, where all the celebrated conjuring per- formances in Paris take place, and had a chat about pantomime. He remarked as he daintily puffed away at a Turkish cigarette and sipped & mnall glass of cognac: WTOMIME STILL FLOURISHES IX EUROPE. “Pantomimesincethe Ravels bas had little or Ro place on the American stage, but here in Europe it still flourishes. The best schools in France for the study of the art are at Bordeaux and Marseilles, not at Paris, as you would sup- | pose. The French depend upon facial expres- | sion and right-arm gestures for the delineation ef pantomimic passion; the Italians use the entire body. The pantomimist often makes a fine comedian or tragedian, as the case may be, but the comedian or tragedian never a great pantomimist. Kousi, the famous Italian trage- . studied pantomime before tragedy. Fred- erick Je Maitre used to say that he owed his success to the fact that in bis youth he prac- ticed the art of mimiery.”” | | | Trewey isan admirable raconteur and related ing experiences of his career. T was,” he said, with # dreamy look in his eves, “originally educated for the priesthood. Ab, vou smile! I abandoned the charch for the sage and went around the country playing Perrot and doing conjuring tricks. “You still resemble an abbe,” I interrupted. Yes,” he replied, with a merry twinkle of the eyes. “and my unfortunate resemblance Sometimes is the occasion of ludicrous finscos. Once, when I was performing in Edinburgh. an ‘oid woman stopped me on the street, devoutly | folded her arms acrovs ber breast and asked for my blessing, calling me ‘holy father.” I politely told ber that I was an actor and handed her one | Then comes the assembling of the fingers, the | hand is open, the former elongated and st right | angles with the band.” | method of ail white, unreheved by any red or just purchased throngh a friend, who was | good judge of horses. , “Size him up, Fan,” he said, leaning back against the fence, with his elbows on the top board. “Look him over. Not» blemish any- where! Clean limbed asa deer! And I got him for $125! “That seems to me a pretty high price for a horse,Lemuel,” mused Mrs, Finkenbinder, “un- less he’s got « pedigree. Do you know whether be has a pedigree or not?” a “What do you want of a pedigree when you're buying a buggy horse?” retorted Mr. Finken- binder, somewhat impatiently. “He'll pull the phacton all right, and he couldn't do any better if he belonged to the first families of Ken- tucky and had an ancestral tree as big asa house. What is your idea of a pedigree, any- how? Do you think it's something like dapples, oracrupper, or @ surcingle, or an insurance oli Ped know what ft fs as well as you do, Lemuel. But are you a good judge of a horse “I know a good horse when I see him. If a horse's points are all right I can teil it as well aa anybody. And this horse's points are allright.” “How old is he 7 “Six years. How do you know “How do Lknow? The man I got him from says so. ‘That's how.” Did you look at his teeth?” What's the use of looking at his teeth? You can't tell anything about a horse's age by his teeth. Agood horse dentist, madam, can fix | up an old plug so his teeth ‘will look like « yearling’s.” ‘Tnever heard of 1 horse dentist, Lemuel said Mrs. Finkenbinder, doubtfally.’ “I don’t believe there's any in this town, “There's lots of things in this town you never heard of. The beauty about this horse, said Lemuel, stroking the animal's «houlder, “tis that—whoa, Billy! His name's Billy-—ie that any woman can drive him. He's as gentle as a kitten. He's got plenty of spirit when you get him started, though. ‘That's what Mike Down- ing sa} He got the horse for me, and what | he doesn’t know about a horse you can put in our eye. Whoa, Billy! Don’t forget, Fan, that his name is Billy. A horse always likes to be called by his right name. I think I'll hitch him up and let you drive him. Go in the house and got your things on.” Mrs. Finkenbinder complied and Lemuel took erage spectator who sits in front of the house and applauds and laughs at Trewey's amusing conceptions, La Nature, the French scientific | journal, in speaking of the work, says: “There are certain hand and finger exercises that are indispensable to perform in order to reproduce such silhouettes more or less perfectly. The first exercise consists in bending the littie fin@er | as much as possible without moving the others, while the hand is spread out. Itmust be under- stood that all that is done with the right hand mast be repeated with the left. ‘The two hands being broken in to this motion, the little finger is raised and an effort ix made to bend the mid- die and ring fingers, while the fore and little | fingers remain extended. The third exercise consiste in bending solely the last two joints of | the fore and little fingers, while the ring and the middle fingers are bent inwardly. In this ition, if the thumb be bent inwardly, it will Estfound that the shadow made by this profile on the wall will form the head of acat. The fourth exercise consists in leaving the last two joints of the first and little fingers bent “and in extending the middle and | ring fingers. Afterward follow exercises in separating the fingers from each other by opening them in the direction of the width of the hand. First, it is the little finger that is isolated, the fore, ring and middle fingers resting against each other: then it is the separa- tion of the fingers into two groups, the little finger against the ring finger and the middle against the fore finger, the latter and the ring finger making as wide an angle as possible. extremities of each peing hidden behind’ the middle finger, so that the hand has the profile of a spearhead. Finally