The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, October 5, 1902, Page 7

THE SUNDAY CALL. JULIEY - BELY = U D=RY PRrIOTO0S. VER in Oakland, looking out across itt and the hilly slopes green or brown agcord- year's stands 1, most fantastic lit- in California. to the moods, hes it from the west, he s walking—to puzzle over just of salmon-brown adobe is driving, or zzing by has not ceased to puzzle fter he has put several blocks himself and La Capriccioso. For Signor Peano, owner, designer enter, has so fitly named his e. ior Peano does not live in this rid- place. He did live here once upon and then he moved just across the Whether or mnot he catches over there of a perspective to his sculptor-fancy, one can uess. Certainly every angle has its t d—well—some are more others. for instance, a block only & ews one seems to see a high wall bal- ancing r right-hand corner a tiny g Obviously only . the eyes of irvoyance could decipher the nes and proportions of the te&yra- ty. If the one is a cottage and er a sort of sky-veranda, one ar- th oneself, then they must'cer- bear the relation to each other that a bridge-keeper's lodge does to some long bridge, Now in reality the gabled front enters into a comfortable, airy dwelling of nine rooms, and the wall is a support to a terrace or roof garden. The singular proportions of the dwelling are not the ' only eccentricities of La Capriceioso. There is the Tweifth-street wall beneath the terrace to excite one's curfous wonder. Those low doors set close' to the street, bave they mnot the dreariness of a boarded-up entrance to a vacant house? They do, as a matter of fact, epen into an unused workroom; but they have the air of never having been opened into anything. It is hardly too much of a stretch for the imagination to fancy a tomb behind. And the resemblance only gains strength by the ropes of ‘rude plaster roses fes- tooned along the top of the wall and fall- ing down over one of the doors. The mo- ment one turns away, how absurd ap- pears the suggestion of anything ap- proaching the dismal! It is merely curi- osity again that- seizes him as he begins to ascend the half walled-in winding stairs. As well class La Capriccioso with a tomb as the stiff breezes he is now catching with the clammy air of a cellar. He is having too many novel sensations to bother about those two sunken doors around on the other street. It is surely unmistakebly foreign to be climbing a flight of steep stairs that creep up in a zigzag fashion, each short flight hidden from the next that doubles on it most curiously. One half expects to come upon a dusky-haired Itallan girl at every turn, or a troop of tan-colored children laugh- ing and quarreling on each landing. Instead, one meets in a nook where the stairs turn sharply a sinuous-haired mer- maid in silent plaster; in another corner of a wall are three or four pigeons feed- ing eternally; high up on still another space are several diminutive horses’ heads, and at the next turn a pair of storks &tand, dipping their bills in a muddy pool. So here and there along the stair wall i# evidenced the playful touch of the sculptor, and one is led to infer that the designer had intended to fairly load La Capriceioso with fancies in bas-relief, and for some reason stopped short with the task half finished. There were plans, one learns, for a dwelling in the Italian villa style, plans that allowed for more ornamentation than any Italian villa in Italy ever boast- ed of. This seheme' might have been carried out, if a certain house, -obviously Luilt for utility alone, had not made its appearance on a neighboring lot. The two ciashed from the very foundations up. The original villa plans had to be modi- fied, and some of the sculptor's whimsical conceits for a frieze, a corner, a railing perhaps were abandoned, The house, however, to all practical in- tents and purposes, was in time ready for occupancy. The landlord was his own first tenant. His delightfully . artistic auarters opened out upon the terrace, ‘while his large workroom was just under- neath. An odd plaster cast of a hand and cue of a Roman soldler's head hang there as he left it. Next to move in was Mr. Jack London, the author of ““The Sons of the Wolf.” And after him came Mr. Belle-Oudry, the artist-photographer, who is at present living there, and who tells one that certain bits of the house recall to him the boyhood days he spent in Italy. It was in Capri that he met Signor Peano, who at that. time was studying sculpture, having given aver the idea of taking holy orders. iniscent touch of the seminary days. One puzzles over that a little as he walks out pver the terrace. 