Willmar tribune. [volume], May 09, 1906, Image 6

About Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931

Image provided by: Minnesota Historical Society; Saint Paul, MN

                
Under the
Red Robe
By STANLEY J. WEYMAN
(Copyright, 1894, by Stanley Wejman.)
A E VII.—CONTINUKD.
"M. de Barthe she said, in a trem
bling voice, which told me that the vic
tory was won "Is there nothing else?
Ha-ve vou no other penance for me?"
"None, Mademoiselle."
She had drawn the shawl over her
head and I no longer saw her face
"That is all you ask?" she murmured
"Tnat is all I ask—now," I an
swered
"It is granted," she said slowly and
firmly. "Forgive me if I seem to speak
lightly—if I seem to make little of your
generosity or my shame but I can say
no more now. I am so deep in trouble
and so gnawed by terror that—I can
not feel anything much to-night, either
il-anie or gratitude. I am in a dream:
ud grant it may pass as a dream! We
sue sunk In trouble. But for you ana
.what you have done, M. de Barthe—I
she paused and I heard her fight
ing with the sobs which choked her—
"forgive me I am overwrought
!And my my feet are cold," she
added suddenly and irrelevantly. ""Will
ou fake me home'"
'Ah, Mademoiselle," I cried re
morsefully, "I have b^en a beast!
You are barefoot and I ha\e kept you
heio
"II is nothing" she said in a voice
v/lu thrilled me "My heart is warm,
Monsieur—thanks to you It is many
hours since it has been as warm
Sha stepped out of the shadow as she
spoke- and there, the thing was done.
As I had planned, so it had come about
Once raoie I was ciOt,sing the meadow
in the dark to be received at Coche
foret a welcome guest The frogs
croaked in the pool and a bat swooped
round us in cncles and, surely never
—nev°r I thought, with a kind of
exultation in my breast—had man been
placed in a stranger position
Somewhere in the black wood be
hind us—probably in the outskirts of
the village—lurked de Cocheforet.
In the great house before us, outlined
by a score of lighted windows, were
the soldiers come from Auch to take
him Between the two, moving side
by side in the darkness, in a silence
Jfcrhich each found to be eloquent, were
mademoiselle and I: she who knew so
touch, I who knew all—all but one Ut
ile thing'
We reached the house and I sug
gested that she should steal in first by
the way she had come out, and that I
should wait a little and knock at the
door when she had had time to explain
•natters to Clon
"They do not let me *ee Clon," she
answered slowl\
"Then jour woman must tell him," I
rejoined "Or he may say something
and betray me
"They will not let our woman come
lo us
"What?" I cried, astonished. "But
fchis is infamous You are not pris
oners'"
Mademoiselle laughed harshly. "Are
we not' Well, I suppose not for if
we wanted company, Captain Larolle
said he would be delighted to see us
—in the parlor
"He has taken your parlor?" I said.
"He and his lieutenants sit there.
But I suppose we should be thankful,"
she added bitterly. "We have still our
bed-rooms left to us
"Very well," I said. "Then I must
deal with Clon as I can But I still
nave a favor to ask, Mademoiselle. It
Is only that you and your sister will
descend to-morrow at your usual time.
—in the parlor."
"I would rather not," she said,'
pausing and speaking in a troubled
voice
"Are you afraid?"
"No Monsieur, I am not afraid," she
answered proudly "But—"
"You will come?" I said.
