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SIX
“The Lost World”
"I need not say," said our leader,
“that on the occasion of ray last visit
I exhausted every means of climbing
the cliff, and whero I failed I do not
think any one else is likely to succeed,
for I am something of a mountaineer.
I had none of the appliances of a rock
climber with me, but I have taken the
precaution to bring them now. With
their aid T am positive I could climb
that detached pinnacle to the summit.
Hut so long as the main cliff overhnngs
It Is vain to attempt ascending that.
1 was hurried upon my last visit by
the approach of the rainy season and
by the exhaustion of my supplies.
These considerations limited my time,
and I can enly claim that I have sur-
■ '^l^*
We Held a Counoil of War.
veyed about. alx miles of the cliff to
tho cast of us, finding no possible way
up. What, then, aliall wn now do?"
"There seems to be only one reason
able course," said 1 ‘rofeasor Summer
lee. "If you have explored the east
we should travel along the base of the
cliff to the west and seek for a prac
ticable point for our ascent.”
"That's It," laid Lord John. "The
odds are that this plateau la of groat
size, and we shall travel round It until
we either tlnd an easy way up It or
come bnck to the point from which
we started."
The ground nt the foot of the cliff
was rocky and broken, so thut the go
ing was slow nnd difficult. Suddenly
we came, however, upon something
which cheered our bearta. It was the
site of an old encampment, with sev
eral empty Chicago meat tins, a bottle
labeled "Itrnndy." a broken tin opener
nnd a quantity of other travelera' de
bris. A crumpled, disintegrated news
paper revealed Itself as the Chicago
Democrat, though the date had been
obliterated.
“Not mine," said Challenger. "It
must lie Maple White's."
Lord John had been gazing curiously
nt n great tree fern which overshad
owed the encampment. "I say, hark at
this," said he. "I believe It Is meant
for a signpost."
A slip of hardwood had been nailed
to the tree In such a way as to point
to the westward.
“Most certainly n signpost," said
Challenger. “What else? Finding him
self upon a dangerous errand, our pio
neer tins left this sign bo that any
party which follows him may know
the way he has taken. Perhaps we
shall come upon some other Indies
tlons ns we proceed."
We did Indeed, but they were of n
terrible and most unex|>eoted nature.
Immediately lamentli the cliff there
grew a considerable poll'll of high
bamboo, like that which •<> had trav
ersed In our Journey, Many of these
stems were twenty feet Fitgh, with
sharp, stroug tops, so ttint even as they
stood they made formidable spears.
We were passing along the edge of
this cover when my eye was caught
by the gleam of something white with
in it. Thrusting In my head between
the stems, I found myself gazing at
a fleshless skull. Tile whole skeletou
was there, but the skull bad detached
ltsdf and lay some feet nenrer to the
open.
With a few blows from the machetes
of our Indians wo cleared the spot and
were able to study the details of this
old tragedy. Only a few shreds of
clothes could still be distinguished, but
there were the remains of boots upon
the bony feet, and It was very clear
that tlie dead man was u European. A
gold wati-fl and a chain, which hold a
stvlographlc pen, lay among the bones.
There was also a silver cigarette case,
with "J, C„ from A. E. 8.," upon the
lid. The state of the metnl seemed to
show that the catastrophe had occur
red no grant time la* fore
"Who can he be?” asked Lord John.
"Poor devil, every bone In his body
seems to tie broken.”
"And the bamboo grows through his
smashed ribs," said Sunmierlee. “It Is
a fast growing plant, but It is surely
Inconceivable that this body could have
been here while the canes grew to tie
twenty feet In length."
"As to the man's identity," said Pro
fessor Challenger, "1 have no doubt
whatever ujhiu that point. As 1 made
my way up the river before I reached
you at the fazenda I Instituted very
particular inquiries about Maple White.
At Para they knew nothing. Fortu
nately, I bait a definite clew, for there
was a particular picture In his sketch
book which showed him taking lunch
with a certain ecclesiastic nt Rosario.
