Evening Star Newspaper, February 27, 1921, Page 63

" THE "SUNDAY 'STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, FEBRUARY o =i, 1921—PART 4. ‘Meeting Up With Chester SAY, Torchy,” calls out Mr. Robert, “what is the meaning of this V. C. B. on my date pad?” “Oh, that! sa 114 1. tryin' to throw ft off carcless. “Why they've called another directors’ meeting of the * VAcuum Clothes Brush Company. this noon, down at Ollie Payne's of- fice. “To declare a dividend?" asks Mr. Robert sarcastic. “Either that, or to make plans to) Iynch somebedy,” savs L. “As a mat- ter of fact, Mr. Robert, I expect this is the final gasp. “Humph!” says he, hunchin’ his| shoulders. “Well, it's about time.| And 1 don’t think I care to be in at . the obsequies. and allow you to represent us both at the sad rites, Torchy. Only don't aste the whole afternoon over Very well. sir,” s . And I'll admit he had me with my chin down. For I might as well own up that I w the Chris. Columbus of this little enterprise, which had promised so bright only a few months back and now looked so dismal. Th-huh It was me that run acros: H this Ol Payne person. He thinks he's a promoter, Ollie doe: Any- way, he did along last ptember. | 1t's| T'll give you my proxy | And ‘somewhere he'd dug up this nutty inventor with his wizard clothes brush scheme. | Course, it seems silly now, but at| the time it listened good. Sounded| lige a winnin' proposition. Simple ! little thing, too. Just applyin' the| suction carpet cleanin’ principle to a! clothes brush. As Ollie puts it: “We | no longer permit dust and dirt to stay | in our rugs and carpets, ;stirring it up with a broom every day. No. We! take it out by the vacuum process.| aided by an electric brush. So our homes are really clean. But our| clothes! Why, we carry about the| same dust and germs for inonths. Let’s have it beaten and sucked out This brush will do it So it would. Ollic made me let him try the model on my blue serge. Showed me how much dirt he took out | of what I thought was a_perfectly | clean suit. It was such a handy lit- tie thing. too. Only weighed two pounds and any electric light socket. Course, the hest way was to spread vour clothe: on a table or ironin’ board, but you could use the brush while you had | ‘em on. Felt like kind of a mild mas- | sage. that's all. 1 L 1 Accordin’ to Ollie. when we once Zot this on the market, there would he one in every home, in every of-| fice, in every Pullman car. The whisk | broom would vanish from the land. We would be a clean race at last. Germs would get a knock-out. Epi- demics would cease, The little wizard brush would bring health and happi- ness into a sad, sick world, and to e few wise guys who got in on the ground floor and bought the pre- | ferred shares—well, Ollie could talk about nothing short of millions. I fell for it. Hard. I managed to mcrape up enough to buy a block of 500 and after I'd talked to Vee she came in for as' much more. Then I towed Mr. Robert down, had Ollie | demonstrate the brush, and got him . lJanded for a big slice of the stock.| Ten thousand shares. no less. And | n' tight at the time, you can guess the rest, T . You know what a perfectly swell chance any new development had of gettin' under way this last inter. with the buyers’ strike on and 11 money rates jumpin' every day. ! That hundred thousand shares wasn't snapped up by eager investors. And until at least half of it was unioaded | there wouldn't be capital enough to| ‘warrant starting a factory and an advertisin’ campaign. i money was gett Ollie Payne kept peggin’ away at it though. Every week or 80 he'd { announce that he'd sold a few hun- dred more. Just drops in the bucket. He was always talking about hookin’ some of the big fish—Standard Oil | people.” a couple of the Steel crowd.} Vor somebody representin’ the Morgan interests. But mo far as I could judge he never got even a nibble. Then the assessments begun to TP in for runnin’ expenses, and| 1 first shareholders’ indignation | meetin’ assembled. We sure were a| s lot of tin-horn investors— insurance @erks, cloth®™g salesmen. n uptown dentist. dealer from 6th avenue, and a couple | 0f real estate azents. And none was erazy over droppin’ our lirtle nest cggs i a financial omelet with no fire in the stove. What| most of us wanted was to get out! with as little loss as possible. Some- | body bad proposed that we might + dump our stock on the curb market - all at once, on the chance that there Tornrs— S0 NOW THEY SITS AROUND SULKY AND GLARES AT EACH OTHER ACROSS THE TABLE. ht be enough suckers to go around. This board meetin' had been “called to chew over that scheme and it didn’t promise to be a very cheer- ful affair. So maybe 1 wasn't as chirky as upual when I squeezes into a subway r at 23rd street on my way down- town. But then, I had lots of com- pany. For ain't we a glum. peevish- lookin® lot as we go back and forth? if you don't believe it just look your- selves over next time you leave home or the office. Coming or going, it don’t seem to make any difference, You'd most think that ail our dispo- sitions had soured, or that showin’ any signs of good nature was against the city ordinances, I expect I was * ‘em back as had as they sent when all of a sud- den. perhaps just to be different, I #iops scowlin’ and tries to remember that u lot of these folks, although 191al rangers, might not be wife beaters or yvegg men. And the next Ring T knew [ w arin’ at this _ slim, long-legged party with the mild Llue eyves. Maybe 1 was wonderin’ why he wore the gray spa You do, you kuow ey in S0 m- mon. Or perhaps 1 was tryin' to guess what he could find to work up an _eye twinkle about. Anyway. the twinkle was there and it was kind of | welcome. 