Evening Republican, Volume 19, Number 210, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 4 September 1915 — Page 2

THE BLACKMAILER

By H. M. EGBERT.

“Hanbury?" Inquired the bank president of his secretary, inspecting the card which had been brought to him. “Do I know anybody named Hanbury. Jenkins?” “It’a that crazy fellow who has been trying to see you for weeks past.” replied the secretary. “He Insists that his business is personal and confidential.” “Does he look dangerous, Jenkins?** “No, sir, but dogged as they make them. In fact, he’s such a nuisance that I thought I would ask you if you oared to see him." “Send him in, Jenkins,” answered Myers. “One newer knows. And, if he derelops symptoms of insanity 11l touch the bell under the desk.” “Very good, sir,” answered the secretary. The man who entered did not betray any symptoms of insanity. He was about fifty years of age. a little down at heel, with ill-fitting, shabby clothes, but not the type that would attempt violence. He paused in the middle of the room and looked hard at Myers. “Well, sir?” demanded the president. “I guess you don't know me.” said Hanbury, "so I may as well tell you who I am. My wife died last month, leaving me with a girl eight years old. I*re got to provide for her.” “Plenty of people are In the same predicament,” replied the other. “But In this case It Is you who are going to assist her. I need five hundred dollars to get a share In a new business venture.” “It*s blackmail all right,” the visitor with a smile of amusement “Nobody ever blackmailed me in his life. You'd better not try. It won’t pay you.” “It’s blackmail all right” the visitor answered, taking a letter out of his pocket “First let me tell you the name of my wife. She was Miss Connie Stevens.” The president remained impassive but his face blanched. Hanbury was

“I Guess You Don't Know Me.”

quick to notice it. He uttered a short laugh. In that moment of delay Myers’ mind went back to the early days when he was a copra buyer in the South seas. He had had adventures there, he had done things which had him eagerly sought after by his own government. He had amassed a fortune there, but he had lost the woman he loved, who waited for him in America. Of all the bitterness that, he had known, bitterest was the remembrance of that night when he had written a remorseful letter to Connie Stevens. He told her all —the incident of the kidnaping of the Kanakas, the death of the old chief who tried to rescue the men whom Myers had enslaved. the bloody tale of murder and theft which had given him wealth. He was coming back to America, he said. Would she take him in spite of his record of crime? In the hot tropics his sense of right had become atrqphied. He wanted to start a new, clean life hereafter. Would she take him as he was? No answer came. Myers did not even know whether Connie had received his letter; but when he reached America she was married. Then he had set to work to amass wealth. He, too, had married, and gradually he had forgotten Connie. He had been happy, after a fashion. He had convinced himself that he had only acted as white men act in the tropics. He felt little remorse and he bad been a good husband and father. Now, out of the past, this man had confronted him with that forgotten letter. President Myers saw the triumph in his visitor’s eyes. “You understand what this means,'* ‘he said to Myers. “If I were to take this letter into any newspaper office I could get five hundred for it They’d Jump at the chance of downing you. You ain’t popular—not exactly, in this town. I guess you’ve passed as a good citizen, but the folks don’t love you. Well, then. I offer it to you for five hundred first I don’t want to Nackmail. rat driven to tt“ “Nobody ever blackmailed me,” said f. - w ( Han bury laughed and opened the latter. He began to read: * &

