Evening Republican, Volume 16, Number 91, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 13 April 1912 — Page 2

In a Surgeon’s Coat

Hie cotillion was over and they found a table cosily screened with palms and orange trees in full blosflom. Tbere was a mound of lilies of the Talley on the white cloth. “It looks as if we must be filching ’ somebody’s happiness,” exclaimed Betty, "for the decorations around .here certainly indicate the expectation of a bride and groom.” “Gossip, that thing we all despise, yet to which we all listen, maintains that you are cast for the role and that Gregory Rhodes is to be your leading man.” “I know it," laughed Betty slipping a spray of the lilies through the turquoise and diamonds that held the laces at her breast. “It’s a funny thing how anxious people are to marry me off to somebody. You remember how Aunt Martha tried to persuade me to take the honorable Charles in the mountains two years ago.” “Indeed I do, and since that time I have never cherished any love for bar. You and I had euch great times together that summer. Lucky thing for me that you found my coat yesterday!" "It was a curious ircldent I didn’t have time to tell you all about it I wag running, sister Helen’s electric down a quiet street and there, in front of me, I saw a box. I stopped, picked it up and imagine my surprise when I read Dr. Robert Latimer, Townsend building.” “The messenger must have dropped it God bless him!” “Of course I don’t know a thing about this town, so I asked a policeman to direct me to your office building. I was curious to know whether or not you were the Dr. Latimer I knew. Why don’t you eat?” demanded the girt “See all these good things that footman brought!” “I am so glad to look at you again and to hear the sound of your voice that I have forgotten my hunger?*--“When I went into your office and saw all those patients lined up I knew that I couldn’t wait my time, for I was due at a luncheon in less than an hour, so when your attendant opened the door and called ’Next!* I gave him my card and asked if I might see you for just a minute —” “And I heard your voice and came out in a hurry. It was a great thing for me to have you of all people find that surgeon’s coat" ' ' • “What is a surgeon’s coat?" “A white coat I wear when I operate in my office. I dare say I look like a butcher.” “Helen says you are eminently successful and rank with the best old surgeons here. lam so glad. I have so often wondered about you.” *1 wrote to you several times after I left the mountains.” “I never received the letters.” “No,” he said, “because I was aftaid to post them. Your sister had married and come here to live, and everywhere I turned I heard that you and Gregory were engaged, and knowing that broken hearts are beyond my skill to mend, I tried to forget you.’ - - Betty looked pensive and the young surgeon resumed: “If it had not been for my worldly knowledge of w,hat a girl in your position wants these days. I would have asked you to marry me that last night in the mountains. You remember how we walked up to Paradise Rock and a sudden storm came on and we took refuge under a big tree?” The jewels on Betty’s breast flashed as tha laoes rose and fell with her uneven breathing. “Yes,” she answered softly. “When the lightning played about us and the thunder boomed like giant 0H55118 through the mountains, you were frightened and I—l held you In , toy arms.” r “I was not frightened then.” He looked at her curiously. “Betty,” he said, “if you had only known how much greater was the storm going on in my breast I wanted you so, and now —” “I wish 1 had known," whispered the girl just as Gregory Rhodes came through the opening in the palms. “Well, you gave me a deuce of a slip tonight, Betty, but I see you found the place 1 intended for you anyway.” Dr. Latimer pushed back his chair. “Oh, sit down, Doc, I’m not stopping. 1 was just looking around to find out if Betty had what ste wanted. I’ll he around to your office tomorrow to interview you professionally. I need treatment Betty jilted me this afternoon.” “Why, Gregory, you have always known that I—4—” stammered the embarrassed girt “You did it nicely enough, as nicely as a thing like that can be done. I don’t mind talking before Doc Lat- ; fmor,” said Gregory, with his air of. easy familiarity. “He’s one of ,my best friends. I had this place all fixed up, for I expected to propose to Betty here again tonight, but the fates willed ft otherwise.” _ , “Perhaps,” interrupted the surgeon. “Miss Betty prefers that I should not be told," 1 “I don’t mind. Of course Gregory doesn’t feel all this pretended grief or he would not parade it before any“Our families fixed up the match TMr . i thought Betty meant to

