Evening Star Newspaper, November 22, 1925, Page 82

THE SUNDAY STAR. WASHINGTON, D. ¢ NOVEMBER 22, 1925-PART 5. - HIS FLESHAND BLOOD BY FREDERICK R. BECHDOLT. Whisky - Bill's Fall Was So Complete That No One Expected Anything Good of Him. the stage came o imhstone there was quite \ crowd on hand te wit ness its arrival. By the driver reins. men They time thrown down the pouring from the loons and zambling ho ried up the sidewalks u whnings, eager to gain plac in front of the Wells iarso the coach had been held d that afternoon un For Benson ro itself was nothing fact the case-h ned yvoung n of Tombstone waus be: ning to take it for zranted that a fe thousand dollars of Wells Farg money should go into circulat Across its bars and faro layouts least once every week. I it was not ¢ Benson stage which yielded th 1oof, it was the one ran ove 1 divide to Bishee. today the d amgents hae il ul nd that was news. loreover hefr number was being unioade: the old Concord, fest firsi nd the ctacle of a slain s robber wi emarkable enough to ¢ even th Vase dealers from the stal Palace and the Oriental 1 typical Miners off shitt. the hine scars thair f e robbery In veual. its i which one ol from v was i stone crowd of them with povier burns p its bulk. There oy from the San with tight je 1 into hesled mhler hurdy-zuii Overa | with the rouge their patie of vouns ¢ lioutenants from Fort Huachuea mivined frei . e nklinz of col renezades Silver City of Valley. sches tnck Padro thelr n their b <ed <evernl dn » quiet-speakine ifted over from =et wh 4 in the new camp. inz areund. a of under he who ind 1 pickings they ¢ it o Pecos ment him nt nes veen the eves Wha Eilled him ek anvhar auestions grew he identity of th generally known who answered it messen: done it." he told him. “He dropped i creased another and this more frequent slain outlaw It was come the Griver The ung fellor ond tri 1 hi the oo, h , on conld not tienal. Nor re its membe Taw and audience emo sympathies of for the they liked fair lighting. and the 1 q which men called sand 1o them. So when the messenger forth v's office after giving to the agent's to badger him | ind congratulations, to nd 10 importune the them met with vhich height 0 N for him. He ve ot of sirong n al shotgun came win the comp: the e hox ing they nroceed; questions hi nd of hi of these t ® shok h o \ things o] ies which were shot lean am nian nd wir There was de and in his vhich made some of i 1o one himself na firm-1 21 in his att ery o1 ol He thes woven er h can handle suid anothe a1t hi. 15 cne he held to any of His name; was. st thay wis his titne he hid he had oiten the one which il some sense of sha ined to him. There had Been o in his prime when he had wlen horses in Colorido. but that wis vears behind him Onee e dealt stud poker Oz:lallah hold-out up hi eves! But liguor had unfitted his fingers for hondlTz cards, and the nerve which | rusiling demanded was no longer his The Loldest venture he dared to un- deriake now was robhinz the pockets of a sleeping érunkard mehow or | other. he had manazed to make his (cross the wide flats and the zed mountain ranges of the South western horder, and ths rutable i'rovidence which allowed men o die all along that hard road had reserved him from thirst and sick nd the venomous Apaches. Ile had arrived two duvs before in Tomb. stone to cke out an existence by wash inz the cuspidors in Bob ilatchs sa lonn. by doing errands tor the the Birdeage Op House dance halls, by inks snendthrift cowhoys This Whisky Bil! front of the crowd. the vounz mie in the doc Mffice his ey The: made tures and his 1 man with his putty his bloated little body. They scemed as far apart ends of the world If any one had happened to notlee this | iznoble creature sLiring ai the duy’s hero—which no one cid—he would have wondered what there could have been in the one to hoid the other's a ention—what possible appeal could widze the gap which lay between them What comer to hezinning ihere whose d no word him. At 1o In hi o many others that for v hil b in with sinl the from when \ son b e Fargo never ‘e CUriois contrast with his eie hard slored cheeks and ) zrace. the as the is name is a new- | he cs P Wi sking. ec Barton,” his neighbor swered. T know him well Where he was standing Whisky Bill hrard the reply. He 1nade no move: his putty features did not change; his rat eyves never widened. Lee Barton More th had gone by sinee thai name. But from the monient when he had first seen the b standing in the Aoorway of the expross office he had been sure of this, He did not Know why, but there was something in that face, some thread of memor conjured up, by .what hi: e there, which spanned, the < those vears and brousht 4 well h forgotten e one could not he t RBill edged closer 1o and plncked him by Where'd the kid come demanded huskily. Kansas, said he. 1 him back in Abilene 10 when he was a little boy. was doing washing. He used to come and get my laundry every week. Afterward, when he’d grown up. 1 ran across him in San Antonio. He was with a trail herd then.” Whisky Bill edged away again. hero of the day had disappeared. The crowd w beginning to disperse. It was the hour for him to clean up in ob Hatch's saloon. le shuffled down | the wide sidewalk where men were | passing in an endless stream beneath the wooden awnings, and his face was | like a putty mask. betraying none of he emotions iwhich -were stirring | within him. Of these, surprise was not the least. | On the few occasions when he had happened to hark back across the mean, ignoble vears to the brief inci- dent of his domestic life he had taken it for granted that the mother and the hiby were both dead. Certainly it had hoen none of his providing that had Kkept them alive. Tt was characteristio | «f Wiisky Bill that he neliher wasted an an 20 vear: 1d heen his et ail back to still Whisky speaker the last the sleeve from? he remember vears ago, His mother 'he {1o { {past. 1 {hands on him." { honex. 