Evening Republican, Volume 22, Number 34, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 10 February 1919 — Page 3

What a Valentine Achieved

By Sadie 01coff

boys or dtf^s —and hereby hangs my Btory; for Billy was wild to possess a dog. One late winter’s afternoon came a whining and scratching at the kitchen door, which was opened by Billy, and there in the half-light sat a little brown dog .holding hisr front paws up in tse air in the most imploring manner, as though saying “Please take me fn.” Billy, with one howl of delight, seized the little dog in .his arms and ran to his mother, who was preparing supper. “Mother, see this dear little dog! Oh! Please let me keep It; you know

Holding His Front Paws In the Air.

my birthday conies next month and I won’t ask for any other present.” In a moment of weakness the mother gave her consent. The dog was a podY, scraggly little creature, but had big soft brown eyes with a pleading look in them. However, the mother could see that with good feeding and good care it would improve in looks. The next day the widow’s troubles began. She tied the dog to a tree, thinking to keep him out in the air part of the day, but unfortunately the dog had had no training, so every passerby was jumped at, as far as the rope would allow, and a fierce-sound-ing bark accompanied the jump. Next door the lone bachelor, Mr. Hail, was laid up in his room for a few days by an attack of grippe. The barking of the dog soon got on his nerves, but he .was too much of a gentleman to complain to the widow. •However, he told Billy in very plain language what he thought of his dog. He had been in the habit of dozing comfortably till eight o’clock, but after the dog came there was no more Sleep -^£m^_hiin— Bob was let out to play and incidentally to bark. Billy declared he wouldn’t stop Bob from barking, for he would be sure to scare burglars away, the fact of the case being, however, Bob was a perfect coward and would have slunk away if threatened by anyone. Valentine’s day was near at hand and as usual Billy asked his mother for in order to purchase his love messages. “I guess I’ll send mamma a valeptine from Mr. Hall this year,’’ Biljy said. ......, Billy was anxious to have a friendly feeling in the minds of each for the other, for he thought it might be a

Hie Barking at Continued.

help to him in the keeping of his dog. He asked the man of whom he bought the valentine to address it to his mother. Then on St. Valentine’s day he left it at the front door, rang the bell afid while his mother was opening the door, he ran in at the back door and Op co his room. Soon he heard his mother calling: “Bitty I have a valentine. Who do you suppose sent It to me?"-

BILLY WALKER, aged seven, lived with his widowed mother next door to a goodlooking but grouchy bachelor, who had no use for either small

“I know who sent it; do you really want me to tell you?” “Yes, but I don’* see how y° u know unless you sent it yourself.” “Of course I know. Didn’t I see that gentleman who lives next door come through the hedge, go round the house with something, then go quietly back to his house?” For some time the widow .was inclined to disbelieve Billy’s version of the valentine, then she acknowledged to herself that she had fancied that the bachelor was quite often observing her and almost seemed at times inclined to speak. Her mirror could notbut tell her that she was still a very attractive-looking woman, though she would have to own up to thirtytwo years on her next birthday. As these thoughts ran through her mind she said: “Well, Billy, if I had a valeutine I might be tempted to return the compliment.” Then the wise Billy thought that a good idea; if he should send Mr. Hall a valentine from his mother, then he ' would feel still safer about his dog. The nex£ day just as Billy saw the i bachelor—approaching his—home. _ he dropped the valentine at the front door and ran, making sure that Mr. Hall should recognize him. , In a few days Mr. Hall asked one of thq neighbors to introduce him to the widow, and finally an interested party asked permission to bring him to call upon her. Each believing the other had sent a valentine, they felt somewhat flattered by the attention, and they proceeded to be very agreeable to each other. Mr. Hall called frequently after that. He made much of Billy, and even spoke a good word for the dog. Billy felt very proud of himself and his plans for his dog, but one day his mother said: - “Billy, Mr. Hall is going to be your new father.” Billy felt crushed, for as he told one of his boy friends: “I didn’t want any stepfather; gee, I was only planning to keep Bob.” But poor Billy not only gained a stepfather whom he did not want, but lost his dog. Bob had not been trained in any way and his barking at strangers continued and increased.

Left It at the Front Door.

One day he tore the dress of a lady who was passing; she complained to the city authorities, and a notice was served that Boh should be sent where he would tear no more dresses. The order whs complied with, and now, well, now —to mention St. Valentine’s day to Billy is like shaking a red flag before a mad bull. However, on Billy’s next birthday his stepfather won his heart by giving him a full-blooded, airedale.

People Clung to Old Custom.