“And so. Oonnia, dearest I am telling you all my past 1 have done enough to hang twenty men. If they had been whites Instead of Kanakas. There Isn’t any government here, but If Uncle Sam got hold of me he could put me In his penitentiary for the balance of my life. And though you will be horrified. I cannot ask you to be my wife without telling you this.” “Horrified?” he asked. “Say, you didn’t know my wife. What right had you to suppose that a good woman would marry such a blackguard as you ? I tell you. she nearly went mad over that cowardly letter. I had been courting her for a year, and It gave me my chance. She never regretted It, either. But she didn’t know I got the letter. I thought it might prove useful some day. And it wilt Well, sir, will you buy it for five hundred or shall I sell it to the SOr?” “Nobody ever blackmailed me,” answered Myers. "But I tell you what I’ll do. I’ll give you an order on the cashier for five hundred If you hand over that letter and envelope to me.” "HI get the money first,” said Hanbury. “Write: ’Please pay bearer five hundred dollars In cash in return for valuable trade information, of which I am to have exclusive possession.’ Finished? Good! Now well go to the desk and draw.” Five minutes later the two men were back in the president’s office. Hanbury handed Myers the letter. “Well,” he said awkwardly, “you won’t be troubled with me again. Good-day.” "Stop!” said Myers. “I told you nobody ever blackmailed me. You think I paid you five hundred for the letter?” "Sure,” grinned the other. "Well, you’re wrong,” said Myers quietly. "That letter was written from Kanakaland when its short-lived government was In power. What I bought was the stamp, Hanbury. That’s worth a thousand anywhere. There are only five in existence —and the other four are Imperfect. Goodday!” He touched the bell, and Jenkins entered hurriedly. “It’s all right, Jenkins,” said Myers. “Just show this gentleman to the door, please, and see that he doesn’t return.” Hanbury, looking like a man uncertain whether he has scored a victory or suffered a crushing defeat, retreated at the side of the secretary. His last impression of Myers was of the president seated at his desk, coolly turning over his correspondence. “Jenkins,” said Myers, when the man returned, “that fellow tried to blackmail me. I turned him dowg cold. Nobody ever blackmailed me, or ever will. By the way, you collect stamps, don’t you Here’s one from Kanakaland. I don’t know whether it’s worth anything, but it ought to be worth a dollar or two.- It looks like a rare one.” (Copyright. 1915. by W. O. Chapman.!

IN OTHER PEOPLE’S CLOTHES

individuality Asserts Itself No Matter How Many Times Garments May Be Exchanged. The delicacy Inherent in the present of a cast-off Buit or frock is due perhaps to the subtle clinging of the giver’s self to the serge or silk. It Is a strong man who feels that he Is himself in another man’s old coat. If an individuality is fine enough to be worth retaining, it is likely to be fine enough to disappear utterly beneath the weight of another man’s shoulders upon one’s own. Most of us would rather have our creeds chosen for us than our clothes. Most of us would rather select our own tatters than have another’s cast-off splendors thrust upon us. It Is no light achievement, the living up to and into other people’s clothes. Clothes acquire so much personality from their first wearer —adjust themselves to the swell of the chest, the quirk of the elbow, the hitch of the hip-joint—that the first wearer always wears them, no matter how many times they are given away. He is always felt to be inside, so that the second wearer’s ego is constantly bruised by the pressure resulting from two gentlemen occupying the same waistcoat. —From the Atlantic.

A Mysterious Note.

Harry Thompson was very much in love with a girl, and every time that she said anything his heart would jump for fear that she was going to offer him her hand. One day he received a letter from her. In the letter was the following: "I have a question that I have waited a long time to ask you, and I hope that you will not think that I have a nerve to do so, but It has worried me so much and caused the loss of so many nights’ sleep that I must ask you it now or else I don’t know what will become of me, for every time ttat you leave, it comes into my mind Well, I can’t keep it in any longer, and so here it is: How many times a week do you shave?" He did not read any more of it. His nerves had got the best of him. He had received such a shock that he had to be rushed to a nearby hospital.

Worth Trying.

"I would give anything to be as strong and healthy as you are,” said a lazy dyspeptic to a muscular friend. “By the way. what do yon live on?” “Nothing but fruit,” answered the other. "What kind of fruit 7” asked the Li “The fruit of industry," was the sig nlftcant reply.

THE EVENING REPUBLICAN, RENSSELAER, INP.

GOOD PITCHING STAFF QUITE ESSENTIAL

(By FRANK Q. MENKE.)