1 (W f rort | | he was {lizht { i i over his desertion nor bothered % 1o justify himself. He wonder where his was now or whether <he were still liv ing. He merelr marveled over vision which had met hix eves in front ) the express compan - FFrom the wile doorways of the sa < and gemblinzg houses the gushed upon the sidewalk mingle with the noises of the p throng. Tombstone wakin another hectic night. Old Whisky Bill shuffted on, heedless of the things about him, vazuely conscious of the men who jostled him, enthralled i wonder at the son whom the Fates had brought to him from his forgotten regrets with attemy did not even was * ok ok % ASIONALLY «the night breeze ed some shreds of the uproar from Tombstone's glaring main thor- sughfare to the side street where Lem ivodrich’s adobe house stood. A wall of sun-dried bricks surrounded the place, and in the building’s rear, in- ed on one side by thix wall, on two by the wide Leshaped veranda, was little patch of green kept fresh by a rivulet of water whose murmur made a pleasant undernote at all times. It was a pleas- ant spot to sit of eveninzs when the mockingbirds were singing in the mes Juite thickets nearby. Lem Goodrich had omfort when he built he had been drivinz cattle over the trails lonz enough to grow a little we. bad fords and sieepless weeks fighting Indians. 1t was his intention to take life easy here ind when he was in town from the yanch down on the San Pedro there was nothing he liked better than to <pend a4 quiet two honrs hefore hed time on the veranda with his wife bhe side him. planning toward the days when the cares of the business would pass to vounger han He was in town, but there are certain considera tions which are expected from the Jdder zeneration. In deference 1o these. his wife had retived and he was putting in his evening with four or five other old-timers at a quiet poker zame. The porch was in possession of his daughter, Beth. and the pro speetive s whose capable young hands were in the near future 1o relieve him of those responsibilities lown on the San Pedro. Dad told me just before vou came that. he's having the ranch house made over for us,” the girl was say- in there looked toward the house, for ry of ind mighty zood 1o us hest I ever had 1o a “Your father is He's heen the ni fad of my own.” Do vou kne tantly, “vou've me of vour f: Nor never His voice had abruptly. she . His arm went around ber - he tried to smile T didn’t mean to speak <o rough, sweetheart. Of course, you've got the izht to know about him."” T« he she asked softly I don't know. Once I heard that d Iynehed him for hoss stealin’ in Someti I have caught myself wishin® it true. T was Ly when he left my mother. 1 don't know even what he looks like. But thers are thinzs that I can remember mighty well. I've thought of them many times—how my mother worked her finzers to the Lone to get enough for us to live on. Why, there were days when there wasn't enough corn rezd in the house for both of us, and she would give me the little wedge thers was. When things like that ome Lack to me I wish that 1 could n across my father. just to get my ile paused. “There mustn't talk like that. Sit iown beside me here and Il tell you somethinz nicer.” He was fumbling in his vest pocket. hen they wore ted he brought h a little piush box and opened it Melbe you ain't zeing to like it.” saving softly as he took her He slipped the ring on her finzer. *1 reckon it fits, dear?” There was a diffidence in the way- he 1 it which made her eves grow witer. She thrust the hand into the and sat there looking at the stone in silen “T could get it changed if it wasn't at you wanted.” he went on hesi- tatingly. By way of answer she ned her face to his and her arms went around his neck “Tt then?" me moments later. utiful!” she whispered. * ox % x was the slack hour of the after- 7 Tombstone. Old Whisky sitting on a heerkeg in front <he told him never said a hesi word 1o ther want 1o speak of him.’ hardened and he rose hey “olorudo. res hand in his, he asked her wife | the | o] :side whom his boy was walking. He itook her in with one swift glance the fine poise of her head. the fresh ness of the color in her cheeks. the proud light in h wn eyes heneath the drooping vim of the wide straw hat, the smaline the hand which held the para s her shoulder “Steppin’ out in high society,” was the mental comment of Whisky Bill. “Things is shore comin’ soft fer him.” His