1 shealdn't wonder bui, what I flickered back at him, for he| promptly edges over into the corner and signals with his thumb that ihere's room for me, too. At which % siides in beside him. Thanks" L mumbled, half ashamed S ou could hook it up to| { Chester | ether ot “I'VE HAD SOME EXPERIENCE IN HANDLING SUCH MATTERS, AND 1 . MIGHT BE OF SOM! MAY I COME ALONG STANCE. ‘Quite welcome.” savs he. “Then ‘re not one of the beare: sh?" says I hardly knowin to make of this odd openin'. 11 on their way to funerals, aren’'t they crowded car. “Oh. I connect now." says I are a bunch of crepe hangers, eh? “And it's So unnecessary, most of it”” he goes on. “Things ply couldn’t be as bad as all that with so many of them. There must be a lot of zood luck and contentment distrib- uted around, along with the other. So why not express it? And even if the world isn't treating vou as well as vou think it ought to, why wear your ill humor on your face? Why not be brave, kindly smile; before your fellows, at least * * x x “Why." says 1, “that's about how it struck me. oniy a minute ago.” “Really! 8 you are already a member of our B. LYY I Grin-and-Bear-1t." “Welcome, brother. My Livingston Brook: shall expect you to call me Chester.” “Yes?" says I. a little offish. But 1 hadn’t more'n got it out before I felt mean. Suppose he was one of a wire-tapper gang. or even worse? He couldn’t sting me much harder than Ollic Payne Besides. he was too late to get lean leavings. So I thaws out. “My friends call me ‘Torchy.” 1 goes on, “and some do that just want to be fresh. I'll give you three guesses to say why.” “Nearly all of the early gods had flaming locks, you know,” says he, “and if I were going to imagine a deity, Torchy, I think I _should pic- ture him with red hair.’ I had to give him th&® grtn at that “You're some booster, Chester,” Says 1. “And you hand out a soothing line. But say, how was it you spot- ted me as a brother G. B. 1.?" “Just by the friendly glance,” says he. “That is the whole ritual of our order. It revealed you to me at once as a tamer of the Truculent Dispos tion. I saw that you. for ome, had thrown off the shackles of self: that ou had gome to grips with your ego nd had come off a victor. When one does that he can look his fellow he. name is but I and without fear. Do I put it too awkwardly for you to foliow?" “I ain't more'n a block behind you,” says I. “Something about not 1 a grouch ride vou without tryin buck it off, eh “Ah, excellent!” says he. remember that phrase. to “I must And we must see more of each other, friend Torchy. Whither away?’ “Oh, gosh!" T groans. “I was al- mest forgettin’. I'm on my way to take part in some sad rites. We're goin' to bury a wild cat, Chester.” I beg pardon? t's hard to be a (¢ “when you're loaded up with And then I explains how I'd sunk Imy good money in some shares that would be chiefly useful. before the week was out, as linin' for bureau drawers. Chester seems interested and sympathetic. He asks for de- tails and I tells him all about the wonderful little brush that cleans you on the hoof and sucks in the dust so_slick. . 2 out that we are t real suckers, “Ah_ say not <o. friend Torchy says Chester. “Why, that is the most practical invention 1 I ard of in years. Just the thin s need “d. And it is sur ve could only seem to have could hardly float u picc he North river. So we're today and wind somahow. “Bul you mustn’i Go that, Torc insists Chester. “No. no! Never give up the ship. Take the bludgeonings chance if- they come. but keep smiling. For, really, you have a splen- did idea there. one that is much too good to be abandoned without a thor. ouzh trial. It appeals to me strong Zoin' to- things tin' | if your bard will permit. ke-to be prescnt at this mee| had some experience in ing such matters and I might be assistance. May I come I. doubt- . “Misery likes company Ibut it don't vearn for a gallery. have 1o put it up to the others. if you want to take a chance ertainly I do.” says Chester. 0 we got off at 1 street and wandered down to this 10x12 office where Ollie Payne had his name in big lefters on the door. As I had suspected, Ollie wasn't on hand. But the rest of the bunch was there, all right. They wasn't sittin’ around chummy, swappin’. funny stories or tellin' each other' what wise guys they were, .like they used to when we was all figurin’ bow we'd spend our dividends. No. / Nothing like that. For at the two previous sessions each one had insisted that his scheme for I gettin' part of our. money. back was ithe right one, and no two had agreed. |So now they sits around sulky and glares at each other across the table. ‘Specially Doc Pendergast, the dentist, and Morrie Blum, one of the real es- jtaters. 