Evening Republican, Volume 20, Number 154, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 28 June 1916 — Page 2

Perseverance

By GERALD HOME

(Copyright, 1916. by W. G. Chapman.) r* Alfred Lyons was a very ordinary young man. He frankly admitted this to his sweetheart, Lily, when expressing wonder that she should ever have agreed to marry him. "You are wonderful,” answered Lily, “and I know you are going to become a successful man.” “You’re right there,” answered Alfred. “But how did you know?” “Because you have perseverance,” answered Lily, receiving the kiss that hovered upon his lips. Alfred was amazed at her perspicacity. That was his one quality. Hq was as adhesive as a bulldog smothered in court plaster. He had the grip of a letter clip crossed with a sticktight. And ytt it may be said, paradoxically, that he 6tuck at nothing. He had already outlined his -life. “I am going to become Mr. Plethora's private secretary at $5,000 a year,” he said. “After I have learned the Wall street game from him I. shall go into business on my own acount and make my millions. Then I shall oust Plethora from Wall street and rule in his stead. Then we ll retire to that little farm you spoke of and own an automobile.” "And travel in Europe,” suggested Lily, looking up at him in awe and wonder. “Precisely,” answered Alfred. “Now I’m off to interview Plethora.” One of Mr. Plethora’s peculiarities was that he insisted on seeing every-

Jumped When He Saw the Now Familiar Writing.

body who applied to him for a job in person. Therefore Alfred had no difficulty in interviewing the great man. Nobody knew just what Mr. Plethora wanted in applicants, but when Alfred got into his presence, 27th on the regular Saturday list of applications, he was turned down cold. “There’s nothing here for you,’’ said Mr. Plethora. “No, there never will be anything, but you can leave your name and address if it will make you feel better.’’ “Think it over again,’’ said Alfred. “I want a job as your secretary. And I mean to get it.” “Next, please,” said Mr. Plethora’s secretary, grinning. And Alfred was ushered out. t In spite of Alfred’s nerve, Mr. Plethora had entirely forgotten him by the next morning. That was because, as has been explained, Alfred was a very ordinary young man. There was nothing distinguished about him. He was the sort of young man whom one sees the minute one looks out of the window. Take a glance at the next young man who passes your door. That’s Alfred. Go to a baseball game and look at the first young man you see upon the bleachers. That's Alfred. Go on an excursion and look at the young man at your side, eating a ham sandwich. ~ That’s Alfred too.

Consequently, when Mr. Plethora received a brief note the next morning asking for a job, and signed A. L., he simply tossed it into his waste basket without comment. The secretary did not even see it. The kecond morning the receipt of a similar note aroused a faint reminiscence in Mr. Plethora’s mind. He tossed it into the waste basket. The third morning a frown crossed Mr. Plethora’s brow as he opened the missive. He handed it to his secretary- “ Some fool wants a job and forgot to put his name and address,” he said, forgetting that Alfred had left his at his own invitation. On the fourth morning Mr. Plethora began to get worried. “Didn’t I get a letter like this yesterday, Mr. Day?" he asked. “Yes, I remember it quite well," said the secretary. “Well, I wish he’d stop writing to me,” said Mr. Plethora. “It’s getting on my nerves." On the fifth morning Mr. Plethora jumped when he saw the now familiar writing. He flung the letter over to his secretary with a curse. “Have the police trace this young man and stop him," he said angrily.

On the sixth morning the communication changed its nature. Mr. A. L. now hgd \ the honor to request the felicity of a position as Mr. Plethora’s private secretary. On the seventh he was quite menacing. Unless the position were forthcoming A. L. would bo obliged to remind Mr. Plethora of hlB application. During the next two weeks Mr. Plethora flung away the letters unopened. Yet he knew that his mind was subconsciously searching out the strong, upright characters upon the envelope. He was annoyed that the writer could not be traced. He went to Europe shortly after and forgot about him. On the top of Mont Cents a bundle of personal mail was handed to him by a perspiring postman. Nine-tenths of the letters were from A. L. A. L. cajoled for a job, he threatened for a job, he pleaded for a Job, he was facetious about a job. Mr. Plethora cabled his secretary.