we have the exercises in which each finger is made independent of the others, one being bent to the first, the other tothe third joint,the latter extended as when the | the phacton. It was new vehicle, purchased, together with a set of harness, in anticipation of the horse. He had a hard time getting Billy harnessed. Things didn't fit Straps had to be let out, tightened and otherwise adjusted, and the proper arrangements and fastening of the “holdbacks was # fathomless im tery to Lemuel, but he got the job done at last afier a fashion. the horse submitting with the quiet, resigned demeanor of an ani- mal with plenty of time on its hands and no | disposition to find fault with the existing order made its appearance in front of the family | dwelling, where Mrs. Finkenbinder was patiently | awaiting it. “You take the lines, Fan? couragingly, after she had tak haeton and he had tnoked the r ply about them both. “You begin to drive him right now. He's to bea family horse, and I can't be here all the time to do the driving. Mrs. Finkenb at the Do tioned Lemuel. uta month and hasn't had ar He's perfectly ge first, Hold him in.” He doesn't seem to need any holding in,” eaid Mrs. Finkenbinder,as Billy.after procceding afew rods atagen opped promptly at the first pull on the “Hadn't you better touch b the whir or worlds! up, Billy!” Billy started on again, with the same patient walk. it to tou Bills ranawa| by that said Lemuel, en- T seat in the be comfort- So much for the scientific aspect of the art of shadowgraphy. At the College of Physicians and Surgeons, London, in the great museum attached to that institution, may be seen a cast taken from Trewey's hand. The fingers are long and slen- der and differ very much in length, the middie finger, for instance, being nearly an inch longer than tbe ring finger. 48 4 PRENCH cLowy, Trewey contemplates, enacting the role of a Pierrot, or French clown. It will be a sort of protean act, in which he will assume a variety of characters and introduce all his conjuring feats and umbromania. ‘The following is the method of “making up" for the character of @ Pierrot. You first wash your face carefully and then rub all over it a sort of grease ns a found: tion. Upon that you smear powdered white chalk. The grease causes the white powder to stick fost and at the same time keep it out of the pores of the « A white cape, usually made over un clastic ground, is then drawn carefully over the head and ail is complete. English clowns are in the habit of painting a red half moon on either cheek. but the French nder took the lines and clucked on oats for but it won't do to crowd t him get the start of you, exclaimed Lemuel. “Get arisky thing,” said Mr. Finkenbinder, a spirited horse with a whip—g'lang, sn he isn't looking for it. Many a Fan, hus been caused—get up, Billy!— ery thing.” esn't he go, Lem t you dri “Lam driving Cluck! Go on, Billy! Get up!” Hi! Billy! Get out of thie!” eaid Lemuel, ve g somewhat loud and impera- w Cluck! black marks, is decidedly more grotesqu Pierrot of the French stage is celebrated in song and story, and is @ living personality in French literature. IN PANTOMDIES. “In pantomimic plays,” said Trewey to Tae Srax writer, ‘a great nmny trick scenos are used. It is very dificult to originate new tricks for pantomimes, althoygh one can, by combining old onex, get up some clever things that look almost new. “Who is the most ing profession toda} The Lilly walked along at the same gentle gate. ‘Let me take the lines!” ejaculated his owner, “Some women can never learn to drive a horse’ Now, then, Billy, pike along. Get up! Get up! What do you mean, you lazy, ornery, good-for- not— Look out, Fan! I'm going to touch him with the whip. Hold on to the dash board!” He seized the whip and laid it gently along Billy’s flank, Billy switched his tail, heaved a patient sigh and walked on. ‘ou low-down, base-born Mr. Finkenbin dray horre to raise bim iginal man in the conjur- 1 asked him. scrub!” roared “You milk-livered son of a watch out, now, Fan! I'm going take that!” He brought the whip down with all his might. He smote him hip eat thigh, lengthwise, cross- wise and diagonally. ou walking ghost!” he shouted. “You lumbering old corpse! How do you like that! of my business cards. I never shall forget the | look of horror on her face as she shrank back from me and quickly burried away. I was doubtless the devil in disguise. Trewey does s number of clever Ii ing tricks while seated with friends at a much as making plates and glasses full of Water disappear from the festive board and re- eppear aguin suddenly. Give him a sheet of paper and « pencil and he will rapidly Your name in the most perfect script upside down. How he does it ido not know. But I give it Just to show his great digital dexter But we now come to his masterpieces—his — | “Show me e%actly how you do them?” I Shed bim. “Come behind the scenes st the Alhambra Music Hall next week in London,” he answered, “and I will mitiste you into the mysteries. 