1 forgot which one it was rung the other in, but they'd had rd Still, bas to_ introduce Chester all ‘round, and what does he do but insist on shakin' hands cordial with everybody present. 1 * % x % | “Deligntea to meet you. doctor,” says he. are the shrewd fellows. the vision, and the courage to follow it up. Mr. Blum. Charmed to know you. You ,wear your patronym on your cheeks, if you will pardon such a personal comment. But I aelways £njoy coptact whh those who tra lafe thed good MNealth into good nature, as 1 am sure you do. My friend Torchy has been telling me about this wonderful benefit which j You are about‘to bestow upon & dusty race.'and 1 wish to congratulate you all on being associated with such an | enterprise. Any business which has | at heart the public good is bound to ibe a big success in the long run. Altruism always wins, you know. Alwa % Mr. Blum grunts through the stub- i by cigar, and Doc. Pendergast tries of! man in the face without suspicion |10 Snift disagreeable but for all that {1 could see Chester had ‘em going. {And that's the way he proceeds to scatter seeds of sunshine all through the room, 50 by the time the meetin' is called to order he is on friendly terms with everybody present. Wheth- | er he was to be allowed to stay or inot wasn't even debated. It was Martin, one of the clothing salesmen, who puts his finger on the raw spot. “Well, what are we going to do he demands. “How do I get part of my five bundred back, that's what I, want to know? And where is that fopl promoter who let us in for this? The last I heard from him he ‘was trying to find some one who'd be chump enough to underwrite half of the outstanding shares, and he said i he could— Fat chance of that!” breaks.in Doc. Pendergast. “Why, he's been, trying to do that for three months; peddled ‘em all -over Broad street’ and he knows it can’t be done. That's why he hasn't shown up here today. I' bet he’s skipped. That's my notion.” ve're a lot of squeezed lem- comes#n-Chester, “but I don't think you are warranted in taking such a gloomy view of your affajrs. As for me, I wish to say that 1 bélieve absolutely in-the ultimats success of this company. You have a sound, scientific; much-wanted article here. Ail that is necessary is.to raise sufficient funds to start manufacty ing. “Sure, ‘says Martin, winkin' at erv well, then.” says Chester. llow me, gentlemen, the necessary ampunt.” to subsecribe Wha-a-a-12" guasps the board in chorus. . f “I mean it," Chester. *“And while T seldom invest an unproved enterprise. | shall make this an exception. 1 xhall be very |glad in this instunce, providing you will agree to stand by and xee it “hrfl'unh with me, to take over all the undistributed shares gt par. I am ready a write a check right now. | What do you sa; i It wasn't a question of what, {aow. for tiere wasn't.one of us had breath enough left to get out'a syl- lable. We sat there with our mouths open. like .80 many orphan kids seein’ a real Santa Claus for the first time. Tt was Blum that first got his onversation works unlimbered. so largely in 1 right. | some hectic words over it. Course, I{ = ‘“Vell, gents” says he, “vy dond somebody say somedings? Sounds like a fair offer,” says Doc Pendergast. “A very fair offer. Let's see, did ‘1 get ur name correct, | Mr.—er “Chester Livingston Brooks," my tall friend. | “Livingston Brooks?" repeats Mar- |tin. “No relation, I suppose, to the Mr. Brooks of the well known firm of Brooks & Livingston?” Chester smiles and shrugs his shoulders careless. “The late Chester Brooks was my father,” says he. Henry Livingston is my mother's |brother and my uncle. But I am making you this offer on my own initiative. May 1 ask for an ex- pression of opinion from the board?" * k% ¥ You bet he might. And he got it prompt. It took us less than three minutes to reorganize, elect Chester president of the company, and hand says which is me. After which we voted unanimous to start making the little { wizard brushes as quick as we could {buy a factory, and the meetin’' broke up with Chester shakin’ hands hearty with everybody present and gettin' patted on the back affectionate. “You win, Chester,” says I. “You got the right methods, too. Why. say, if it hadn't been for you we'd Eave been mixed up In a free-for-all i “Ah, you professional chaps |by now. Honest, as a pacifier you've You have |got the dove of peace lookin' like a settin’ hen that's been pushed off the nest. Say, how about coming up to the Corrugated with me? Td like to have you meet Mr. Robert Ellins, our first vice president, and have you go out to lunch with him. Eh?" Nothing would suit him better, he says, except that he really ought to run up to the Grand Central first and see about some hand baggage that he’'s checked there. “All, right.”" says T. {detour with you. It was while we | “I'll make the ‘was pushin’ our that Chester is pushed into this curb faker Who has a tray of wire puzzles strapped . in_front of him. Ches bumps him just hard enough fo_spill some of the stock on the sidewalk “Say, who vou think you're wipin’ your feet on, you human string bean snarls the peddler. “Oh, I'm so sorry.” Chester apolo- gizes humble. “It was awkward of me, wasn't it? Here, my