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Ir Winter-Killing of the Hedge Br JANE OSBORNE K I K Copyright, 1818, by the MrCl u nTNvspa pr Syndicate.) Forty years from now the old resi dents of Kosevnlewlll still be alluding, " Ho doubt, to "the yeur the hedges winter-killed." Perhaps by that time there will be a little uncertainty- in the minds of some ns to Just which 3ood Friday it was that the VnitoA States "pot into the war." and Just how long thnt war lusted. They will have xorgotten that old Peter Conkllng Itosevale's millionaire didn't sub scribe a cent to the Liberty loan and that Judge Robert Prltchard subscrib - d ten thousand, and that somebody's neighbor probably poisoned some- i)Ody 8 CUt anil Hint thp llnr-tor'a triHrav lind set her cap most openly for snld Peter Conklin. All thos thi nfra will liave been forgotten forty years from now, but not the winter-killing of the hedge. That is the sort of In In the flight of time that we somehow - always remember even when wp for - et affairs of larger or more personal interest. "It was Hie coldest winter on record," some octoneuarlnns will ny, "and I remember how th hedge twelve feet high that had been growing "ten or a dozen years between Judge rriteiiard's place and the old Marden place was winter-killed, roots and Branches." That this particular luxurious growth of privet had been entirely flighted as the effect of the unwonted cold weather last winter neither Judge Pritehard nor Hester Marden realized till weeks after the usual time for Its Jbuds to be bursting under the warmth of April sunshine. And it was after other Rosevalians, whose less luxuri ous hedges had also been blighted, had come to the realization that the only thing to do to save what life niiuht remain in the roots of their Ledges was to amputate all the dead branches above, that Hester on her ide of the thick network of dead twigs and branches and Judge Robert Prltchard. hidden on his side, realized one warm spring evening that the old Jiedge would have to go. The hedge liad been planted on the Harden side of the dividing line, so it was obvious ly up to Hester to have it cut down, al though its branches had long since spread many feet over into the Pritch ard domain. Hester hesitated several days after she had purchased the last pair of hedge-clips in the Rosevale hardware store before giving her order to the gardener-by-tlie-dny to begin the nipututlon. It seemed like desecra tion to her; she could not make it seem other than unloyal and traitorous to the memory of poor old Aunt Bethiuh. till Aunt Bethiuh would not have wanted to let the hedge remain as It was. Hester was sure of it. She rplanned an overnight trip to the large nearby city for the days when the cut ting down operation was to take place and, after having cast a contrite look at the old painting of Aunt Bethiah that still hung over the nuirble mantel piece In the old "front parlor," made tip her mind to give the order. There would have to be a first time in that unhedged garden, Hester as sured herself. Even .Aunt Bethiuh could not object to her thirty-year-old niece going Into her own garden under the circumstances. So as soon as she had eaten her solitary dinner on the day she returned from the city she left the table and .descended Into the old garden. The sun was still warm and golden and the wood thrushes somewhere In the Prltchard shrubbery were Just beginning their long evening Bong. Hester tried not to kp th change till she was actually In the garden. Then a strange sense of free--dom and emancipation came over her. Already the plants and growing things in her garden had profited by the In crease of air and sunshine that the passing of the hedge had allowed. The columbines and tulips were out earlier than usual and it seemed to Hester as if their colors were deeper and gayer than In the old days when they were hedged In by the twelve-foot privet. And It was as If a new world had teen opened and discovered to her when she first permitted her eyes to wander beyond the line whem th privet iind once been placed, over there : in the fairy land of light green leaves and foliage where the wood thrushes ' eang. She had not seen that realm for j ten years, not since the day the high j board fence was taken down, and in i consequence of that she was hurried j away by Aunt Bethiah to be gone until j the newly plunted privet should have j taken its place. Could it be that all ! these years that fairyland of leaves and blossoms had been there just be- i yohd the privet? Hester was wonder- ' ing. j And then came the voice of Judge i Prltchard, who nmut have been In his ! garden behind one of his lilac bushes all the time that she was inspecting her own transformed domain. ' Neither Heater nor Robert said any--thlng very profound or clever or worth remembering that evening when they spoke for the first time In ten years. Each had known from the time they I knew that the hedge had to go that their speaking would be the Inevitable i result Perhaps that is why Hester had i teit so especially guilty when she stood before old Aunt Bethlah's picture a few minutes before. The spell cast by Aunt Bethiah was entirely broken when Hester permitted herself to be urged across that old barrier on the excuse of looking at some especially j luxurious rose-colored columbines that i Judge Prltchard Insisted hnd been j vagrants from her garden and hud shown themselves a season or so be- : fore. j "I know they were yours," he told j her, "and that is why I cherished thorn I so. I had the gardener nurse them like