Evening Republican, Volume 22, Number 147, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 23 June 1919 — Page 2

Something of a Cold Snap

By GEORGE L. SURREY

(Oop/n«M) The construction of the new coldstorage room at the Washington-hotel was nearing completion, ami Jacob Hickman, the proprietor of that palattal summer hostelry so writ known to Galveston residents, was paying bis twentieth daily visit to the scene of operations, “Satisfied, Mr, Hickman, , eh ?” — Mr, Smart, the clever; engineer, who had been sent down to superintend matters by the big eastern firm which had the contract in hand, came and stood at the hotel proprietor's elbow. “Looks all right. I guess.” . “All rlghtl Why, sir, that safe’s a stroke of genius, though I say it. It’s a revelation. I’ll guarantee there’s nothing like it in all the states —nothing to hold a tallow dip to it.” Mr. Smart's professional pride appeared hurt at his clienfs very inadequate commendation? “Say. 1 didn’F mean anything,” Mr. Hickman hastened to .explain. “I ’have no doubt it’s a fine safe. Come an’ have a drink." At the bar Mr. Smart went through the complete Inventory of the peculiar beauties and distinctive merits of the cold room. v -. - onthusia.s.Uo. ally. “Biggest thing of its kind I've ever struck. Thirteen-inch walls, solid concrete; patent flooring, damp-proof, rot-defying, finest arrangement of cooling pipes ever laid —and then, the door.” “Ah, it’s a good door!" the owner assented. “So good that no one'll ever have another like it you bet. Firm couldn’t do another at the price. “To tell you the truth, sir, we’re doing this as an advertisement. See? Ah, you were lucky to get our firm to handle this job, I can tell you. Why, there’s six inches solid Oregon. pine In that door, and the backing and facing’s the best one-an’-three-quarter-inch chilled steel plate. “We brought that door over in one piece. Takes four men to lift it, yet it swings on its hinges as easy as a Clock pendulum. Seen the lock?” “No. Anything special?” “I should say it is. That lock's my own invention, and I’ll bet there's no man in creation can pick it, if he works all night. "Nothing short of dynamite can 'hurt it Automatic, self-fastening, no trouble to turn, an’ strong as a nigger’s love for watermelon, kThat lock’s a daisy, she is.” Mr. Smart turned east with a fourfigured check in his pocket, and Jacob Hickman started in to enjoy his new possession and the envy of .all other hotel keepers in the neighborhood. He came to love that safe —it was the pride and joy of his life. Also, it became the dearest aversion of his 1 friends and acquaintances, and of everyone who came within earshot of him. No matter where he might be or what the subject of conversation, he inevitably managed to steer it around to the safe. - Once when he had talked his companions almost to the verge of insanity, .old Jeremiah MacLaren openly Informed him that, in his opinion, the safe was a snare of the devil; fha t Mr. Hickman's pride in it was nothing less than sinful, and that sooner or later he'd be visited by some terrible judgment in consequence. But Jerry MacLaren was a Scot, and a rival hotelkeeper to boot : so it may have.been jealousy, and not mere piety, which instigated his remarks. One day when Jacob Hickman went downstairs to pay one of his numerous daily visits to the safe, something happened. - .He unfastened the door, stepped inside, and feeling a slight drag on the loose alpaca jacket he was wearing, gave a sharp jerk. The action. if unthinking, was a perfectly natural one." Three seconds later there was a smart “click.” " Swinging around Jacob Hickman faced the safe door. It had closed be-, hind him. The door opened outwards. That slight jerk which had released his jacket—caught, probably, in the door knob—had set the heavy door in motion upon its well-oiled and nicely adjusted hinges—and the patent automatic lock had done the rest. Hickman was a stout man; it was a very hot day; add his forehead was covered with drops of perspiration when he entered the safe. ‘ , His paralyzed brain suddenly awoke and asserted itself, and he started to yell like a drunken Indian. t , Unthinking, he yellpdahd hafiimered at the door with his bare fists until he was exhausted and his knuckles were bruised and bleeding. By and by his breath came back, and he began to think with some measure of coherence and to realize the horror of his position. Here he was a prisoner without means of escape or hope of release’. True, the key of the door was In his pocket—he had taken it from the lock when he opened the safe. But that didn’t help him any. There was a duplicate key, but that was In a secret drawer of his bureau, and therefore useless. Indeed, if Hickman’s presence in the safe became known, no one could find it —even his