She sighed before she spoke At
length, "Yes, I will come—if you wish
It," she answered and the next mo
ment she was gone round the corner
of the house, while I laughed to think
of the excellent watch these gallant
gentlemen were keeping de Coch
eforet might have been with her In the
garden, might have talked with her
as I had talked, might have entered
the house even, and passed under their
noses scot-free But that is the way
of soldiers. They are always ready
for the enemy, with drums beating and
flags flying—at ten o'clock in the morn
ing But he does not always come
at that hour
I waited a little and then I groped
my way to the door and knocked on
It with the hilt of my sword The
dogs began to bark at the back and
the chorus of a drinking song, which
came fitfully from the east wing, ceased
altogether. An inner door opened
and an angry voice, apparently an of
ficer's, began to rate some one for not
coming. Another moment and a clam
or of voices and footsteps seemed to
pour into the hall and fill it. I heard
the bar jerked away, the door was
Hung open, and in a twinkling a lan
thorn, behind which a dozen flushed
visages were dimly seen, was thrust
Into my face.
"Why, who the fiend is this?" cried
one, glaring at me in astonishment
"Morbleu! It Is the man!" another
shrieked "Seize him!"
In a moment half a dozen hands
were laid on my shoulders, but I
bowed politely "The officer, my
friends," I said, "M. le Captaine La
rolle. Where is he?"
"Diable! but who are you first?" the
lanthorn-bearer retorted bluntly. He
was a tall, lanky sergeant, with a sin
ister face.
"Well, I am not M. de Cocheforet,"
I replied "and that must satisfy you,
my man. For the rest, if you do not
fetch Captain Larolle at once and ad
mit me, you will find the consequences
Inconvenient."
"Ho! ho!" hP said, with a sneer
"You can crow, It seems. Well, come
In."
They made way and I walked into
the hall, keeping my hat on. On the
great hearth a fire had bean kindled,
but it had gone out. Three or four
earbwe stood against one wall and
....Jr.-.i irT,
I raised the latch and went in. At a
table in front of the hearth, half cov
ered with glasses and bottles, sat two
men playing hazard. The dice rang
sharply as I entered and he who had
just thrown kept the box over them
while he turned, scowling, to see who
came m. He waa a fair haired, blonde
man, large-framed and florid. He had
put off his cuirass and boots and his
doublet showed frayed and stained
where the armour had pressed on it.
But otherwise he was in the extreme of
last year'3 fashion. His deep cravat,
folded over so that, the laced ends
drooped a little in front, was of the
finest his great sash of blue and sil
ver was a foot wide He bad a little
jewel in one ear and his tiny beard was
peaked a 1' Espagnole Probably when
he turned he expected to see the ser
geant, for at sight of me ha rose slowly,
leaving the d«ce still covered
"What folly is this?" he cried wrath
fully "Here, Sergeant' Sergeant!—
without there! What the—! Who are
vou, Sir?"
"Captain Larolle," I said, uncovering
politely, "I believe?"
"Yes, I am Captain Larolle," he re
torted. "But who, in the fiend's name,
are vou? You are not the man we are
after!"
"I am not Cocheforet," I said
coolly. "I am merely a guest in the
house, le Capitaine. I have been en
joying Madam de Cocheforet's hospi
tality for some time, but by an evil
chance I was away when you arrived
And with that 1 walked to the hearth,
and, gently pushing aside his great
boots which stood there drying, kicked
the logs into a blaze.
"Mille diables'" he wispered. And
never did I see a man more confounded.
But affected to be taken up with his
companion, a sturdy, white-mustached
old veteran, who sat back in his chair,
eyeing we, with swollen cheeks and
eyes surcharged with surprise.
"Good evening, M. de Lieutenant,"
I said, bowing gravely. "It /is
night"
Then the storm burst.
"Fine night!" the captain shrieked,
finding his voice again "Mille diables!
\re you aware, Sir, that I am in pos
session of this house and that no one
YOU SEEM SURPRISED,
harbors here without my permission?
Guest' Hospitality! Lieutenant—call
the guard' Call the guard!" he con
tinued passionately. "Where is that
ape of a sergeant?"
The lientenanl rose to obey, but I
lifted my hand.
"Gently, gently, captain," I said.
"Not so fast! You seem surprised to
see me heie. Believe me, I am much
more surprised to see you."