good fel- low. let me help you pick those up. puzzle vender. ‘Oh, but 1 )’ ‘Here are some that are muddy, to Now that is_too bad. Might spoil their sale. Well, it was entirely m fault, 5 allow me to offer you this old_chap.” With which he slips him a ten-spot, takes me by the arm and hurries o eavin' the faker standin’ there stari azed and stupid at what has been pushed into his grubby hand. 1 says. “I'm_an.awkward, clumsy chump.” says he. ‘The poor devil! T hope T did the right thing. Perhaps I didn't give him enough. “Huh!" says I. “I shouldn't worry about Ahat. With what you fed him he'll probably go out and buy an equity in a push cart. and a year from now he's liable to have a store of his own on'2d avenue ‘I mincerely hope ‘he does¥ says Chestey, “Say. vou're almost too good to be true, Chester.” says I ° Then when we geis-to the check room he greets ‘the frosh baggage juggler like''a friend and brother, s1ips ‘a fine cigar and is just thankin' him cordiul for diggin’ out his suit case, when a husky built, square- jawed party steps up and greets Ches ter familiar. As he.turns to see who it is Ches. ter's jaw drops and his mild e register disappointment. only for a second. Then he sticks out his hand and arks cheerful: “Why, hello. Collins! Do you know. givan vou the “And_ you ' verv near Brooks,” ' says Collins though, as vou see.” “No," says Chester. p completely.” did “Not it, Mr. quite, 1 “Trust 1 haven't lcaused you a lot of worry and trouble?” “Aw, that's all right” says Col- line. - “Nice little change for us, tin' off for @ day or so like Trumbull's with me. sir.” “Is he>” says Chester enthusiastic. “Fen't’ that bully? Of course. I'm | fond of all of you. but you and Trum- I bull are such mice. decent chap Glad they sent you two.” “Thanks, Mr. Brooks,” says Coilin “And if you're are ready to go back, sir, why—"" “Quite ready, Collins. says Ches- ter. “I've been gone nearly two days and T've had a corking good time. Met some fine fello one of the.best: my friend. Torch here. And—er—could T ask you, Col- 1lins. to explain things to him?* “Sure,” says Collins. taking me by the arm and steppin’ a little one side. with eve still.on Chester. “I e pect_you're onto him. though. From {Dr. Mudd's Psychopathic Retreat, up |in Connecticut. You know?" And he Itaps his forehead. £ ok ox % get- | “Honest?' says I gawpi | “Yep says he. “Perfect !1ess, though. Absolute better off where him.” Even then I has to step back for lanother look at Chester. But he's we can look after but | from the nut factory, ch? Alvin nods and chuckles little ‘fad’ of my -uncle's,” says he “Poor 'old ‘chap! He's gone orazy over piling up more money. Can't go to grips with his ego, for it has a grip on him. Sad case, uncle’s. But somehow he found a judge who over his check to the new treasurer.! way through the noon hour crush | “An, keep your paws off,” says the | in paymenta And good luck to you.! “You're some guy, you are, Chester,” | o0ld man, 1 fancied that this time I'd | this. : The First Private Charter From King "Charles the First. timore — House on the Island., and the There. N the second installme series on Analostan 1 t of nd it was of the land was apt. Randolph | Brandt of Charles county, Md. and that the island was granted to him |under date of July 21, 1680. Note {that this was the first private own- ership that is of record. From 1632 to 1680 title to the island was in the name of Cecilius Calvert, Barod of Baltimore, and his heirs by charter from King Charles I. son of James 1 and grandson of Mary Scots. Before 1632 title was claimed to reside immediately in the Eng- lish ¢rown by right of discovery and settlement, though for generations and centuries claims to Amecrica W ithe crowns of Spain and France clashed. but it is not fair to you that the Rambler should lug 'such old disputes into the story of Analostan Island. But vou will recall—that you may recall it if er read the book—that Diedrich Knickerbocker, {in writing his “History of New York reviewed the origin of the world be fore getting down to New York. and on his title page he wrote that it “A history of New York from the beginning of the w to the end of the Dutch dynasty. and his synopsis of Book 1 is this: “Con- taining divers ingenious theories and _philosophic ~speculations con- cerning the creation and the popula- tion of the world, as _connected with the history of New York. Now, there is really no particular, no urgent reason which impels the Rambler. while telling the story of Analostan Island, to go back to the disputes be- tween England, France and Spain over their title to America, but he was hav- ing a little trouble in getting this story started in a way which he thought would be satisfactory to his fastidious read- ers, and because Analostan Island is a very pretty and conspicuous part of the District of Columbia, and because the District of Columbia is the most im- portant part of the North American con- {tinent, and because the North American continent is the only continent worth speaking about, except those of Europe, !Asia, Africa and South America, he thought that such a vast and imposing theme was deserving of an elaborate in- troduction. * ¥ * x Then, if Washington Irving