wife did not know whore It was hidden. / • Again, the .pipes filled with liquid ammonia kept the temperature of the safe down to spinething like five degrees .below zero: so that, even if he were located, and a dynamite .charge used to 'brthtk down the door, it was long odds that by the time 1 “he was taken out he would be frozen stiff as an iceberg. He screamed and yelled; he kicked and he hammered at the door; he dashed himself bodily against It; he wept, prayed and cursed, alternately and then altogether. Finally he lay' on the floor still, utterly wora^btvTrntr" moaning like a dog caught’Jn a trap. —His oye« gazed ' wirhmir.“sense of~ sight at the joints of meat hanging from the racks fixed below the celling. Something suddenly jolted his brain. A joint of venison at which he had been vaguely staring awakened hls mind to feeble activity. Back to his memory came the recollebtion that he had purchased that joint to be cooked in celebration of the birthday of-bis daughter. His daughter—little ten-year-old Marjory! I Why. he would never see her again 1 Escape was impossible; he was ns sure of death as if he were sitting in the electric chair. Jie was actually dying hy Inches. The tearsfwelled up In his eyes and trickled down his frozen cheeks. No, by heaven, be \yould not die! or, if he must, he would die fighting. Fiercely he fought against the lethargy and numbness that was enveloping him. With an effort he sat up and climbed stiffly to his feet. He caught sight of a number of stout_ -oaken billets he had brought down the previous day, intending to fix up supports for another shelf. He recollected bringing a hammer, too. Yes. there it lay In the corner. Sefeing the tool, he once more beat on the door. Perhaps someone would come down to the safe and hear the sound of his hammering. It was a poor chance, but he wouldn’t miss it; anyway, he would die fighting death. His vigorous efforts restored life to his body. His blows became more violent and presently the hammer handle snapped short at the head. Then a furious anger seized him. He called down curses on the clever engineer -who had constructed the door and invented the patent lock, on himself, and on all creation. Seizing one of the oak billets, he heat at the door as if it were Mr. Smart's ingenious head he was hammering. His arms ached horribly, but still he continued. Presently his frenzy-filled eyes seemed to see a faint crack in the solid metal in front of him. The length of timber splintered and broke in his hands, but snatching another piece he continued his furious onslaught. His straining eyes saw the solid metal slab bulging outwards. God in heaven! It was true, then! The steel had split, the crack was becojnlng wider before his eyes, a streak of white«showed between the dark, ragged edges. —-- No thought of the smart eastern engineering firm came into Jacob Hickman’s mind as he pushed his finger Into the gap and plucked forth soft shavings, cotton waste and refuse Wool until his finger nails scratched on the outside steel covering of the door. Inserting one end of his piece of oak into the crack—alas for the duplicity of mankind, the iron was no thicker than that <Sf a cooking-pan —Hickman shoved inward and used it as a lever, tugging and straining until the sheet-of metal ripped away like a strip of brown paper. Then using his weapon as a rammer he stabbed at the outside steel. - —— The sound of a human voice-caught his ears. “What de hell's de matter?” it said. Some one strolling into the basement had heard the infernal row.and come to investigate. He screamed hoarse direction, and in a few minutes the sharp teeth of a center bit was cutting -into the