"Sacre!" he cried, recoiling at this
fresh impertinence, while the lieuten
ant's eyes almost jumped out of his
head.
But nothing moved me
"Is the door closed'" I said sweetly.
"Thank you it is, I see Then per
mit me to say again, gentlemen, that
I am much more surprised to see you
than you can be to see me. When
monseigneur the cardinal honored me
by sending me from Paris to conduct
this matter, he gave me the fullest—
the fullest powers, M. le Capitaine—to
see the affair to an end. I was not led
to expect that my plans would be
spoiled on the eve of success by the
intrusion of half the garrison from
Auch!"
"O ho!" the captain said softly—
In a very different tone and with a
very different face. "So you are the
gentleman I heard of at Auch?"
-"Very likely," I said dryly. "But I
am from Paris, not Auch."
"To be sure," be answered thought
fully. "Eh, lieutenant?"
"Yes, M. le Capitaine, no doubt,"
the inferior replied And they both
looked at one another, and then at me,
In a way which I did not understand.
"I think," said I, to clinch the matter,
"that you have made a mistake, Cap
tain or the commandant has. And
It occurs to me that the cardinal will
not be best pleased."
"I hold the king's commission," he
answered rather stiffly.
"To be sure," I replied. "But you
see the cardinal—"
"Ah, but the cardinal—" he rejoined
quickly and then he stopped and
shrugged his shoulders. And they
both looked at me.
"Well?" I said.
"The king," he answered slowly.
"Tut-tut!" I exclaimed, spreading
out my hands. "The cardinal. Let
us stick to him. "You were saying?"
'Well, the cardinal, you see—" And
beside them lay a heap of haversacks^ then again altar the same words, hi
and some straw. A shattered "stool,
broken in a frolic and half a dozen
empty wineskins strewed thefloorand
helped^to give the place an air of un
tidiness and disorder. I'looked round
with eyes of disgust and my gorge rose.
They had spilled oil and the-'place
reeked foully.
"Ventre bleu!" I said. "Is this con
duct in a gentleman's house, you
rascals? Ma vie! If I had you, I would
send half of you to the wooden horse!"
They gazed at me open-mouthed.
My arrogance startled them. The
sergeant alone scowled. When he could
find his voice for rage—
"This way!" he said. "Wc did not
know a general officer was cbming, or
we would have been oetter prepared!"
And muttering oaths under his breath,
he led me down the well-known pas
sage. At the door of the parlor he
stopped. "Introduce yourself!" he said
rudely. "And if you find the air warm,
don't blame mej"
stopped—stopped abruptly, and shrug
ged his Shoulders."*
rM
I began .to suspect something. "If
you have anything to say Monseig
neur," I answered, watching him nar
rowly, "say it. But take a word ol
advice. Don't let it go beyond the
door of this room, my friend, and it
will do you no harm."
"Neither here nor outside," be re^
torted, looking for a moment at his
comrade. "Only I hold the king's com
mission. That is all. And I think
enough. For the rest, will you throw
a main? Good! Lieutenant, find a
glass, and the gentleman a seat. And
here, for my part, I will give you a
toast. The cardinal—whatever betide!"
I drank it, and sat down to play with
him I had not heard the music of the
dice for a month, and the temptation
was irresistible. But I was not sat
isfied. I called the mains and won his
crowns—he was a mere baby at thf
game—but half my mind was else
where. There was something here 1
did not understand some influence at
work on which I had not counted
something moving under the surface as
unintelligible to me as the soldiers'
presence. Had the captain repudiated1
my commission altogether, and put me
to door or sent me to the guard-house,
I could have followed that But these
dubious hints, this passive resistance,
puzzled me. Had they news from Paris,
I wondered. Was the king dead? oi
the cardinal ill? I asked them. But
they said no, no, no to all, and gave
me guarded answers. And midnight
found us still playing and still fenc
ing.
CHAPTER VIII.
