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Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, February 26, 1922, Image 64

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Gold Is Where You Find It? -An Adventure Story?By H. Bedford-Jones
Gold Is where you find It,
says the tlmeworn proverb
of prospectors. So is luck.
S6 is the one woman. Ran
Aolps knew because, in his day. he
had found all three.
He found the gold, and other men
had reaped it. He had found the luck,
and under his grip it Invariably
turned sour. He had found the one
wfman?a slim, gold-crowned girl
with pure eyes, who had looked once
Into his soul and had turned awa) ,
from'him. shivering. !
Randolph tramped down the world
alone, unloving and unloved. He
went from bad to worse. thieving,
drinking, lusting and lending himself
ta any crime or vice for the means
of support. Out on the borders of
China, where the dregs of the world
foregather, he became one of the
white harpies who prey upon whit
and yellow and brown alike, and
learned terrible things.
In Shanghai he neared the end.
?ervlng here as tout for a chl"*s*
gambling house and smuggling
opium out of the Japanese quarter to
his master in the native city. But
Randolph went even a step lower
than this when he murdered his mas- ,
ter one night, got away uncaught, j
and took passage for home with
big suit case crammed full of gold j
and banknotes. He never read the
papers, and he slunk away from every
one else on the ship; thus he knew
. nothing of war or the draft unt
the custom's men In San Francisco
demanded his draft card.
* * * ?
T>ANDOLPH tried to lie. and fell
Into hot water that grew hotter
all the time. So he threw up the
sponge, and after depositing his
blood-stained money in a local bank
let himself be Inducted into the
army. The army unanimously agreed
that he was one of the worst men
ever whelped, and Instead of being
cent to France he was shipped down
to the Mexican border.
There Randolph kept company with
three hundrede other men. lost In a
desert camp on the brink of perdi
tion. during month after month of
nothing but blue sky and white des
ert. until he was whipped into a lean
hardness of body and mind. Much of
the evil was blown out of him by
the desert winds and bleached out
of him by the blazing sunlight, and
Bhamed out of hi n by the lean brown
strength of the men around him.
Much of the crafty sin of Asia was
wiped from his eyes; but it festered
within him like a maggot.
Thus, Randolph became much like
the man he had been three years pre
viously. Put a man in a monastery.
give him no chance whatever to sin;
or set him on a pillar In the desert,
and you have a saint In the making,
this is the theory on which peniten
tiaries stand. Like all theories, it ts |
very fine, but in practice it works
out only about once in ten thousand
cases. _ , . j
Following: these things, Randolph |
contracted influenza and penumonla
and was in hospital for a month.,
where he remained later as orderly..
Then, when the epidemic became,
General, he was of so much use that
he was transferred to New Orleans.
He was a valuable man. more valu
able by reason of having an educa
tion. His bad reputation was for
gotten. A quiet, slender man with
reddish hair, regular features, and
? pair of steady blue eyes, he be
came liked. Only his eyes never
matched his lips in a smile; the>
were unsmiling, those eyes, and very
keen.
Oddly enough, in these da>s
thoughts turned much toward the
slim, gold-crowned girl with pure
eyes. In all his life she had been
the one flaming desire, the one un
quenched passion, quiescent for long
intervals, but certain sooner or later
to awaken and torture him
After the armistice, foreseeing d,s
eharge. Randolph drew on his bank
account In San Francisco and kept
the draft on his person. Those army
men who knew his record-w-hat
there was to know of it?said that
here was a man reborn, made anew
turned from a scoundrel into a credit,
and all by means of the draft an
the army. The chaplain who had at-|
tended him in hospital said that here ,
was a man drawn to the Lord, whoj
had seen the error of his ways an<l
had found salvation, and al. by means
of lying sick ur.to death.
* * * *
T>AXDOLPH himself said nothing
at all. but took his honorable
discharge, bought himself the habili
ments of civilian life. an<l. with th
calm, pure eyes of a girl burning into
hi* soul, disappeared.
A great university town lis, in
many ways, a place of paradoxes.
It has its little iron bound cliques.
vU is open to all the world. It Is
usually, a sleepy little place, yet
more au couranc with the world than
most cities. Its entire attention is
antly riveted upon collegiate life and
activities?upon that little cosmos of
undergraduate life which gives the
town its raison d'etre.
In such a- town a man may hide
himself admirably from the world or
he may expose himself to all the
world, according to his desire.
Randolph, well aware that in all
this town there was not one person
who knew him. came using his own
name, deposited a large sum of money
In the bank and rented a furnished
room It was late summer; within a
short while the college activities
would spring Into full being.
Seeming to know his way around. ]
Randolph walked down the hill past
tfce railroad station to the river and
rented a canoe at the boathouse.
There, morning after morning, he
paddled up the widening reaches of
the stream, past the stone quarries
and the bridge, as far as the nar
rows; and then floated down again,
drifting in mind and body. It was
his first vacation In a long while,
and he set himself to enjoy it thor
oughly.