Pope Galesius stopped the last of the pagan orgies still associated with St. Valentine’s day in 496 A. D. Toward the end of the sixteenth century St. Francls de Sales set hitnself sternly to purge the saint’s day, even of its lovemaking notes, valentines and frivolities. For the nanips of the opposite sex drawn as “sweethearts ordained by fate for the coming year” he substituted the name of the martyr himself and others, and pittas mottoes replaced the amorous doggerel. But, as in the past, he "found the populace refused to T2pve up thei r mate choosing and merrymaking. So, after almost fifteen Centuries, St. Valentine still presides as the patron saint of springtime and mating, as did Juno and Pan for centuries before him. ‘

Long an Annual Festival.

•The history of good St. Valentine is of• interest, and while Jn the year 1919 his devotees content themselves with sending postcard greetings or lacepaper concoctions decorated with scantily clothed cupids, armed with bows and arrows, for time immemorial the middle of February has been the date of a similar annual festival,, a fete connected with the feasts of Juno Februsrta and Pan, the Coming of spring, and the'time of the year in which the birds and men are supposed to choose-mates.

THE EVENING REPUBLICAN, RENSSELAER, IND.

AERIAL APRONS GUARD LONDON

London.—London’s aerial aprons, or huw the Gotha* were kept away, might form one tense chapter hi a book about how the British baffled the Hun air raiders. The hist six rnontlrs~ of the war there was not a single air raid ojp London, due. In part, to the fact that the city's defenses were such that they filled enemy flyers with terror. Any aviator that escaped the death traps —and the chances were about one in three he would not —generally was of little value thereafter for flylflg, because ids nerves were stiattered. A British aviator who by accident was caught In the aerial barrage, but managed to land safely near Loudon, tossed on a bed, verging on insanity for weeks, so horrible was the experience. Roughly, there were three chief weapons for dealing with Hun air raiders; the aerial barrage, aided by searchlights; fast, fighting scout planes that attacked the irtVaders, and aerial aprons. The Germans, it may be noted, were never able to perfect any scheme to present British aviators from bombing Rhine towns evep in the daytime. Aerial Aprons Queer Things. The aerial aprons were queer things. They reminded one of rope portieres. Upon signal, captive balloons were sent aloft from the outskirts of the city, the balloons being in pairs. These buoyed up a curtain of dangling ropes, a half-mile or so -+ong. -These aerial aprons served two purposes: First, they forced the raiders to fly high, and when they flew high they could not drop bombs effect! velyT” second, any machine darting into the ropes courted destruction. When flying high they were met by the British fighting scouts. These aerial aprons were shifted daily as to height so enemy airmen could not be forewarned. London always had the protection of four score airplanes during the last year of war. These machines could mount to 20,000 feet. The aviators were picked night flyers. At such heights it is difficult to see another airplane at 100 yards. But at a given signal these birdmen took to the skies, jealously guarding the approaches to London. These brave fellows often chased a hostile machine into the barrage and a few British birdmen were killed by their own shells. But whether it was a Zeppelin or a Gotha that was bent on baby killing the British scouts would swoop at their foes like hawks. The barrage was almost like drumfire. There were two outer barrages and one inner. Scores of guns, many of them six-inch rifles, were employed in this work. They generally worked in batteries of four, each unit of the battery, perhaps, being a mile or two from the ether units. The four guns would endeavor to get a hostile plane in the center of their box fire, and then

GEORGE WASHINGTON AT HOME AGAIN

The George Washington on her return trip from taking the president and bis party to France as she is being towed into her dock. The Washington brought over the Christmas mail from the boys abroad, together with 5,000 soldiers.

SOME KICK TO THIS MIXTURE

Hoepital Patients Adulterate Alcohol With Formaldehyde, Then Proceed to Wreck Hospital. San Francisco.—As real “fire water,” nothing.!exceeds alcohol adul:crated with formaldehyde. > ; = This was demonstrated here by a,,,ee Wilson and Cleorgle Clark, two vagrants at the iso lation hospital. " The twoawoke several days ago with an awful thirst, and no other beverage. except water, being available at the moment, they proceeded when the nurse was not poking to imbibe freely of alcohol, a bottle of which whs standing nearby. Then they dert<led to adulterate the alcohol witn formaldehyde. The effect was very similar to that of casting a, match into a barrel of gasoline. Before the explosions were entirely over, the furniture In the room was nearly all wrecked. while two policemen, whir had been sent to quiet them, had been tocked up ip * Closet The two women were then locked in a cell and charged with disturbing the peace.