j orchids." Hester was kneeling over to touch the silky blossoms with her fin gers. "I wonder how they dared go ; through the hedge?" was all she could ! thitlk lit Mlirillf, nlwl tln.n n.... n.l those of Robert Pritchnrd met and both Knew that the barrier thnt had gone down ith fh v,Q,i ..i,i v down with the hedge could never be ! replaced. After they had seated themselves on the rustic bench under Judge Pritch ard's lilacs, on the excuse of hearing the thrushes' song, Hester volunteered the suggestion that it really seemed only a day since the last time she hnd sat on the snme bench under the lilacs. And then she wondered whether she had said anything that was too dis loyal to the memory of Bethiah Mar den, the stern old aunt who had brought her up and left her all her property. Robert Prltchard answered this hv taking Hester's hand In his exactly as 1 he had that last time, ten years before, ' and mat. too. seemed quite natural, though Hester blushed quite as if she had been twenty instead of thirty. "You didn't go away because you wanted to?" he asked. Hester shook her head. "Tell me just what happened and j on the move ngnin. this time hurrying then I'll tell you something you per-1 to the front, where the enemy was haps never knew." j hitting hard at the Lys line. The env- Hester had reheursed the details of . airy rode hard as the advance guard Just what happened on that memorable of the French Infantry columns mnrh occaslon so often to herself that the j ed toward St. Omar. In the first recounting was not difficult. "Well, ! 24 hours, despite the long strain you see, Aunt Bethiah had ideas of her ! of fighting in Picnrdy, they covered own about how girls should spend j tneir time and so long as I read poetry and novels and did embroidery In the garden she was satisfied. But when I Improved my time talking to you in stead, she was distressed. So long ns that high board fence was here she was satisfied. I was quite snfe hi the garden. Then the Neighborhood as sociation decided to hnve all fences down, and though Aunt Bethiah fought it, the association had its way. She planted the hedge and took me off for four years in France she said she had Intended to take me, anyway, and per haps she had. I would have Jlked go ing better if it hnd not seemed like punishment for talking to you those days when the fence was down before we started. It was Just about this time of the year, wasn't it? "And then by the time we came back the hedge wns high enough for a pro tection and you hnd forgotten all about your neighbor, and Aunt Bethiah was sure she had done her duty. I think the poor old dear died happier because the hedge was twelve feet ;ii,'h and five feet thick. She used to sn:lle f,01061111151" PfPIt 'i1 htr " ' woo rna firmest hndio t . . 1 . T really don't know why she should have objected so much to our talking. "Perhaps I was very much to blanie." Robert Prltchard explained. "I was twenty-five then, nnd went about things differently than I would now. You see I made the Neighborhood as sociation vote to have the fences taken down. It was my first nttemnt at civic improvement, and no one but Aunt Bethiah suspected my motive. She called at my office and told me her opinion of me and I got as hot-headed as she was and told her thnt I wanted to marry, you and Intended to do it. I'd spent the evening here by the lilacs with you then and I knew my heart. I didn't believe the good lady when she told me that you had told her I annoy ed you and had asked to be taken away, so I can't hold it trp against her. I've wanted, though, to hear you say that It wasn't so." "And I really think Aunt Bethiah liked you all along do you believe she is so very cross because we are sitting here again under the lilac bush?" Judge Prltchard would have liked to Bay Just then that he was entirely In different as to whether Aunt Bethiah approved or not but so completely was he concerned with the realization that he had within his reach the love of the woman of his dreams that he had no thoughts for the other woman who had separated them ten yeurs be fore. YOU BET SHE KNEW. Mrs. Flatbush I hear your hus band's in the war? Mrs. Bensonhurst lie is. "And I understand he's the com manding officer of his company ?" ''Well, you 'can be pretty certain that that is more than he ever was in my company." PROVE GOOD FIGHTERS AFOOT Rides 80 Miles In Day and Relieves Hard-Pressed British In Flanders Makes New Place for Self In Warfare. Washington. Skillful use of French cavalry has marked General Foch's tactics ever since he took over control of the allied armies as supreme com mander, . according to information reaching military circles here. The horsemen have played an Important role In the whole battle of 1918, as the struggle which began March 21 with the first German drive has come to be knowu. The employment of swift-moving columns in the present counter-stroke from the Alsne-Marne line hns been noted In the dispatches. Again Gen eral Foch took advantage of the great ! mo'"Ht of 1,,e ,,n!ed ,tnrow ' 1 , : units threatened to lose touch with each other In the heat and confusion of the contest. No gaps have been left where the enemy might strike back, for always the horsemen came up to fill the hole until the Infantry line could he rectified and connected in a i P0,M front - The same tactics marked the first use of French cavalry In the battle of I'lcardy, when the French took over .r5 miles of front from the British to permit the latter to mass reserves at seriously threatened points of the line farther north. Cavalry Fights