Later, he went over to the col
lege library, introduced himself to
the librarian, and asked help in pre
paring a work upon China. He
proved to have a surprising knowl
edge of China, and was urged to
make himseir at home in the library,
which he did. The librarian was so
Impressed that he gave Randolph a
card to the University Club?a club
composed of professors, mainly, oc
cupying the basement of one of the
buildings. There Randolph met gen
tlemen with whom he moved on an
eren footing. This was not hard; a
university and fraternity man him
self. in the fled, lost days of youth,
he had little there of which to be
ashamed. It was later that his rec
| ord drew blank.
After this Randolph visited one of
the professors In the medical school
? redthalred Scotchman, a dynamic
little man of Tast repute and skill
ed, wm treated tor stomach trouble
which he did not have. Pr. Murray
was a second father to many of the
college girls, having the quaJity of
acquiring confidences from those who
knew him. He gave Randolph a
cigar and chatted about certain Chi
nese diseases.
"By the way." said Randolph medi
tatively. "I used to know a girl years
ago who came over here, I believe,
to take up some college work. Shan
non. her name was,. Elsie Shan
non??"
"What's that?" Murray bounced
out of his chair with eager interest.
"Why, my dear chap, she's one of my
girls?has been for years! You know
her?"
"I used to." Randolph lowered his
lids to hide the flame in his eyes. "Is
she here now?"
"Will be next week. Why, Elsie
is the loveliest girl that ever lived?
one of the finest! She has charge of
the women's dormitory building, you
know; a perfect mother to all the
girls, yet she's only a girl herself?
a slender, sweet flower, brimful of
loveliness. Are you to be in town
long?"
"Don't know yet," said Randolph.
"I'm doing some research work, you
know?"
"Yes. I'd heard."
Randolph walked down to the river.
There he got his canoe and paddled
hard and furiously. Murray's words
were burning in him, awakening all
low skin and large spectacles; Ran
dolph started slightly, realizing he
was a Chinese student.
"Mr. Randolph, I'd like to Intro
duce Mr. Li Huan of Shanghai. You
were speaking to me about your
typist difficulties, and in case you
need a good man, I can recommend
Mr. Li absolutely!"
Randolph shook hands. Li Huan
was very polite; he seemed to be a
quiet, efficient sort of chap, and his
English was of the clearcut, excel
lent smoothness that educated for
eigners so often acquire.
"Not a half-bad idea." said Ran
dolph. "My present typist is poor on
spelling, and I'm rather weak on Chi
nese words. If you care to come and
see me "
"Another thing," went on the li
brarian. "Mr. Li is very keenly in
terested In regenerating his country,
like many educated Chinese of today,
and I think that he might be able to
give you some additional information
on the sort of stufT you're writing
about. It would fall right in his
line."
That evening Randolph had the
Chinaman for a caller. I?i Huan
proved to be a merry soul, but earn
est withal. When he had glanced
over a few pages of Randolph's much
touted "work," he glanced up in sur
prise.
"This is extraordinary, Mr. Ran
so he had chosen evil, careless of
what came afterward, yet building
up his own way of escape: careless
of the sin that he was scheming:;
careless of everything except the
burning dame that had devoured his
vitals these years past, torturing him
anew after each period of dormant
slumbering. He would possess her, at
whatever cost!
Each little detail was planned,
ready, bulwarked. The dinner In
vitation?her acceptance of that
would depend upon the briefness of
that first meeting, and what she
heard about him; upon his position
here, upon the bait of curiosity to
see how he had made a man of himself!
So he built his foundations carefully,
step by step, neglecting nothing
at all.
* * * *
ttE bought a roadster and learned
to run It. Once he drove over to
the city, only an hour's drive away
from the collegiate town, and there
he carefully scanned, with the eye
of a somewhat scornful connoisseur,
the places where they could dine.
He made arrangements for every
thing in his mind, planning each
moment of that drive; planning what
he would say,and do; planning each
detail of the event. He had the
little drug that he would put Into her
RANDOLPH WENT ONE DAY TO THE REGISTRAR AND MADE DIRECT INQUIRIES.
the quiescent fever that lay In his
soul. Not until dark did he come
home again, the fever burned out.
She would be here in a week!
* * * *
T fPON the following day a chance
remark of his friend the librarian
decided him that he had better get
busy. He engaged a typist and be
gan to dictate what he knew about
China and Its worst aspects; he was
not engaged with the Iniquities of
the Chinese, but rather of the for
eign settlements. Randolph under
took the work in an ironical mood,
merely to have something to show in
case he were called upon to show any
thing.
He knew his subject?knew it
down to the ground; he could cry
"Magna pars ful!" with all truth.