This priest 1 was able to find, amt
though he proved a very argumentn
By A. CONAN DOYLE
tlve fellow, who took It absurdly amiss
that I should point out to him the cor
rosive effect which modern science
must have upon his beliefs, he none the
less gave me some positive Informa
tion. Maple White passed Rosario four
years ago. or two years before i saw
his dead body. He was not alone at
the time, but there was a friend, an
American named James Culver, who
remained in the boat and did not meet
this ecclesiastic. I think, therefore,
that there can be no doubt thnt we are
now looking upon the remains of this
James Colver.”
“Nor," said J/ord John, "Is there much
doubt as to how he met his death. He
has fallen or been chucked from the
top and so been Impaled. How else
could he come by his broken bones and
how could he have been stuck through
by these canes with their points so
high above our heads?”
We moved off In silence and contin
ued to const, round the line of cliffs,
which were ns even and unbroken as
some of those monstrous Antarctic ice
fields which 1 have seen depleted as
stretching from horizon to horizon and
towering high above the mastheads of
the exploring vessel.
In five miles we saw no rift or break.
And then suddenly we perceived some
thing which filled us with new hope.
In n hollow of the rock, protected from
rain, there was drawn a rough arrow
In chalk, pointing still to the west
ward.
"Maple White again," said Professor
Challenger. "He had some presenti
ment that worthy footsteps would fol
low close behind him.”
"He had chalk, then?”
"A box of colored chnlks was among
the effects I found In his knapsnek. I
remember that the white ono was
wont lo a stump."
"That la certainly good evidence,”
said Summerlee. “We can only ac
cept hla guidance and follow on to the
westwa rd.”
Wo had proceeded some five more
miles when again we saw a white ar
row upon the rocks. It was at a point
where (he face of the cliff wns for the
first time spilt Into n narrow cleft. In
side the cleft wns a second guidance
mark, which pointed right up It with
the tip somewhat elevated, as If the
spot indicated were above the level of
the ground.
It wns a solemn place, for the walls
were so gigantic and the silt of blue
Sky so narrow nnd so obscured by n
double fringe of verdure that only a
dim and shadowy light penetrated to
the bottom. We had bad no food for
mnny hours nnd were very weary with
the stony and Irregular Journey, but
our nerves were too strung to allow
us to halt. We ordered the camp to
be pitched, however, and. leaving the
IndlatiN to arrange It, we four, with
the two half breeds, proceeded up the
narrow gorge.
It was not over forty feet across
at the mouth, but It rapidly closed un
til It ended In an acute nngle, too
straight nnd smooth for an ascent.
Certainly It was not this which our
pioneer had attempted to Indicate.
We made our way back the whole
gorge was not more than a qunrter of
n mile deep nnd then suddenly the
quick eyes of Lord John fell upon
what we were seeking. High up above
our heads amid the dark shadows there
was one circle of deeper gloom. Sure
ly It could only lie the o]>entng of •
enve
The base of the cliff was heaped
with loose stones at the spot, and It
was not difficult to clamber up. When
we reached It all doubt was removed
Not only was it an opening into the
rock, lint on the side of it there was
marked once ngalu the sign of the ar
row.
Here was the point and this wns the
menus by which Maple White nnd his
111 fated comrade hail made their as
cent.
We were too excited to return to
tlie camp, tint must make our first ex
ptorattou at once. Isml John hud an
electric torch In his knapsack, and this
had to serve us as light. He advanced,
throwing his little clear olrelot of yel
low radiance before him, while In sin
gle file we followed Ht Ills heels.
The cave had evidently been water
worn, the sides being smooth and the
floor covered with rounded atones. It
was of such a size thnt a single man
could Just ttt through by stooping. For
tlfty yards It ran almost straight Into
the rook, and then It ascended at an
angle of forty five Presently this in
cline became even steeper, and we
found ourselves climbing iqioii hands
ami knees among loose rubble which
slid from beneath us. Suddenly an ex
ciatnaUun broke from la>rd Boston.
“It's blocked!" said he
Clustering behind him, we saw In the
yellow Held of light a wall of broken
basalt w hich extended to the celling.