What does it avail a ball club If it possesses the greatest batsmen in the land if Its pitching staff is punk? And the answer is: Nothing. A good pitching staff is far more essential to a ball club’s success than is a wrecking crew of batters. Baseball records of the past and present show the truth of that statement. Those New York Giants are in a rut although they have three men slugging over the .300 mark and three others near it. Doyle is hitting around .326, Merkle is clouting for and Robertson boasts of a .310 average. No team in baseball packs a greater batting punch than those Brooklyß Federals. Magee is hitting around .375 and Kauff is near .360. Three other Brookfed regulars are over the .300 mark —yet the Warn is in the second division. The Detroit outfield is swatting the well-known horse’s skin for a combined average around .360 —a tremendous clip, yet the Tigers are third in the race. Back in the bygone days the Cleveland Naps toted around the greatest collection of sluggers that ever battled under one standard —Lajoie, Bemis. Bay, Hickman, Bradley, “Nig” Clarke and a few more fence busters. Practically every man in the outfit was a .300 hitteh Yet Cleveland during those days never came near to winning a pennant. On the other hand, the Chicago

BASEBALL STORIES

Jack Barry is playing fine ball at second base for the Red Sox. • • • Runt Walsh is playing a great game for Otto Knabe at the far corner. * • • Manager Tinker says he will undergo an operation as soon as the season ends. • • • Shades of the past: Evers to Tinker to Chance and Barry to Collins to Mclnnis. • • • The Athletics seem to have picked up a yeal star in Pitcher Crowell of Brown university. • • * President Gilmore says he has eight umpires and will make no more changes this season. • • • Those Athletics have something on Russians. The Mackmen can’t be pushed back any more. * • • Jack Coombs seems to have a return ticket in his pocket every time, and he comes right back. • • • Connie Mack has scouts scouring the East for "peaches” in the bushes. Mack is hunting some more like Eddie Collins. • • • Sandford Burk, former Cardinal pitcher, who was sold to the Indianapolis A A. team, jumped to the Pittsburg Feds. • * • The Salt Lake club of the Pacific Coast league has released Pitcher “Cy” Morgan to make room for Schmutx of Brooklyn. • • • Ivey Wingo is now doing the bulk of the catching for the Cincinnati team, but it 1b reported that Manager Herzog may recall Catcher Gharrity from Minneapolis. • • • The Des Moines (dub of the Western league has sold Pitcher George Mogridge, s left-hander pitcher, whose home is in Rochester, N. Y.. to the New York Americans for delivery in September. • * * St Louis flans say the name of Staler should be Sizsler. He has played first base, all the outfield positions and pitched since he joined the Browns, and he has looked like a big jeagner •very day.

White Sox, back in 1906, had pitchers —and no batters. Yet the Sox won a pennant and a world series in that year. In 1912,1913 and 1914 the Senators, minus batting power but plus some mighty pitchers, acted as run-ners-up in nearly all three pennant battles. Getting right down to this present day and age we find the Phillies clinging to the top of the National league heap. Outside of Luderus and Cravath, the Phillies haven’t any batters—but they have Grover Cleveland Alexander and a few other pitching persons. The Dodgers, who have assumed the role of runner-up, have a real bat ter in Jake Daubert and a timely hitter in. Zack Wheat Their hitting power ends there. But the Dodgers have Weiser Dell, Jack Coombs, “Hasen” Pfeffer and “Nap” Rucker on the pitching staff. That’s why they are where they are. The Red Sox, as a team, aren’t hitting up to pennant-winning standard. But they have about five pitchers who are pitching a world series brand of baseball —and look where those Red Sox are located in the standing of clubs. The Kansas City Feds and the St. Louis Feds present weak-hitting combinations. But they have the pitchers —and thqy’ve been in the pennant fight since the middle of May. In other words, one good pitcher seems to be of more value to a ball club than two or three slugging infielders, outfielders or catchers