could let Diedrich Knickerbocker lug in the his- tory of the world in his history of New York, the Rambler could see no reason why he should not go back a few cen- turies in telling the history of Analoston. Manhattan and Analostan are both In- dian names, and they are both islands. Of course, more people have chosen to live on Manhattan Island than on Analostan’ Tsland, but_the majority is nearly always wrong. Now if Washing: ton Irving could write chapters on the | creation of the world in introducing his history of New York, the Rambler might o something better. As writers, there really no comparison between Wash- ington Irving and the Rambler. The Rambler has no wish to cause a mo- ment's pain or jealousy to the geptle €pirit of Washington Irving. The claims of England, France and Spain to America were. as a general rule. settied by violence. Nearly all land titles can be traced back to theft or murder, if the records have not been lost. ‘Before the English claimed title to Maryland and Virginia title resided in the Indians, who were not only misnamed, but maltreated The thought as he did, 5o I am compelled to live at the retreat. It isn't so bad, however. Rather an interesting lot jof characters up there; especially one who fancies he's Robinson Cruso ‘Wish you'd drop in on us some day. Sorry 1 can’t meet your vice presi {dent. Come along, Collins, 1 want to catch a train back so 1 shall be in time for dinner.” And away he goes toward the icket window, smilin’ friendly at all and several, with Collins steerin’ him gen- tle by the elbow. Say, how was that for 4 knockou The first thing 1 did, of course, is to find a phone booth and ring up this bank that Chester's given us the whackin’ big check on. 1t don't take long to discover the awful facts. account here,” says the bank, at which eyes. - Even at that 1 could see the Vacuum Clothes Brush Company takin’ a final crash on the rocks. “Well?” says Mr. Robert, as I makes {a draggy entrance. | “We're charter members of the Raspberry Club, all right,” says L or an_hour or so there 1 thought we was back on asy street, but all off again. y shares for S0 many cigarette coupons right now.” What 1 should have done was to have called another boagd meetin’ and roused our bunch of pikers out of their sweet dreams. But I hated to news. Day after day I put it off, until nearly a week went by. And then here yesterday Ollie i Payne blows in, all flushed and ex- cited, and proceeds to pound me im- petuous on the back “I say, old chap!” he shouted. “What do_you know “Me?" says I what I don't know. Tt ! long and Interestin® rl‘(‘l!nl. | the assault and battery?” 0’ | “I've put it over, thal's why." says i he. Say, lemme tell you It would be a But why C. : Our stock has been oversubscribed nearly 50 per cent. Got to ue, or something. Tverything “You must h mesmerized somebody, if it's true. No." Ollie. “They began com- ing after me—men who'd almost had me thrown out of their offices. Tt was getting hold of that Mr. Brook: who's connected with Brooks & Liv. ingston, that turned the tide in our favor. “You mean Chester Brooks?" says T ‘Why, didn't yon know? He's only stray from a nnt factory—a = headed nephew that they keep parked in a sanitarium. They took him back that/same day.” “What if they did zot around the street that the firm | was backing us. and that's all we i needed. We got ‘em cominz our way. | We're on our feet, Torchy. Call the board together and we'll see about starting the factorv. Once we got | that moing and vewll soe our stock | g0, above par. Tl bet a million it will Course. you got to allow some for Ollie’s sntliusinsm. but T shouldn't wonder hut what he's somewhere near right. Did you notice the quotations on V. C. B. yesterday? And poor Chester bars! T don't know. though. as he needs much sympathizin’ with. Dis- countin' the bats in his loft, how many of us has so much on him when it comes right down to enjovin’ lite? En? (Capyr * says Ollie. “Tt ack behind the e, 1921, by Sewell Ford.) Ownership—Al People Who Lived| said that the first private owner | Queen of | I'm ready to swap my | be the one to hand ‘em such distressin’ | title claims of the English and Indians overlapped and clashed, |our ancesters, being stronger, craftic: and ricnegs Wiy won. They calied the | tndians the Polomac “savages. | but hat n old cpithet which men uently apply to other men who pen o ddier with them on t ts of dress and eating. You probubly heard fine ladies s that a man is “utterly impossib) just because he zurgles his soup and spills too much of it on his vest. The Indians heid title to Analostan pregcription and occupancy it. Perhaps their tith €K 10 the beginning of human on this continent. Pernaps. if our ans came from in or eisewh 00k title v and settlement. P on here ihey overwhelmed some ovluer race of men and ook title by rixht Of conquest and by the extine- tion of the heirs of the previous own- ers. The Rambler can see the g the. ome of these oid In- the rocks along nd can hear them teehic boast of somn. that years! he title of the Baror iand between 1632 and 1650 and he title of Kandolph Brandt and his scendints and successors trom 1650 must have contained some cle- ments of uncertainty. for