He knew it so thoroughly that after
two days his typist decided that this
was no work for a lady and threw
up her job. Randolph only laughed,
engaged a student typist of the male
sex, and let himself go the limit on
his dictation. He found himself en
joying it, in a grim way. and It was
certain that his typist was kept in
terested.
Randolph took some of his com
pleted work to the librarian, who
delved into it with a fierce avidity
and directed him to a certain pro
fessor of English, the author of many
text books on writing and construc
tion, who himself had never been
able to write an acceptable story. The
professor of English was keenly in
trigued by Randolph's pages, called
them utterly hopeles3 as a manu
I script, yet gave him directions as to
I publishers. All this was thoroughly
i enjoyable to Randolph, who chuckled
i many and many a time over the game
he was playing with these gentry of
the college world.
One afternoon he was engaged In
a rubber of bridge at the club, and
| Dr. Murray cut in. Randolph casually
mentioned Elsie Shannon.
"She's not here yet, I understand,"
said one of the other men.
"Xo," said Murray, with a keen
glance which, despite its kindliness,
suddenly alarmed Randolph. "N*o.
Her mother is very 111, and she has
been given leave of absence for a
little while. Do you Jjnow. that girl
always reminds me of a bit of old
French verse b> Felix Arvers "
"Ah!" said the professor of French,
who was dealing. "True, true! 'Pour
elle, quoique Dieu I'ait faite douce et
tendre'?'so pure, so quiet and aus
tere'?well said. Murray, well said! An
angel, that girl, if ever ope lived!
But did you ever notice, gentle men.
that in all the sacfed writings we
Invariably hear of the angels as
beings of the male sex? There's
a queer thing for you to ponder.
Mr. Randolph! Put It in a book
some time."
"Thanks; "perhaps I shall." said
Randolph, glancing at his hand from
beneath lowered lids. "You pass?
Two hearts."
"Another odd thing," observed Mur
ray during the next deal, "is that it
I is just such a woman as Miss Shan
I non who seems to attract the most
1 brutal and debased men in the world.
You're not a flctiontst, Randolph?
Well. It's often struck me that there
the flctlonlsts hit the nail of human
nature squarely on the head. The at
traction of opposltes. I presume."
"All nonsense!" said the professor
of French, ruffling up his spade beard
and watching Randolph deal. '"A
girl like Miss Shannon can't be fooled.
That type, my friends, look through
to the spirit of a man. Externals do
not matter."
Randolph wondered that the cards
did not tremble In his hands. He
was thinking of the day, well over
the years, when Elsie Shannon had
looked Into his soul and turned away
shivering.
? ? * *
ONE day Randolph was talking to
the librarian, who suddenly
broke oft and glanced from the door
of his office.
"Walt a minute, Randolph, there's
a chap here you ought to meet! Per
haps you can make him useful, too.
He was here last year and has re
turned to finish his course; a very
bright young fellow. Indeed '?
The librarian darted out and pres
ently returned. Accompanying him
was a smiling young man with ytU
dolph!" he said. "I. had hoped some
day to write such a book, exposing
fully the ways In which the foreign
settlements and foreigners generally
treat and exploit the vices and weak
nesses of my countrymen, but I could
never hope to accomplish such a
thing as you have here produced: I
would be extremely glad to help on
it; I would count it 'a privilege!"
Randolph swore to himself. He had
no desire whatever to be pushed into
writing any real book, and he fere
saw future complication. None the less,
he realized that his position would be
firmly established in -this community
if he seized the chance thus offered
to him.
He engaged Li Huan.
The amazing earnestness of this
young man gave him much cynical
amusement. LI Huan, who was ad
mittedly working his way through
college ar.d needed money, worked
night and day 011 typing over and
again what the others had done: he
put the manuscript into excellent
shape, added much, changed much,
until Randolph as astonished at
his own work when he read over the
pages. As he had nothing better to
occupy his time, he threw himself
Into the work with LI Huan. It
served to keep down the flame ham
mering at his pulses whenever he
thought of Elsie Shannon.
* * * *
CTILL she did not come to town. A
little afraid of Murray, Ran
dolph went on day to the registrar
and made direct inquiries. He found
that Elsie Shannon's mother was
very ill, and that Elsie might not
be here for another month; but she
would come ultimately. So Randolph
went home again, flinging himself
into work in order to keep down the
burning desire that gripped him
whenever he spoke of her. heard of
her. dared to think of her! He was
in no hurry for her to come. Every
week that she delayed established
him here more securely. It was upon
this firm establishment that he must
depend for everything. He meant
that she should hear much of him be
fore he saw her; she must be looking
forward a little to seeing him. to
seeing the young wastrel she had
known in other days, yho had now
made of himself a man of mark! Once
he saw her, he must act quickly,
swiftly, put his well conceived plan
into operation without the least de
lay. He must see her one day, and
on the following day?act! He dared
take no chances on himself, on the
quivering passion that might unmask
him if he waited; he dared take no
chances on Elsie Shannon piercing
once again to his ver;r soul with her
calm, pure gaze!