FEDS SELECT WRONG PLAYER

Larry Gardner of Red Sox, One of Least Likely to Jump to Outlaw League —Loyal to Boston. A story was printed recently to the effect that the St. Louis Federals expected to sign Larry Gardner of the Boston Red Sox. The story evidently was printed in hopes of stirring interest in the Sloufeds upon their return home, for Manager Fielder Jones afterwards said it was “the result of a joke." Gardner was with the Red Sox in Detroit at the time and he denounced the story as a base fabrication. A Boston writer commenting on the story says: “From our knowledge of the way Larry Vermont Gardner of the Red Sox looks at such things as promises, even if that promise happens to be a contract to de-

Larry Gardner.

liver his baseball services to the Red Sox for a stipulated term of years, we would say that George Stallings, Clark Griffith, Fred Clarke, Hugh Jennings and Ban Johnson would jump to the Feds before Larry. And these men like the Federal league like pussy loves the mud puddle. Anyhow, we once asked Gardner if there was any truth in a rumor that he might jump to the Feds, and for the msplied doubt of personal honesty, as Larry put it, we came mighty near being crossed off Inrry’s visiting fiat"

Develops Into Golfer.

Art Shafer, ex-Giant, has developed into a great goiter. -. :

“PITCH-OUF" IS WRONG

Opinion of Manager Hughey Jennings of Detroit Tigers. Duka Farrell and Wilbert Robineon Seldom Called for Waste Ball— American League Batters Do Not Practice Hlt-and-Run. When should a catcher call for a pitch-out ? Is the waste ball a good defense? These two questions were shot at Hugh Jennings. His reply was: “There Is only one out-and-out reliable hit-and-run batter In the Amer' lean league. That is Eddie Foster of the Washington club. With only one such consistent hit and runner why should catchers be so prone to call tor pitch-outs? “Two of the best catchers who ever lived were Duke Farrell and Wilbert Robinson. Seldom did either call for a pitch-out except when Willie Keeler was at bat, tor. he could hit to any field. “My belief is that the waste ball should be called for but rarely, and never if the pitcher shows a tendency

Duke Farrell.

to be wild. There is an opposite rule to be followed as well, which is never hit and run when the pitcher is wild, as a base on balls is much more to be desired than the chance of poking a ball through vacated territory. "I have known instances where there was a wild pitcher in the box, and the team at bat hung out the ‘hit-and-run sign so that it could be read by a blind man. Why? They wanted the catcher to see the sign and to call for pitch-outs, knowing it was a hard Job for the pitcher to get it over as it was. and that a few waste balls would have him up in the air completely, and either passing the batters or grooving the ball for them. "Of course, I do not know much about the National league batters, so I cannot speak tor the old league.

Wilbert Robinson.

But I do know that the batters in our league do not practice hit and running. Ty Cobb is the greatest hitter the world has known, but he is no hit-and-run batter, for the reason he has not given it any attention to speak of. The tendency of all the would-be hit-and-run batters is to hit the ball as hard as they can, and trust to luck to It going safely. The true hit and runner like Foster, however, has the' knack of just meeting the ball and mmirfng a real effort to hit It through the territory vacated by the fielder who goes to cover the base. “But, up to date, the hit-and-run play, as it is attempted In the American league, is little to be feared.”

Too Much Winter Ball.

The trouble that has bothered both BUI James of the Braves and Hub Leonard of the Red Sox so far this season is said to be due to pitching too much winter ball and there is agitation in Boston for a role that will prevent major league players taking part in any games after the regular seasons dose.

One of Longest Drives.