"The roof has fallen In!"
In vain we dragged out some of the
pieces. The only effect wn« J hat the
larger ones became detailed and
threatened to roll down the gradient
nnd crush tia. it was evident that the
obstacle was far beyond any efforts
which we could make to remove It.
The road by which Mnple White had
ascended was no longer available.
Too much east down to speak, we
s(utntiled down the dark tunnel nnd
made our way back to the camp.
ihie Incident occurred, however, be
fore we left the gorge, which ts of tin
portauce In view of what came after
ward.
We had gathered in a little group
at the Itottotu of the chasm, some for
ty feet beneath the mouth of the cove,
when a huge rock rolled suddenly
downward and shot past us with tre
mendous force. It was the narrowest
escape for one or all of ns. We could
not ourselves see whence the rock had
come, but our half breed servants, who
were still at the openlttg of the cave,
said that It had flown past them and
must therefore have fallen from the
summit. Txroklng upward, we could
see no sign of movement above us
amid the green Jungle which topped
the cliff. There could be little doubt,
however, thnt the stone was aimed at
us, so the Incident surely pointed to
humanity and malevolent humanity—
upon the plateau.
We withdrew hurriedly from the
chasm, our minds full of this new de
velopment and its bearing upon our
plans. The situation was difficult
enough before; but, If the obstructions
of nature were increased by the de
liberate opposition of man, then our
ease wns indeed a hopeless one. And
yet as we looked up at thnt beautiful
fringe of verdure only n few' hundreds
of feet above our beads there wns not
one of us who could conceive the Idea
of returning to London until we had
explored It to its depths.
On discussing the situation we de
termined thnt our best course was to
continue to const round the plateau in
the hope of finding some other means
of reaching the top. The line of cliffs,
which bad decreased considerably in
height, had already begun to trend
from west to north, and If we could
take this as representing the arc of n
circle the whole circumference eonld
not be very great. At the worst, then,
we should be back In a few days at
our stnrting point.
We made n march that day which
totaled some two nnd twenty miles
without any chnnge in our prospects.
I may mention that our nnraold shows
us tlint In the continual Incline which
we have ascended since we abandoned
our canoes we have risen to no less
than 3,000 feet above sen level; hence
there Is a considerable change both In
the temperature nnd In the vegetation.
We have shaken off some of that hor
rible Insect life which ts the bane of
tropical travel. A few palms still sur
vive and many tree ferns, but the
Amazonian trees have been nil left be
hind. It was pleasant to see the con
volvulus, the passion timber nnd the
begonia, nil reminding me of home,
here among these Inhospitable rocks.
There was a red begonia just the same
color as one that ts kept in a pot in
the window of a certain villa In Streat
ham. Hut 1 am drifting Into private
reminiscence.
CHAPTER X.
Summaries No Longer Skeptical.
THAT night—l am still sponklng
of the first day of our circum
navigation of the plutenu—a
grant experience awaited us
and otic which forever set at rest any
doubt which we could have had ns to
the wonders so near us.
What occurred was this: Lord John
hu<l shot an njoutl. which Is a small,
plgllke animal, and, half of It having
lwen given to the Indians, wo were
cooking flic other half upon our fire
There Is a chill in the air after dark,
nnd we had all drawn cl**o to the
blaze. The night was moonless, but
there were some stars, and one could
sec for a little distance across the
plain. Well, suddenly out of the dark
ness, out of tin* night, there swooikhl
something with a swish like an aero
plane. The whole group of us were
covered for an Instant by a canopy of
leathery wing*, and t had a moiuen
tary vision of a long, anakeltke neck,
a fierce, rad, greedy eye and a great
snapping beak, filled, to my amaze
ment. with little, gleauiiug teeth. The
next Instant It was gone—and so was
our dinner. A huge black shadow,
twenty feet across, skimmed up Into
the air. For an Instant the monster
wings blotted out the stars, and then
It vanished over the brow of the cliff
above us. We all sat In amazed silence
round the fire, like the heroes of Virgil
when the Harpies came down upon
them. It was Sunmierlee who was the
first to speak.