She would do It, he knew well, if
she had the opportunity. He resolved
to give her none. One day a brief
meeting, very brief, and the appoint
ment for the day following. He must
arrange this for a Saturday and Sun- ,
day, of course. He trembled at the
thought of how brief that first meet
ing must be! In the interim she
would hear much of him, he knew;
she would look forward to the talk
with him, to the little dinner. That
much she would not refuse, because
of old times, and because she would
have heard that he was liked and
respected here. She would be curious
?that would be bait"
Randolph had not the least com
punction In the world over what he
meant to do. He had laid himself
bare, dissected himself, calmly and
coolly during those long desert
months down on the Mexican border,
and afterward. He knew that he had
been made Into a lean, powerful in
strument, and he had chosen deliber
ately between good and evil.
He might have chosen good had he
thought there was the least pos
sibility that Elsie Shannon would
ever care for him. But he knew bet
ter. He knew what a slender, pure
flower she was, and how she could
read into his soul with those calm
eyes. He knew that she' could never
love htm?that his past would be like
a*frightful thing to her, blasting him
even from the pale of friendship. And
coffee, and knew just how every de
tail would be worked.
Ther? wai nothing to do. but to
await her coming.
Meantime he worked with L 1 Huan,
and the book dr?w rapidly together
?almost too rapidly, thought Ran
dolph. seeing that It would be com
pleted In a short while now. After
all, there was only so much that he
cou.tl put into it.
Li Huan helped him grandly, prov
ing to have a pretty good acquaint
ance himself with the evils that af
flicted his people in the treaty ports.
Often they worked late Into the
night, Li Huan brewing over a spirit
lamp rich orange-blossom tea that
was sent to him by hia family In
Shanghai, and serving little sweet
Chinese cakes that came to him by
parcel post.
And at last Randolph had word
that she was coming.
"It is done, Mr. Randolph." said LI
Huan, taking the final page from the
typewriter.
Randolph lay back in his chair and
chewed his cigar, looking at the sheaf
of pages that Li Huan was jostling
together Into a solid mass. "Finis"
had been typed; the manuscript was
finished.
In good time, too. thought Ran
dolph. On the previous day Elsie
Shannon had arrived to take up her
work. On the following afternoon he
was going to see her for the first
time, going to pay the first brief
visit. The following day was Satur
day; things fitted In well; at last the
gods?or the devils?were working
on his side!
"Wrap it up, LI Huan." said Ran
dolph. "Send it to the publisher we
agreed upon.'-"
What a joke that book was, he re
flected! He was glad to have the
cursed thing done with, and LI Huan
out of the way for a time. Already
his pulses were hammering at the j
very thought of Elsie Shannon being
here in town. He forced himself Into
a grim control. The sight of LI Huan
wrapping up the completed manu
script amused him; the -little yellow
man was so dreadfully serious, so
monumentally in earnest about it all!
Randolph chuckled suddenly and
leaned forward.
"Tell you what I'll do, Li Huan,"
he said, chuckling again as the other
blinked toward him through his large
spectacles. "You've worked like a
dog Oil this book, and I don't need the
money?in fact, I don't think It'll'
bring much, to be frank. I'll make
you a present of it."
Li Huan stared at him a long
moment, a puzzled frown creasing his
yellow face.
"A present!" he said slowly. "How
do you mean, Mr. Randolph?"
"Why, anything it brings g^ea to
you!" Randolph laughed, not striving
to hide his amusement over the whole
business. "Send the publishers a let
ter saying that I've given you the
manuscript, and all future corre
spondence is to be handled by you."
"That?that is most generous of
you, Mr. Randolph!" Li Huan gazed at
him, then slowly shook his head. "But
I have inquired how these things are
done, sir, and what you suggest would
hardly do. The manuscript bears your
name, you know; that Is only Just
and fair "
"Oh, yes." assented Randolph. "That's
all right."
"Then, sir, the publishers would
have to know from you that I had the
right to handle the manuscript," said
the yellow man earnestly.
"All right." Randolph laughed.
"Type off a letter and I'll sign It."
? * * *
?-pHE typewriter began to bang- once
more, hurriedly and frantically,
as though Li Huan doubted that his
good fortune would linger. Randolph
chewed his cigar, his thoughts going
to Elsie Shannon, excitement fevering
him until he swore to himself and got
a grip on his senses.
Li Huan handed him the typed riheet,
and he scrawled his signature across
it.
"Shall I ret the tea and cake bow,
sir?"
Randolph nodded, thinking he need*
ed something to calm htm. "If you
like.'*
Thank heaven tht? would bo the
last bit of work with that confounded
China boy In the room, silently effi
cient, a dynamo throttled down and
muffled completely beneath yellow
velvet! Murray was a dynamo, too
?the word made him think of the
doctor, somewhat uneasily. He must
take precautions there; Dr. Murray
was a queer little man, brimful of
violent impulse and red-headed.