gradually eJose In their Are so the enemy could not escape, the “aerial box” gradually Joeing narrowed. _ The entire process depended largely upon listening devlceswhlch could "Ser tect the approach of a humming airplane miles away. Efficient Defense System. The defense system was so efficient that 75 per cent of the raiding machines were kept out of London. And those machines that got past -the ! barrages had great difficulty tn escaping. To the terror of bursting shrapnel was added the confusion of Verey lights, some red, some blue, others green, white, yellow and orange, and i these flashing lights, intermingled j with the terrific din of the exploding shell, so confused aviators that they lost all sense of direction and space and many of their machines got out of control, becoming an easy prey. In such cases British birdmen would approach, firing on the enemy machine, anti-aircraft guns would halt, and the hostile plane would be brought down by a burst from the British plane. But often there .were fierce duels, marked by spitfire from the machine guns of the contending flyers. The course which the raiders took was traced out, minute by minute, by the “stethoscope” operators, and directions given to searchlight crews, anti-aircraft gunners and flashed'io airdromes by aerial defense headquarters, which conducted the battle much In the same Way as" a general in the field. Scarcely a Gotha got through the outer Txuulon barrage Unscathed. The faint heants who couldn’t penetrate the barrage often turned back, only to find they were outnumbered four to one by faster British machines.

TRAVEL IN AIR SAFE

London.—Some of the wonders achieved in Serial navigation and other wonders contemplated were spoken of by Maj. Gen. Sir F. H. Sykes, chief of the air staff, in an address before the chamber of commerce, n that in four months, between July and October, 20 trips were made across the English channel. The mileage traversed was 8,085 and 1,843 passengers were carried, although flying was possible only on 71 days. As for the future, the government was looking forward to a weekly mail senice to India, for which 25 machines would be required and the charge for sending mail a few shillings an ounce. Another route contemplated was from Cape Colony to Cairo, for which airplanes and flying boats would be used. Suggesting that airships might be adopted for long distance flights, General Sykes said a German Zeppelin

ACTIVE TO THE LAST

Washington.—That marines were active in the world war up to the moment that the armistice went into effwt, is evidenced in a division, order -signed by (Major General John A. Lejeune, U.S- marine corps, commanding the Second division in France, a copy of which has just been received in. Washington. According to the order the Devil Dogs’ last act in the universal drama was a final and definite conquest of the Meuse riyer, where line after line of marines crossed on bridges hastily thrown across the stream by the Second engineers. The Fifth and Sixth regiments of marines, which received their .baptism of fire at Chateau-Thierry, headed the Second American division under On November 10 they had readied the Meuse, where the Germans had thrown up strong intrenehments on the east bank. • Bridging the riyer was a hazardous feat, but It was accomplished by the

ANOTHER WAR HERO

Col. Oscar J. Charles, one of the best known young officers in the army, was wounded September 29 by a shell fragment which drove his water canteen into his leg below the knee. He refused medical attention, removed the canteen himself, had it refilled, and served wounded men near him with water from it and kept command of his regiment until the battle was over. Colonel Charles was at one time adjutant nt West ' Point, served through the Spanish war. with distinction, was in the Moro campaign, and was. one of the first officers to ask transfer to line service in the recent, conflict. lie commanded the Three Hundred and Sixteenth infantry in the Seventy-ninth division.

flew from Bulgaria to German East Africa, carrying twelve tons of ammunition. When the Zeppelin reached Africa and the commander heard that the force for which it was taking the ammunition had surrendered the dirigible made the return journey, reaching home safely after having been in the air without landing for four days.

WEAK IN AIR AT THE START

Great Britain Had but Four Squadrons of Airplanes, but Made Rapid Strides. London.—The declaration of war by Great Britain at midnight, August 5, 1914, found the Royal Flying corps with only four squadrons in being—representing well under 100 airplanes. Three of these squadrons went instantly to France. A new squadron followed these pioneers in about ten days’ time, while a fifth squadron mobilized and set out in 24 hours, reaching the fighting zone. In those early days of the war machines were used simply for strategical reconnaissance. It was not until after the battle of the Aisne, when settled lines of warfare were established, that artillery fire control from the air and the cruder forms of co-operation with the infantry were practiced and developed.

Bird Saves Boy’s Life on French Battlefield

Manchester. N. H.—How a bird on a battlefield of France indirectly saved the life of Private Edward Lassonde of the United States heavy artillery was tol<i by the young man in a letter to his father. . Lagsonde said that he was riding on a caisson loaded with ammunition when a bird began .to circle about his head. It flew so close that its wings almost brushed Lassonde’s cap. Finally the young soldier sprang from his seat arid ran after the bird. Just then a German shell struck the caisson it went up with a mighty explosion. The Manchester boy’s chase of the bird- saved him f ury or . death.

