Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 195, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 3 September 1917 — Page 2

Zoe Makes a Wager

By George Haskell

(Copyright. 1917, by W. G. Chapman.) Zoe Straith jumped from her horse, scattering the ring around two small boys who were Indulging in a slugging match in front of Bell’s grocery. She shook the larger boy, who had been getting the best of it very vigorously, and used some strong language to the other, whose bleeding nose and damaged eye did not seem to call for any further punishment. Next she told the men and youths who had formed the ring what she thought of men who could stand around and watch a big boy pummel a smaller one. f For tbi* and similar “unladylike” performances Miss Straith was not exactly popular in the town of Hazelwood. She had, too, the reputation of hfivlng a bad temper, and of leading her sister something of a dance since she had come to live with her. She certainly did not have extreme youth to excuse her escapades, so said the neighbors, for she was older than her sister, Mrs. Cole, who had come there a bride some two years before, so Zoe Straith, they avered, must be all of twenty-seven or eight. Helen Cole, quiet, conventional, and agreeable, found herself quite powerless to effect a change in her sister’s disposition, and tried to make the best of the situation. When the father died there seemed to be nothing else to do but to ask Zoe to come and live with her. But Hazelwood had not taken kindly to the unconventionalities of Miss Straith, and Helen saw that she, herself, was beginning to be left out of some social gatherings on this account. Naturally, she encouraged the attentions of Donald Brooke to Zoe, in the hope that her undesirable sister might be taken off he? hands. Donald Brooke was a very eligible bachelor of thirty-five, owning a fine place in the town, and being cashier of the bank. Most of Hazelwood wondered

“Don, What If I Tell You I Don’t Love You—”

how he could be attracted to the girl. Zoe did not return the feeling he plainly felt for her, and one day painfully surprised her sister by telling her this. She skillfully warded off all attempts of the younfc man to propose, but kept him dan/ing in worried perplexity. One day :It came to her ears that his family wps greatly opposed to her, and were moving heaven and earth to make him see the error of his ways. Whereupon Zoe, true to her nature of contrariness, took a sudden resolve. When Brooke came that evening, she made it easy for him to ask the important question. Then she looked him squarely in the eye and said: "Don, what if I tell you I don’t love you—as a wife should. I think you are the finest, truest man I ever knew, but that isn’t what love ought to mean, is it? Perhaps I don’t know —but that is how it seems to me.” “I don’t care I” he broke out passionately. “I love you so, I can afford to wait —if you will marry me —and let me try to win you—l believe I can." . “I am not easy to get on with, you know. You are taking a large contract” “I know what I am taking,” he said, “and I am very humble in the asking.” “Your people do not like me,” she added. “My people are not marrying you. We can do without them.” “Don, it is a great adventure. Well,” she said softly, “we will take it together.” • ’ After he Mad gone she told her sister, who received the joyful news in high elation, and began at once to plan tor the wedding. Zoe seemed to take no Interest in the trousseau, but sat deeply thinking. Suddenly she said: “Helen, I begin to think I’m a criminal!” ”—- "Criminal!” echoed her sister In mystified stupefaction. I don’t love this man. I just made up my mind to marry him be!au»* his people are all down on me. fust In defiance. I said to myself, I’ll iboW them I v What right had I to

do this to so good a man as Don Her sister, fearful lest she should change her mind, began to use the usual arguments as to honor in keeping her word, and the like. “Oh; I’ll do what I promised. Til not back out,” she said. And so they were married. They came back from the wedding journey, and went to live in the pretty home that Don had renovated and made beautiful for his bride. Contrary to the expectations of the townspeople things seemed to be running very smoothly in the Bfooke family. The two servants employed there helped to substantiate this impression, and declared they couldn’t w’lsh a better mistress than Mrs. Brooke. “I declare,” exclaimed Helen one day to Zoe, about six months after her marriage, “I never thought you could be made over like this! How did Don do it? He has got you so you’ll jump through a hoop and feed from his hand. I’d like to know how he tamed you 1” ■ “He didnjt. If there has been any taming. I’ve done it myself.” Helen looked simply mystified. “His people-have come around beautifully, haven’t they?" laughed Zoe. “Sister-in-law Gertrude ‘told Mrs. Duncan I was simply a model wife, and Mamma Brooke cried on my shoulder, and said she couldn’t imagine how those dreadful lies ever got around about me. They were all true, you know. Good joke, isn’t it?” Again Helen looked mystified. She never could understand her sister, and now she seemed more enigmatical than ever. “You remember,” said Zoe, “I told you I would show them. Well, I meant to show them I could make as good a wife as any woman living, if I gave my whole mind to it. I have been giving my mind to It. And people seem to think I have succeeded.” “And Don?” queried Helen. “He never lets me know —if I haven’t. He is very kind and dear.” Helen wanted to ask if she had really learned to love him, but she did not dare. One day Don came in when Zoe was giving a carpenter a' rather forcible expression of opinion as to some bad work he had done. A surprised smile came upon his face, and when the man was out of hearing, he said: “Well! well! the old spirit broken out again!” And he playfully pinched her cheek. “Do you want it back again?” she laughed. “Dear!” he said, taking her in his arms, “you are more adorable every day, a kind of miracle. I never. expected it to happen. I knew I loved you —but —” “But someone has said love is a miracle,” she said softly. “It has happened to me.” “Do you mean —” He could not trust himself to go further. “1 mean, dear, you have wrought the miracle. You have won. lam a game loser, you see!” she laughed in her old whimsical way, “but such as it is, this love of mine you have it all. I shall never ask it back.” His heart seemed too full for speech. He held her close, and a tear fell upon her shining hair, .