iron. A small hole was soon made: Hickman passed the key through it to his deliverer, and then promptly fainted. There were wet bandages around Hickman's head when he came round. A dull ringing filled his ears; hishands were^nvelbpedTiTwrappings; he was in bed; and his whole body was so stiff and sore that when he moved he groaned with pain. To judge by the sensations in his feet he had no toes at all; but the 1 stumps burned and throbbed horribly. The doctor’s bearded face was bending over him when he opened his eyes, and his little daughter Marjory stood by the bedside holding his head. ‘"Touch and go.” said the doctor cheerfully. “I thought you were never coming to. Looked like a case for the coroner. Here, take a drop of this.” “Where am I?” whispered Hickman when he had swallowed the brandy. “At home. You’ve been lying here like this for three days. Thought it was all up. Don’t you remember? “They found you in your ice safe, almost "dead. Rather think one of your toes is gone for good; otherwise, you're all right" Jacob Hickman did not go under. The first thing he did was to bring suit against the eastern engineering firm who had built his ice safe, for misrepresentation and failure to adhere to contract specifications. The shock of his terrible imprisonment in the cold room had turned hts hail 1 quite white, but it left his brain in first-lass working order. He won his suit and got the damages be clalnlted. .•

THE EVENING REPUBLICAN, RENSSELAER, IND.

China’s Panorama City

TIENTSIN, called the panorama city of China, came into public notice again recently because of disorders in which Americans and Japanese were involved. To walk aboutTientatnds.tQ-trav» el, says a bulletin of the National Geographic society. An afternoon’s stroll from the native to the British, J'rench, Italian, Russian and other foreign quarters gives the sensation of a magic tour through Peking, London, Paris, Rome and Petrograd. And the windmills among the salt mounds just outside the city add a touch of Holland. This panorama city has had a tempestuous history. There a group of American and other foreign residents*— Herbert C. Hoover among them —defended themselves for a month against the fanatic boxers in 1900. Since then the native city has been known as Cheng-li, or “Town Without Walls,” because the ancient barriers were demolished during the siege. Of the 500 doughty foreigners more than fifty were killed and many others wounded before military aid came. Tientsin was the scene of another famous siege, that* of the Taiping rebels in 1853. Followers of Hung Sin Tsuan, who had professed Christianity and set himself up In Nanking as the “Heavenly King,” marched toward Peking. But the Waterloo of the “longhaired rebels” so called because they would not plait their queues and thus signify loyalty to the Manchus, came at Tientsin. “Chinese” Gordon’s Victory. The success of the campaign against the revolutionists was due principally to the gallant “Chinese” Gordon, Gen. Charles George Gordon, and his “ever victorious army.” But the fact would not be suspected from reading the imperial edict issued by the former concubine who had elevated herself to Empress Dowager. The edict set forth that “this glorious victory is entirely due to the bountiful protection of heaven, to the ever-present help of our ancestors and to the foresight of the empress regent.” A tribute is paid to the Chinese generals, “who have been

COULD NOT SEE INTO FUTURE

Men of Genius Had Little Idea What" Their Inventions Might Mean to flfe World. It appears that it is hot infrequently the case that great inventors do not comprehend the significance of the things they have produced. Here are two examples: When Hertz first began to obtain satisfactory results from his now famous researches into tint possibility of transmitting electric waves certain mtn of-science suggested that some day similar vibrations might serve to transmit messages through space. Hertz laughed at the hypothesis and assured all comers that his experiments were for laboratories only. Now, after a few' short years. It is hard to find a single issue of a daily newspaper that does not record some noteworthy example of the use of wireless telegraphy. Levassor was the great engineer who sketched the automobile with such skill that his design has not been materially changed to this day. After Levassor accomplished his historic trip from- Parts to Bordeaux and re-