THE QUESTION
Sweep the room, Monsieur? And
remove this medley? But, M. le Cap
taine—"
"The captain is at the village," I
replied sternly "And do vou move!
move, man, and the thing will be done
while you are talking about it. Set
the door into the garden open—so!"
"Certainly, it is a fine morning.
And the tobacco of le Lieutenant—
But M. le Captaine did not—"
"Give orders? Well, I give them!"
I answered "First of all, remove
these beds And bustle, man, bustle,
or I will find something to quicken
you."
In a moment— "And M. le Captaine's
riding-boots?"
"Place them in the passage," I re
plied.
"Ohe! In the passage?" He paused,
looking at them in doubt
"Yes, booby In the passage
"And the cloaks, Monsieur?"
"Theje is a bush handy outside the
window. Let them air."'
"Ohe, the bush? Well, to be sure
they are damp. But—yes, yes, Mon
sieur, it is done. And the holsters?"
"There also!" I said harshly. "Throw
them out. Faugh! The place reeks of
a line leather Now, a clean hearth. And
set the table before the open door, so
that they may see the garden. So.
And tell the cook that we shall dine
at 11, and madam and mademoiselle
will descend."
"Ohe! But le Captaine order
the dinner for half past eleven?"
"It must be advanced then and
mark you, my friend, if it is not ready
when madam comes down, you will
suffer, and the cobk too."
When he was gone on his errand,
I looked round. What else was lack
ing? The sun shone cheerily on the
polished floor the air, freshened by
the rain which had fallen in the night,
entered freely through the open door
way. A few bees lingering with the
summer hummed outside. The Are
crackled bravely an old hound, blind
and past work, lay warming its hide
on the hearth. I could think of noth
ing more, and I stood and watched the
man set out the table and spread the
cloth. "For how manj, Monsieur?* bo
asked in a scared tone.
"For five," I answered and I could
not help smiling at myself. What
would Zaton's say could It see Berault
turned housewife! There was a whita
glazed cup—an old-fashioned piece of
the second Henry's time—standing on
a shelf. I took it down and put some
late flowers in it, and set it in the mid
dle of the table, and stood off myself
to look at it. But a moment later,
thinking I heard them coming, I hur
ried it away in a kind of panic, feeling
on a sudden ashamed of the thing.
The alarm proved to be false, however
and then again, taking another turn, I
set the piece back. I had done noth
ing so foolish for—for more years than
I liked to count.
But when madam and mademoiselle
came, they had eyes neither for the
flowers nor the room. They had heard
that the captain was out beating the
village and the woods for the fugi
tive, and where I had looked for a
comedy I found a tragedy. Madam's
face was soed with weeping that all
her beauty was gone. She started and
shook at the slightest sound, and, un
able to find any words to answer my
greeting, could only sink into a chair
and sit crying silently.
Mademoiselle was In a mood scarcely
more cheerful. She did not weep, but
her manner was hard and fierce. She
spoke absently and answered fretfully.
Her eyes glittered and she had the air
of straining her ears continually to
catch some dreaded sound. "There is
no news, Monsieur?" she said, as she
took her seat. And she shot a swift
look at me.
"None, Mademoiselle."
"They are searching the village?"
"I believe so.'
"Where is Clon?" This in a lower
voice and with a kind of shrinking in
her face.
I shook my head. "I believe they
have him confined somewhere. And
Louis, too," I said. "But I have not
seen either of them."
."And where are—? I thought these
people would be here," she muttered.
And she glanced askance at the two
vacant places The servant had
brought in the meal.
"They will be here presently,*' I said
coolly. "Let us make the most «f the
time. A little wine and food will do
madam good."
She smiled rather sadly. "I think we
have changed places," she said "and
that you have turned host and wo
guests."
"Let it be so," I said cheerfully.
recommend some of this ragout. Come,
Mademoiselle fasting can aid no one
A full meal' has saved many a man's
Ufe,"
N
ITo Be Continued.]