1 took him at his word. ~ AEMIND TE SCEREM. ‘The modus operandi of the shadowgraphs may be seen frum the accompanying illustra- | The most startling effects ean be produced in | woman to drive, that he How does that feel, you——" Finken- screamed Mrs. Lemuel paid no attention to her. He kept should say M. | on yelling at the horse and wielding the whip. a Hungarian residing in| And Bill? At the first blow he had _pricked made a great deal of money | up his ears, At the second he stopped in his forms about three timesa tracks. bowed his head and stood still till week. De invented the celebrated illu- Lemuel was tired out and the storm was over. sion of the vanishing lady, the cocoon trick and Then he pricked up his ears and started on the vanishing bird cage, all of which are now /again. at the same unobtrusive, patient, formed by Herrmann. The best panto- | leisurely walk. Siecte Wiehe la thal pase: bogeae boen Caen ta | R24 Ue Someoel Wiahen adie Sis acces hich combinations of mirrors have been used. | warranted kind, gentle and perfeetly eafe for a ill sell to anybody this way, such asthe speaking sphinx. Most who wants him for about ‘steen dolla1 people know the secret of this illusion, but for good halter thrown in. the sake of a little anecdote I am going to tell ‘ou I will explain it once more. The scene (set box fashion) is hung with red cartaine. In | center stands a tripod table, one leg in front “As an inventor of novelt: Bantier de Kolti Paris. He hi and now only » with o A SENSATIONAL EXHIBIT. “This trick wasa French invention, and the | originator of it got up the most sensational ex- hibit ever witnessed in Paris. He hired a cellar | in some large b avd fitted it up to rep- resent a dungeon. walls looked damp and moldy and the floor was covered with straw. e “Rastus Green's done gone craay—@” “He is? Whad’s he did?” ; “He's done sole he's razzer." the horse back to the barn and hitched him to | of things, and in due time the entire outfit | might as well | thing to do. | | “TICKETS, PLEASE!” The Railway Passenger Conductor, His Duties and Characteristics. HE KNOWS NO ONE. A Man the Public Frequently Meet, but Know Little About—The “Spotter” Still General Use—Stories of Interest With Il- lustratjve Points—Carefal and Careless Conductors. SE OF THE MOST interesting characters that the traveling public come in contact with is the railway passenger conductor. Although little has been written about his work and characteristics leas is realy known, Of course, his duties are, ina manner, monoton- ous, but being a rail- roader, and the only one that the public have close relations with, has lent to him a certain interest and elevated the man above the ordinary run of human beings. How often has he createdan uneasy feeling, holder as if doubting its genuineness, a feeling that makes you grow red in the face as you think you can read his thoughts and that ho sus- pects you of using a acalper ticket. tion ticket and ina genteel way defraud the age. It is anid that conscientions judges upon the fedcral and state bench are diffident about creating friendships on account of a possibility of influencing or coloring a decision, and for in the same category—not to influence a dei ion, but to enable him to perform his duties conscientiousl; Numerous cases can be cited wherein a con- ductor has been asked to favor a friend and as @ result lost his position. The role of conductor on a passenger train is considered one of great honor among the rail- road men and is really the highest position at- tainable for four-fifths of them. One in five hundred continues advancing and b depot master; one in a thousand reaches the position of train master, and, at this late day when a technical education is required, one in ten thousand advances to the position of divis- ion superintendent. The conductor in the bulb was, perchance, ® rough country Ind who took to railroading as relief to the monotony of farm life and allured toward maturity advanced through the stages of brakeman, flagman, baggage master and freight conductor until the pinnacle of his de- sire was reached and he blossomed out in the neat uniform of the passenger conductor. Many of the nerviest and most practical rail- road men that ever turned a switch or put on a brake have been remanded to their old posi- tions ns freight conductors, on account of an absence of will power and being the possessors of hearts of abnormal siz TO ILLUSTRATE THIS POINT. There wasa good-natured fellow ona road nota thousand miles from Washington, who had worked his way up from the position of brakeman to that of freight conductor. He ‘had friends by the score and was known to be honest and upright in every wa | pany desired to promote him to the passenger | service, but knew of his proverbial good nature | and hesitated. Finally it was resolved to give j hima trial. He had made butahalf dozen trips out of anear by city, when one day the |depot master at that “point approached |him with a request that he carry a |friend of the latter's over free. They had been —colabore friends for years and a hearty wax given to the request. ‘Th | ried gratis and the conductor made his List trip on a passenger train. He should have collecte | pass or ticket from the lady nader all cireum- stane spotter” on the train knew this aud had been watching bim fo ya to see how he performed hi ; reported the lapse of duty to the h ials and the next | trip the good-hearted condnctor made was in his old position in the freight cervies er cond! cipal work is that of collecting tickets from th patrons of the yin case of obstrac tion to the track does he get an order that calls | for his supervision and railroad knowledge. These cases are rare. In the days of single track roads, when orders were necessary for the | running of’ trains, the conductor's keenness in | picking out bogus tickets and tarning down | dead beats was considered of much less im- portance than his knowledge of practical rail- ) roading. | Good conductors are those who are close of mouth, firm of character 2nd pugnacious enough to bounce the president of the toad | were be on the train without pass, ticket or money, Men of this character stand high with the railroad officials It is said that General Manager Wilkins of | the Baltimore and Potom: | intendent, was eaught in just such a plight. rode out to a small station on his road to a an incotning train, the