Japan Seeks Match Trade.

There was a time when Japan made matches for the entire eastern world and other countries in the west. Lack of standardization and export of goods of inferior quality by some of the makers has greatly injured the match trade in recent years. A conference was recently held in Tokyo at which the minister of commerce was present. Practically every section of Japan where matches are made was represented. ' — Mr. Oka, director of the commercial and industrial bureau, recommended a definite scheme for standardization of matches for export, says East and West. His plan* were adopted and all Japanese matches made by the Federation of Japanese Match Manufacturers will be examined hereafter at Kobe and Osaka before exportation, A high standard will be restored and the United States may expect to see Japanese matches take the place of the Swedish article, now almost gone from the market.

Chinese Are Tea Drinkers.

In China and Japan tea is drunk even more frequently than in Russia, and as no Russian travels extensively ‘without a samovar, so no gentleman in China travels without a tea-caddy and the rest of the tea-serving equipment. Jn China there is a saying that the tea drinker becomes early lame, and among Chipese beauties there is a feeling that extensive tea drinking destroys youth. Whenever tea is taken to a great extent; there are some such prejudices, and we Americans are perhaps wise in restricting‘our use of tea to the social cup at four or five o’clock. —Exchange.

Keep Your Pluck.

One gets rather tired of hearing about girls who perform some heroic -nctiop. and then faint away or go into hysterics. It would seem that if one hits pluck enough for a courageous deed, It ought to be equal to the sequel. Sometimes, it is true, the tax upon the strength is so great that a reaction is inevitable, but more often the breaking down of the girl's selfcontrol is due to the fact that she no longer thinks it is necessary to make an effort to control herself? when once the emergency has passed.

Power.

"Do you believe in the power of oratory?” " “Yes,” replied .Senator Sorghum p “but too often it’s merely power of endurance.”

THE EVENING REPUBLICAN, RENSSELAER, IND.

. Satin is the new iove of designers of afternoon gowns just now. They are not running after strange gods or sparing much attention to anything else. Few of the new fall models employ two kinds of silk, but there are many beautiful combinations of satin and wool. The tunic is here and makes plenty of opportunity for the introduction of two fabrics in one dress. The gown shown above is less simple than the average in the new displays of afternoon modelsYor fall. Its color is an unusual purplish brown, dark and rich. It makes a wonderful combination with deep blue, and this color in soutache braid is used for decorating it. Like.nearly all the new dresses it sticks rather close to the straight-line idea; the high waistline is a means to this end. The skirt is plaited on to a yoke with plaits at each side of a front panel and a tunic begins where the plaits end. Its fullness is also

Sure of a joyous welcome wherever the trained eyes of fashionable women fall UQOn them; that is the happy future of these beautiful hats. The test of the successful hat Ist simple — it must flatter its wearer —she must look better with it on than without it. The three hats pictured go even farther, for each has a decided character of its own to lend to the head it covers. At the left, a wide, graceful picture hat will provoke a sigh of longing in the heart of every girl. Its brim droops a little, making a fine shadow for the eyes and the narrow fall of georgette crepe about the brim edge is a trick of the milliner’s that enhances every beauty—whether of eyes or complexion. The crown is soft and draped, and the hat is entirely black velvet. The saucy hat at the center is made

Test Before Dyeing.