“Professor Challenger." said he. In a
solemn volet*, which quavered with
emotion, "I owe you an apology. Sir,
t am very much In the wrong, and I
beg that you will forget what Is past."
It was handsomely said, and the two
men for the first time sh *.*g hands. So
much we have gained by this clt%r vi
sion of our first pterodactyl. It was
THE AUGUSTA HERALD, AUGUSTA, GA.
worth a stolen supper to bring two
such men together.
On the sixth day we completed our
first circuit, of the cliffs and found our
selves back at the first camp beside the
Isolated pinnacle of rock. We were a
disconsolate party, for nothing could
have been more minute than our In
vestigation. nnd It was absolutely cer
tain that there was no single point
where the most active human being
could possibly hope to scale the cliff.
The place which Maple White’s chalk
marks had indicated as his own means
of access was now entirely Impassa
ble.
What were we to do now? Our
stores of provisions, supplemented by
our guns, were holding out well, but
the day must come when they would
need replenishment. In n couple of
months the rains might bo expected,
nnd wo should be washed out of our
camp. The rock was harder than mar
ble, and any attempt at cutting a path
for so great a height was more than
our time or resources would admit.
No wonder that we looked gloomily at
each other that night and sought our
blankets with hardly a word exchang
ed. I remember that as I dropped off
to sleep my last recollection was thnt
Challenger was squatting, like a mon
strous bullfrog, by the fire, his huge
head In his hands, sunk apparently In
the deepest thought and entirely ob
livious to the good night which I wish
ed him.
But It. was a very different Challen
ger who greeted us in the morning—a
Challenger with contentment and self
congratulation shining from his whole
person. He faced us as we assembled
for breakfast with a deprecating false
modesty In bis eyes, as who should
say, "I know that I deserve all that
you can say, but I pray yon to spare
my blushes by r t saying it.” His
beard bristled exultantly, his chest
was thrown out and his hand was
thrust Into the front of his jacket. So,
In his fancy, may he see himself some
times gracing the vacant pedestal in
Trafalgar square and adding one more
to the horrors of the London streets.
“Eureka!” he cried, his teeth shining
through his heard. “Gentlemen, you
may congratulate me and we mny
congratulate each other. The problem
is solved.”
“You hnve found n way up?”
"I venture to think so.”
“And where?”
For answer he pointed to the splre
llko pinnacle upon our right
Our faces, or mine at least, fell as
we surveyed It. That it could be
climbed we had our companion’s as
surance, bat a horrible abyss lay be
tween It and the plateau.
“We can never got across!” I gasped.
“We can at least all reach the sum
mit,” said he. "When we are up X
may lie able to show you that the re
sources of an Inventive mind are not
vet exhausted.”
After breakfast we unpacked the
bundle in which onr leader had brought
Ills climbing accessories. From It he
took a coll of the strongest and
lightest rope, which was 150 feet In
length, with climbing irons, clamps
and other devices. Lord John was an
experienced mountaineer, and Summer
lee had done some rough climbing at
various times, so that 1 was really the
novice at rock work of the party. But
my strength nnd activity may have
made tip for my want of experience.
It wns not tn reality a very stiff
task, though there were moments
which made m.v hair In ! lo upon my
head. The first hall’ was perfectly
easy, but from there upward it beenme
oontluually steeper until for the last
fifty feet we were literally clinging
with our fingers and toes to tiny
ledges and crevices in the rock. I
could not have accomplished It nor
could Summerlee If Challenger had
not gained the summit (It was extraor
dinary to see such activity tn so un
wieldy a creature) nnd there fixed i ■
rope round the trunk of the eousii
able tree which grew there. With tl.c.
as our support we were soon able to
scramble up the jagged wall until we
found ourselves upon the small grassy
platform, some twenty-five feet each
way, which formed the summit.