\jj xj
PECK'S BAD
BOY WITH
THE CIRCUS
By HON. GEORGE W. PECK
Author of Peck's Bad BoyAbroad." Etc
Ul
AJ
ICopyriKkt by jr. B. bowta.)
The Bings Are So Muddy the Perform
ers Have to Wear Rubber. Boots—
The Freaks Present Pa with a Big
Heart of Boses—The Show Closes
and the Bad Boy Starts West with
His Pa in Search of Attractions for
the Coming Season.
Well, Missouri is the state to teach
a circus humility, and we have taken
the thirty-third degree in the last ten
days. It has rained nine days and a
half out of a possiole ten days, and
the mud is something we never
dreamed of before. The wagons have
been mired in the mud on the way
from the train to the *ot every day in
the streets of cities big enough to have
street cars and electric" lights. The
cities have one or two main streets
paved, but the rest of the streets are
just virgin soil, and you have got to
swim to get to the paved streets.
When you start away for "the lot, it
is like Washington crossing the Dela
ware.
And yet the people come from miles
around to see the show, and every
body rides a web-tooted mule, that can
wallow in the mud. They hitch the
mules to fences outside the tent, and
while the performance is going on the
mules bray in concert and drown the
band.
Pa has been wild ever since we
struck Missouri, and no wonder, cause
everybody seems to lay everything in
the way of weather on him. Every
place we show the lot is one sea of
mud, and when we get the rings made
they seem like a chain of lakes, and
in galloping around the rings the
horses splash mud and water clear to
the reserved seats. The riders of the
horses have to come out in rubber
hunting boots and when they get on
the horses we have to pull their boots
off and hold them until* the act is
over, then the riders sit on the horses
and pull the boots on and get down in
the mud of the ring and bow to the
audience.
The women riders are the worst to
wear rubber boots, cause they fall
They Tossed 7a Up in the Blanket
down in the mud and spoil their
dresses and kick scandalous. The
trapeze performers have to be carried
out of the dressing room on stretchers,
and hoisted up to the net, cause they
can't do stunts up on the trapeze with
wet feet, and we have worked our
selves to death getting things in shape.
The confounded elephants just glory
in the mud, and the minute they get
in the ring they all lay down and roll
in the mud and water, so when they
are ready to do their act they look
like walking mud pies. The freaks are
awful to handle, the giant being the
only one that can wade through and
look pleasant, and the fat woman
would make you weary, she has to be
carried back and forth to the platform
by half a force of hands. Pa has had
shawl straps and coffin handles fas
tened to her clothes, so there will be
something to grab hold of to move
her around, don't think that an
other year we will have any fat wom
an, cause pa says it costs more to get
this 500-pound female from one place
to another than all the rest of the
show. He thinks that people who vis
it the show don't care much about a
fat woman anyway, but just guy her
and ask her what kind of breakfast
food she lives on. He thinks if we had
three reasonably fat women that
weighed about 200 pounds apiece, it
would give better satisfaction and they
would be easier to handle but when
she heard what pa said and felt that
she was going to be shook next year
she began to cry, and it was like turn
ing on water in a bathtub. Pa had to
pet her and then the bearded woman
got jealous.
At Jefferson City there came a cold
wave and everything was froze stiff,
and you could skate in the rings, and
4he management decided to get to St.
Louis and send the show to winter
quarters, and organize for next season.
So we have had a time closing up for
the season, and sending the animals
to the barns on our farm up north, and
discharging and paying off the per
formers and bidding everybody good
by. We have bought presents for
everybody, and it has been a picnic.
Pa had a big heart, with roses all
around it, made of a horse collar,
covered with flowers, which came from
the freaks, and the performers remem
bered him with presents, and pa gave
everybody something, and everybody
got together in the main tent and made
speeches.