it was not until 1785 that the dispute between Maryland and Virginia over their rights in the Potomac river and over the boundary dividing them was ad- justed at a conference of commission- e t Mount Vernon. Those com- missioners were Daniel of St. Thomas Jenifer, Thomas Stone and Samuel Chase, on the part of Maryland., and | George Washington, George Mason and Alexander Henderson, on the part of Virginia. Baltimore to ; * % k% BExamination migQt show that a Vir- ginia patent included Analostan Island before the date of the Maryland grant to Brandt. Perhaps Analostan 1sland lay Within_the tract of 8,000 acres which Sir William Berkeley of Virginla granted on October 21, 1669, to Iob- ert Howscn as a recompens: bringing settlers to the colony which tract was sold by How John Alexander of Stafford county for six hogsheads of tobacco. So as the Rambler has found—or so as the Rambler has been told CONtroversy aros over Analosta Island. The reason for this may hav, been that a Virginian obtained pos session of the island from the heir of the Maryland patentee before the lands in this neighborhood came to be in much request by settlers. The heirs of Randolph Brandt sold the sland to George Mason in 1§17, That Mason was probably the ge Mason of Gunston Hall, and it may be that he was the grandfather of that great man. And right here is a curious little thing: George Mason of Gunston Hall, in his will dated March 20, 1773, and pro- bated at the ourt of Fairfax county October 16, 1792, wrote this item: “I also. give and hequeath unto my said sori John Mason and his heirs forever, my Island in the Potomack River op- site the mouth of Rock Creek which T had under a patent from the Lord Proprietary of Maryland, by tha name of Barbadoes.” Now. the fact is, as shown by the records of Charles county and the gles of the Real Estate and Columbia’ Title com- panies of Washington. that this island was sold to George Mason by Fran- ois Hammersley August 27, 1717, and that Francis Hammersley was the husband of Margaret Martha Brandt, daughter of Randolph Brandt. grantee under patent from the proprietary of Maryland. You remember (and of course you do not) that when the Rambler took up the story of Analostan Island—he wrote that James S. Shepherd. com- misioner of the land office at An- o | I draws a long breath and shuts my | LEWIS A. WOOD, THE RAMBLER’S i VIDE ON ANALOSTAN 1ISLAND. ! napolis, and Arthur Trader. chief clerk of that office, dug out of the files the | patent to Brandt. But here it is again: In obedienice to & warrant from his Lordship, bearing date of the 21st of July. 1680, granted unto Capt. Randolph Brandt of Charles county. pon a petition of the aferesaid in humble | certifies that Ricliard Edelin, surveyor Marys City. under the Honorable Vin- quire. surveyor generall of ud in_reference to @ warrant Brandt, bearing date of the y of Aprill last past, for 200 scres of land, ive laid out for the said Brandt one cer- | tuin pareell of land, being an island -lying in | the Patomack River near the-falls of said rive | over against Iock Creek, in Charles County called or known by the fiame of i Ixland, containing. by estima or less. o be holden of ian alled Barbadoes. . Certiied this 29th (Signed) y after that appeared in The ar the Rambler received the follow- lostan Island in The Star of I take pleasure in informing you that Capt. lll:‘ulnlnh Brandt of Charles connty, Md. vned an RS His will ix of record Capt. Randolph Brandt was his lordship’s ptain of Indian affairs for Charlex ccunty, Md. He came to Maryland from the Barbadoes and was given many land granfs. I thought you might look this up. (underscored) the will is dated 1695. The note came from the late Mrs. James S. Phillips, registrar general, ational Society Daughters of the Americatl Revolution, whose home | was in Shepherdstown, Va.—beg par- don. W.. YVa—the #ambler finds it hard to keep in mind all these new states. T think * & % ¥ Before going over to Annanolis down o La Plata the Rambier ped in at oftices of the titl. pany to see his old friend Will v Fleck and ~make inquiry about Brandt's will. - There were reference to it in the fi Randolph Brandt leaves to his “son Marcus a certain house or temant with the land and other appurtenances thereto in the! Island of ' Barbados, which = said premises, with 500 acres of land, L] give unto said Marcus and his heirs by him lawfully begotten.” Then f Februars 6, 192L.¢ flis influence is indicated by the fact By Sewell Foed THE RAMBLER’S THIRD ARTICLE ON- EARLY HISTORY OF S rtha, wife of Francis| For want of heirs of and Francis Hammersley | the island was to go to his son Jacob. | The testator mentions two dren. Charles and Mary. Mary ve been married fo James Latti- or Latimer. There are records in Charles county of wills of Jacob Krandt. probated 1713: Chrles Bran. and Jacob Brandt. 1750, ms | ANALOSTA! record of a will by Margaret Ham-{ mersley or James or Mary Lati-| more or Latimer has been found.