Presently LI Huan set the tray
on the table, the cups brimming with
golden liquid brewed from the finest
buds, orange-scented; beside the cups
a plate of the sweetish pakes of rice
flour.
Randolph took his cup In his lap.
LI Huan swung about his typist's1
chair and faced him. ?
"An odd tang to this tea!" said ]
Randolph, smacking his lips over the j
slightly astringent fluid. He took one !
of the cakes and dipped It Into.the;
tea, eating it. "Is this a new ship
ment from your family, L>I Huan?"
"No, Mr. Randolph, this Is some old
tea that I had on hand." LI Huan
took ofT his spectacles and burnished
them with his handkerchief, leaving
his tea untasted. "I ran out of my
last lot, unfortunately. This is some
very fine old tea that I was keeping
out of sentiment; it is some that my
father had and used only on very
Important oocasions."
"So? 1 appreciate the honor," said
Randolph, and swallowed the tea hur
riedly. He could hardly pretend that
he liked It, but forced himself to
courtesy, "l'ou never told me much
about yourself. LI Huan. What was
your father's business?"
LI Huan smiled, apologetically.
Randolph felt a queer sensation, as
though that tea had not agreed with
him.
"My father," said the young
Chinaman, blandly, "cherished this
tea as the oholoest of his posses
sions. You see. I am. not ashamed
?In China It is quite honorable to
gamble, as you know; that chapter
you wrote on gambling houses was
a masterpiece! Wall, my father kept
a gambling house in Hutsen, the na
tive city of Shanghai. Some years
ago he was basely murdered by an
Amerloan ruffian whom he had be
friended."
Randolph tried to leap out of his
chair, but found himself perfectly
helpless to move. As through it
mist he saw the features of LI Huar
blinking at him, and now they wore
a new and terrible expression.
"You see. Mr. Randolph. I knew
who that American was! This tea
has peculiar properties; tomorrow
they will find that you died from
heart failure. It was a tea that my
father cherished very hijfhly. I
waited until now to give It to you in
order that the book might be fin
ished. 1 expect great things of that
book! Also, it was kind of you to
give It to me and sign the letter, for
that removed one of my chief prob
lems.
"J hope. Mr. Randolph." pursued
the bland voice, now blurred to the
ears ?f Randolph, "that the book
will pay me well. It must, because
that will be justice?you took my
father's money, you know, and this
will be an excellent way of repay
ing me."
Randolph tried to hear more, tried
frantically and horribly, but he oould
: not. ?
* * * *
TaOCTOR MURRAY and the univer
sity librarian were alone In
their easy chairs In one corner of
the club. ? They were old cronies,
these two.
"You remember Randolph?" said
the librarian. "It's a most remark
able thing-, the way that book of his
has been selling! As an expose It's
1 been marvelous; but the book itself
I has a very queer flavor to It?an
j Ironlo tang all through the thing."
The doctor nodded. "Yes; Its
suooess has been phenomenal. Ran
dolph led a rather hard life out there
In China, I believe?got a good deal
of his information at first hand."
"1 didm'C know ^hat," said tlie
librarian, reflectively. "At any rate,
1.1 Huan has been enriched through
Randolph's giving him the manu
script. Must have been about the
last thing poor Randolph did, too!
That chap must have had a big heart;
I many taciturn men are like that. 1
suppose he knew that he'd go out
suddenly some day." >
"It was a tragedy," said Dr. Mur
ray. "A tragedy in more ways than
one. His death gave me a pretty
stiff jolt. I can tell you!"
"You?" repeated the librarian. "I
didn't know you were such friends "
"Oh, not on his account primarily,"
| Raid the doctor. "You remember El
sie Shannon, how she gave up her
work here altogether and has gone
home to take cars of her mother?"
The librarian's browns lifted. "Eh?"
"You don't mean to say there was
any connection?"
"There was," Stated Murray, gruffly.
"Damn it! I've never been so brok
en up In my life. You see. she had
known Randolph some years pre
viously; he was a bit wild then, I
fancy, from what she's told me. The
girl loved him, but oould not accept
his wildncss, and he went away.
"Well, Randolph turned up here
after making a man of himself, in
order to meet her again. Elsie had
given me some idea of the story. Al
most the first time 1 met Randolph,
I realized that he was the man she
had always loved. You see, Elsie
had always had a strange faith In
him, had always believed that he'd
tu?n out right and oome back a real
man. just as he did. I uv her the
night after she came to town; had a
long talk with her about Randolph,
and man, man, you never saw the
mystery of womanhood as I saw It
In her eyes that night! It was the
next day we heard of his death."
"Then?they never saw each
other?" queried the librarian, softly.
Murray shook his head. "He died
at the very threshold," he said. "At
the very threshold!"
(Copyright. 192-J.)
J
Plots and Counter Plots.