gaze went (o his son and lin zered on those wide yvounz shoulders for some time. 1 reckon I'm his flesh and blood,” he reassured himself. “All that I gol to do is say the word. Jest {tell him who T be. i That evening while the crowds were i gathering in the saloons he mulled over the project. With the smell of whisky and stale beer in his nostrils, he cleaned the glasses in Boh Hatch's place and washed the heavy cuspidors the while he saw himself in his imagi fon walking the streets, well clothed, well fed, secure in the knowl- edge of where his next meal was to come from. “Jest tell him who T be,” he whis pered to himself. “an’ ask him what's be aimin’ to do about it, anvhow. Yuh bei he'll loose:n up.” * % ok * 5 of WO hours later. when the stinging drinks which he had cadged from cowboy and other were warming him tn the core, he lovked through the doorway and saw Lee standing on the sidewalk’s edge {with the Wells Fargo agent. Whisky {Bill shuffied out and took his place {upon one of the beer kegs. Here he roosied with his head on one side. not all unlike an unclean old buzzard. !\watching the pair until the agent had {departed. Then he lett his perch and | sidled across sdewalk. He laid his hand on his <on’s arm. Barton looked down upon ged little figure heside him. “Was there something vou wanted” he asked. The rai_eves fell. The words which were on Whisky Bill's lips died un- uttered. He strove to shift his gaze back, that he might meet the other's look again. But there was something in those gray eves which was too much for him. His boldness wi sone. The hopes which he had nour- ished so greedily took instant wing. “Ixcuse me. misior,” he said husk ly. thought yuh was another teller.’ Curiously the the rag enonzh. he cherished resentment. The very fact that lared not say those words which he had so caretuly rehearsed brought to him an admiration. And now there me to him a sudden sense of pox session. This was his boy. And certain pride glowed within him. He returned 1o the saloon. In his enthusiasm for the project of bleedifs his son he had neglected some of his tasks. He hurried on about them with what vigor he could muster, but all the time in his fancy he saw the voung face looking down into his. ‘As fine a boy as ever wore shoe leather,” he reflected. The evening wore on. The tasks in Bob Hateh's place were finished. Ac cording to his custom, he made the rounds from suloon to dance hall, from dance hall to gambling house and back again to hurdy-gurdy Once in the Crystal Palace during a slack interim he sidled up to a rou lette dealer whom he had known in Silver City. ‘That new shotgun messenger that irilled Bill Lowery on the Benson road vesterday afternoon.” he said huskily *he shore was lucky. hey? Oh, I dunno.” The croupier spun the marble idly along the wheel's sroove. I wounldn't call it luck. Lee Barton is a dead shot, and he has sand enough ior 10 men. I seen him once, right here on Allen street, help Bill Savage stand off a mob that was go. ing to Iynch a claim jumper. No. He had more than luck. Whisky Bill edged away again putty face was expressionless, but h rat eves were brighter than they hac been beforc At the Birdcage Opera House he lingered in what woul® pass in a more polite place of entertainment as the foyer. ~Here was a short bar where miners and cowboys jostled one an >ther buving drinks, while the voices of the entertainers on the stage clanged like brazen gongs. Old Whisky Bill was helping the bartender wash glasses during a period of lively trade. Reckon them road agents green hands to let a young feller skeer ‘em off like that Wells Fargo man done yesterday.” He flung the sug- gestion over his shoulder while his hands were busy with the heavy tumblers “Green nothin no he a His the bartender toid SHE THRUST THE HAND INTO THE LIGHT AND SAT THERE LOOKING AT THE STONE IN SILENCE. of Bob Hatch's saloon. Apropos of last night's discovery an idea had oc- curred to him, and his rat eyes grew bright as he pondered it. * “He all stove up an’ down an’ out, he reflected. “He's got a good job. Things is comin' easy fer him. I'm his pa.” The lines of evil deepened about the corners of his bad old mouth. Sa he was sitting when the voice of his son aroused him from his ruminations with a start. He looked up from his beerkeg and his little eyes became like two glass beads as they rested on the couple who were passing him. There was no & the status of the girl be- him curtly. “Them Lowery boys started back in Lincoln County. Ain't | one of 'em but has killed five or six | men. But they orta know better'n to and up the stage when Lee Barton | was on the box So while the night life of Tomb- | stone roared about him Whisky Bill | shuffled in and out of the saloons and | dance halls and snatched what crumbs of comment he could to feed the pride | which clamored loud within him for more sustehance. And as the days went by that pride grew with nour- ishment. Three times a week Tee Barton | made the round trip with the Wells spendthrifts | G miles away, d Whisk: and on those Bill was aly mornings = lurking in e mearby doorway (o watch the age depart. Three times week when the dusty Concord came rattling up