“Run down and arrest anonymous writer before I return, or I discharge you,” he said. When he got home a bundle of letters from A. L. was waiting on his library table. A. L. w r as becoming mildly reproachful. When was he going to get that job? He reproachfully told Mr. Plethora that time was pressing, and in a year or two he would have to use harsher means. Mr. Plethora discharged Mr. Day and got along without a secretary while considering applications. Among the applicants was a certain Mr. Alfred Lyons. Mr. Plethora had not the slightest recollection of him. “Are you able to stop nuisances from writing to me?” he inquired. “Yes, sir,” said Alfred respectfully. “I shall have to ask for a two weeks’ delay in assuming my responsibilities, though, because I am to be married tomorrow.” — r~

“What do you mean by ’assuming your responsibilities’?” roared Mr. Plethora. “You aren’t hired yet. And you aren’t going to be. However, you can leave your name and address, If that will make you feel any easier.” Alfred Lyons dived into his pocket and handed Mr. Plethora a slip of paper marked Alfred Lyons. “I have no card just now, sir. My plate is being re-engraved with my new address,” he explained. “The salary will be $5,000.”' Something about the bold, upright writing attracted Mr. Plethora’s attention. Then, all at once, he knew. “So It’s you, is it, you scoundrel!” he said bitterly. “Why shouldn’t I hand you over to the police for annoying me as you have done?” Alfred Lyons hung up his hat. “I may as well help you out for the day, sir,” he said. “My salary need not begin till I come back.’.’ “And I’ve got It, Lily,” he announced to his bride-to-be that evening. “Five thousand. I’ll stick five years. In ten years I’ll have him downed. In fifteen year 3 the farm for us. That’s the life. Where’s our marriage license?”

Diving Helmet for Everybody.

A new diving helmet which anyone can use is the cover design of the May Popular Science Monthly. This diving helmet is of metal. Its lower edge fits snugly over the shoulders. Four adjustable weights, two in front and two in back, are fastened in place by metal strips. These weights overcome the buoyancy of the air in the hood and the natural buoyancy of tfce person wearing it. The buoyancy of the air in the hood tends to hold it in an upright position. Since the weights are suspended below the center of buoyancy of the body (which is in the chest), the shoulders are held firmly in the curved lower edge of the helmet. Fresh air is supplied to the diver by means of a single tube which leads to a small hand pump in the boat.. The pressure of the pumped air not only prevents the water from entering the hood, but keeps a fresh supply passing through at all times.

Gardening Has Many Joys. -

You who have no garden are missing one of the - keenest and most legiti-" mate of the pleasures of Jife. If you are a happy garden enthusiast, you have, of course, made a careful study of the seed catalogues, whosS name is legion, and have pictured in your mind’s eye the glorious effect of a massed planting of this new flower in that little nook which has always looked a£rifle bare; you have perhaps tasted in your mind as vividly as a physical taste of a moment ago, a delicious new cantaloupe or sweeter sweet corn, buttery green limas or more delicately toothsome brussels sprouts, the very thought of which arouses an anticipatory keenness of palatal delight that opens wide the flood gates of the digestive fluids.— B. Vernon Ashley in “Good Health.”

Assistant to Editors.

“So you are literary?” asked the editor. “Oh, yes,” replied the applicant for work. “I inherit it; my father was assistant to a number of editors in his day.” * “Indeed! What particular work did he do as assistant?” “He was a scissors grinder.”—Yonkers Statesman.

Founded on Strong Base.

Heiress — ‘I first met the count in Switzerland. Her Friend —Tell me about it. Heiress —It was at a table d’hote. He passed me the limburger, which, of course, I declined; but on the strength of that little piece of cheese we formed an acquaintance which has led to our engagement.—Boston Evening Transcript

THE EVENING REPUBLICAN, RENSSELAER, INI).

The Emerald Isle

THE historical and political importance of Ireland has created in the minds of many Americans an exaggerated idea of the island’s physical proportions and the density of its population, two vital factors in England’s task of suppressing the rebellion which had its inception in the capital and largest city, Dublin. According to the National Geographic society’s bulletin the whole of Ireland embraces an area slightly less than the state of Maine, but with a population almost six' times as dense. In comparison with the governing country, it is three ; fifths as large as England and Wales, with one-ninth the population. The island is one of the very few sections of the civilized world where the population has shown a marked decrease during the last century, The first census of the island, taken in 1821, recorded a population almost 50 per cent larger than at the present time, while the census of 1841 showed the high-water mark of more than eight millions, nearly twice the present "population of 4,375,000. This remarkable decrease, due largely to emigration, began after the famine brought about by the destructive disease which attacked the potato crops of 1845. This calamity resulted in the withdrawal of more than a million acres from cultivation within two years. Incidentally the potato, which has played such an important role in the life of Ireland during the last 300 years, is not indigenous to the island, but was one of the food gold mines discovered by the Spaniards in the.lr conquest of Peru. The country is directly indebted to Sir Walter Raleigh