The first impression which I received
when I had recovered my breath was
of the extraordinary view over the
country whteh we had traversed. The
whole Brazilian plain seemed to lie be
neath us, extending away nnd away
until it ended In dim blue mists upon
the farthest sky line. In the fore
ground whs the long slope, strewn with
rooks and dotted with tree ferna. Far
ther off lu the middle distance, looking
over the saddleback hill. I could Just
see the yellow and green mass of bam
boos through which we had passed,
and then gradually the vegetation in
creased until It formed the huge for
est which extended ns fur ns the eyes
could ranch nnd for a good 11,000 miles
beyond.
1 wns still drinking In this wonderful
panorama when the heavy hand of the
professor fell upon my shoulder.
“This way. my young friend," said
he. "Vestigia nulla retrorsum. Never
look rearward, but ulwaya to our glo
rious goal."
(To bs continued tomorrow)
PAT l«N. MANAGER
Philadelphia National Leaoue Champ*
ions, Praise*
ALLEN S FOOT-EASE
"Trulnln* Tamp, St. rctsrsburx. Fla.,
Mar. m«
Mr Allen S. Olmsted. Lo Hoy. N. Y.
l*#r Sir—Your package of Allen'*
Foot-KaM* reoolvetl. and it did not take
my boy* long to take them all away All
*|K*ak fine for Foot - Kane and you may
refer to my club if you care to. Thunk
mg you very kindlv Very tiady your*.
HAT MORAN. .Afuruger I‘Wtladelphia
National League Hall i'lub." Shaken into
the Sh«»e* and need in the Foot-Bath.
Allen'* Foot-Ka»* removen the aches
and sureties* that come to the feet with
Snnng da>* and activity. Sold by !>rua
and I'eiNirtment stores everywhere*
Doings of the Duffs : : : : By Allman
'well- WHO ARE AMD *T IAM Abl ILLUSTRATION! FOR A CORSET i
| WHAT ARE "iou DO|M G IM THIS AD, ANOTHER MUST HAVE PUT ME I
| .... .IT. T-r l i. ■— j jjj
IM afraid i’ll HAVE to/ ■ ToM doff, You get right ...
REMAIN Here UNTIL WJMtfTIIL ou ' r OF Here AND DON’T mmm.
MR. BEAR’S CYCLONE
The snow had been on the ground for
weeks and weeks, so that Mr. and Mrs.
Fox had not been able to get outdoors,
and now one morning Mrs. Fox said as
she spread the breakfast table: “This is
the last of our food, Reynard. If the
snow does not melt enough for you to
get out today I don’t know what we will
do.’’
“Well, my dear,” said Mr. Fox, who
always looked on the bright side of
things, “let us have our last meal a good
one. I know you have a mince pie on
the top shelf, which I suspect you are
saving when we are entirely out of food.
Hring it on, my dear, and we will be
happy while we can.”
Mrs. Fox sighed as she brought on the
pie, for she had been saving it, just as
her husband had said, for the very last
meal.
“Oh, we are a long ways from starv
ing,” said Mr. Fox, going to the door and
opening it.
“There is Mr. Rabbit,” he said. “Good
morning, Mr. Rabbit,” he called. “Do
you think we can get out of the woods
today? Our food is all gone; we have
eaten our last meal.”
A7A* ~
“Good morning. Mr. Fox,” replied Mr.
Rabbit.' "This certainly is bad weather
for us wood folks; our food is all gone,
too, and Mr. Possum Just told me they
did not have any breakfast at his house
this morning, and Mr. Coon just ran past
me and he said they did not have any
supper last night. 1 expect Mr. Bear is
the only one in the whole forest that
has a bite to eat in the house, and he
won’t wake up until spring, so it will not
do us any good."
"Well, I never!” exclaimed Mr. Fox.
"Why didn’t I think of that before?"
Why, Mr. Rabbit, wc must all go to Mr.
Bear’s house and wake him up. He sure,
ly would not be angry when he finds out
how bad matters are with us, if w'c do
wake him up before he finishes his sleep.
Run and find Mr. Coon and Mr. Possum
and everybody who is without food, and
bring them here."
Away ran Mr. Rabbit over the snow,
and in a few’ minutes he returned with
Mr. Coon. Mr. Possum and their w’ives,
and Mrs. Rabbit, too.