Allen in the early evening the razged little man standing somewhere amonz the group who had arival. From street thered to witness jts the time when the coach swung into sight until Lee had carrled the fron box into the express office those rat eyes never left him. Now and again the voung messenger dropped into Bob Hatch's saloon to chat few moments with the sheriff or Bill Sav age or some other of those grim men who were openly arraved against the outlaw element. On these occasfons no one ever noticed Wh Bill hov ering close by, vet he was invariably sweeping the floor or arranging the uspidors within easy earshot of the croup. So he fed his hungry pri And so when the news of the approaching wedding became common property he was among the first who learned it. Now. while he wrestle with the he v beer kegs or answered the shrill summons of the rouged women or searched the pockets of a sleeping drunkard, Whisky Bill wulked in the mire but hig =oul skimmed the heights. He was exalted with the knowledge that his son was to marry the danghter of the bigzest cattlema in this end of the rritory: that the list of 1o include the dis triet jud d 211 the men of stand. Ing in the camp: that the Wells Fargo Company was to present Lee with a watch inseribed with tatement of their regard for him. There was hut one tarnish the brightness of his anticf pations. The bride and zroom were going to take their departure immedi ately after the marriage for the ranch down on the San Pedro. Henceforth he would seldom see his son in Tomh stone. Perhaps If it had not heen for knowledge that this deprivation was about to overtake him Whisk Rin would not have heen u spectator at the presentation of the zold watch. This iittle ceremony took place in the Wells Farzo office on the evening hefore the wedding. On behalf of the company the agent made a speech to a few In. vited notables. among whom were tha sheriff and the distriet judge f those present —not even Lem Good- rich himself—listened to his words with the intentness of the unbidden st who had managed to slink in through the door at the last minute ind stood in the rear of the group. for il the world like a cringing dogz, ready to heat a hasty retreat at the first hos. tile loak The idea of foreign to the And he was ta Ky prospect to the None taking a chance was ture of Whisky Bill more chances than ne this evening. The imminent haz ird of being cast forth upon the side. walk, with the more than possible ac ompaniment of a kick v =peed his departure. was not the z test risk which he was running. This was the hour when he was due in his role of mper Bob Hateh's place. Vari ous eavesdroppings had made him dilatory at his tasks on several occa <ion: and only vesterday the night bartender had given him warning. There were alf_dozen other dere fiets in camp anxious to take that job, Moreover. he had fallen out of favor at the dance hall and the Birdcage be- cause of growing suspicions of the management, who intended to roh their drunken customers in their own way without the competition of hang ers-on. And the town authorities had been getting vigilant of late. His job in the saloon was all that stood he fween him and his being run out of Tombstone as a vagrant. But the danger of calaniity was nat troubling Whisky Bill now. He hearkened to the agent's words of praise; he heard him read the Inscrip tion within the watch's golden case “For bravery in the pursuit of his duty and saving the company’s prop- erty at the risk of his own life,” it said. “They might of gone a little stronger than that,” was Whisky Bill's mental comment.” His rat eves were very bright as he looked upen the watch The light grew in them when Lee ex pressed his thanks in what the next ssue of the Tombhstone Epitaph char- zed as a neat speech ne a hoy s ever wore shoe leather.” Whisky Bill assured himeelf. While the general handshakinz wa Zoingz on he edged quietly toward the door. But hefore he took his depar- ture he overheard a bit of unexpected news, “Jack Flood was to he on hand to take vour run.” the agent was saving. ‘but his hoss fell on him this after- noon and he's lald up. We just got word. There ain't another man we can lay hold of in time. and there's a big box goes ont tomorrow morning.” As he sidled out through the front door old Whisky Bill glanced over his shoulder for a last look at his son The boy's eves were troubled, but his head was high. “I reckon,” he said aquietly, * ‘s the case, I'll have to do it. 'he shadow was still in Lee's eves an hour later as he sat with Beth Goodrich on the veranda heside the little plot of grass. He watched her in silence while she held the gold watch in the light from the window to read the inscription within its case. “It wasn't any more than vou de- served,” she told him quietly, “nor half as much,” “There you go now trying to make me set up over myself.” He smiled down into her face, but there was something in his look which betrayed his thoughts. “I wish you'd tell me what's worry- ing you." She placed her hands on his. ~ “I've seen it ever since yvou came “It's just because T hate to disap- point you.” he sald when he had given her the news. “T knew you'd set your heart on my taking my last trip to- day. 