Afoot. A French cavalry corps complete with light artillery, armored cars and cyclists arrived first on the scene in Ploardy and relieved the British. They fought it out afoot until the heavy French infantry arrived and took over the task. Three days later the horsemen were 80 miles without losing n mnn or a horse on the way. In C6 hours they had transferred their whole corps over 125 miles and arrived east of Mont Cassel. "It was a wonderful sight," writes the chief of staff of a division. "The horses were In fine condition ; the men were cheerful and went singing, in spite of the sufferings nnd privations they had to endure. "In truth, our boys looked a little tired, but they were nil very proud that such an effort had been asked of them and all were bearing It cheer fully." The cavalry corps stood In support of the British for ten days In April after the enemy had forced the line held by the Portuguese division. It maintained communication between two British armies nnd organized the ground from Mont Cassel to Mont Kemmel, while the French army moved up behind It. As the French Infantry came into line the cavalry wns drawn off to the left In the Mont Kemmel region, nnd for five driys the horsemen. I'uluing nfoot with twr. Ifantry divisions', withstood the ter rlf.c nssanlts of the Germans - who sought to hammer a way through be hind Ypres at any cost. They stood steady bombnrdment for days, and when the infantry was hem med In on top of Mont Kemmel, the cavalry drove forward In counter attack and held off the shock divisions of the enemy while the French gun ners got their pieces away. Later, at the battle of Locre, the cavalry also shared fully with the In fantry, blocking gaps in the line, and the final definite occupation of the town for the allies was accomplished by a cavalry battalion. A sergeant and a handful of dragoons drove 40 Germans out of the town, and at an other point a cavalry officer and 20 men backed np the Infantry at a critical moment, the officer waving a pistol In one hand and a shovel In the other as he led the dash which re stored the situation. Defend Compelgne. A few days later the same cavalry, after another long ride, met the en emy advance against Vlllers-Gotterets woods In the Alsne sector, where the fighting today Is waging fiercely, and where the horsemen again are en gaged. When the Germans drove for ward In their effort to get around the forest to Compelgne, the horsemen blocked the road between the wooded region and the River Ourcq. In view of this record for swift and dashing attack afoot, the cavalry ap pears to have established a -new place for itself In modern warfare. They are the light reserves; the men who are always hurled first into the point of danger to hold until the slow-moving Infantry arrives. They have learned trench warfare completely, and General Foch Is making use of thera In any move that Insures them a glorious chance when the day comes for the allies to drive back. all alone the Una. 1 SCIENTISTS EXPLAIN THEM Some of the Qualities That Give Amer- leans Superiority In Air Over Their Hun Opponents Tem perament Is Important. new xorn. considerable concern has been expressed at the large num ber of fatal accidents reported from our American military and naval avia tion training camps. Considering the risks the novice necessarily takes and the very special physiological and dsV' etiological factors that enter into the science of flying, these fatal accidents are few In proportion to the number of men undergoing training, and they are not more numerous than those on the training fields of Great Britain, t rance and Italy. A perfect knowledge of all the rule." of the game of flying will not save a man who lacks confidence In himself and Is Inclined to hesitate. A half second of Indecision may be fatal. In itiative, the sporting instinct and a certain Irresponsibility, qualities In herent In American youth, have been found of far greater value In the air than the logical, scientific, severely disciplined character of the Germans nnd account for the superiority of the allied aviators In general. The most emlimnt of r.ritish scien tists hnve devoteil special study to the psychological and physiological as pects of flying. One authority says that good eye sight, normal hearing, good "muscle sense" and equilibration are indispen sable qualifications. But most impor tant of all Is the right temperament not an easy thing for a medical board to examine. Of the types the imagi native and the unimaginative the Imaginative youth is said to make the better pilot if he can keep his imagi nation under control. Surgical Operations No Bar. In the British air service previous history of wounds and disease Is thor oughly investigated. Persistent head aches, vertigo and easily Induced fa tigue are serious defects. But some times even a serious surgical opera tion Is not regarded as Important. Thus a doctor recently passed as fit for flying a man who had quite a large piece missing from the frontal region of the skull. It Is much more impor tant that a man should have both arms Intact than both legs. A clever pilot who was killed on the western front was Lord Lucas, who had an artificial leg. Considerable importance Is attached to the respiratory system. In addition to good, healthy lungs and vital capac ity, the would-be pilot must pass a Dreath-hol.dlng test. This gives an In dlcatlon of his capacity to stand the strain of flying at high altitudes. where the air Is rarefied and breath ing Is difficult. No man with a weak heart can hope to pass the