for Its “Irish” potatoes, as it was he who brought them from what is now North Carolina and planted them on his estate near Cork in 1585. Mountains, Bog 3 and Lakes. Ireland lies on the western rim of what was once a part of Continental Europe. It has numerous mountains, the highest being the McGillicuddy Reeks (3,414 feet), in the Killarney region, but there is no mountain chain or elevated "backbone." There is a more or less well-defined central plain, however, the distinguishing feature of which is its bogs —the black bog producing - the famous peat fuel, differentiated from the brown bogs of the mountains. If the whole island were brought to a mean level it would rise 400 feet above the sea. The lakes, or loughs, of Ireland are among its most widely appreciated physical characteristics, their scenic beauty being the inspiration of poets, painters and musicians. Nor have the Irish rivers been overlooked in appraisals of the island’s beauties. The Shannon, which flows for 250 miles from the county of Cavan in the northwest to - the Atlantic in the southwosj;, is the longest water course iip the Dnited Kingdom. It is navi-

IN A KERRY VILLAGE.

gated by large steamers for half its length, and is connected with Dublin by means of the Grand and Royal canals. Although coal is found in most of the 32 counties into which the island is divided, and there is considerable iron ore, mining is not an important industry. Gold was being mined in a modest way in County Wicklow at the time of the rebellion of 1798, but the works were destroyed and the source of the metal has never been re-discoverecL— r Industries of the Island. Agriculture and stock raising are the chief occupations of the inhabitants. At one time the woolen manufactures of the island were formidable rivals of English factories, but hostile legislation gave the industry a check from which it has never recovered. As the Irish' have raised flax for centuries the manufacture of linen early became one of the important industries of the country. Irish whisky is an important article of export and one of the largest breweries In the world is located at Dublin. The production of beer is three and a half million barrels annually. Shipbuilding in the great yards at Belfast is one of the most widely known of Irish activities, and the deepsea and coast fisheries afford a livelihood for many thousands. Thanks to the temperate influence of the -west winds from the Atlantic, the thermometer rarely reaches freezing point in winter, while the average for a summer day is 60 degrees. At Toor Head on the north the distance to Scotland (Mull of Cantiri) is only 13% miles. The Giant’s Causeway, a short distance to the east of this point, Is the outcropping basaltic formation which in a former age joined the two islands.

NOT THE OLD MONTE CARLO

War Has Had Decided Effect on the Great Gambling Resort of Europe. ' * The noonday train draws slowly into the station. A flood of passengers pours forth, writes a Monte Carlo correspondent of the London Times. Leaving the station, the crowd surges up into the marble steps and skirts the vast edifice which crowns the abrupt hilltop; it is soon swallowed up within the portals of the great building. It is a shabby, dowdy crowd, mostly women. ~ Can this be Monte Carlo? Can this crowd be hurrying so feverishly to the gaming tables? The sunshine is benignly warm, the soft breezes fragrant with the mingled scent of a thousand flowers. Yet the terrace is deserted. Now and then a black figure passes hurriedly and disappears into the casino, without lingering for an instant to enjoy the magic beauty of the seene. I make my way slowly to the casino. The doors of the gaming rooms are thrown open by the familiar frockcoated attendants. In the gloom-filled halls a somberly dressed crowd is clustered about the gaming tables. I go up to the first- roulette table. The players seem to be chiefly housewives and shopkeepers of the lower middle class, recruited apparently from among the natives of the neighboring towns. Officers and men of no matter what rank of all the allied armies, whether in uniform or not, are rigorously excluded. Today 80 per cent of the players are women, unlike the old clientele; plain bourgeois and peasant types of faces abound.

The glitter and brilliance of the multitude who gathered here in former days has disappeared. .The gold coin that shone so lustrously against the green baize of the gambling tables has vanished. The atmosphere of bacchio beauty of this- enchanted landscape, of these hanging gardens which rise tier upon tier alcove the sea, of thisenvironment- of sensuous splendor which made of Monte Carlo a pagan sanctuary unique in the world, has faded away. Can it be otherwise when tha temple of Janus stands open?

LIKE THE TOPCOAT

WOMEN REFUSE TO DISCARD SUCH ADORNMENT. < t Other Reasons Than Its Attractiveness Responsible for the Favor With Which It Evidently Is Universally Regarded. Anyone who thought that topcoats belonged to a winter climate must be amazed at their steady growth with the hot weather coming on. The reason is not difficult to find. We are indulging in the frantic pleasure of entering a new era; we must look sportive, whether or not we are. We must go to open-air events. We must look as though we are familiar with tennis championships, the decks of swift-going motor yachts and horse

Smart Coat of Purple Silk. The High Soft Collar Is Lined With BiscuitColored Silk.

racing; and topcoats of infinite variety are offered to the American public aid in this appearance. They are amazingly good-looking. So far, we have left the designing of them almost entirely to the French, whether through inability or through indifference, the reporter cannot tell. There are a few eminent examples of American designing that are worthy of the best French work, but these coats have not been available for the many; they have been priced for the exclusives. Solid colors are used in the majority of topcoats, but there is ho doubt of the strong grip that checks have. A thin, soft velour that crumples up in the hand like satin is the material