'd hoped you were through.” voice was trembling a little. “It ,can’t he helped, sweetheart." His arm went around her and she took some comfort in the strength of it. “I couldn’t go back on the com- pany. in 4 th: Her No. You couldn't that. wouldn't have you.” * ok K % do 1 Whisky Bill stood before the bar, his shoulders bent under the weight o his calamity. . Behind the counter the night bartender was delivering his ultimatum: “And don't yuh show yvour nose in- side this door again,’ he ended, “Clear out and stay out." “The's some of my things in that shed behind the place where I been sleepin’,” Whisky Bill quavered. “I'd like—" “Go back an’ get 'em now,” the har- tender bade him curtly. “The new man sleeps there tonight."” { Whisky Bill slunk out through the rear door like a kicked dog. Consider- able time elapsed before he reap- peared with his baggage. There was not much of it—a tattered blanket rolled up tight and a rusty old rifle which he had pilfered from a drunken | Mexican in Silver Citv. As he was departing the bartender halted him. est take my tip.” said he. ‘The miners is onto yuh. There's been DOWN in Bob Hatch's place old, | | | | { him | lurching | 2 francs air tax in addition to your ja total, at present rate of exchange, rgo treasure hox to Benson, :n»P <ome talk already of runnin’ ynh outa town.” On'the sidewalk Whisky Rill drew deeper breath. He shufed on down the sireet as fast as he was able, ind when he reached the next corner he slunk off into the shadows. Here he halted and laid down his posses <ions. He thrust his hand into his pocket and bronght il forth again. In the darkness he fingered the coins within his palm. Five dollars even,™ he muttered “An’ when that drunk hack in the shed wakes up FeTl hlame the new swamper.” For some time he re mained there, pondering over what to do. Tombstone any longer. had for Wells Where question another at and it the hreeze. cronched., he could fluttered aronnd him Upon his knees he steadyinz himsell as best against the lurchings of the coach. sometimes with one outflung hand. sometimes with the other. Al wavs he held his eves upon the fizure of his =on. In that attitude he looked ke a scarecrow come 1 life and aught in the act of adoration. The stage rattled on across level stretches: it swung down long grades, and the dust washex rose ahout it in a gray cloud He crouched upon fts swaving top warming his eves with the sight of that young figure ahead of him. Hix ignoble soul was feasting to the full »n a happiness which the starved sonl of many a hetter man has longed vain to taste . *xow o A RIFLE shot sounded close heside “ the road n the in the dry meant nothing to him The last that the camp him it had given him in the Fargo office an hour ago to go next?” ‘That the One town was as xood as now, and Benson was the nearest It occurred to him that his boy would come to Benson every now ind then. No doubt about that He fingered the coins in his pocker igain. Five dollars was the fare to Benson— his decision was made. “I'll ride outside and he'll be on the driver's seat in front o' me.” the old man whispered to surrounding shadows. it n was A flat report. as ugl hate, it put an abrupt period to the enthrallment of Whisky Bill. It was 1< if the Fates had given him a dream miy to waken him with a rude jerk A second shot followed the first closely that the two almost one. He came realization things about him The stage was nearing the summit of a long hill. Five of the horses were plunging and rearing in a con fusion of dust and fiying hoofs. The <ixth. one of the lay among a tangle of broken ha . kicking con vulsively In it death agony. Out of the white-hot sun zlare a voice came: “Just keep ‘em up!” it sald On the side hill ahove the road two nen showed in hard relief against the loudless skv. Their wide-rimmed hats were shoved back from thelr fore seemed of the the when Benson, ame that in the mol Barton made hjs last t Whisky Bill traveled ng P to with Old Whisky Bill crouched top of the coach tered blanket roll and rifle lay beside him. While the morning was still young there was a touch of cooiness in the ur. His coat was buttoned tight. the heads: they kneli among the stark collar upturned Now and again he lava boulders, and each of them held blew upon his hands to warm them 1 leveled rifle at hix shoulder. 1t when the sun had risen above the The eves of Whisky Bill focused summits of the Dragoons abruptly upon one of those rifle muz. came. He unbuttoned his zles. It met gaze with a hard, un the tat old on His the rusty mth the | AS THEY SAT THERE ON THE TOP OF THE OLD CON. CORD. A STRANGE THING APPENED IN THE SOUL OF WHISKY BILI. blinking purpose which was mistaking. Then he hacame conscions that arms prajsed hizh whove his head Whisky Bill glanced ther He saw dowlv downward walnnt_stock was tight with tlon. The lips were mo words came drifting down out «un glare “I'm going to zet this timer His eyes went to his son. The hos right arm was hanging limp and help less. A dark-red stain was already he ginning to spread upon the sleeve The sawed-off shotgun lay upon treasure hox where It had fallen It came to Whisky Bill that the out