The manager thanked everybody
and promised that next year.we would
have the greatest show on earth. He
said the management had decided that
what we lacked this year was a wild
west show, as the people everywhere
seemed to dote on busting bronchos,
and roping cattle, and chasing buffa
loes and seeing Indians and rough
riders chase up and down the arena.
He felt that in justice to our rough
riding president, it was proper to have
a wild west show that would make
Will Search for the Wildest of Bed Men.
things hum next year. He said he
took pleasure in informing the people
of the show that pa had been commis
sioned to go out west at once and se
cure the Indians and cowboys, horses
that buck and bounce off the riders,
cattle that would stand it to be las
soOed and thrown down for the amuse
ment of the public, buffaloes that
would bellow and act like old times on
the plains, stage coaches and robbers,
and he promised that next year they
would have no cause to be^ashamed of
the show. He said pa was authorized'
to spare no expense to round up a wild
west show second to none. The per
formers and hands cheered the mana-j
ger, and then they yelled for pa for
a speech.
Pa got up on the tub that the
elehpants stand on, and said that
it was true what the manager said
about a wild west show, and that he
was proud of the confidence reposed in
him. He should be glad to take an ex
pedition and go out into the far west
and beard the wild west Indian in his
tepee and engage Indians by the hun
dred to come with us next yeai. He
would pierce the wilderness of the west
in search of the wildest red men andjocular
would hunt the cowboy in his lair
and secure those who could make the
most trouble for cattle and horses and
shoot up an audience if necessary to
keep the peace, and he would buy buf
faloes enough so every performer could
ride one if he wanted to. He said
while we had this year had some at
tempts at a wild west department in
our show, it was only a tame imita
tion of what we would have next year,
and'he wanted them all to pray for
him, that he might come out of the
wild far west without being killed. He
said he should take Hennery along
with him as a mascot, and if the worst
came he could trade me to an Indian
tribe for ponies, or leave me as a hos
tage with some tribe until he returned
the Indians at the close of next sea
son. Pa closed his remarks by hoping
that nothing had occurred during the
past season that would cause anybody
to have it in for him, cause he had
tried to be impartial in his cussedness,
and while he felt that ho had been
considered an interloper in the pro
fession at first, he had found that ev
erybody looked upon him later in the
season as the main guy in the show,
and that all had felt at liberty to give
it to him in the neck on every proper
occasion and he felt that he had taken
his medicine like a thoroughbred.'
They gave three cheers for pa, and
then they brought in the blankets and
tossed everybody up until they lost
everything out of their pockets and
yelled that they had enough, and they
wound up by tossing pa up in the blan
ket until he could see stars. They
were going to give the fat woman a
hoist, when the boss canvassman gave
the signal to take down the tents, and
all was in a hubbub for about 15 min
utes.
When everything was down and ev
erybody went to the train, after joining
hands around the middle ring and
singing "Old Lang Sine," pa and I
and the manager went to a hotel to
organize our expedition to the far
west in search of talent for a wild west
show that shall be the greatest ever
put under canvas. After all had gone
away, and only pa and I and the man
agers were left, it seemed, as we
thought over the incidents of the past
season, as though there had been an
earthquake and the whole show had
been blotted out of existence.
Pa choked up and was going-to cry,
and I got my throat full of something
so I could not speak, and the mana
gers began to wipe their eyes, and pa
saved the day by saying: "On, what's
the use, let's order up Some highballs,"
and when they came, with a red lem
onade for me. pa said: "Well, here's
to the people that crowd around the
ticket wagon and flght to get the first
ticket when the window is open, and
go away after the show and say it is
the greatest show ever."
"Hey Rube!" said the manager, and
we drank standing, and pa went out
and bought tickets for Cheyenne, and
some beads to give to the Indians we
shall viBit In the west.
FATE OF EUROPEAN BISON.
Bevolutions in Bussia Cause
crease in Number of These
Animals.