conductor out not asking for his pas: the incoming train was of a different caliber, and the superintendent discovered that he had neither pass nor money with him. Without farther ado the signal rope was pulled, the train stopped and he was requested to alight, which | he did. being too proud to ask any of the pas- | sengers for the loan of the money necessary to jcarry him to his destination. It was three miles to town and the superintendent is said to have footed it the entire distance, punishing | himself for his forgetfulness. A few days later the lenient conductor was called in the super- He t while the other conductor carries to this day a letter from Superintendent Wilkins commend- ing in high terms the course he pursued. ‘There is a belief among many people that the passenger conductor, as a general rule, “knocks down,” to use the popular vernacular, or steals more than his salary every month. This is the quintessence of bosh. There are ' rales and regulations big roads that are infallible and will convict a crooked conductor inside of a month's pilfer- ing. 10 PREVENT KNOCKING DOWN. Speaking with a conductor recently on this subject an Evextxo Srar reporter asked him what cafeguards the company had thrown out to protect themselves. In reply he said: here are ahundred and one rules to be guided by to discover if a conductor is dishon- est or not. I know of many | is the ‘spotter.’ To be effective he must be unknown to us, and as a general rule he is, Often he will buy sealper or outlawed tickets to try us on, and then, again, frequently offer us half fare to carry him. Another way is for him to pass through the train, as if looking fora friend, but in reality to count the passengers on board and afterward ascertain if they cor- responded with the number on the telegraph report sent in by us from a way station. “Anothvr plan,” continued the speaker, “is to average up the trains on certain schedules. ‘The number of passengers carried varies but slightly and a falling off in fares collected will lead to v in my a thief plenty of rope and he! has proved the most effective. People not used to money in quantity are liable to flop over, as it were, immediately it comes to them in large amounts dishonestly. railway company out of the price of the pass- | road, while super- | now in force on all the | but the chief one | as he glances at the long ticket and then at the | double track, and it was di AN IDEAL CONDUCTOR. “My beau ideal of a conductor runs on one of the roads between this city and Baltimore. He is thort and stout and rarely «miles. His motto is: ‘know no one.’ He came by this throngh friends saying to him while on his train when they desired to ride free, ‘You know me, old fellow?’ and his now well known, came back in hard tones, OW no one; fare, please.’ I honestly believe that this conductor would make his own wife or child pay their fare if they had no tickets and I have heard him, up in the general bed room at the depot, arrel with himeelf, in his sleep, and demand that he pay the fare or get off. When the officials of the road strike his train they in- variably dive into their pockets to see if they have their ‘or money, as they know he is impregnable to all blandishments or threata, He is held in high esteem by all the officials, and many are the stories told wherein he figures ns the chief character. “Asa practical railroader he is above the aver- ‘age and has never had the misfortune to wreck a train owing to the misunderstanding of orders. This is saying a great deal when it is considered that he has served on the road for twenty years asaconductor. He never leaves a telegraph station wherein he has received an order without fully understanding it and seeing that his engineer is also fully informed. “Several times this ultra carefulness has led to annoying delays, but toa wreck, never. In 1879 this condactor was coming south on anight train, the latest echedule of the night, and as the road wns a single track affair received orders to take a siding abont fifteen miles ont of Washington and remain there until a certain north-bound train had passed. The siding was located at a small station where a telegraph office had not at that time been opened. It was | also about tive miles from the nearest telegraph office. ‘The north-bound train met with a mishap on the outskirts of the city, but atill on the d that the south- | bound train be brought into Washington while when you have borrowed a friend's commuta-| OTdered. Minutes went by this reason a passenger conductor can be placed | fis Jone! omes ® | Washington about five hours late. | the repairs were being made. low to reach the train was a problem. “While it was being solved the south-pound Or again, | train went on the siding at the lonely station as nd finally widened Then the engineer becaine restless and wanted to uncouple his engine and run to the next station for additional orders, but the conductor pulled out his orders and that set- tled it, The engineer owes his life to that con= ductor for his decided stand on that occasion. “A track hand «was finally routed out of bed at the nearest telegraph station and given an order to carry to the belated train. While on ly walk over the ties he came upon a landslide directly behind a sharp curve which completely covered the track to the depth of a foot and was composed of gravel and clay. Had an engine or train struck the obstruction it would, undoubtedly, bave left the rails and went over and down the steep embankment at that spot. ‘The train was brought up to the obstruction and by the diligent use of shovels and picks the track was cleared and the train came into The passen- gers on the delaved train at first were