| Analostan Island cvidently came into the ownershop of Francis Hammer- sley, husband of the daughter of the | grantee Brandt, for he sold it to| George Mason, the date of the deed | being August 1717, I Analostan Island was mortgaged to | the Bank of the United States by Gen. | John Mason in 1826. In 1829 a second trust was put on the island and its | splendid mansion to secure Gen. Ma- | son's indorsement of other men's | notes. In 1833 the bank foreclosed the mortgage. In 1842 the bank the islands to John Carter. John Mar- bury, executor of the will of John Carter., convi the land to Wil i liam Bradley. In 1889 Reginald Fendall, trustee under a deed of trust from Powell M. Bradley. Frederick W Bradley and Maria G. Bradley, leased | the island to the Columbia Athletic] Club, the lease being signed by James F. Hood, vice president, and Howard Perry, secretary of the club. This is just a sketch of the path which Stretches out ahead of the Rambler, | and he will not slight Tony Rodier's long occupation of the isiand as an excursion place. i There 1s certainly much to be writ- ten about the house that stood on the island, the people who lived there and the children born there. The ruin of the house. the west wall of which is standing, the mounds of debris, the massive foundation walls and the LOSTAN ISLAN STEPS LEADING DOWN TO WATER STREET ON THE e shore. Analostan 1 For this I 1 the Virgini, ved £24.000 and Tes completed the work m wbout one v 1806 in him President Jofforsen of & commission of and construct national turnpike betwern and the Ohio r engineer of th quote the word aac Briggs. wi ssociated in business appointed hree of 1he o WAY To N ISLAND. 1818 until his death. he occupied with much honor to himself and with great benefit to the public, and with the en- tire approbation of those to whom h: was responsible. the office of princ civil engineer of the state of Virginia Mr. Moore died October 3. 182: or twenty vears ago there appeared in the Montgomery County DPress an u signed article on_the subject of Thomas Moore, and Mr. Miller. his great-grana- n. discussing it with the Rambier, said he correspond mak the state- ment that Thomas Moore was chief en gineer of the Chesapeake and Ohio canal, but the monument nding at north end of the bridge which crosses the nal at strest gives some dates which seem 1o preclude the possibilities of this ng the case Thomas Moore died in 1522 and the dates on the monument indicate that the construction of the canal was not begun until after his death. i bhe may have had something to do with imi) y ., ut unt! 1 think it best to have further evidence. make no mention of i The man standing b Analostan Island was the Rambler's ferryman and guide, Lewis A. Wood. a Georgetown native, whose father, An- drew Jackson Wood of Anne Arundel county, settled in Georgetown before the civil war. Pension Office Cat, Owher of a Bond, the rocks on deep, wide cellars show that it was one of the great houses of this part of the world. The financial tragedy which caused the loss of this home 1o its builder must be a sad story. The{ records in the office of recorder of deeds | throw no light on why Gen. Mason nead i ed the sums of money which he borrow- ed from the Bank of the United States! in 1825. The aggregate of several prom- s notes sizned by Gen. Mason | and his wife. -Anna Maria Mason, in that year was % 0. It must “have been an unfortunate business adven- ture he entered upon. There is also no light on the reason which caused Gen. Mason and his wife to execute a second deed of trust in 1829 to se- cure the Bank of the United States on notes indorsed by him, but which were made by John W. Bronaugh. John Cooke, William Brent, jr.; Edgar McCarty and Brent and Cooke. It was after the loss of his beautiful home and his peloved island that Gen. Mason vwent to live at Clermont, Where he died in April, 1849, leaving his_possessions to. his’ wife and his | children. Catherine, James M. Mason and Eilbeck Mason. * % % % In “The Chronicles of Georgetown from 1751 to 1878,” written by Richard P. Jackson, is this reference to the Mason home on Analostan Island: ust opposite the town i Analostan Island, with _its beaotiful trees verdant _felds. { cmbracing mear 100 acres, and is denominated | Mason’s 1 being the former residence of | the late entertained Louis the United States | te Coufederate | nister to Europe. was boru there. The | awelling, in whieh so mueh princely hospitality | was exiibited, was burat down during th ivil war. The island is now used ax & pleas-| ure resort. A stone causeway conmects the is- | 1ang with the Virginis shore. wbich wus erect-! d in 1805, at a heavy expense. fon the pur.| pose of improving the chanuel Af the river by ! | throwing the whole hody of water on the east. ern side of the island As the Rambler nears the close of | this narrative he wishes to bring up again the matter of the dam and causeway which connected Analostan | |Island with the Virginia shore. He | | wants to introduce You to Thomas Moore, engineer in charge of that work. and a man who has many other olaims to notice. Some of the facts were given to the Rambler by his old friend, Caleb S. Miller, a: descendant of the engineer. | Thomas Moore was born June 1760, and was a civil engineer, a seien- tific farmer and a clear and forcible | writer. His father, Thomas, 2 member | of the Society of Friends, came to this country from Ireland about the mid- jdle of the ecighteenth century and settled in Pennsylvania, where he married. He soon moved to Loudoun county, Va., and settled at a place| then called Milltown. "He followed the | trade of shoemaker and became a man of influence in his communit. that when he proposed changing the name of the settiement to Waterford, after his native town in Ireland, the change was made and it is. Waterford today. The son. Thomas., September 21. 