By A. MARIA CRAWFORD

(Copyright, 19U, by AwooWd Utemry Fibmj

take me until this afternon when I •had her out sleighing and asked her to name the day. Then she said, ‘I don’t expect to marry you, Gregory. I’m old-fashioned enough to want to be in love, foolishly in love with the man I marry.’ It’s hard on me, for' people will say—" “Only your pride is hurt, Gregory,” said Betty. “Have it your way. Your sister Helen is looking for you. I’m going now.” “May I see you tomorrow night? I must, Betty.” ‘Til have to tell a fib, for we have a dinner on at Carey’s and a dance somewhere afterward, but I’ll manage to have a headache and stay home,” she promised. Some time during the day a patient found occasion to say, “I saw you with Miss Betty Gaines last night. I suppose you know that she jilted Gregory Rhodes to marry a titled foreigner who arrives in New York tomorrow? She met him abroad this summer.” So Betty had been leading him on by the look in her eyes the night before. He bit savagely into his cigar, thankful that the dear old gossip had intervened to save his pride. It was a very charming Betty in a soft—clinging white gown, shorn, of her jewels, a single blush rose on her breast, who greeted the surgeon. For a time he sat silent, afraid to trust his own voice. He glanced at the girl, her whole figurte bathed in the ruddy glow from the fire. She seemed a priestess of the dawn to Latimer and he set his teeth and tried to think of some commonplace topic, but his brain had gone wrong, he concluded, and he waited for her to speak. “Has it been a hard day? Are you very tired?" she asked quietly. The note of sympathy stirred his anger. “No,” he flung out, “work, why, I work as if my task were made for me. Work is the one thing in life on which a man may confidently depend. It is the only thing that never falls him at a crucial time.” “Why this sudden and vehement bitterness, Bob?" He had not heard her call his name for two years and the sound of her voice calling him thus, stirred the strings of his heart, but failed to set them In tune with her gentler spirit “Men have their work; women, nothing but amusement, which is usually found In making those same med fools at one time or another. I never loved but one woman and I loved her because I thought she was honest and true.” “Are you talking about me, Bob?” Betty's eyes were dark with fire. “Today,” he said, ignoring her question. “I have heard from two of yous sister Helen’s best friends that you are engaged to a nobleman who is to arrive in New York tomorrow. Yet last night you. allowed me to make a fool of myself. It hurts, Betty.” “Have you no faith in me? Will you believe the sickly gossip of Idle women in preference to the truth from the woman you claim to love?” “1 love you, Betty. The dream of you has helped me fight and in a measure —win. When I found you again, and you were not married, my love flared up into a consuming passion. You are the only thing I want in this world. Do you mean, can you mean,” he asked, Incredulously, his brain whirling at the look in her face, “that you are not going to marry that foreign devil?” He leaned over her chair, looking deep In her eyes. “Betty,” he said; “Betty, do you love me?” He lifted her to her feet. “Is —is that surgeon’s coat big enough for two?” “Yes,” he whispered, his lips at her white forehead, “and the pocket’s big enough for Cupid.”

Romans as Doctors.

It is not long since a party of dons, schoolmasters and other professional men, found themselves on a holiday tour at Caerwent, say the London Nation. A doctor, who had been profoundly uninterested in the fortifications and general antiquities, drifted into languid attention at the sight of a case of Roman surgical Instruments in the museum, and was soon observed to warm Into real excitement. After a few minutes of the closest attention he burst out with. "By Jove! they’ve got the newest pattern!" So, indeed, they bad; 2,000 years ago some officer of the Roman army medical corps had used an instruments of a form which has only been reinvented within our own generation. The doctor has now a real respect for that businesslike nation; scales fell from his eyes. Most of us have only taken for granted that the Romans were as civilized as could reasonably be expected of men who lived so hopelessly long before our own time; but our children, we hope, will see more dearly into the secrets of this wonderful people’s spssess.