"But what are wc going to do?" they
all asked of Mr. Fox. "You know Mr.
Bear will be angry enough to eat us for
waking him, and. besides that, he sleeps
so soundly, I don’t believe we ran wake
him up."
"We will try. anyway," said Mr. Fox.
"Come along."
So they all stopped under the window
and called: "Mr. Bear. Mr. Bear, wake
up. wake up! We are snowed in the for
est and we shall starve if you do not feed
us."
But not a sound did they hear from
Mr. Bear, and after waiting a minute
Mr. Fox said they must call again louder.
Again they called "Mr. Bear. Mr. Beiir,
wake up, wake up!"
Still no answer, and they called and
called until one after another they grew
so hoarse they could talk only In whis
pers.
"Now what shall we do?" asked Mr.
Coon In a whls|H»r. "I am so hungry 1
could eat a hoard."
"There is but one thing to do now."
said Mr. Fox. "We must break in the
door Now, when I call out. ’All together,’
everybody push. Do you understand?"
Everybody said he did and got Into line.
• All ready?" asked Mr. Fox.
Everybody said he was. and Mr. Fox
called out. "Now, all together!"
“Crack! Bang!" went the door and Into
the room went Mr. Fox. followed by all
the other*, but with such force that Mr.
Fox did not stop in the bouw*. He vent
tight on tlrovrh the other side of Mr.
Bear’s house and outdoors again and
stuck in the snow to his neck.
And after him went Mr. Coon and Mr.
Possum and Mr Rabbit, only they went
head first into the snow, with their legs
sticking up and kicking like windmills.
Mrs Fox. Mrs. Coon. Mrs. Possum and
Mrs Rabbit slid aero*.* the floor and
there they *At looking at each other in a
very foolish manner.
Mr Fox flounced about until he got
out of the snow, and then he pulled out
the others, and they went into tthe house.
“Where is he?” they asked.
“Where is who?” asked Mrs. Coon.
“Why, Mr. Rear, of course,” replied
her husband. “Surely he is awake now.”
“Oh! I forgot all abdbt him,” said Mrs.
Coon, looking around at the others.
“What did we come for, anyway? Oh!
dear, my head feels so queer.”
“My stomach feels queerer than my
hea4l.” said Mr. Coon, “and if Mr. Bear
is not awake now he never will be until
spring, and I cannot wait until spring for
my breakfast. Come along, we will find
the pantry.”
They did not need to be told a second
time ,and in a few minutes Mr. Bear’s
pantry was as bare as Mother Hubbard’s
cupboard.
*n xhe spring, when Mr. Bear awoke
he rushed out of hia nouse and asked
everybody he met what happened during
the winter, and you may be sure Mr.
Fox and Mr. Coon and Mr. Rabbit were
right on hand with a cyclone story, and
told Mr. Bear how dreadful it had been,
and how they all had worked hard and
rebuilt their homes while he was asleep.
(Copyright, 1916, by the McClure News
paper Syndicate, New York City.)
Ufa Wears Wrist
Watch As Emblem
of Her Marriage
* :\
Uta Uchida and wrist watch which
took the place of a wedding ring.
T. Uchida is "honorable Japanese
schoolboy."
After the manner of many foreign
ers. he has the right Idea, but his exe
cution Is faulty.
Uchida. two years ago, sailed away
from Japan, leaving behind him Uta,
fair "daughter of flowers.” She was
16 and a schoolgirl. He went to Los
Angeles anil became a gardener. He
made money and learned a little of the
ways of the American.
He learned, for instance, that many
women wear wrist watches. Why did
they wear them? Uchida Inquired
around to find out. A Joshing friend
told him it was a sign of marriage.
So Uchida bought a wrist watch and
started back for Japan to have "hon
orable American wedding." After the
marriage, he and Uta came to San
Francisco on their honeymoon.
And with a wrist watch around her
plump wrist, Uta Is quite satisfied that
she is wearing a wedding band. It is
said that she is tlie first Japanese
girl to adopt the novelty and certainly
the first of all girls to wear It as a
sign of matrimony.