inclined | to grow! and censure the conductor for the de- | | by the fair aulary allowed, and as the root grew | lay, but when they beheld the death trap they had missed general congratulations were in- dulged in. e rules of a single-track road would have advanced the train after a certain period of delay, irrespective of the telegraph orders given the conductor, but he would take no chances and the obstruction eaved him a reprimand from the head offic A STORY OF THE OLD DAYS. “One of the greatest difficulties the ald con- ductors have to overcome is the fact that rai roading has advanced with giant strides during the past ten yenraand to keep up with this progress. The old days of running trains to suit themselves are passed, but the rare old tales of that bygone period are still cherished land retold with great gusto at almost every The com- | rrving him | The conductor on | intendent’s office and sharply reprimanded, | pared hy themselves. “Charley Rutledge was one of the latter class. He was classed as one of the best men. on the road; had first worked asa brakeman in *65 and but couple of years back, after work- ing for twenty-five years, was tripped up asa result of his carelessness. “He was arrosted one thering of veteran conductors. One of the best of them, I don’t believe, has appeared print, it's worth being enhanced by being a strictly true story. Avery unique character had charge of a running outof a large ci’ on a net anch road to a «mall town twenty miles distant. He was a relative of the auperintendent of the road and for this reason became over- bearing and thought he could do almost as be pleased. is superintendent died abont six months before the incident herein related oc- curred, “The conductor was a great lover of game chickens and was recognized ax an authority on thut so-called sport. A friend one day sent himachicken of high pedigree, and the old mun was mightily tickled over the gift. He carried it around in his arms, showing it to diffe and abont half an hour b fo for his train to leave the city ar rin drifted into @ ealoon near the ow his prize to the proprietor. ussion quickly arose as to the fighting qualities of the bird, and as the saloonkeeper also owned a few pugnacious chickens an im- promptn match was proposed and agreed to. “On the train from the east that day which made connections with the conductor's train herein mentioned was the new superintendent, bound for the Iittle town at the terminus of that division. The superintendent alight from his train and walked over to the one in waiting, and settling back in a comfortable seat was soon lost amid the news of the day in a daily newspaper. After reading a short while he noticed considerable growling around him, indulged in by the passengers on account of the train ting, and, glancing at his watch. saw that the train should have started twenty Leaving the ear on a jump ied up to the locomotive and inquired of ngineer why he didn’t pull out, ‘The engi- ot recognizing him, si “ma waiting on Bill, my conductor. 1 quired the superintendent. can’t pull out without him.’ “Where is he? ‘He's gota new chicken and I think he over in that saloon across the way showing him off.” “The superintendent turned on his heel and strode toward the saloon with fire in his eyes. When within a few yards of the saloon he was brought to a standstill by the door opening with a bang and the conductor appearing in the doorway with the chicken in one hand and big roll of money in the other, which he waved above his head with a trinmphant yell toward his engineer. It was evident his bird had won, ‘He was permitted to make that one trip, but to this day he is ranning as baggage master on that little branch road. “His relationship to the former superintendent of the road, no doubt, saved him from absolute discharge, but I know he still dotes on game chickens.” ———_ A Musle-Loving, Law-Abiding People. From the New York Recorde The Welsh have many interesting character- istics, They are eminently distinguished for their love of music. For thirteen consecutive years the South Wales Choir has won the queen's challenge cup for choral singing in the Crystal Palace against competitors from the British Isles and the continent. They devote themselves to music during the long winter months and patronize popular readings and vari- ous entertainments. Usually once a week they assemble in the village churches for recreation. Besides these their outdoor amusements include excursions to places of interest, reviews of the citizen volunteers on some broad, expansive meadow, trips across the Bristol channel to lovely watering places like Uifracombe, Tenby and 60 on,or trips over the hills to «picturesque spot, where picnics aud athletic sports are en- enjoyed. ‘They are an_ exceedingly law-abiding people. ‘The records of the courts show that, aceor toan old custom, high sheriffs of several counties in Wales bilve presented the judge of assizes with a pair of white kid gloves asa token that not a single indictment had been found for the term and that there was no case to be tried within the jurisdiction of the high court. The Welsh are very thrifty. dom that an artisan of uine Cymric origin, however small his gs, does not put by little for a rainy day. While not miserly, th deny themselves many little luxuries and live on the plainest food. It is very scl- UNCLE SAWS TENANTS What Changes Mrs. Cleveland . Will Find in the White House. AN EXCHANGE OF BABIES How Mr. Cleveland Will Come in and Mr. | Harrison Will Go Out—Some Advantages | of Being the President's Wife-What the Chief Magistrate Can Do if He Chooses. FEW CHANGES WILL be noticed in the White House by Mra. Cleve- land on her réturn to