The Charity Plant.

R. Fulton Cutting, the president of the Association for Improving the Condition of the Poor, gave A good definition of charity in an address in New York. •’Charity,” he said, "Is a plant which takes root in the heart, grows in the pocket and bears fruit in the hand.**

PEERLESS LEADER OF THE CHICAGO CUBS

By HOMER CROY.

Frank Chance Is “The Peerless Leader” to all America with W. J. B. just coming In sight around the bend. W. J. may be the last syllable when it comes to a w crown of thorns, but what does he know about first base? When it gets down to real peerlessness, Chance of Cook County has got the Lincoln leader lashed so tightly to the mast that he can’t move an eyebrow unassisted and unabetted. Frank Leßoy Chance (honestly) was born In California, was a catcher on the Washington College team and in the winter time lives at Glendora, same state. From the first pro. team he was on—-the Fresno (California) club —he was picked up and derricked to the Chicago Cubs, where he still sits with one hand on the throttle, the other on the sand lever and the safety clutch between his teeth. He is one of the most superstitious men in baseball, but having 13 for his lucky number. When on a Pullman it would take a straight-jacket and a new cable to make him sleep anywhere except in lower 13; if the club gets a car with only twelve berths he writes 13 on the door and doubles up in the stateroom. He refuses to change his shirt as long as the Cubs are winning; he’s very firm about this and cannot be won over with either pleading or powder. After the budding bruins have had a lucky streak he has to remove his Cluett with a kneaded rubber eraser.

BALL AND BAT NOTES

Mansfield, Ohio, has traded First Baseman Frank Reynolds to Racine, Wis. A. D. Dodson, Jr., is the new president of the reorganized Galveston club. > Frank Rock has been made secretary of the St. Joseph Western league club. Managers McGraw and Bresnahan have five-year contracts with their . clubs. -—- — 1 ' . Spike Shannon, released by Kansas City, would like to land a job as an umpire. All the recruits look good at present, but wait a month and many of them will vanish into the past. John Dovey, formerly of the Boston National league club, will, according to report from Louisville, act as scout for Billy Grayson this season. Buffalo will give Charles Pugh, a shortstop, another trial this year. He is a semi-pro who warmed the Bison bench for a while last summer. Joe Cohn of the Spokane club wants the Northwestern league to take up the plan of numbering players recently adopted by the Pacific Coast league. Hugh Duffy has signed a pitcher named Mathias Zleser. The former Sox leader is a diplomat and is making himself solid with all nationalities of people. The Newark fans are all certain, and they are backed up by Joe McGinnlty, that Bill Louden will be the find of the season. He is to be played at third by Hughie Jennings. Johnny Evers, the brainy member of the Cubs, is angling for the purchase of the Albany (New York State league) club. Johnny is not figuring on quitting the big league, but he wants to be a magnate on the side. Del Howard says that be has no plana for the summer, but if any dub wants the services of a good slugger as well as a political speaker he says that he will consider the proposition. The temperance clause that was Inserted in the contracts of the Pirates last year was of great benefit to the team in the estimation of Barney ‘ Dreyfuss, and he has himself signed

Frank LeRoy Chance as Seen by Cesare.