If all goods were pure there would be fewer dye troubles. Satin is often nothing but cotton with ’ a silk face, silk is sometimes doctored to such a degree that there is little of the pure material in it, mercerized cotton masquerades as linen, and cotton is given the appearance of wool. Home dyers should know how to test materials in order to know • the special kind of dye for the fabric. Always fray a few threads each way of your goods and apply a match. ..Cotton flames up anil burns like a bit Of punk without odor; wool just singes, does not flame and the odor from it Is that peculiar to animal fibers; silk burns less freely than cotton. A piece of silk weighted heavily with chemicals if set oh fire will have all the stlk burnt off, and the piece of material will be left ip its original shape, and this kind of so-called silk wiTC come from the dyepot a limp nig.

Unusual in Design and Color

Three Triumphs in Millinery

provided by plaits. It is tacked to the yoke and two silk-covered buttons at each side are on guard to see that it remains in place. The bodice is plain with a row of buttons down the front. Pointed revers at each side are finished with pendant buttons and a small sailor collar is overlaid with a still smaller one in cream georgette.

Afternoon Gowns Appear Wider.

The afternoon models are generally somewhat wider in appearance. This effect is obtained by the use of flounces, panels and tunics over narrow foundations. Large girdles are often employed forming draped effects. The materials' in these afternoon gowns are v£loufine spangles with, tarnished metal, satin, voile, mousseline and velvet in shades of beige, sand, ochre yellow and gray, often combined with black.

of blue taffeta, with a heavy braided pattern on it, and of black velvet. It is derived from the dashing hat worn by. Colonel Fabry, the “Blue Devil of -France”—called. _the Fabry tarn. It is full of spirit, and chooses for trimming one of those interesting painted paddle quills. Of course it must be worn at a daring angle which assures it success with the younger set who aspire to looking a bit reckless and sophisticated. The third ha£-is Just a smart velvet shape for the street, trimmed with a flat feather hand and a small fan of plaited ribbon. It is something of a tricorn and has all the vivacity and trimness of that undying favorite. It is a good hat for all-round wear, and should be considered by those who want a hat that will rob them of a few years.

Polka Dots Grow Larger.

Polka dots have.developed into larger coin spots and are all the more effective for it in the country clothes. These coin spotted materials serve also a good 'decorative purpose for collars, cuffs and revets on the dark blue or biege serve and gaberdine dresses and suits, as well as for linings of the capes in the new three-piece street costumes.

A Hat of Velvet Ribbon.

A new hat is fashioned entirely of the narrowest width of velvet ribbon in a sort of gray blue. This is braided together and made into a soft high crown that crushes down all around and posed on a tiny cloche brim, with a band of the narrow ribbon about the crown base and many little ends of the ribbon forming an ornament at th< front. '

INTERESTING ITEMS FROM THE CITIES

Human Automaton Hypnotized Fellow Passenger CHICAGO.— Home from the country by car—choo-choo: On a front seat, ■ couple of tobacco-quid farmers arguing potatoes. Behind them a sma man in a duster exposing the shallow trickeries of a prize pac age o g •

Sitting around in spots, job-lot humanity that included ribbon-bow youngsters and fat-jowled- babies with mothers attached, and —off to herself —a woman in a mourning shawl and crepe veil —both rusty —who sat ,up with ramroddy stiffness, wagging a fan between shabby kidded fingers and slowly shaking her head, right-left, rightleft—just like that —right-left, right — Back of everybody a plain, deserving soul who had skidded off for a week-end in the bright hope that a

patch of plney woods with the bay in front and truly clabber-and-egg pone would etiable a certain person to keep on digging dime-value intelligence out of a nickel’s worth of brains without having to use a pickax. And she was on her way home, still sniffing briny breezes spiced with cones, when—she noticed the woman with a head. ® Then she tried to read her magazine. Then she gazed out of the window. Then she looked again at the woman who was shaking her head; right-left, right-left; on and on, and on You have curious and entirely foolish and likewise impertineht wonderings at sight of a head like that: Had it been swaying with slow relentlessness all the years that her hair was changing from the brown of girlhood to the gray wisps of age? Did it roll restlessly on her pillow the night long? And wotild it stop when she was dead? a You can’t say one word against Mr. Mesmer! The psychic somethlng-or-other that he gave his name to so hypnotized the woman that when a comrade welcomed her at the station the first word she said was: “Hello, Ann! What are you shaking your head for?” Pat Wasn’t Exactly Poor, but Had His “Wants” MACON, GA. —Wold came to some charitably disposed persons that the high cost of living had hit Uncle Patsy Rutherford, a negro man, and his aged wife, Aunt Jane, so hard chat the wolf was right at the door of their little cabin on the Charlton bottoms.