Washington. Sho will find the mansion illum- inated throughout with electric lights, which gas two years ago. In the blue room she will notice new silk tapes- tries on the walls, « ceiling freshly hand painted with designs representing the clouds of | morning and evening and furniture gorgeously recovered. She will observe that the green room has been papered in a lighter shade of | green, and that the great vestibule has been | much improved by redecoration, Apart from these things, however, all will be just ax it was when she left the establishment four years ago. Everything in it will be in perfect order, just as if she had only gone away the day before. Mr. | Harrison. before his departure, will follow the usual custom by having a thorough house- cleaning, so that the residence may be in proper shape for tha reception of Uncle Sam's new tenants. Thus, the most popular woman in America, returning as a matron to the house it swept and garnished to receive her. VACANT FOR A DAY. On the 4th day of March, 1893, the White House will be a vacant dwelling. Mr. Harrison will have sent his family away and will have made all tions for his own departure. Mr. and Mrs. Cleveland will come to Washing- apartmentat one of the hotela, When the Hi risons came here four years ago the Clevelands invited them to stay at the Executive Mansion until inauguration day, but the offer of hospital- ity was declined. Owing to his recent berenve- ment Mr. Harrieon will not return the compil- ment by extending a similar invitation to Mr. and Mra, Cleveland. A little before noon on March 4 Mr. Cleveland, attired in his best frock coat and with a rosebud in his button. hole, will proceed alone to the White House, where he will be welcomed by Mr. Harrison, The outgoing President will have his own private carriageat the door, in which his coach- man will drive Mr. Cleveland and himself down Pennsylvania avenue to the Capitol, where the incoming President will deliver his inaugural address. The new President and the ex-Presi- dent will then return together to the White House, where Mr. Harrison will bid Mr. Cle Jand good-bye and will be driven away, leaving | bis successor in possession. Mra. Cleveland and Baby Ruth will soon after go to the White House in time for the President and bis wife to view the parade from the stand in front of the Executive Mansion. BABY RUTH'S QUARTERS. Presnmably Baby Ruth will occupy thesunny room over the front door of the White House, which bas been during the last four vears the | nursery of Benjamin Harrison McKee and his | little Mr. and Mra, Cleveland will bring | few belongings with them besides wearing apparel and toilet necessaries, because the | government provides them with prett: | everything. Uncle Sam gives them ren dweiling furnished, lighted and heated, | table linen and bed linen, the glassware and | silver, the crockery for the kitchen—every- | thing’ in fact ix supplied except food, and part of that is obtained in the shape of vegetables | from the garden, planted and tended by gov- ernment gardeners. In addition to. what the | superb White Houre conservatories will furnish the President's wife can have cart londs of roses and other flowers from the propagating gardens | if she wants them, If she wishes to have any | article of furniture renewed or any alterations | made about the mansion she has only to com- municate a request to the commissioner of pu | lic buildings and grounds and the matter is at- tended to at once. Col. O. H. Ernst, the present | incumbent of this office, will be succeeded by a new appointee at the beginning of Mr. Cleve- | Jand’s administration. The post is always held by an engineer officer of the army, who is ex- | officio military attache at the White House, act- | ing as master of ceremonies there, © Mr. Harri- son was the first President to appoint « naval 0.8. attache, Lieut. a unlikely that Mr. Cleveland will make a similar | appointment. THE POWER VESTED IN THE CHIEF MAGISTRATE. Did Congress authorize Mr. Harrison to ap- point a naval attache at the White House? Of course not. The President of the United States bas a legal right to order the whole army and to follow him around if he chooses. Few people realize what an enormous power is vested in the chief magistrate of this country. | Not many monarchs are eo powerful as be. | The Queen of England has no such control over affairs, and it is doubtful if the Emperor of Germany is a mightier man. If Mr. Cleve- | land shall want a brigade of infantry to guard little Ruth's baby carriage he has only to order } it, and no one can gainsay him. By one stroke | of his pen the President can dismiss 20,000 | government office holders and can appoint in their places ay many Italian peanut venders, ‘The civil service law has no authority over him. Itis made for him to apply as he may desire, and he can withdraw it from operation if he wishes. He can put stop to immigration whenever he likes. There is no law to prevent him from suspending or abrogating all of the treaties by which the relations of the United States are with other nations established. By a few words of writing it is in his power at any time to recall all of the ministers, consuls and other diplomatic officials representing this country In varions parte of the world, and do this he need not ask anybody's permission. ismissed would be veling expenses home, But if he preferred to “remove” them they would be left stranded in foreign lands without a penny from this government to fetch them Pack.” "There ta one very curious exception which should be noted. ‘There are thirteen consular clerks, who are appointed by the President under the law without the consent of the Senate, which is required in the