(Continued from First Page.)
lng down and awaiting whatever
punishment that might be meted out
to her.
It was an unbreakable rule that
matters of a military nature should
not be discussed in public places,
which brings to mind a rather amus
ing incident which happened to Maj.
Z , one of the Army's skilled phy
sicians. who, meeting a Red Cross
nurse in Paris, was invited to dine
with the young woman and a friend
of hers. When the time arrived for
the dinner the other male member of
the party was called away, so it fell
upon the major to be host to his
charming compatriot. During the
course of the meal the young woman,
in an apparently Innocent manner,
asked one or two questions that were
rather leading, and the major skill
fully parried. The questioning oc
curred a second and third time, until
the major, usually the soul of gal
lantry, quite sharply informed the
young woman that regulations pro
hibited the discussion of such mat
ters. After escorting the young
woman to her hotel and bidding her
good night, the major walked many
blocks along the Rue Rivoli, ponder
ing whether the young woman had
Just been foolish or?well, he did not
know what. His course of duty was
plain and he put the .G-2 people
"wise" to the conversation. After the
?
armistice he found that the young
woman was connected with G-2 and
bad been testing him. The major is
at present on duty in Washington.
Special credit should be given to the
Intelligence officers of both the
French and American armies for one
piece of extremely daring work that
they carried on during the war. There
were numerous allied spies In German
territory at different Intervals during
the war. and It was necessary to have
these men return from time to time
In order that they might make a ver
batim report to the officers directly
handling such matters, so French and
American aviators at night flew Into
German territory ar.d landed without
lights In open fields, where they pick
ed up the spies and returned with
them to France, taking them back the
next night. It required not.only the
height of courage, but also a flying
ability of the highest- order.
* * * *
ON the brow of the hill just beyond
the town of St. Mlhlel the Ger
mans had placed dummy cannon and
fake machine guns In order to deceive
observers. Their ruse was not suc
cessful, as a G-2 man brought back
a plan showing the location of the
enemy guns, describing which were
real and which were bits of faked
artillery.
G-2 had for aoma time susplcioned
that a certain cafe was the ren
dezvous for certain individuals who
were furnishing the German Intelli
gence system with Information. A
young American officer was detailed
on the owe, and he became an al
most nightly visitor to the cafe, con
suming many bottles of champagne
and eating big dinners. His talk was
rather loose and unguarded, and one
evening, while declaiming upon the
prowess of the United States, he sud
danly appeared to grow faint and ex
cused himself to bathe his head, leav
ing hie musette tMC m Um b? eh ?a
which he had been sitting. Shortly
after cooling his fevered brow he re
turned, but still complaining of a se
vere headache, he left at an unusually
early hour, going direct to the email
hotel, or pension, where he was quar
tered.
About 9 o'clock the next morning
he dashed madly into the cafe and
asked the proprietor if any one had
picked up some papers belonging to
him, which must have dropped out of
his bag when he was in there the
evening before. The owner of the
cafe assured him that no papers had
been found. The young officer ex
plained that they were only personal
papers and a few Army orders, which,
while they did not amount to much,
might get him into trouble if he could
not produce them. The young man
appeared agitated.
The papers stolen from his bag told
of a troop movement that was to be
made within the next week to a sec
tor which heretofore had been a very i
i quiet one. The loss of these papers
i resulted in the Germans sending 1
three divisions to the place named in I
the missing documents, thus weaken
ing their force at a point which was
to be attacked in a few days. It was
a G-2 plot, carefully prepared and
skillfully executed.
The incidents described are but a
very few that occurred both in this
country and in France. The work of
the intelligence division of the Army
extended to many countries, and no
greater praise can be bestowed than
the words uttered by a captured Ger
man officer, who said: "We have
worked for years on our intelligence
system. You had none when you
came into the war; your work has
been wonderful and 1 ant frank to
say that the activities of your or
ganization have caused us great an
noyance."
The Art of Lighting.
a T a meeting of an engineering
society one expert expressed the
opinion that the iHuminatlng engineer
can treat a cathedral very much as a
pa&iter does, by emphasizing the lights
and shadow?. He has confidence In
the results to be obtained by a solu
tion of the problem of luminous paint.
He described a concert hall celling, 125
feet square, which has been illuminat
ed with a great variety of electric
lights, modified by screens, so as to
produce the effect of a Tast, glowing,
but harmoniously colored, oriental
rug. He believes that In time there
will be used twisted luminous tubes,
and that means will be found better
to make the atmosphere of a large
room glow without the slightest visi
ble means of Illumination.
Facts for Marksmen.
A SERIES of experiments made in
France on the vibrations set up
in gun barrels by the effects of firing
indicates another allowance that the j
expert' marksman should make for j
the Individual peculiarities of his rifle.