combed by the wind and bathed in the rain,” and one of them was awarded the decoration of the double-eyed peacock’s feather. Commanding the native force at Tien* tsin was Seng-ko-lin-sin, a Mongol general, who later distinguished himself less creditably. In 1860 he sought to defend Tientsin against a foreign expedition by erecting an immense mud rampant outside the city. Tientsin was captured and held for two years by the British and French and the crude defense is Known in the foreign quarters as “Seng-ko-lin-sin’s folly.” The region about Tientsin was known as Chi-chou, under the Hsia dynasty, whose rulers, 4,000 years ago, already had court astronomers who could predict eclipses. Later it was caled Ya-chou, in the Chou dynasty, marked by the western wars waged by Mu-Wang against the “Dog Barbarians,” thought to he ancestors of the Huns. Tientsin dates back at least to the fourteenth century. Immense Salt Industry. The salt industry in the neighborhood of Tientsin fs prodigious. Windmills are used to pump salt water into the fields along the Hallo river, where the widely-known Chang-lu salt is made. Before the war nearly 20,000 tons were produced annually. But Tientsin is important commercially in many respects. It is a rice market, and Siberia’s tea formerly was shipped through here. Exports were as varied as the needs of the dozen or so nations which had separate settlements along five miles of the river front, and its imports were as diverse as the commodities those nations had to exchange. The Peiho and Hunho rivers converge at Tientsin. From the latter to the Yangtsze-Kiang extends the Grand canal, that remarkable specimen Of ancient engineering, mentioned by Confucius, which originally was more than 1,000 miles long. Tientsin has more people than Boston. It is the principal city of Chihli, and Is 86 miles southeast of Peking by rail,

turn at the dizzy speed of about 15 miles an hour his admirers gave him a banquet. During the toasts one of them, "Stirred by the spirit of the occasion, rose and enthusiastically called on the assembly to drink to the approaching day when carriages should travel at the speed of 60 miles an hour. Levassor turned to his nearest neighbor and asked in a quick undertone: “Why is It that after every banquet some people feel called on to make fools of themselves?”

Men best prove their right to rights by making good in little things. Rights are those things that grow out of universal justice. In the last analysis they are beyond price. Some folks say they have bought the right to certain things. That is only because custom has commercialized them. Such rights savqr of monopoly and are-as unstable as the dollars with which they sre< purchased. Right that rests upon divine law may seem very tame, but after all it’s the only right that abides amidst the rise, and fall of empires and, the changing customs of men. To 1 such rights every man is heir.—Exchange.

Only One Foundation.

BLACK SILK IS MUCH IN FAVOR

Trend Runs to Frocks in Which Harshness Has Given Way to Charm and Dignity. NEW TAFFETAS ARE IMPROVED Material Does Not Split and Crack and Is Regarded a Better Investment Than It Was Some Seasons Ago. To complete one’s spring wprdrobe at least one taffeta frock musfc be included. This may be one of the new and very lovely black gowns of this crisp silk or a stiff and rather simple and quaint evening frock, but to be absolutely correct, declares a fashion writer, at least one taffeta frock must be'included in the season’s outfit. None of the silk gowns for years past has had just the charm and dignity that the black taffetas of this spring have achieved. Indeed, the very silk itself has acquired a new suppleness and a softness which gives delightful drapery effects. Again, these newer taffetas do not split and crack as once they did and are therefore a much better investment than this sort of silk was some seasons ago. Ruffles In Vogue. Since ruffles are so much in vogue it is interesting to note that one of the most advanced models developed in black taffeta silk shows a very long and narrow skirt with a slightly hobbled effect carried out by placing three ruffles one above the other with the hems of the little frills turned up to the waist instead of in the usual manner of placing ruffles turned down toward the hem of the skirt. This is one of the new fancies of the spring—this of the upside down ruffle —and it gives a distinctive look to all frocks and proves them of the latest model. On the particular black dress mentioned, the very long front panel is unbroken from the square neck quite to the bottom ot the skirt, except by the ruffles, and untrimmed except for a straight row of black silk placed straight down one side. The back has a slightly draped bustle effect and a sash, and the sleeves are long and tight. Just why black should be preferred in this sort of silk frock it is difficult to say, as for a long time black taffeta silk was left for the middle aged and for mourning gowrfs. Certain it is