De-
An interesting side effect of the re
bellion and perhaps revolution of
which we read in Russia is the possible
speedy extinction of a species of ani
mal which for many years has been
jealously protected by the czar In
times of national peace and content
ment the European bison lives in the
imperial forests of Lithuania, presuma
bly unmolested but whenever there is
a rising in Poland and the rebels take
to the woods they use this herd of
bison as a part of their commissary
and kill them for beef.
For many years, says Forest and
Stream, there has been a gradual less
ening in numbers of this herd, which
by many zoologists is thought to be
due to inbreeding yet there are others
who believe that the decrease in this
protected herd, which 50 years ago
numbered nearly 2,000 and which Uvea
wild in its native habitat, is too rapid
to be accounted for solely by inbreed
ing, and must be due to destruction by
man, notwithstanding the efforts made
by the authorities to protect them.
Statistics of the Bielowitza herd in
Grodno show that between 1833 and
1857 these bison increased from 768 to
1,898, but from this time on the de
crease has been constant until in 1892
the herd numbered less than 500.
The butchery of human beings in
Russia, which is reported to be taking
place on a scale quite unparalleled in
times of peace for the last hundred
years, stirs the emotions of the world
yet zoologists will view with keen re
gret the diminution of the European
bison, which for hundreds of years has
been preserved from extinction only
by the very hand that brought its num
bers so low.
Of the herd of these bison which in
habits the mountains of the Caucasus,
in the province of Kuban, we know lit
tle or nothing, but the same causes
which seem likely to bring about the
absolute extermination of the. herd in
Grodno will be operative in the Cau
casus, and the race seems likely now
to receive a blow from which it can
never recover.
On one or two estates in Europe and
in a few zoological gardens there are
living specimens of these bison, but
their number are very few. Perhaps
the little herd belonging to the prince
of Pless is the most numerous.
American Humor.
"The other day," said a man who
knows a joke, "several of us American
'littyratters' were chaffing an intelli
gent Englishman on his dullness of
perception of American humor, and
some of us made the statement that
American humor in literature ranked
higher than that of any other nation
on the globe. The Englishman chal
lenged the statement and asked what
writers of humor we had of even na
tional reputation who were continuing
the work of their predecessors which
had given to us our adventitious fame.
We all began at once to silence him
forever by hurling at him the names
of Mark Twain, Bob Burdette, George
Ade, Peter Dunne and—and—well,
we stopped there, so far as the
Englishman was concerned. True, we
mentioned the names of others, but
the Englishman said he had been liv
ing in a western town for two years
and had never heard of them until he
came to New York. He gave us the
ha! ha! and offered to get all
kinds of liquid refreshments that the
bunch of us couldn't name ten Amer
ican writers of humor who had any
thing more than a local reputation,
and that wouldn't last as soon as the
newspapers got tired of them. This
put us up against it" said the man,
according to the New York Press, "and
we began to figure a bit with no great
success. At last accounts we were
considerably shy of the promised ten.
and now I am, questioning myself as
to whether or not we are producers of
humor or merely appreciators of it. I
mean that sort of humor which is
something more than the vaudeville
joke, good for one season. If any of
you can tell me ten good names of
substantially funny writers I'll be
obliged to yon, «nd get the drinks on
the Briton. He B~.s kindly given us
60 days in which we may jedeem our
selves."
Joke on theJEditor.
An editor, who does not mind a joke
at his own expense, says he went into
a drug store recently and asked for
some morphine. The assistant objected
to giving It without a prescription.
"Why," asked the editor, "dp I look like
a man who would kill himself?" "I
don't know," said the assistant "if I
looked like you I should be tempted."
The present article Is intended to
give an application of the foregoing
use of symbol forms to decorative
treatment. Decoration is to be under
stood as the application of form, line
or color to surface for its beautiflca
tion The form, line or color is ap
propriate for such application which
is considered for the especial use of
the surface or object offering a chance
for decoration.
Taste in Decoration.