The shock of firing sets, the particles
of the gun barrel oscillating In elliptic
t curves, producing deflections of the
barrel. The periods of vibration in
different rifles vary between one
twenty-flfth and one fle-hundredth of a
second, and the experiments indicate
that a small-bore gun Is to fee pre
ferred to one of large caliber, because
the bullet can leave Its muzzle before
the deflection of the 'barrel has be
mm considerable.
What About a New Calendar?
Moses B. Cotswortk of
Vancouver, B. C., Nowi
in Washington, Tells j
of the Plan for New!
Method of Keep ing>
Track of Days, Weeks,!
Months and Years.
The New Month of!
Sol"?Steps in Cal
endar Reform.
AN* you tell what a month Is?
Our months vary from 28 to
31 days?11 per cent differ
ence. Yet the same monthly
salaries and rents are Inequitably
paid. Monthly business charges for
maintenance, depreciation, etc., are in
that crude way unfairly proportion
ed; camouflaging- monthly profits as
though each month was productively
one-twelfth of the year?a fallacy re
futed by March of this year, which
has 14 per cent more earning power
than February, which is only one
thirteenth of the year.
These are but a few of tlie argu
mnts of proponents of a plan of
calendar reform. Numerous other
reasons are presented by its advo
MOSSES B. COTS WORTH.
catcs to support the need for a sub
stitution of the present time calendar
by dividing the year into thirteen
months of twenty-eight days each. 1
* * * * [
??pHE Liberty Calendar Association
of America, which rec. ntly held
a convention in Washington, is sup
porting the liberty calendar bill, in
troduced in the House by Representa
tive Schal] of Minnesota. Tiiis bill,
which would put the new time sched
ule into effect in 1928. is advocated
by the association as affording a
standard time schedule every year,
which would definitely fix for all time
the dates of every day of the week by
the uniform 2S-day month division
and thus dispense with the need of;
yearly calendars and end the lncon- !
venience of liavl.-.g to refer to these 1
to establish the coincidence of days
and dates.
In 365-day years the odd day re
maining would be disposed of as
"New Tear day." the first of the year
to be given no other designation an<l
retained as a legal holiday, in "leap i
year" the additional one day lap
would be disposed of by creating a
"Leap Tear day" between the months I
of June and July, as a legal holiday, i
The extra month on the calendar
would be called "Sol."
The proposed calendar would begin '
the week with Sunday as now. Thus !
192S was selected for installing it be- '
cause it then begins w ith the week.
The same dates for every month then j
would be fixed for each day of the;
week until the end of time. An esti- i
mated saving of $25,000,000 a yearj
now expended *>n calendars would re- 1
suit from the international adoption
of the calendar bill.
There are several other plans for
a calendar reform which have been '
proposed jn European countries. A
bill has been introduced in the Brit
ish parliament providing for fhe
adoption of the Swiss plan, which |
also sets aside a New' Year day and
divides the remaining 364 days into
four quarters of ninety-one days
each?each quarter to have one
month of thirty-one days and two
months of thirty days.
* * * #
'J'HE "Liberty calendar plan," how
ever. is sftid to be more popular
in the United States. The Swiss plan
is popular in Europe, due probably
to the fact that it was first proposed
there and is better understood than
the American "Liberty" calendar
plan.
Moses B. Cotsworth of Vancouver.
British Columbia, secretary-treasurer
of the International Fixed Calendur
League, is probably the originator of
the calendar reform movement. He
attended the recent convention here
of the Liberty Calendar Association
of America and outlined his plan for
a thirteen-month year, which was
unanimously adopted, although the
Liberty Calendar Association had
called the convention.
"We earn and pay by the month,"
said Mr. Cotsworth. "but have not an
equal monthly measure?except for
prisoners Jailed to serve equal
months of thirty days. They are the|
only class who know what a month
really is."
"All calendar periods of earning and
spending should be equal," according
to Mr. Cotsworth. "to help regular
employment, circulate money, sta
bilize business and prosper home life
for the daily benefit of all persons.
"We are forced to look for cal
endars to trace how many weeks
intervene between dates, and lo
cate the week-day names begin
ning, ending and dated differently
through months. Periodical business
and social meetings held on the se
lected week days have to be de
scribed as the first and third Wed
nesday, Friday nearest the twentieth,
etc. Dates for national holidays, fes
tivals, etc., falling on Sundays have
to be postponed by proclamations.1
Bank drafts, trade bills, wages and
adjustments are complicated, by
weekly wanes being differently split
up by the parts of weeks ending on
one ft nil begining the next month,
quarter year, li?ilf year and year?
nine months spread into fifth weeks
and three into sixth weeks.
"Five Saturdays each were in Jan
uary, April, July, October and De
cember, 3 321, when housekeepers are
forced to buy a fifth week's meats,
groceries, etc.. out of equal monthly
incomes. Many thus trend into debt,
or seek to 'sub' from husbands who
also arc found shorter of cash when
longer months end. These shortages
result in family and other troubles,
thus caused by unequal monUi.?.