case of every other diplomatic offic time the President cannot dismiss any of these clerks without the approval of both the Senate and House of Representatives. CABINET OFFICERS AS CLERKS. The Secretaries of State, Treasury, War, Navy, Agriculture and the Interior, the Post- master General and the Attorney General are merely clerks in the office of the chief magis- trate. The authority they exercise is his authority and they have none other. He ap- ints and discharges them when he chooses. The President is made by the Constitution the commander-in-chief of the army and navy. appoints all the generals, and in time of war, if he cared to do so, he could take the field in Person as generaliseimo. If he liked he could ‘assemble the entire army at Washington and all the vessels of the navy in the Potomac and Parker, by iit i uf ge il ii i i F H & Hi i i L ' Hl ! A g3 | 8 z i i : td i t : Hi i ii E F were substituted for | where she formerly reigned as « bride, will tind | ton a short time in advance and will take an | At the same | three quests at a time. which is unfortunate, Decanse there are lots of people who find it en- | Jorable to be entertained at the residence of | thenation’s executive. Some day a Present with a large family and an independent tarn of mind will gently rebuke the country by hiring house here to live in, utilizing the official welling merely for business and ceremonial Purposes. Fortunately the housekeeping cares of the President's wife are light. She is pro- vided by the government with « housekeeper to superintend domestic affairs, though she must ire her own cook and maids. A steward, like- wine engaged at Uncle Sam's expense, takes | general charge of the mansion, buys all the provisions and acts as butler, even arranging | the state dinners. The President te alec sup- } Plied_ officially with « valet or “smemenger.” t is worth mentioning that a newly appointed | steward always gives a bond of €20,000 to cover ble damage to the furniture and other lomestic belongings of the White House, all of b are placed in his charge. However, he is idered responsible for ordinaty wear and tear or for breakage, The chief mi must buy hie own carriages and pay his coach- | man. though a groom for the stables is pro- | vided by the government. The care, repairing | and refurnishing of the White House cost about | $25,000 a year. For the present fiscal year the | appropriation is 20,000; last year it was | | €35,000, | THE PRESIDENTS LAST DAY IN OFFICE. | Mr. Harrison will get hie last month's pay on | | February 28 or 29 in the shape of a draft issued ona warrant signed ne usual by the Secretary of | the ‘Treasury and sont over to the White Houre | by @ messenger. The amount of this draft would be #4.166.67, but four days’ extra pay will be added for March. On the evening of | | March he will go to the Capitol, where he will seat himself at the big table in the center of | the President's room. ‘Thia ix said to be the handsomest room in the world, but the chief | magistrate of the nat 9 it once in two years, Jt has a velvet carpet with a pile so deep that the footsteps of} one who walks upon it are noiseless, The | furniture is covered with red leather, and the ceiling is froscoed in the highest strle of art. Mr. Harrison will take a chair between two great mirrors, which xo throw tack each other's reflections that looking in either diree- | tion he can see an interminable line of his own images extending out of aight. Upto midnight | he will be ocenpied in hnrviedly signing bills in | order that they may become laws before the | expieation of the Pifty-second Congress. It | will he his Inst night of power. The next day | | he becomes a private citizen, with no more | | control over public affairs than a newly nat- uralized foreigner. THE WIFE OF THE FIRST PRESIDENT-ELECT | had no White Honse waiting to receive her. | There was no Executive Mansion then. Mra. | Washington and her husband lived in Phile- phia after the general was inaugnrated. In the directory of that city for 1707 the name of Gecrge Washington appeare.and hie addres is | given as No, 19 Market street, below 6th. The house had been previously occupied by Benedict Arnold, who is said to have dweit | there “in great ‘state” on the proceeds of his | profitable peculations, having many liveried | servants, Kobert Morris ocenpied the residence next door to the father of bis country, and the | latter paid rent ont of his salary of €28,000 a | year, which was commonly referred to at the | time’as “‘grosely extravagant. res Written for The Evening Star. O14 Joe. When the “metanchols dara,” With their sof’ and melier haze, Settle nigh, An’ the ripe leaves, red an’ brown, Flutter sof'y, gently down, Dead and dry; } Or, as else, the nippin’ breeze Goes rampantin’ throngh the trees In a gaet, ‘Yerks em from the of home twig, Whiris ‘em in a giddy jig With the dust: Then I think of rect'ation— A spot on the plantation, Warm and brigut, | An’ I fill my oF clay pipe Witn Uoaccer yeller-ry Strike a ligut. AsT set thar, poff'n’, thinkin’, A blinkim’ and a winkia Of my exes, A sof an’ wistful feelin’ Upon my heart comes stealin, ‘You see, Pim growin’ tee Au’ soon mast Jeave Here around; An’ when the lea By garw'rin’ winds To the ground, people ‘Then it somehow "pears to me Pm a por leaf on Lite’s tree, Sere an’ light, + bligatin’ breath From the cracked o! lips of Death Soon will smite, An’ when the le: Taimos’ hear "em From the shore Where my wife an’ littie Joe, In an autumn long ago, ‘Went before. Now OF Joe's sun's declinin’— Where sunbeams once was stinin’ Shadows | But, thank Goa, comes the dawnis’— A lit-with-giory mornin’— Upon hignt —Moxccne BURKE. oe SOME RAPID