SATURDAY, MAY 20.
"BE KIND TO ANIMALS
WEEK” HAS ITS END TODAY
It is still “Be Kind to Animals Week”
and we are in the presence of the pass
ing parade.
We are looking upon the beautiful Riv
erside Mill horses—animals that are giv
en their rights. As we view their clean
bodies, with long tails, and mane and
look into their beautiful and contented
eyas, a relaxed feeling comes over us,
for we are in the presence of fine stock
in a natural state.
Without asking, we know they are
well kept. But as information, we in
quire and are told that these horses are
fed three times daily, are taken out about
7 a. m. and never brought in later than
6 p. 111., having one hour for dinner. The
drivers are allowed tio whips, neither are
they allowed to speak harshly. The horses
are groomed every day, their feet looked
into for nails or stones, and they have
clean, fresh beds at night. These beau
tiful creatures are so well kept that they
do not look like work horses, although
two of them are white.
The very air of the Riverside Mill is
restful, not only with the animals but
with the working people as well.
These men make a success of business.
When we talk to owners, managers and
drivers of teams brought out between 6
and 7 a. m. and work*** all day without
eating, slashed and run, loaded and un
loaded, they tell us it must be so or they
can t make a living. Gentlemen, we wish
you would go out of business or learn
the better way from these righteous men
who regardeth the life of their animals.
AUGUSTA HUMANE SOCIETY.
SCARECROW FOR ZEPPELINS
British Have Dummy Gun on Coast to
Terrify Raiders.
(London Ditspatch to New York
Sun).
Sir William Gelder’s revelations as
to the use of a dummy wooden gun in
a Zeppelin menaced east coast town
have been much discussed in London.
Thus gun, which was dutly guarded by
soldiers, was intended to terirfy the
Germans.
For a similar piece of strategy we
must go back to the Franco-British
expedition to China in 1860. A French
historian tells us that when the allied
force arrived at PtVtang they saw be
fore them two small forts. Not a sol
dier was visible in or near them. Day
was declining and allies, though fear
ing an ambush, decided to venture into
the forts. They found on the ramparts
two or three wooden guns encircled
with iron, and these had been aban
doned by the defenders. A few mines
of primitive construction had been laid
around them, and were removed by
the French engineers.
Dummy guns, as Macaulay shows us,
must have been employed by the forces
of Surapah Dowlah in the battle of
I’lessay. The Nabob had with him
40,000 infantry armed with firelocks,
pikes, swords, bows and arrows. "They
were accompanied by 50 pieces of or
dinance of the largest size, each tugged
by a long team of white oxen, and each
pushed on from behind by an elephant.”
In the cannonade the artillery of the
Nabob, though assisted by a few small
French guns, “did scarcely any exe
cution." Gun, oxeq and baggage re
mained in the power of the conquerors.
TELEPHONE “FIENDS."
Many Women Just Love to Gossip
Over the Wire.
Women do not meet and mingle to
the extent that men do. At work or
at home, they do not liuve the oppor
tunities for visiting, says the Detroit
News. Housewives, especially, suffer
from bottled-up social instincts. The
most affable husband cannot be engag
ed in serious conversation on many
topics which are of us much interest
to a wife as a bowling score, the Tiger
pitching prospects or behuvlor of the
real estate market are to a man and
his cronies.
So the habit of prolonged gossiping
over the telephone brings about seri
ous problem in service. The telephone
company hus arranged a calculating
supervision of telephone conversations,
Instructing operators to break In on
those that monopolize party-line sys
tems which other subscribers are
splrming to make use of.
An impatient male, trying to sum
mon a cab to catch a train, overhears
a fragment of after-dinner telephone
conversation between a pair of estim
able maidens or matrons and becomes,
for the moment a violent antagonist
of the movement for women's equality.
The telephone company, seeking to Jus
tify Its demand for heavier tol’s and to
answer bitter criticism of its service
decides to strike at the heart-to-heart
communications which vibrate over the
wires for many precious moments,
while the matter-of-fact public gnashes
, its teeth.