* * * *
??*ONVERSELY, when storekeep
ers fir.d five Saturdays in a
month, their inflated incomes encour
age overbuying, causing worries
next month, when less sales on four
Saturdays fail to provide sufficient
money to pay for the longer month's
purchases, thereby trending retailers
and others into debt and recurring
troubles.
"The inequalities in halves and
quarters of years are confusing and
develop unjust differences in business.
Moon wandering Kasters drift those
and other festival dates erratically,
forcing school, college and legisla
tive periods to inequitable lengths,
causing much inconvenience and
loss."
Mr. Cotsworth's plan proposes to re
place the dual names "calendar" and
"almanac" by the name "yearal." The
"yearal" is designed to abolish all
calendar-caused inequalities.
It is pointed out by Mr. Cotsworth
that every nation now calendars its
days through the year by weeks of
seven days. The days, however, were
not so grouped when the worlds
many different calendars of clumsy
months were crudely imposed upon
our remote ancestors about 2.000
years ago. "We cannot alter the
lengths of days, week or years," he
declares. "But all the months can
be easily amended to the twenty
eight days used in Kebruary, 191-1.
when the weeks quartered February
best for business and soc'al con
venience. That ideal month of Febru
ary, 1914." he said, "is my model for
the new 'yearal* of thirteen months."
"Sol" has been selected as the name
for the additional month bv Mr. Cots
worth. "Sol." he said, can be in
serted between June and July, as
easily as "leap day" was put between
February and March, 1920, as Febru
ary 29.
This proposed month, with the
twelve existing months, will equal
ly divide and complete the "yearal.'
according to his plan, * which
has been unanimously indorsed by
the Royal Society and the govern
ment of Canada, and was indorsed
as decidedly the best by the Amen
can convention just closed at Wash
ington, D. C. "New Tear day" (with
out any week day name) is prefixed
as an extra whole Saturday holiday
preceding January 1. and included
in that month as Japuary "O."
That will absorb the odd week
day now forcing all day names to
change throughout the 3f0 dates in
the > ear. "I>eap day." under this
plan, will precede July 1 as a sum
mer holiday, without a week day
name, as July "O."
Those two changes are designed
to fix each of the reven week day
names permanently to their fifty-two
recurring yearly da'es. Then the
same day of the werk will always
cycle to its four fixed dates every
month, so that the passing day of
the week will denote its current
monthly date.
?"The third but less essential change
proposed is to abolish moon-wandci -
ing Kasters. by internationally fix
ing Kaster at its most convenient
date, leaving each nation free to
fix its own national holidays and
festivals.
"Every citizen in every nation,"
said Mr. Cotsworth. "will benefit
every day by the congress of nations
adopting the "year*!'; that will
thence operate to their mutual ad
vantage and be as easily used as
"standard time/ which was so bene
ficially established by the interna
tional conference in Washington
about forty years ago."
Radium and the Air.
KN" Kiven to the study of radio
activity suggest that the elec
tric conductivity of the atmosphere
is largely, if not entirely, due to the
radioactive emanations from the
earlh's crust. In support of this idea
they mention the fact that in closed
cellars and deep holes and wells the
conductivity of the air is sometimes
fifty times as great as that of the
normal air.
Another suggestive fact is that on
days of low barometer, when the
smaller pressure of the atmosphere
favors the escape of emanations from
fissures in the ground, tile conductiv
ity of the air increases. It is thought
that the startling electric phenomena
occurring over an active volcano
may be due to a r;ulioactive emana
tion accompanying the escape of the
voh^ariic gases and vapors.
Sulphur in the Soil.
; J7XPERIMKXTS made in this coum
j try are regarded as proving the
generally prevailing theory that sul
j phur in the soil is of little value
for promoting fertility, as compared
with phosphorus and nitrogen, is er
roneous and that sulphur is. In fact,
of vast importance. Continuous cul
tivation, together with insufficient
fertilization, causes a large annual
loss ol' sulphur, which cannot be
compensated from the atmosphere,
and little is brought up by capillarity
from the subsoil. The experimenters,
therefore, recommend the applica
tion of fertilizers containing sulphur
to lands which ar* frequently crop
ped. The failure hitherto to* recog
nize the great value of sulphur in
the soil is ascribed to faulty analytic
methods employed by early investi
gators.
A NT one who is in doubt as to An
dfew Jackson's native state
should read the Congressional Rec
ord :
He v. Stevenson (democrat. South
Carolina)?"I am a good deal of an
Andrew Jackson democrat lb* v. as
born in my district and raised there."
Representative I'unbar. republican.
Indiana?"Was not Andrew Jackson
born in North Carolina?"
Representative Stevenson.?"No, sir,
he was born in South Carolina, and
he left his punchbowl, which I think
Mr. Volsteaa is going to get, to his
'native state of South Carolina.'"

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