laws had left the Benson o ever since his son had their number. They must have reck oned on a new man heing an the hox this morning. he told himself. And uck had given them this advantag. for which they had never dared 10 try The chances were the hoy had engrossed upon his coming w when that shot was fired. These things flashed across his mind. and when his eves went to the hillsid again the shred of time that had elapsed was <o brief that the wisps of powder smoke were not vet entirely zone from the rifle muzzles. The one which had been menacing him was threatening the driver now The other had stopped moving. The face beside the stock was all lwisted with lines of hatred “I'm goin’ to give it 10 von same as vo' give it fo ms right between the eves." There was a deadliness of intention in the voice which seemed to chill the very air through which it passed. The iriver swore beneath his breath Then, as they sat there on the top of the old Concord. the ragged old derelict, with his hands upraised ahove his head. the driver busv trving hold the plunging horses, and hevand his were toward the the harrel moving The face heside the the stage slain heen ng jest the hrother— the YOung messenger heside iwkwardly with the six-<hoater strange thin, Whisky Bill Tt as heen his left ; 4t his happened lingering for 4 of wind and flares flame. anly 1o die in the ne Whisky Bill's hands came down Blncked the old rifie weside him. For the 4n instant he crouched stage top. holding the hip wse with pur bued with the same deadly ir cofled snake ahout to strike. Then jet of fire leaped from the muzzle And in the passing of that while the flame within his still rising to e heat wonld-bhe was still forward leaden other pulled went to h hold endeavor It the hrav saw.” the bridegroom t rich that evening at weddinz They had me fonl shot the yight arm. That old man never sin i chance. e must have known f but he dropped his hands and picke up that rifle and he died fightinz And by that time I'd managed to gra my gun and get the other outlaw.” “Who was he. anvhow?" the n asked. His shook hare fraction | weapon 4t h 1 m while 1! murderer down the slug through outl lined pitchir hillside with body, 1} his sights And Whisky the high his w in tide « was es 1 eve Goo thing Lem the nd = n he: They sax he's heen hanging the camp for some time. hut laid eves on him that I can her In that n remarkahle face of found it stern I neve T remen istake there For Death Whisky Bill transfigured with a look resolution which it had neve worn ».orur»(_mar final moment (Covvrieht was nothing had left the 1« Death h 1675 Paris Now Mailing Letters by Airplane To All of Europe and to Half of Africa ERLING HEILI PARIS. November Tuly 15 the Pari: office notified its public that the international aerial rat both for letters and expr packages, had been fixed for all Burope and a good part of Africa. For_Prague. vou add to vour ordi- nary 5-cent letter 6 cents air-tax plus 2 cents extra alrtax and the gummed red poster “Par Avion" which you ob- tain at any sub-post office and without which vour air letter will risk travel- ing by train in_the ordinary mafl service. So, for Prague, it costs you 6 cents plus 2 cents for the air, plus the ordinary 5 cents of the interna- tional postal rates, which adds up a total of 13 cents for Paris-Prague. The little red paster “By Avion™ is practically necessary for the air, in various languages of mailing coun- tries as far as Asla, even where proper aerial postage stamps exist and are legally sufficient without the red paster. The service is new: and the red paster, given out gratis as a_mere convenience. is better recog nized by hurried postal employes than any novel and faney stamp! For Warsaw, put on your 5 cents ordinary, plus 9 cents air tax, plus 2 cents extra air tax, total 18 cents for Warsaw. For Vienna, count 7 cents the two other elements. grade. 9 cents; for Bucharest. 10 cents, and for Brussels, Amsterdam, Ham- burg, Copenhagen. and. in fact, all | Germany, Denmark, Norway and Sweden, call it 8 cents air tax plus 2 | nts extra air tax plus the 5 cents | ordinary postage—total 15 cents. The absurd 2 cents “extra air fax which must enter into all calculations | is a French device for extra French | revenue—small enough today, but looking ahead to important totals as b i SG S T D T s e i e e for their own benefit, added to the in- lis quite “in fashion” without pearls; in | ternational extra. In truth, it is mere | fact. pearis are almost as essential and bookkeeping. although when you go to | indispansable to the rich as are houses | mail an air letter in Parls, the multi- | Or automoblles. . | plication of stamps and red pastor;m[‘g l:"r:::gleszr';:fl:h::&‘ :“l;oxlg: A "fedl"“" Sonplicarcs = “blaze nllhgrlhmnnds” or “drip with For Casablanca-Oran (via Fez). or |, qr1e " byt on this occasion there Is | from Toulouse to Fez, or from Tou- x : il N L | nothing that commends itself so highly louse yo Casablanca (by Tanglers and |\ "4,cc he pearl, for It acts as a foil Rabat) or from Toulouse to Oram, all | 13 (0e8 Loe Peatl, Jor T Bets Ao 8 Jo el being different lines, you just stick 3 | 2 LHO BRHEOrG. SH€C . e Har conts half 2 Jranc) on to vour ordi- |, izes with them, and, in fact, with nary 2 cents leiter. without any inter- | 10508 SUL0 RO S | al extra-extra. i . { B counts in the French Co.