When the pan European war broke
out two American girls were touring
in Germany in a motorcar. They were
at Nuremberg at the time and made a
bee Uue for Paris. They had not gnu.*
fifty miles from the old town before
they were halted by a troop of Uhlans
and their car was impressed into tIn
service of the government.
They were standing in the road, not
knowing what to do. when a matt
came riding on horseback. Seeing two
girls looking as forlorn as a couple of
chickens in a shower, he drew rein am!
asked them in German if there »u
anything he could do for them. They
spoke the language tolerably well and
told him what had happened. He look
ed about him for a place where they
might be temporarily housed and said
“The scbloss is the nearest abode
I think you bad better go there. The
count has joined his command, but his
mother, the countess, will be at home
and I am sure will welcome luckless
strangers."
The girls thanked the speaker and
resolved to take his advice. Turning
in at the gateway of the grounds, they
ascended to the entrance of the scbloss
No one being there, they passed
through it and entered a court. An
automobile was the only movable arti
cle in sight, and as they approached It
a living object crawled from under it.
He was clad in overalls and begrimed
He rose and. facing the girls, looked at
them inquiringly.
They told their story and said they
wished to go to France. He told them
that he was quite sure the countess
would welcome them. He was en
deavoring to get the automobile in or
der that it might take him to Wurttem
berg. He would take them there, and
from Wurttemberg they might find con
veyanee to Paris. This suited them ex
actly. The man said that he was not
fit to accompany them, but pointed to a
door at which they might gain admit
tance to the scbloss. They went to
the door, rang a bell, and a maid ap
peared.
"We were told,” said one of them,
“by the chauffeur that if we applied
at this door we might see the countess.
Please tell her that two American girls
whose car has been taken by the gov
ernment would be grateful for shelter
till they can go forward on their jour
ney.”
The maid asked them to enter and.
leaving them in a reception room,
went away. Presently she returned
and led them to a room where a white
headed old lady received them and in
vited them to be her guests as long as
they found it convenient
They told her that they had seen In
the court a man working on an auto
mobile who was intending to go to
Wurttemberg and had offered to take
them with him. At this moment n
voice called from above. "Mother!”
and the old lady excused herself and
left the room. Presently she returned
and said that the auto would go to
Wurttemberg the uext morning and
she did not doubt that from there they
would be able to make their way to
Paris. They were shown to a room by
the maid and when they had made a
toilet returned to the drawing room.
“I have heard.” said one of the girls,
“that you have parted with your son.
who has gone to Join the army. It
must be hard to send him away under
such circumstances.”
“Indeed it is," replied the countess.
The girls supped with the countess
and ate a hearty meal, for they were
hungry. In the early evening they
chatted with their hostess, but were
tired and went early to their rooms,
where they slept as soundly as if they
had not been dispossessed of their
only means of conveyance.
The morning was bright, but hot.
They breakfasted with the countess,
and after breakfast she disappeared
for on hour, when the maid announced
that the auto was ready and led them
to a porte-cochere where it stood. The
countess was there with n man in uni
form. He turned as they approached,
and they recognized him whom they
had mistaken for a chauffeur.
•‘I regret." he said, "that I have not
been able to show you any attention
My chauffeur was summoned two days
ago to join his regiment, leaving me
with an auto needing repairs and no
one but myself to repair it. We who
1 depend upon servants do not realize
how much we are indebted to them
till they are snatched away from us.”
The girls looked at each other and
smiled. They had mistaken a count
for a chauffeur, and when they had
referred to him as such to his mother
he had doubtless followed them Into
the house by another entrance and on
bearing their words had called her
out and asked her to leave them in
their mistake.
The ride to Wurttemberg proved an
enjoyable one, and before It was fin
ished they were all laughing at the
mistake that had been made. They
were in no danger of losing the ear
since an officer of the Bavarian army
was at thp wheel. On arriving at
their destination he secured them a
safe conduct to Paris and saw to it
that they were given passage on the
last train that went there
They reached Paris in safety and
succeeded in getting to England, cross
ing the channel with darkened ports.
But they were a long time finding
passage to America. When they got
home they boasted that they had been
carried to the French border by a
chauffeur who was a count and a
major In the German army.
Why Thunder Follows Lightning.
When electricity is confined between
two clouds and becomes cramped for
room it “flashes” and we hear the
“(bunder.” The beat generated by tile
electricity really causes violent convul
sions of the air, the noise of which is
thunder. As light waves move more
rapidly than sound waves, we see the
I “flush” before we hear the reverbera
tion. That ulso applies to gunfire.
Science Notes
BY WILLIAM G. HAYNES.
CROSSING THE LINE
It Is to be expected that the people
shut up in the little republic that Is
bounded by the Iron walls of an ocean
liner should seek many ways of divert
ing themselves. Perhaps “republic” is
not altogether a happy word to use in
that connection, because no czar of the
itussias ever had such autocratic pew
er over his subjects as the captain of a
great liner has over the travelers on
his ship. But he uses his power very
sparingly, and if his temporary sub
jects behave decently and obey the
unwritten laws of the sea he lets them
do about as they please.
They exercise their ingenuity In pro
viding all sorts of entertainments to
relieve the monotony of the passing
days. Shufflebonrd and deck golf, ring
toss and bull board and a concert usu
ally suffice for the brief Journey across
the Atlantic ocean, but on the more dis
tant voyages to India or Australia or
down the long coast of South America
those mild amusements pall upon the
voyagers, and they plan something
more elaborate. Tournaments of vari
ous kinds, races of every sort, lectures
and plays are the order of the day.