tests. Self-balancing is another test. The candidate has to stand on one leg with his eyes shut and his hands on hi. hips. There is also the old test foi sobriety walking a straight line heel to toe with eyes open and then turn ing round nnd walking back without losing balance. The importance of this test can be understood, seeing that an aviator flying In a dark cloud or In a fog becomes unconscious of his position and sometimes the machine Is actually upside down. It Is essen tlal that he should not lose a "second In recovering his balance. The throat, nose and ear are care fully examined, for any defects rnieht seriously handicap a man during the great strain that all flying imposes. With regard to the eyes, it Is consid ered that pilots should hnve perfect color vision, In order to pick out the color or marking of hostile machines, and In recognizing signal lights and In Judging the nature of landing grounds. Air Sickness Rare. A candidate who suffers from sea sickness or train sickness would not be rejected on those grounds alone. Air sickness, caused by the rolling and pitching of the airplane, Is a very rare complaint, and sickness usually occurs Immediately after laudiug. An unstable nervous system suggest ed by fidgety movements of the hands, feet or face, or biting the nails Is a poor recommendation. Aero-neurosls is the name which Is sometimes given to nervous troubles brought about by the strain of flying. It has been said that an airman's life consists of "long spells of idleness punctuated by moments of lutense fear." He has to endure Intense cold. rain, wind and fog, the nerve-racking noise of the engine, the antiaircraft fire, and to loop, spin, dive or side slip, apparently out of control, in or der to deceive nn opponent. An In teresting nerve test has been devised In France for selecting the best types of airmen for fighting. Around his chest is a pneumograph, In his left hand a trembler, and around two fin gers of his right hand a pneumatic "dolgtier." Behind the candidate a revolver shot Is fired or a magnesium flare la set off, and a record of the effect on his nerves Is obtained by means of stylets writing on a black ened revolving-cylinder. MEET SUFFERING WITH SMILE Brave Men In France 8et Example Which We In Safety at Horn Might Well Follow. They love to laugh, those boys in France. Of course, they reserve th right to grumble, too. "Grousing, is what Tommy calls it, and ha grouses to his heart's content when there's nothing serious the matter. But when it comes to real things, like suffering and dying, he mceU them with a smile. There are more smiles in the hos pitals of France and of England than well, than in an appalling lot of our "happy homes" here in Amer ica. There is more brave smiling in those pitiful lines of the walking wounded, on their way to the dress ing station, than in any Easte "church parade" that ever strolled up Fifth avenue. ' I wish I could make every man and every woman in the United States see those smiles. They art rather difficult, rather grotesque, for the faces are stiff with mud and bleod and are drawn with pain. Bui there they are! The suffering lips, which make no murmur, can some how manage to 6mile. If they can do that, it seems to me that we ought to be able to pack up our troubles in our old kit bag; we ought to manage to hide then away in our hearts somewhere, and to smile, too. Charles W. White hair, in the American Magazine. ONLY TWO ENJOY PRIVILEGE High Church Official and Prussian Am bassador Accorded Freedom From Strict Vatican Etiquette. Only two persons enjoy the privi lege of driving to the Vatican with a one-horse vehicle. One of them is the commissary general of the holy inquisition, and the other the Prus sian ambassador accredited to the holy see. The tatter's privilege owes its origin to a rather curious circum stance. A Prussian ambassador some years ago drove up one day in a single-horse carriage, and presented himself for admission at the gates of the Vatican leading into the courtyard ; but, in pursuance of their orders, he was refused admission, ex cept on foot, by the guard. Being forced to yield, he complained with some bitterness to Cardinal Antonel li, secretary of state to Pius IX, wbe said he would refer the matter to his holiness. Pius IX, upon hearing of the incident, immediately gave or ders that henceforth his excellency the Prussian ambassador was to be allowed admittance however he came. TURNIP SOUP A LA HUN. "Dump a basket of woody, dirty turnips on the ground outside the cookhouse door, set a prisoner at work peeling them, with no water for washing his hands or the turnips, gather the peeled, mud-coated tur nips from the ground, dump them in a kettle of water, boil and mash them, mud and all, add more water and serve ! That's what we were fed i on until some of the nv n actually went crazy at the sight of turnip soup," says Private Jack Evans of the' Fourth Canadian Mounted Rifles, who tells, in the Forum, of the hor rors of 16 months' imprisonment in the "Black Hole of Go: many" and how, after four attempts, he man aged to escape. MARK OF DISTINCTION. "You seem to have a great opin ion about this man's wealth and in fluence. Have you made inquiries about him?" "Didn't have to. I saw a ton of coal lying in front.-of his house." MORE TO THE PURPOSE. Daughter I tell you, mother, you are prejudiced against Reginald, but he is a coming man. - Mother Perhaps so, but I wish he had more "go" in him. IT DIDN'T WORK. "Ever try your hand at farming?" Yes, but he wouldn't do it." "Who wouldn't do it?" "The farmhand."