| In days gone by the popularity of the Tonial pom’)‘il service, which counts the ‘x\;nr‘lhwaz n:lnil‘pnlh “t:‘:mn‘l‘:':;l: ;';: same as the interior of France. of the East—Kkings a Se, ,\‘m‘u- .:':"’121.'.,"'.:'”,\'];”,., in | wealthy merchantmen of the faraway | f‘m'fiIan. flllgs over the Mediterranean ‘l:nds.h’l‘he P*»""“l‘“:r:‘"(‘;y”:h“' F:.’:l‘:gi" from Antibos on Riviera for as. however. giv | 5108 lover 1 et alr tax In addition | States, with fis increased wealth and to the 2.cent stamp of the French in- | demand for rich rather than gaudy or terior Marnellle:mrmxnan (expen- | showy jewelry. the place of pre-emi- sive and important commercial air | nence in the possession of this article line) t?ke!“your letter for a total of 7 ;ofl;\dn‘rnn‘-;m- e cents in all, . D to. 10 years ago tha vas And for the grand air jump of |confined pirncipally to the centers of France-Dakar (two changes), vou pay |opulence and culture like New York, 3 ir | Boston, Philadelphia and Washington, but with wealth and a highly developed artistic sense going hand in hand every city of 50,000 inhabitants now Dossesses its share of pearls. No one should get the idea, however, that the United States has a monopoly on pearls, for, despite economic depres- slon, they are at present extensively used in Europe. This is especially true of France, for wherever one goes in Paris this season pearls are seen. Ac- cording to the importance of the so- clal occasion. real or imitation strings are used. At an afternoon dance one |rope of small pearls. sometimes even of seed pearls, iz the rule, while at the in from 4 to 5 daye from Paris, when | Theatre Francajs on a gala night by rail and boat, by ordinary maflthree rows of *“hig five" pearls are servics, it would require up to 15 days. | worn. 5 Tomorrow, the total 8,088 miles of Paris-Buenos Afres will he done for 5.040 miles of its extent by air, via Dakar. In 9 days a letter from Paris will be delivered in the Argentine cap- ital, where the all-maritime service takes 21 days at shortest Soon, even this will be cut down hy the aerial crossing of the South Atlantic always from Dakar! The saving of time by air mail is shown notably, these days, by Paris- Casablanca, for the troops in Morocco. By avion, vour Paris-Casablanca let. ter arrives’in 3 days. where by rail and boat it requires % davs at short est! A vet more striking be shown by those ve N swiftness can Popularity of ERHAPS never since pearl bedecked Cleopatra gave her | celebrated hanquet in honor of | Mark Antony have pearls heen more highly esteemed for per- sonal adornment than at present. Un diminished. down through the ages, | has come this love for the pearl. | The Vedas. the oldest of the sacred hooks of the Brahmans. written more than a thousand vears hefore the Christian era, record the use of the pearl for adornment. and through the | changing centuries of the present era | the pearl has always ranked highly in | value and popularity. The wheel of fashion turns, and through all the changes the pearl has | more than held its own and today | stands pre-eminent. The old adage | *“As good be out of the world as out you 30 centimes French stamp. It makes of 11 cents or 12 cents from Paris to the jumping-off spot of West Africa sticking out into the Atlantic nearest to the American Continent. Dakar will be the French terminus of the French air line to the nearest point of South America. At present, it is a great and rich West African port—you understand, Central Africa, Equatorial Africa! Schoolboys at this moment in our own American cities will grow up to do big business with Dakar. Today, your air letter gets to Dakar | use they vou are reading. 1 am going to mail my article, this afternoon in Paris, for New York and other cities. Do you know that it can reach Davton. Chi cago, Omaha. Cheyenme, Salt Lake and San Francisco almost as quickly as New York—by comparison with the transatlantic boat trip: All T have to do is to paste my red ticket “Bv Avion” on the letter, and add. to the transatlantic postage. the American air line postage from New York to any of those cities route to San Francisco! The French have made this arrange ment with the United States post office. whereas the English have not vet d the advantag on i Pearis Reveals Artist Taste within the recent vears is truly a sign of marked artistic development in the American woman, for there is no more beautiful article of feminine adorn- ment “than a pearl necklace, and if | properly cared for it will retain its luster and value almost indefinitely. Pearls should always be kept in as even temperature as possible. for they expand and contract on exposure to heat and cold. When they are not in should be stored in places where the atmosphere is compara tively pure and even. Pearl necklaces should be carefully | wiped after they are worn. a soft plece of chamois being best for this purpose. The wiping removes all forelgn sub- stances from them, as well as any secretion from the body that might dim their luster. It is well to