1 don’t think he could catch a stiffer breeze were he walking on Sutro Heights. Thenh there is a small upper terrace to mount by a little flight of very narrow stairs, whose airiness suggests a hurri- cane deck. One is glad to hurry down froia there. It is on a still moonlight night, Mr. Belle-Oudry tells one, that the terrace is delightful. One immediately pictures congenial little roof-garden par- ties, the moonlight augmented by the red glow of Chinese lanterns. But as the wind continues to blow, one is glad to go indoors. Orle enters a room as well-windowed as a fdrry-steamer’s pilot-house. One notes ‘When one hears of the Signor's noviti- ate days in the Italian seminary, he be- gins to enumerate the bits of sculpture he has just beeh observing. Has he mno- ticed any trace of the influence of those days? He cannot recall any little monk in light-brown plaster, or heavily draped saint, or tiny cathecral facade. Over in the corner on the railing of the low ter- race wall is a pair of rude sphinxes. Set in the front door is a group representing a sea fight. Above this as a knocker is a coiled snake. One remembers, too, that on the wall under the terrace a huge dragon crawls. Nowhere is there a rem- Y +* VERYONE who rends at all will appreciate the vew fenture of The Sun- aay Call, which' enables s rehuers p met the best standard fiction of the day without any extra cost. This week appears the first halt of |/ “The Autocrnts.” by Charles K. Lush. The second half of this sprendid- political and social study of the present day will be given in The Sunday Call's Magazine Section out mext Sun- day—~o you will have the com- plete novel in two issuesx of The Oall. Immediately follow- ing thin will be published “Alice of OId Vincennes'—one of the stronzest hits of fiction that has appeared in years and the best work that ever came from the pen of that popniur author, Maurice Thompson. This is not all. There are/others to be published that you will find equally interesting—all of them bookw that are recognized in the world of letters as the best fiction of the day. “The Gentleman from' Indiana,” Booth , Tarkington, is easily considéred at the. top—it will appear later. Amnother mnovel. that has been considered one of the sensations of the day as a study of the racial problem, aside from its merit a8 a story, is’ “The Leopard’s Spet by Thomas Dixon Jr.—this also is on the list of fiction to appear in The Sunday Call. These are only a few that will be pub- lixhed in this new and attrac- tive manner. You cannot af- ford to miss a single issue of The Sunday Call. _— that the dark woodwork and curtaining has toned the room to just the proper de- gree of artistic comfort. It has béen left practically as it was originally fitted up Ly Signor Peano. The ceiling covered with figured raw silk bears the foreign stamp, and it is soon obvious that not cnly on the exterior of the house alone does the fantastic touch prevaill Even in thiz cozy reception room there:i§ a hint of the bizarre. Swinging out at right angles from a blank wall is what looks like a door with its upper panels missing It opens and clodes to nowhere, but as it swings or stands ‘out in its black somber wood one notes that it fits in ad- mirably with the cglor scheme of the room. : s Sq also-does the round entrance formed of 4 portiere in slashed green, a gift, one is fold, from ome of the priests in the Vatican, where it is said to“have ‘huug. So' there is afterzall a suggestion of the owner's religlous life in Italy. One stops to reconsider some of his impresgions of the last few minutes, but only for' a moment. The portiere was brought in from the outside world, and 15 no real part of La Capriccioso. merely fastened there with brgss-headed tacks, Italy, architectural Italy, alone and the caprices of a sculptor are. the keynotes to the little villa that has been mystifying passers-by for the last five years. It has all seemed a puzzle, from the heavy relief-work over one of the win- dows, which unraveled are seen to be merely & pair of griffins, to the little Tound openings set here and there like S0 many ornamented portholes. Yes, it has all seemed a puzzle—until one | stumbles quite by chance upon the door with La Capriccioso carved over it. Then the riddle is solved. AN EASY LESSON IN WHIST. MRS. E. P. SCHELL. |HAVE observed that beginners, players of moderate skill, and even many players far advanced in the general rules and strategy of the game of whist, will often fall into the trick-losing error of switching suit when the situation does not call for or justify such a play. I believe this to be a fault responsible for the loss of more tricks than any other at the whist table. Much has been said and written on this subject, but I