An attractive afternoon gown of taffeta with figures and vestee of rose shades. A winsome gown for women who are stylish and particular.

that nothing is more up to date at this time, however, than these severe silken gowns. The makers understood perfectly the softening of all of the harshness taffeta has and indeed since the newer and softer weaves have been exploited this stiffness and shininess is a thing of the past. One of the Smartest Frocks. One of the really smart black frt>cks has nothing to distinguish it especially as to trimming or ornamentation, except in the graceful lines on which it has been cut, and so beautifully draped is the skirt and so cleverly arranged the bodice and accompanying sash of silk that this particular frock seems entirely different from others. Not a vestige of color relieves the black folds and only a short chemisette of the finest and softest cream batiste breaks the entirt? lengths of black. . The placing of this short little vestee, square and low in the neck and •topping just below the bust, brings out one of the newest ideas for sum-.

mer frocks, as many silken and georgette dresses reveal those fine, soft and very short vestees, square across neck and bust. Eyelet embroidery is extensively used in some of these new silken frocks, appearing especially well placed on a long apron drapery of a smart imported black taffeta embroidery. Apron Drapery Stay*. The apron drapery will not leave us—it seems to have come to stay—and still hangs on frocks with which, seemingly, it has no relation whatever. However, on this particular black frock the whole apron part of eyelet embroidery, done in black silk threads, really makes the dress, falling with a slight fulness in the front over a tight, black petticoat underneath. In the—back- the velvet embroidery appears only on a part of the

Exquisite evening gown. Distinctively French, long train and gown of embroidered flowers, and beads on black silk; gold mohair belt for vest.

skirt, which is drawn in with vesy little fulness. A sash finishes the waist, is tied in a rather large bow and falls nearly to the bottom of the skirt. As to the bodice, it also reveals the little short square chemisette of fine net like the one mentioned. As two wide revers finish the front of the bodice in a sort of surplice effect, the upper part of this waist resembles a smart little Eton jacket. The sleeves are three-quarters long and are finished with a wide, folded-back cuff. One of the very successful combinations for this style of dress is taffeta and georgette, happily arranged in one instance with a long tunic of blue georgette over an underneath skirt of blue taffeta. The bottom of the tunic is handsomely ornamented with an application of taffeta in small scrolls and pieces cleverly embroidered in place with heavy silken threads. A repetition of the applique appears on the blouse,which overhangs the tunic and belt slightly, and the long taffeta sash in the back makes a good finish for the This also shows buttons of silk in the front of the bodice and a short vestee of fine white lace finishes the upper part of the front. The sleeves are the curipus short bebe sleeves so much affected in the French importations. ** Evening Frocks. Taffeta frocks are by no means com fined to just afternoon gowns, as this silk, is being extensively used for simple evening frocks and really offers a welcome change from the heavier brocades and metal tissues, the beaded and spangled splendid robes of which we shall doubtless grow tired in spite of their great beauty and elegance. A rose pink silken frock of the placid silk has a little bertha of very rich lace outlining the rather low decolletage and Is without sleeves. The skirt is very long and very narrow and only a slightly draped effect just in the very front of the long skirt breaks the otherwise perfectly plain lines. The bands of silken loops, which are being so much used, trim a dark blue evening gown and puffs of the silk with corded edges trim another, though in this instance a very smart afternoon gown. While one finds an occasional combination of georgette and taffeta and now and then some lace or satin used in a combination with this stiffer silk, for the most part the best models and those most frequently seen are untrimmed and rely principally on the drapery and clever lines to achieve the distinction most women want for their frocks. The cordings and puffs are not entirely new, as we used them several seasons back,, but that Is long enough ago to give the idea of an entirely new style when we see them now. &

Practical Dyeing.

In these days of economies often a package of dye will be of great value. Faded dresses for the children can ba dyed with some other material (eve* strong white doth), and the combination mads up provides a new garment.