A 1 Shaw, Packer outfielder, hit one of the longest drives ever seen in the City park in a game against Newark. He drove it over the rightfield fence, the first time such a feat warn ever accomplished. Shaw was aided by a high wind that got behind the pill and ha&ed it over, g

CRETONNES IN THE SUMMER

. ——7 By Careful Selection, the Housewife May Make Her Rooms Things of Beauty. It seems ages since the serviceable ■Tid smart cretonnes were introduced for bangings, coverings for furniture and cushions, etc., yet it still holds its place among the newest of goods shown for these purposes. Porch furniture, comfortable cushions and cane chairs for use on the summer piazzas are covered and, going further, large armchairs and low rockers for the living room are to be upholstered in this same good-wearing fabric. But. of course, designs have changed somewhat; colors are brilliant, as usual, but among the newest are those with birds of gorgeous plumage on a background of black. Indeed, brilliant applies to most of the new cretonnes; they are vivid and still launder perfectly, making them an excellent choice for the tiot suns of summer days. The frill or flounce across the top of windows is still liked, only now it should be cut narrow and lifted a little directly in the center, with side draperies of the goods. The sides of these frills are a little longer than last year, and a variation liked is to catch the fullness in cluster of three or four tiny tucks or folds about three or four inches apart, not pressing them flat, but allowing them to stand out. Also the bottom of the frill, where caught up in the center, must be finished with a braid; as it should be cut in a curve, not in a straight line to be puckered shorter in the center, but cut curved. Still another variation shows the bottom of this frill cut in deep scallops and bound with braid. Small tables covered with cretonne, over which the useful glass is placed, will be sought tot porch and living room for various uses. One that should appeal to the housewife who Just “loves a pretty bedroom” is to change ordinary furnishings into things of beauty by covering chests, tables and so on with cretonne; the table with the glass top bringing an almost ele-. gant air into the atmosphere. If woodwork and furniture are hopelessly faded and worn a coat of light enamel with a slight tracery of blue or pink or delicate green and cretonne hangings, etc., to match will make a charming room of one that might be termed dismal and depressing, as some rooms have a habit of being. A caution is to use plain paper or paper with small figures where a room is to be fitted out in gay cretonne; huge or startling designs will only cause discord.

FITTING UP THE BATHROOM

Some of the Requisites That Must Find a Place in the Modem Establishment. In the days of the old tin tub almost anything In the way of a towel was good enough, so long as it was free from holes. The advent of sanitary plumbing, the white enamel tub and basin, the tile or tile-effect walls and the nickel and glass fixtures have made the up-to-date bathroom a different proposition. For instance, utility is no longer the sole standard by which the bathroom linend are Judged. They must also harmonize with the enamel and glass fittings. As a result housewives now buy their towels in sets in white, with an initial or monogram in color. Many towel sets are bought in plain or fancy material without a monogram, which is worked by the housewife herself. Bathroom sets of terry cloth are composed of two bath towels, a bath mat, and two face cloths, all with a plain or fancy border and an initial or monogram. ... • Jacquard figured bath towels are new and attractive. They have a deep pink or blue border and the hem is daintily embroidered in color. The edge is finished with a deep border orcrochet of white and color. Turkish and huck towels are almost always embroidered in color and finished with a scalloped or crocheted edge.

Making Cocoa.

When making cocoa, you can greatly improve the flavor, obviating the “flat” taste, by adding a pinch of salt and a few drops of extract of vanilla. Boiling several minutes makes cocoa richer in taste and more digestible, while it stands to reason milk and not water makes much the richer beverage, although milk and water may be mixed. Condensed or evaporated milk makes delicious cocoa. Beat the cocoa for a few minutes before serving it

Berry Roll.

To one quart of flour use one tablespoonful of butter, mix this together with a silver knife, add three tablespoonfuls of baking powder and enough milk to make a dough that will rolL Flour one quart of berries, sugar them to taste, put them in a layer on top of dough. RoU from one end. Cream for one hour. This should! be served with hard sauce.

Milk Sherbet

Add two tablespoonfuls of lemooj juice to one tablespoonful of sugar, and pour on gradually one-half cupful of milk (or one-half milk and onehalf cream) then freeze.—-Woman’s Home Companion.

To Soften Lemons.

If lemons have become dry, put them into a pan of hot water and place It where it will remain at almost the same temperature without boiling for two hours. After that tho lemons will be soft and Juicy.