feel that it is a subject of very great moment and I do not think the warning to avoid changing suits can be too often spoken of or too thoroughly impressed upon the mind of the whist student. There are only about four con- ditions which may cause a player to not return 'partner’s suit after having won the first trick in the suit. If holding a very strong suit—ace, king, queen and cne or more, you will, as a rule, open such a suit instead of returning your part- ner’s suit. But having a suit of less than three court cards, I beiieve it better play to return your pagtmer’s suit. The occasions in which a player is jus- tified in opening his own suit with a small card instead of returning partner’s suit are so rare that the inference should be that he is void of his partner’s suit. For example, plain suit: First, A leads the 5 of diamonds; C plays 2 of diamonds; e e " e //fl, Wi 8 “.' | 7 or queen that partner might have made had you not opened the suit, and you do not escape the adverse play you attempt- ed to avold by not returning partners suit, for If you are playing against clever adversaries, they will understand the situation and, later, lead the suit through partner, a play as detrimental to your interests as though you had re~ turned ft. When it is clear that one of your op- ponents is vold of suit—this is sometim an excuse for changing, but if you are weak In trumps it is much better to con- tinue the suit than to open your own moderately strong one. If the suit is ruffed it will usually force the strong hend. In such a case you should not hesitate to force the opponent who early in the play of the hand shows that he is void of your suit. Suppe First, A leads 6; C plays T; ace; D plays king. Second, B leads 8; D is evidently void of the suit, but it is usually very much better for B to return the suit than open another. It puts D in a very perplexing position. The trick is a doubtful one to him, for C may have the queen. D, with just four trumps, may not care to trump, and if he has five or more you are forcing a strong hand. If D passes and part- ner has the queen, it may be the only way you can get two tricks on the suit. Where the play indicates that both op~ ponents are vold of the suit—in this case u must change the suit. If you do not e opponent who is weak will trump and the other discard. When you are very weak In partner's su B plays or instance, partner may open & suit with a small card, and find you with only two or three small cards In it, say 8, 6, 3. The trick is won by the opponents with a card like the 10 or 9. Subsequently you get in the lead;’ you may have a better play than the return of partner’s suit, even though. it is a lead through the left- hand adversary, opening a suit of only medium strength, or the lead of a sup- porting card from a short suit. It is usually much better to return partner's suit than to change to fairly strong one, say ace, king and two small. If you open suit, leading king, then ace, you give up control, and may establish for the adversaries, besides parting with what might prove valuable cards of re- entry. An easy deal: 3 I , & South. S.—J, 3, -8 8, D.—K. 5 Trumps, clubs; leader. Tk. North East. South. *Ah 10h 2h Kh *6e 8h 7a *Ad 4d Ja *Kd 2a 5d 0c *Js s 38 8s 28 8d *Jo Qd 9 *Ac 2¢ Qe *Ke North and South, 9; East and West, 4. Trick 1—As South has not commenced to untlock, it is clear that he has not B plays ace of diamonds; D plays 4 of dlamonds. Second, B now leads § of clubs (plain suif); the inference is that B Las no diamonds—a rare exception ‘would be, or of all the remaining diamonds. ‘When you win the first round of partner’s suit with a small card, say 10, 9 or small- er card, it may be to your advantage not to return it. But it must be borne in mind that even in cases like this open- ing a suit of ordinary strength in pref- erence to returning partner’s suit very often results in loss. You may sacrifice a card like the king four of the suit, and the probabilities are that North's king will catech an honor with East. Whether or not this Is the case his proper play is the continuation of the suit. Trick 2— North is evidently void of dia- monds and South’s best play is to force him, Trick 6—South's force of his partner in these circumstances is almost tantamount to a call for trumps. With a great many players it is an established rule to return the trump under such conditions. South is able to plaee the major tenace to his right, for North, having failed to echo three or to lead fourth best, could have had but two trumps. Had he held ace, queen, 9, 7 he would have played the ace first. Trick 10—If East puts in the trump ace and continues with the diamonds the re- sult is the same.