~ Frank Chance is one of the beet dressers in baseball, considering it a public disgrace to be seen on the street without a Mason and Dixon line down each trouser leg and adjusting his tie before going down to breakfast with a sextant and a spirit level. Miss Edith Pancake of Chicago took a Chance and now he has a happy hearthstone and ladles* magazines on the center table. Chance Is the only man In the big league business who was ever elected captain of the team by the rest of the players, and since that he has framed four National league diplomas. Bdsldes that he has pasted up a lot of other records for posterity. It's just as well thsficold, unsparing truth be made public now as any time, for It must be remembered that a bird cannot fly away from Its tail. Well, here It Is, briefly and bluntly— Frank Chance is a D. D. 8.., but he is now trying to lead a noble and upright life! Every time you call him “Doctor” he heats up In the palms and begins to talk about his two orange groves in California. - A part of his comfortable fortune has been made out of the groans of men, the cries of women and the shrieks of children, but he has thrown away his forceps for the ash stifik and is honestly trying to bring pleasure and sunshine into the world by pulling down files instead of up molars. (Copyright 1911, by W. G. Chapman.)

one of the pledges for the coming season. Manager Fred Clarke has just closed a- deal for a half interest in the J. P. Baden Mills at Winfield, Kan. The mills are among the largest in southern Kansas and are expected to add many thousands of dollars to Clarke’s yearly income. Joe Adams, the ’ stout who discovered Otis Crandall, and Arthur Wilson of the Giants, is not connected with the national pastime in any form at present. Adams was manager of the Mattoon (Hl.) team at the time he found'the Giants’ stars. Manager Jack Tighe of the Louisville Colonels is kidding himself that he will get Eddie Lennox back from the Cubs to play third for the Colonels the coming season. If half of the reports about the ability of Lennox are true, Tighe will have to keep on kidding himself.

STAR OUT OF OLYMPIC FIELD

Ralph Craig, Wolverine Sprinter Detained at Home by Pressure of Private Business. Ralph Craig, the famous sprinter of the University of Michigan, has announced that he will not compete with the American team at the Olympic

Ralph Craig.

games at Stockholm next snnqßwr. Craig was expected to score heavily In the 100 and 200 meter dashes. He declared that he cannot leave his position for the length of time that training and the trip requires.

CATCHER AS MANAGER

Problem as to Why They Make Best Leaders Unsolved. “Red” Dooin and Roger Bresnahan Do Nqt Find Duties Too Arduous to Prevent Them From t Playing In Game. Every year somebody rises to remark that' 1 the bench manager Is superior to the man who directs his club’s aflairs from the field. You can prove this by several cases. You can prove It isn’t so by just as many. Therefore, like the ancient query as to the Age of Ann, the answer is not Yet. -1.:. ■ - • But here is one line of dope you have some foundation to argue on: Catchers make good managers, whether they lead from bench or behind the bat. Of the 16 major clubs 6 of them are piloted by catchers or excatchers. Why the backstop should blossom forth as a manager Isn’t apparent, unless, perhaps, he has been so busy' bossing the pitchers that the habit grows to Include the entire dub. Two of the catcher-managers are actively engaged behind the bat and do not find their duties too laborious to prevent them from being top-notchers as participants. These two are Roger Bresnahan of the Cardinals and Red Dooin of the Phillies. Cornelius McGillicuddy, when he lugged that impossible name into the big league, was a receiver of rare worth. The only reason he quit receiving was to become head of a club. His work With the Athletics has been a great accomplishment. Frank Chance, termed the “Peerless Leader,” when the Cubs were at the hey-day of their glory, started as a catcher. Then be went to first base, because there was nobody else on hand to occupy that position. Harry Davis also was a catcher, but gave ft up to play at the initial station. It is certain the 1 catcher-manager who can warm up his own pitchers is going to have the inside track in se-

“Red” Dooin.