ARTISTS. Painters Who Have Done Works of Art in Short Spaces of Time. From the New York Sun. Sir Edwin Landseer, who was noted for the rapidity with which he worked. co picture for exhibition in one day had promised to send a picture in time for the spring exhibition of 1842 at the Britieh Institu- tion in Pall Mall, On the day before the open- ing the hanging committee received from Land- seer an empty frame, which, with some daring, they placed on the line. Mr. Vernon Heath was sent in haste to the studio, and Landseer was found, palette and brushes in hand. Mr. Heath followed him into the studio, where, nting to an untouched canvas on the easel, Landseer said: “I eball send that to the Insti- tution tonight—s finished picture—and have | consequently given orders not to be disturbed, | for on that depends whether I can complete the task I have set myself.” The picture was finished in one day and duly sent in and is familur to visitors to the National Gallery under the title of “The Cavalier's Pets. Sebastian Bourdon was oneof the most eminent French painters. So rapid was his execution that he is said to have completed in one day | twelve portraits from life and as largeas nature, and these were esteemed among his best ductions. Another remarkably rapid artist was J itist Weenins, called the “Old” to dis- tinguich him from ‘hiseon smd pupil’ sleo named “‘Jan,” or ‘“Jobn,” ealled the “Young ” | This eminent Dutch painter frequently sketched and finished pictures five or i in the course of a single day, and particularls one representing ¢. bull baited by dogs, painted | from natureand ompleted in ‘one day. Ina/| single summer's Cay he painted three balf- | Jength portraits of the size of life, with all their | surroundings. He excelled in ‘almost every | department of painting—history, portraits, | animals, landscapes and marine scenes, and was one of the best painters of birds of the Dutch We Had Not Thought of This. From the Detroit Free Press. He was about the raggedest specimen of the genus peripatet the well-to-do citizen had met on the street for a long time, and when he asked for a dollar the well-to-do almost had a ‘The citizen nodded and waited for him to go on. | § & E rf ith i! | 2! = ie The aie te fives wine feir man and he He ars 4 | give him a decent bartal,”” anid another | Sife or mother will be glad if she ever knows it.” HOW GOLD Was roux By Mon Whe Were Kindly Burying « Deed Comrade. From the Philadelphia Prem. Gold waa discovered in Onlifornia in 1848 and in Colorado in 1858, The discovery was acci- dental im both case, and the fect created the impression that mines were “lying around loone.” Adventurers drifted about in bope of “stumbling upon a mine.” Mr. Thayer, in his | “Marvels of the New West,” mentions several instances of lucky “stumbling.” Three men, while looking for gold in California, di the dead body of « man.t “prospecting.” “Door fell “He has passed in bis checks! trio. They began to dig agrave. Three feet below the surface they diseovered signe of gold. The *tranger was bursed in another place, and where they “had located ® grave they opened a gold mii Anadventurer who had drifted into Lead- ville awoke one morning without food or money. He went out and shot @ deer, which, tn ite dying agonies, kicked mp the dirt and a ed of gold. The poor man staked 4 opened one of the most mines ever worked in Leadville Man Claim,” the mame given to es — oe in Leadville, was discovered by e aken down miner while 4 ng 8 Krave. A miner died when there Coy) feet of do a Ngger, after three days’ absence,was found digging @ mine instead ofagrave. While excavating be hed struck gold. Forgetting the corpse and his bargam he thought only of the fact that he had ““etrack it rie But these “stumblings” the rule that intelligent are exceptions to nines are found by painstaking. rompectors. ‘They spend weart- some months in exploring mountains end gulcnes, They are mineralogists, geologists and, above all, practionl explorers, who oan tell from a “twist” in the grain of the rook or from the color of a spar seam whether “paying gold” can be mined in the region. rman A Romance and Its Token. From the Cornbill. The writer of this article remembers some forty years ago making the sequaintance of « very charming Irish gentleman and lady, One day she thought ahe observed that his eyes were Testing inguiringly on her brooch, which was of gold, inclosing © mass of fractured bone She laughed end said: “Are you admiring my brooch? Iwill tell you the story of it. One day, some ten years when Iwas «young irl, T was staying in the house of a friend who also knew Mr. N., who is now my husband. We we were having @ game a romp—and run) iter each other throngh the house, which wes large. with long galleries and chambers com- monnicating with one another. Mr. N. was close behind me, trying to catch ma 1 darted 8 door and threw the door back bebind Shrough |me. Mr. N. had his head down, and the handle struck his skull and be fell stunned. The skull was fractured, and to save his life be was obliged to have it trapanned. Now he weare.a plate of silver over the hole, and I woar the portion out of hisakull in this brooch. The secident I suppose my distrons and remorse — brought about an it; we became engaged, and are new man and wife” 22+ Very Much Put Oat, From Pack A puck of payer cigarettes is found by Tom ‘O'Hare, Which little brother Willy knows they will not Tet him hm Into an empty packing box then each one helps the other Tom O'Hare and all the boys, except the little brother. “Now just you sneak!” says Tom O'Hare, “and Gon’t you stan’ dere eryin’ ‘er dis here box, I'll sen’ you bome yin.” smoke curls bi quyend Gi Ge caltemn his boxes are on fire.