PETTICOAT HOLDS ITS OWN

Garment Has by No % Means Been Relegated to tl|e Background, as Some Had Imagined. The smartness that is only skirt deep has no attraction at all for the woman whose knowledge of, and fondness for, dress is a deep-rooted, and not merely an acquired taste. Under the “hobble” tyranny, it is true, opportunities for much variety were, in a double sense, limited, and the narrow proportions of the tube skirt excluded anything in the nature of 'fussy underwear. But the rout of the petticoat and the suppression of the frill notwithstanding, no woman has regarded the question of lingerie as a secondary consideration, and hardly had the wide skirt come into being than the petticoat resumed its rustling sway once more. Further, it openly declares its presence, ignoring the ancient, if unwritten, law that a petticoat, though It may be heard, should never be seen.

Serge Frocks and Suits.

There are enough serge suits and gowns on every side to prove that the fabric is not out of fashion, but a Ifiin quality of gabardine with a slight twill in it is placed a bit above a serge in the order of new fashions. Both of these materials are used for frocks and for skirts and coats, but there is a new soft cloth, like an improved duvetyn, with a checker-board pattern. It comes more in black and white than any other one color, but there are excessively good-looking suits of it in blue and cream and brown and yellow.

New Bag Designs.

The designers of the newest bags have appropriated all the fads of the dress creators. Some of these bags are in velvet with several tiny ruffles of taffeta running around them, and have fine clasps of sflver set with rhinestones. Then, to match one’s afternoon costume, there is a bag made in a combination of maize and black silk. The top of the bag, which resembles the yoke of a skirt, is made of the lighter silk shirrs d With, a large ruffle of the dark silk hanging from it

to be chosen, and the checks in it are in various colors. Women who must be eccentric at all costs are wearing voluminous capecoats of this velour, checked off in exaggerated red, white and blue. As they pass by in motors, one instinctively feels like saluting the flag. (Copyright, 1916; by the McClure News Paper’ Syndicate.)

TO POST IN SEWING ROOM

Useful Hints on a Variety of Matters, That Are Well Worth Keeping in the Memory. Before trying to pull threads in linen for hemstitching or crocheting a handkerchief edge, run a very damp piece of cloth along the lino where the thread Is to be pulled. You will be surprised to see how easily the thread will pull. After threading a needle, be sure to tie the knot in the end of the thread snipped from the spool. The thread will then sew smoothly and without kinking. Next time you are hemstitching try rubbing dry soap on the material where the threads are to be pulled. They will come out like magic. This can be used on the finest or heaviest materials without injuring them. For mending torn net lace, take a. strong thread and needle and buttonhole stitch loosely lengthwise in every mesh. Having finished one row, turn the lace around and buttonhole In every buttonhole which was just finished, doing this until the tear is mended.

Net Ruffs Are Popular.

The big neck ruffles which sometimes bear the name of “Toby” and sometimes “Pierrot” are rapidly becoming popular. These big frills can be bought ready-made, but any clever girl could make one at home in the space of half an hour. It is best to choose a fairly stiff tulle, as silk tulleillusion very easily gets limp. Double box plaits look best, and it is an excellent idea to pass a length of black velvet «■ satin ribbon through the middle of these plaits leaving the ends loose so that the ruffle may be fastened, with a large bow, in front or at the side.

New Chiffons.

One of the most striking designs in the new chiffons now being received in the shops is a large double rose of cream color laid upon a ground of flame.. The same design Is also carried out in emerald groen upon a ground of cream. One more, a mauve rose upon a ground of purple, is perhaps loveliest of all.

Easy Way to. Save the Buttons.

All new-fashioned summer dresses have a great many buttons them. If the buttons are sewed on a tape and two buttonholes are made in each side of the flap the buttons can hold the flaps together while in use and can be easily removed before the wash.

Blue and Black.

Blue and black are always smart in combination. There are many blue and black silks, in stripes and pwids. Blue and black serge and taffeta are also combined with good results.

IN THE LATEST PATTERN

Home Dress Preferably of Biscult-CoU ored Cloth With Effective Trimming of Brown Taffeta. Our model is in biscuit-colored face cloth, with trimming of brown taffetas. The skirt of the cloth has a yoke

taken round back to sides of front and plainly stitched at edges. The bodice has sleeves and sides of the cloth, and the remainder of taffsH taa; little bows trim center front. ~ - Materials required: 3 yards cloth 48 inches wide, 1% yard taffetas 40j Inches wide.