a ten-pound buffalo yist’day, an’ lot o’ small fries—more’n we needed an’ we divided with the neighbors.” She looked as though she felt generous. “Fish are good eating,” remarked a Samaritan wistfully. “Yes;”~admitted Aunt Jane, “an’ So’s young rabbits and squirrels—there e a heap of ’em in the woods now, an’ when the ole man ain’t fishin lies huntin’. I looks after the garden. We got onions an’ lettuces an’ ’taters an cabbages ’nuff to sen’ to the army. Would you folks like to take some home wid yo’?” and she started to show vyhere her garden treasures were staked ° Ut “Look here, Aunt Jane," said the . puzzled emissary tothedown-and-outers, “we heard you folks were hard up and we came to help*yoU out, but If ” “It’s Pat dat’s hard up,” the old woman explained. “Never seed a maa complain so.” i “Complain ! And you giving food to the neighbors? .... .. “Yes sah he’s always complainin’, Pat is; since the legal auction ’lection he can’t get no mo’ beer an’ —is you-all Well, Is bilged to yo for callin’. I’ll tell Pat yo’ was heah. Good mawnin’.” His Occupation Was “Chatting With Mermaid” I NDIANAPOLIS.—He sat on a rock and talked to a mermaid. That was the 1 regular job of Axel Thrain, alias Walter Marlow, according to his w fe, who lives at 729 Rochester avenue. Thrain gave up this ideal summer voca-

tion recently, however, largely because his wife objected and the story cropped out in juvenile court. “What does your husband do?” Judge "Lahr asked the wife when she had detailed a list of alleged wrongs. “He sits on a rock and talks to a merry maid —”, “Talks to what?” the court demanded, while a broad grin overspread the face of the husband. “Talks to a merry maid or mere

maid, or something like that,” was the reply. “You see, judge; my husband is an actor and that was his part in the show.” The court cocked its head owl fashion and voiced a deep “Ahem I" “Oh, I begin to understand,” the court replied. Then the wife went on to explain she was not jealous of hdr husband nor did she begrudge him his tete-a-tetes with the sea-going creature, since that was his part in the show with which he traveled. She declared, however, he apparently was so engrossed in his conversation with the painted daughter of Neptune ttyit he forgot to provide for his wife and child. It was disclosed also that Thraln registered for conscription under his stage name of Marlow, but his attorney insisted been no Intent to evade the call for military service. When ho was permitted to talk, the husband said he had broken off the chat with the mermaid and .was working for a patent belt company. He was released on his promise tt) pay $5 a week for the support of his child and provide a home for his wife, and the case was taken under advisement for 60 days. ! , ' Cool Bath Not Appreciated by New Yorkers wTRtv YORK. - —Two street cleaners with a fire hose were the unwitting cause W of thrusting Broadway and Wali street into a particular brand of fame, and stenographers coming out of the surrounding office buildings added the touch of art and color as well. The

of water, switched Impartially from one side of Broadway to the other. The hundreds of pedestrians ’ ran into office buildings, bank doorways and down into the subway. The nozzle, lashing the pavement in every direction, sent water over the monuments in Trinity churchyard, against the windows of banks, and wet the clothes of those who were slow in finding refuge. The street cleaners became confused and forgot t<x turn off the water at the hydrant, but, with the crowd, sought safety. The excitement continued for three minutes, until someone dared the torrent and ran t<\ the hydrant, shutting off the stream. The We ceased to wriggle, and among ?the h y“ dre who-returned to the sidewalks there were scores who had been wet through to the skin. Many of them were girls.

near Macon, Ga. So they got a big car and went out as a relief party. “Yes, ’m,” Aunt Jane said as she came out from her shanty to receive her guests, “Patsy’s been complainin’ awful ’bout these ha’d times. Ole man ’most frets hisself to death, he does.” “Where is Uncle Pat, today?” asked a member of the party as he lifted a well-filled basket from the car. “Down on the river flshin’; never seed such a man to fish. He caught

street cleaners were in the act of flushing Broadway. Suddenly the street cleaner holding the nozzle lost control of it and it flopped out of his hands. For three minutes Broadway and Wall street had the liveliest and funpiest session that busy section has seen in many months. * . The hose wrlggWd about on the pavement like a great serpent and the heavy brass nozzle, spouting a torrent