lecting the box artist. When one works with a pitcher day In and day out he comes to know the occasions when he has the “stuff.” The catcher realizes If his pitcher’s ball isn’t breaking right or if the fast ball hasn’t the hop. Of course, a lot of flingers are slaughtered on their best days, but that is part of the game. In the long run ft works out that the ptlcher who is right on a certain day does'better than a fellow who hasn’t his best assortment of foolers. No ball club ever went very far without a star catcher, with the possible exception of the Detroit Tigers, and they possessed such an unusual array of hitting talent that they were exceptions to the rule. Lucky indeed is the club that has the manager in the strategic position behind the batter and able to do sterling yeoman duty day in and day out As a demonstration of what intelligent catching means, look what happened to the Cardinals when Roger Bresnahan quit working last autumn. ' Johnny Kling, who was taken over from the Cubs by Boston and handed the managerial reins after Fred Tenny has failed, will get a chance to show his worth this season. Kling is certainly one of the best catchers in the game, but just how he will work with the manager’s troubles will be seen the coming campaign. Fred Tenney himself broke into baseball as a catcher.

Hard Hitters In American.

Every team in the American league last yw had at least two outfielders who hit for .300 or over, with the exception of the St. Louis Browns.

Half Million in Athletic Field.

Loe Angeles Y. M. C. A. has expended over MWWO on Its new athletic field and grounds.,

REFLECTIONS OF A BACHELOR

Much feathers, little meat under them. - i ’ The sun iiever shines for a man whose only joy is money. It’s safer to be sure of yourself than of a hundred other people. Heroes seem able to yell the loudest of all over a stomach ache.) If a liar forgot to do lt for a whole year he would not get out of training. ' What can improve some people’s temper Is for them to be sound asleep. A nice thing about knowing how to carve well is it doesn’t make you swear so much. 7; Lending money to a man is about as easy a way as there is to find out he has bad points. •• y, Running the furnace can teach a man about as many swear words as anybody can learn. —— Confession, which ought to be tried before anything else to get out of a, fix, always comes last What makes d woman proud of her husband Is to think how some day he might make some money. The trouble with a man’s getting hlsi salary raised is he thinks he has to; live up to twice that much. Even in these days of short skirts : It’s better for a woman to begin to, grow stout from the ground up. A girl knows by the way a man looks into her eyes they ought to be just the color she thinks they are. The world will never give you any credit at all till you are a success; i then it will give you a thousand times I more than you are entitled to. —New York Press.

CHIPS OF WISDOM

You can drive a pen to ink, but you can’t make it tbink. Sound advice, paradoxically, is the kind that makes the least noise. Many a man doesn’t get along because of his own shortcomings. We don’t often get a show unlesss we have the price of admission. When two girl friends have a fall- . ing out it’s pretty safe to ask his name. If you are going to save up for a rainy day, don’t wait till you see the clouds. It is seldom the fellow who has money to burn that keeps the pot boiling. Woman may belong to the weaker sex, but she is generally strong on argument. There is quite a difference between hoping for the best, and really expecting It. .' The only alm some people have in life is to prove that they might have been worse than they really are.

DYSPEPTIC PHILOSOPHY.

Look out for the fellow who says he is going to look out for you. The world may take a man on bluff, but it won’t carry him very far. There is more luck in a bit of hustle than in all the rabbits* feet in the world. One of the things no man can do is to lose his temper, and keep it to himself. SmS* -y-. ■ Supply is generally governed by demand, except in the small matter of making mistakes. Even the man with a buoyant disposition may have some difficulty in keeping up appearances. - Why brood over your troubles? Any half way Intelligent hen will tell you ' you will only hatch more. Wise is the man who can distingulsh between golden opportunities and glittering generalities. More people are ashamed of their proverty than of their wealth. This state of affairs is sometimes hard to understand.

WHAT WE SHOULD LEARN

Learn to laugh. ▲ good laugh is better than medicine. . ' i' 1 ““ • - Learn to hide your pains and aches under a pleasant smile. No one cares to hear them. Learn how to ten a story. A welltold story is as welcome as a sunbeam in a sick room. .\ i ■ Learn to keep your troubles to yourself. The world is too busy to care for your sorrows. Learn to see the bright side of things. If you cannot see good in tha world, keep the bad to yourself.