In other words, taste dictates what
presentation of a selected form should
Tr-'~
EASY LESSONS IN
DRAWING
By FREDERICK RICHARDSON
(instructor tn Composition and in Charge of Illustration Classes in the Art
Institute. Cnicago.)
(Copyright, by Joseph B. Bowles.)
DECORATIVE TRE 1TMENT OF NATO HAL FORMS VIOLETS-LANDSCAPE
—DANDELION -GRASSES.
be chosen for the given place for dec
oration As taste is a variable point
of view, differing in time and with
peoples, the fixture of any point of
view is open to dispute Criterions of
taste may be fixed for a certain people
by the classics of that people. A
broad catholicity of taste is able to
recognize the good in the art of any
people, but that is not fixing the style
for any of them. Anyone familiar
with the widely differing decorative
principles of the Orientals or the
changes of style that European art
have undergone will understand this
PLATE MOTIF-RATS
tain of his pupils the desire for the
expression of the decorative instinct
will often find that it is opposed to
this realistic expression, and the same
with those pupils who can see art
only in the realistic way The dec
orative presentation does not appeal
to them. This is the same difference
in temperament which has shown
itself at so many other points in the
training of a class of children of
varied artistic instincts. The claim
that the decorative is the higher order
of artistic expression is not for dis
cussion here. What is presented here
is the application of such material as
has been cultivated to decorative pur
poses as defined
How Material Is Used.
If, taking the band of snails, we
were'to present one snail with natural
setting for consideration, it would
probably under that condition be re
garded as a more or less realistic pic
ture of a snail, but if we take the
snail as a motif, regarding its form
as one showing grace of line and re-
HER ©®®I
The teacher who discovers in cer-
A CHILD'S BOOK PLATE
't&n
-*p- 1 I
rA
peat it under artificial conditions,
that is, not giving it natural surro'uncV
mgs and individual consideration but
making a pattern or band of its multi
plied form, we have arrived at its
decorative possibilities. One snail
might be a picture of a snail, the
same snail repeated results in a form
of decoration The same is the case
with the violet band The small argu
ments that may dispute this are
waived as immaterial to the present
intention. A single form, as the
dandelion, becomes a conventionalized
one, and as such, material for certain
styles of decoration, when it is multi
plied and made to obey certain laws
of symmetry which the natural flower
would not serve. A naturalistic pres
entation may be equally serviceable
for another form of decorative use,
as the bunch of grasses, obeying by
natural inclination the shape of the
round in which it is placed There the
selection of quantity and the propor
tions of the whole space supply the
decorative element
The Japanese show us how a nat
ural form may obey decorative treat
ment The landscape by well consid
ered spaces and reduction to few
planes also serves in half realistic
decoration.
It will be seen from the exampk
shown that all unnecessary details and
graduations of tone have been sacri
ficed to this giving of a few well
shaped masses that cut the whole
space into pleasant and unconven
tional proportions. In such arrange
ment the allotment of color will be
seen to be arbitrary as far as local
color is concerned, and is used only
to obtain a decorative balance Of
course Where it is so contrived as to
represent the actual local color or
marking ingenuity of design is gained
Book Plate Designs.
The child's book plate is a figure
motif given with freedom of line and
almost natural treatment, relying
upon the symmetrical rendering of the
whole mass to give it the character its
purpose demands.
It is suggested to give the child
forms and spaces to fill with decora
tion from motives to be decided upon
or to be left to the child's selection.
Try to direct the child's taste in the
way of the big and simple. Guard
against a too realistic or overworked
rendition, and where possible keep be
fore the child good models, which in
these days of a wider and broader ap
preciation of esthetics ought not to be
so scarce.
Mental Requirements.
"A man must know a great deal to
be of much value to your corporation."
"Yes\" answered Mr. Dustin Stax,
"and, on the other hand, we must for
get a great deal."—Washington Star.
i^st"