wipe them, even though thev have been nly handled. The composition of a pearl is 92 per cent carbonate of lime. 6 per cent organic matter, and 2 per cent water It is very essential that this 2 per cent of water be retained in the pearl. In should be kept in a container lined with fine quality of oil silk rather than in a receptacle lined with absorbent | material. Calcium carbonate. of which the \pearl is largely composed, is easily rattacked by strong aclds. and if al- lowed to come in contacy with certain of the stronger acids, the pearl will dissolve almost immediately. The weaker acids, such as vinegar and lemon juice. on the centrary, even though they may impair the luster, will not dissolve the pearl completely for months, and it is altogether doubt- ful if the story of Cleopatra and her pearl (which she is alleged to have dissolved in vinegar and swallowed in |order to win a wager with Anthony) | is founded on truth. There are hundreds of women who religiously wear their pearls next to their skins all day and even at night, under the impression that they are thus preserved. This is, in part at least, a mistaken idea. Queen Eliza- beth's earrings, the four great pearls which hang beneath the arch in the King’s state crown, have probably never been worn next to the skin. Although Queen Elizabeth died 300 years ago, they are still in a good state of preservation and may remain so for several centuries more. They are kept in a_perfectly airtight com- partment at an even temperature. Commerctally pearls are divided into two groups, genuine and culture. Al- thought all " genuine pearls have - the same structure ‘and composition they should further be classed as Oriental and fresh-water pearls. x * The Oplental pearis were belleved the | order that this be accomplished pearls | The snatch the ag “story ing it only reason why 1 do no ivantage for this preser i that the envelope contair is rather large, with a *stlff ener’ to protect jts photographs. And 1 that, stamped and marked Ir red for the air s6 perfectly, my letters may get held up by the New York post office, for Inquiry as to whethe they contain anything dutiable The Paris papers publish a from the Texas Postmasters' As: ation’s annual convention that v Antonio is to be made a regular stop on the new air mail route from Wasj ington te Panama, through Ciry The French government I the publication of th show the French public Are rushing round the world—and gain popularity with French pavers for the subsidies which it cords to air ing. | According was not fear cahls Mexicn inspire ablegram, 1 how air mails 1as plane lines for mail earry to another cahle whir inspired by the French go nment, the news reaches Paris th he Natlonal Afr Transport Corpor tion, bldding on the Chicago-Kanw City-Dallas air mall route, will not asl any subsidy from the United State Post Office Department, but is backe by millions and important men in the ‘vrnlnsuml world—who expect the A Transport Corporation to make mone on its mail carrying So the French government ha always done—made money on pos office. telegraph and telephone servicr (Which are all one), and actualls spends this post office profit on other departments of government. This i the crying sin of the Paris telephone rvice. for example. Rig money | made by the post office department which ought to be applied to improve mént of materials, is turned aside {and the telephone service suffers, get ting along the best it can on rickets old materjal. So. it is foreseen, whether the aeria! mail profits of the next few years They will be great. Tt is to be hoped that the air mail will profit by i« | profits’ ¥ tears of the angels dropping inte the open shell of the oyster. They shouid have been closer to the truth had thex | referred to them as tears of torture \for the pearl is due to an accident | befalling the ovster which forms it such as the lodgment of a grain of | sand or some parasite in the flashy | tissues of the animal. In erder to free itself from the irritating ohlect the oyster hegins at once to eover It with layvers of the pearly solution of nacre. This action of the ovster i< as natural as the flushing of the hn | man eye with tears when some foreizn | subiance gets into ir. The hest of pearls have for ren turies come from the coast of Cevlon and the Iersian Gulf, the latter source heing, in recent years, much the more important. Fine pearls also produced in the South and tral Americans waters. Panama, lombia, Venezuela and Brazil, par ticularly, producing considerable numbers. Western Australia also ha< a good fishery. Fresh-water pearls are obtained from unio margarifer the common river-mussel. They are found in fresh-water streams in man. | countries, notably in the ‘streams af the Mississippi Valley in our own | country. The culture pearl industry has been highly developed by the Japanese | The ‘method is. briefly: When 1he | oysters- are about 3 years old they are taken from the sea and a safail plece of mother of pearl applied ‘o the living animals. The oysters are then planted in the beds of the sea and there remaln from four o se*wn The growlng popularity of pearls by the ancients to be drops of dew or | Years. v