American engineers under heavy artillery fire. Crossing the stream on bridges but two feet In width was a still more hazardous business. But apparently the marines- consider nothing too hazardous to at least atteinpt,; I With the enemy’s artillery and machine guns pouring an Incessant fire upon these slender straws of passage, the marines advanced. Time* after, time an enfilade of fire swept* rows of them into the swirling Meuse —but they advanced. The crossing finally effected, they pressed on with undaunted courage and ,stormed the Huns’ stronghold on the east bank. The Germans gave way before the impetus of that furious charge and the marines again found , Itheipselyes victors In their last great battle of the war. ‘ , A Canadian whaling company has been engaged In canning whale meat for several months. • . .'J. -Z-.' 13

HOME TOWN HELPS

TO BUILD ON MODERN LINES ■ # • Australian Authorities Recognize Nocessity of Town Construction Along the Latest ideas. The great mind of France, renas?ent, is manifesting itself in the field of town panning. She has a centra! town-planning commission with subagencies throughout France, for the rebuilding and replanning of not only the cities destroyed by the guns, but also the others outsi’de the war zone. Belgium’s parliament, sitting in France today, has passed a city-plan-ning law, In readiness for the peace which will restore her to a place in the 'sun. What an example, and an inspiration for us who sit here In peace and security. America has shown us a splendid example in the organization of her military towns. The town planners were mobilized under Mr. Olmstead’s leadership and they co-operated with the military and engineering experts In building training camps for millions of soldiers. She has spent £25,000,000 on 16 model military cities on the most modern lines. Housing and planning are going hand in hand under the United States government’s encouragement and supervision. If for no other reason, the calling of a conference is justified by the < fact that the government of Queensland has made our deliberations cluster round the welfare of the returned soldiers, and has invited us to apply the resources of the town planner to the problem of making those who have fought for our Ilves and liberties happier than they could possibly be under the old conditions. We eagerly respond to this invitation and I hope that out of our deliberations may come practical and helpful schemes that } will assist the returned soldier. —Sir Sam Hughes.

PLAN THE WAR GARDEN NOW

More Food Than Ever Before Should Be Raised by Amateur Growers This Year. The ending of the war has placed additional obligations on the Amercan people. We have not only our friends the allies to feed, but our former enemies must also be kept from starvation. The larger part of the people of the evacuated regions are destitute; they must have food and this country is the only place it may be had in sufficient quantities. This means that - we will be asked to get along with less meats, fats, grains and sugar and make up the difference with things we can grow in our own gardens. The home gardens of America must be re--1 led upon for a larger proportion of our living than ever before. Potatoes, beets, carrots, peas, coiji and tomatoes "are among the most important garden crops from a food standpoint. Radishes, lettuce, onions, cucumbers, turnips, squash, cabbage, cauliflower, spinach, parsnips,- eggplants, peppers, etc., add to the variety. Potatoes, peas, beets and carrots can be planted almost as soon as the frost is out of the ground, and then can be followedby the more tender crops as soon as the ground has become reasonably warm. When there is sufficient room an asparagus bed should be planted, also rhubarb and the small fruits, particularly raspberries. Larger grounds afford room for grapes, blackberries, currants, gooseberries, strawberries and possibly a few apples, peaches, pears, cherries and plums —and the children especially enjoy and thrive on plenty of fresh fruit.

Preventing Cracks in Pavements.

At a recent meeting of the American Society for Municipal Improvements held at Buffalo, an interesting paper was read on frost-proof foundations for hard-surfaced, pavements, in which it was suggested that the sub-grade should be laid with a course of hollow tile of say four-inch height, overlaid with a foundation of two to four inches of concrete. On this, the paving material may be laid. The tile acts as a non-conductor of heat, preventing the frost from penetrating to the sub-grade and also acts as a drain for moisture. Should frost reach the sub-grade, the tile will break under the pressure and to Insure its breaking. the ti Ie may be scored at the bot* tom. The overlying concrete will bridge the breaks in the hollow tile. This will prevent upheavals of the pavement.—Scientific American.

Prepares Dwelling and Storage Models.

Working drawings foe farmhouses and bunkhouses, designed to moot eon ' dltions In various sections of the country and assist in obtaining additional - labor for farms, have been prepared by tho bureau of public roads of the United States department of agriculture. Working drawings have been prepared also for storage houses for small grains, corn, combined grain and corn and other crops. Copies of these plans will be sent free on application to the division of rural engineering <>V the bureau. '• ...