But the most time honored and ex
travagant revelries are sure to take
place when the Bhip crosses the imag
inary line between the northern and
southern hemispheres. From time im
memorial that has been the day dedi
cated to Jokes and quips and pranks of
all kinds. The captain’s serious face re
laxes; the mates and even the quar
termasters and sailors are evidently
concocting some huge scheme of fun;
no horseplay Is outlawed; no practical
jokes are too rongh; no exalted person
age is too dignified to be exempt from
Neptune’s “rough house.”
The most elaborate fun of that sort
that J remember witnessing was on a
Lincoln Department
< Joseph B. LaCour, Editor and Business Manager.
821 S Street
Mrs. Wyatt Williams Reporter.
Friday night the three-day popular
ity contest given by the Methodist
church closed with Miss Viola Walker
winner by a large majority with a
total of 154 votes. Miss Virgil Gas
kin of Cheyenne won second place,
securing 64 votes. A neat sum was
raised by the contest, which will be
used in completing the church.
Mrs. James O’Donald is visiting
friends in Omaha.
The following university students
returned home to spend the holidays,
Clarence Kerfed, Erin Shackleford,
Milton Paine of Atchison, Kans., J.
LaCour and A. Rice of Omaha, Ross
and Chas. May of Holton, Kans., Ed
ward Foster of Carbondale, Kans., and
Cecil Thomas of Fremont, Neb., and
Miss Sarah White of Springfield,
Neb.
Mr. Ernest Graves has returned
from an extensive trip to St. Joe, St.
Louis and Kansas City.
The Capitol City Forum will hold
its first meeting of the new year the
second Friday in January.
I IF PARTICULAR
(i i i
HAVE YOUR CLOTHES
i i
Made, Cleaned and Pressed
BY
V. B. YOUNG
THE BEST AND MOST REASONABLE PLACE IN THE CITY
219 North 9th Street. Lincoln, Neb.
i i
Heffley’s Tailors
For Nifty Up-to-Date
CLOTHING
1
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_
trip from New York to San Francisco
The night before the ship was to cross
the line we saw a spot of light off the
starboard bow. It seemed to draw
nearer and nearer, and pretty soon old
Neptune himself, clad In oilskins and
dripping water from his garments ami
his long white beard, climbed the black
side of our ship and, standing upon the
hurricane deck, surrounded by an ad
ming throng of passengers, an
nounced that the next day at 2 o’clock
In the afternoon we should cross the
line and that he would welcome us to
his domain with suitable “equator cere
monies.” lie spoke in thunderous und
somewhat sepulchral tones. Then he
disappeared over the side of the ship.
The next day at 2 o’clock Neptune
was promptly on hand aguin. To pre
pare for his coining the sailors had ar
ranged on the lower deck a great can
vas tub, perhaps twenty feet square,
filled with water to a depth of about
three feet The tub was surrounded by
a rail, and Neptune, seated on a gor
geous throne, at first commanded that
the passengers should be Initiated Into
the mysteries of his domain. He had
come aboard this second time with a
great flourish of trumpets, and he was
followed by a long train of fantastic
ally arrayed subjects.
Those subjects ruthlessly seized the
passengers, right and left, and Nep
tune commanded that the men should
be shaved. They were seated on the
edge of the improvised bathtub, and
the barber appeared, wielding a lather
brush nearly os big as a broom and a
pasteboard razor also of huge dimen
sions.
Covering a victim’s face with a lib
eral supply of lather, the barber raised
on high hla tremendous razor. But Just
as he was about to apply It to the face
of the unresisting passenger, two of
Neptune’s myrmidons, standing in the
great tub of water, suddenly pulled
the victim over backward and im
mersed him completely. A moment later
he emerged, spluttering and coughing,
hut making a desperate effort to ap
pear good natured.
If any passenger was particularly
dignified or dandified, if he had shown
any overweening conceit In his own
abilities, Neptune’s slaves sought him
out especially. The more spotless the
linen, the more stylish the necktie, the
more fleckless the white flannel suit.
|he surer was the owner to have the
Parch literally taken out of him.
Of course not all of the G50 passen
gers could he Initiated with these elab
orate ceremonies. Most of those who
were enjoying the fun to the utmost,
and who were congratulating them
Belves that they had gone scot free,
did not notice some sailors in oilskins
climbing the masts directly over tiieir
heads. The sailors had a big hose in
their hands. While the last victim
was being submerged and the boister
ous fun was at its height the heavens
seemed Biiddnely to open, and out of a
clear tropical sky a tremendous show
er poured down upon the heads of all
the passengers.
Few escaped a thorough sprinkling.
The tables were turned on the hilarious
onlookers, and the chief initiates took
their turn in laughing at the others.
When it was all over, Father Neptune
served a bountiful collation, and to
each passenger was given an elaborate
and beautifully engraved certificate as
evidence that be had received his sea
christening and that he had the right
henceforth to pass freely ovpr the
equator.—Rev. F»r. Francis E. Clark In
Youth’s Compenion.
Pension*.
The first pensions were granted to
distinguished individuals for great
services rendered the state, as to the
dukes of Grafton, Richmond, Marl- ^
borough and others, in the seventeenth
and eighteenth centuries. So early as
1781 England had a fixed pension list
of many names and involving an ex
penditure of over £100,000. In ancient
times the idea of providing for those
who bad suffered for the state or who
had contributed to its welfare was
practically unknown, It being then an
accepted doctrine that the Individual
belonged to the state, served her by
right and had no claim against her for
the simple thing of doing of his mani
fest duty.