1791, married Mary. daughter of Rozer and Mary Matthews Brooke of Sandy Spring, Md., 4nd in 1784 he moved to Maryland and began farm- ing on land owned by his wife near Brookeville. 1ie became one of Ufe foremost farmers of the state, intro- ducing methods which were of bene- fit to agriculture. He inventell a| number of useful things and among]| these was the refrigerator, the fore- runner of the devices now in use, aml' the patent for the invention issued in 1802, and signed by Thomas Jeffer- son, President. and James Madison, in possession . Janet Miller of Sanqy sreat-zranddaught published a book in 1801 bear- | ing the title, “The Great Error of| American Agriculture Exposed. and Hints for Improvements Suggested One of his principal objects in writing that bool of which is in the Library of Congress. was to advocate deep plowing and he seems to have been a pioneer in this matter. 1t was as a civil engineer that he be- willed that if his son Marcus should net have legally begotten heirs the! island was to go to his son Randolph. If Randolph had mo lawfully begot- ten heirs the said Island of Barba- came best known and he was engaged ir: several important undertakings which he carried through with credit. In 1805 he was employed by the city of George- town to construct the causeway to con- Goes to Last Rest 5 cat is dead. By gfi oftice cat it is mot to any of the mer: imes have tu up # lived in the pension Mould have spoken of the pe Office _cat as livinz anywhere.! “Hefwas of the class of those who régide, This creature was installed in the pension office abouf ten vears ago and soon after his in- stallation he “owned” the place. With regat air, whiskers sniffing the breeze, tail aloft. this gray- striped animal walked, or trod, rather. the tiled floors of court and corridors as one who “belonzs”™ He was large, well fed, even corpulent He came and went as he pleased. He was petted when he chose to per- mit it. He took his siestas wherever it best suited him, on top of des and sacred office papers, or in Carc- fully prepared nooks in desk draw- ers when he came and asked to hav: thew qpened for him. Birds used to nest in the ventila- tors of the windows, and one of thn cat’s pastimes was fishing down thes: openings with his gray, white-tipped paws for stray young birds, which l fondly hoped might still linger there The years passed only to make bhim more and more @ parl of the place Often in the morning, if the day was fine, not otherwige, he designed to sit_outside of pne of the doors tu welcome the mere cierks who cam not to dwell, ag'he did, in these co umned precinets,: but to ears their daily bread: in hia palace. ¥ During the war, when patriotic speeches were made by distinguished men _in the large court, in behalf of the Red Cross, or for the purpose of raising money for the liberty loans the cat took part. Never did he miss an assembly, and under his fur coat his heart was stirred by all the lofty. patriotic_utterances until he weuid seek a place at the very foot of the dais raised for the speaker of the oc- casion, When patriotic songs Were sung in the morning during those trying months, the cat's soul seemed to respond, and he would walk softly meant to cats which#at their_abode, office. about his large court. too moved to . raise his voice with the others. But the climax of his glory came at the close of the big dri in the pension office bought, and some bought again and yet again, and then, - in the silence of the court.where all were gathered, the voice of the depu- ty commissioner of pensions rang ou “Every one has a bond—the com missioner, the chiefs of divisions, the the laborers and charwomen. Now, I propose to buy a bond for the offica cat:” And he d Was there a cat anywhere else on earth who owned a government v tory bond? No: not one beside this supreme cat, who walked now us though the earth were not -beneath him, his gray coat puffed out with pride, his tail tilted at a more arro- gant angle. his topas eves holding a more insolent stare—this cat prT- eminent. Perhaps h him: perha pride was toe much for the strain of the war told on him it did on most people. Soon 2cter that his health began 1o He showed signs of age. and a vear ago he was retirad. Tl d the last days of his Jife in the cara of ope of the many clerks who hed been fond of him. He missed his old home.” A loneing for the eolnmned enurt, with'its fonn. tain in which goldfish nlaved. hannt. ed his dreams He was even home- sick »t times for the nats of numer- ous friendlv hands which in Aavs he had seorned. Rut he orow nsed to the change. 2~ was eraten! for the care he receivad. With his nassing has gone a cat which will alwavs be part of the history of the pension offies. GENEVIEVE FLEMING, = to put over the top the last victory loan. Every one « earlicr ~