The Omaha Sunday Bee Magazine Page
Copyright, 1013, by the 8Ur Compnnr. Great-Britain Rights ReierveO.
BcfciiA Husband
ToFitiKeRancfi
How Ended the Romantic Quest of a
Multi-Millionaire Railroad President's
Daughter to Find a Mate Who
Would Combine the Virtues of a
Chesterfield and a Buffalo Bill
Mis&OBessie Yoa
kum, the Newport
New York - Texas
Heiress Whose Un
usual Requirements
for a Mato Have at
J,ast Been Fulfilled.
"Many an applicant for her
hand was lifted into that
empty place in her mental
map, only to find none fitted."
M1BS BESSIE YOAKUM, the younger dangM.
tor of Benjamin Yoakum, the Texas "rail
road man and multi-millionaire haa picked
out a hUBband at last Bohlnd her rocontly an
Bounced engagement to Mr. Francis Larkln, a
Princeton graduate, momber of a lino old family
ind millionaire in embryo, lies tho story of an In
teresting, devoted and unusual flvo years' quest
on the part of fair Miss Toakum. And here Is tho
story of that search and the answer to tho ques
tion of those of her friends whom oho had not
takon into her confidence tony did she wait
until she was twenty-throe beforo choosing her
busbandT
'Because My the friends in whom she has at
last conceded, becauso she wanted a mato who
would fit hor Toxas ranch I Who would, as an
artist would say, compare well with tho sconory;
one who would look well riding a bucking bron
co, and also look well falling oft said bronco;
one who could wear "chaps" with ease and, a
sombrero with distinction, b eablo to kill a rat
tler on tho trail and lasso tho fleolng coyote.
Most of all, a man who would be big onough to
take the big West seriously, the ranch Just as
Borlously and who would tako hold and run it up
to a 100 per cent efficient standard.
But said prospective mato must also fit well
a city drawing room, be able to drink tea without
pilling it or making a face, wear conventional
evening clothes without looking llko a waltor, and
dance the Tango, Becauso of theso laet condi
tions. Miss Yoakum naturally sought her futuro
husband in tho Newport-New York sot.
"Surely," aho thought, "among all the men hero
In New York I will find my ldoal. In Texas, of
course, I could easily find the man to fulfill tho
first conditions, tout where eould I And tho Toxnn
who could drink tea without making a facor
Miss Yoakum's tlvo-year quest and its present
happy result stakes a most Interesting tale as oho
telle it to her Intimate friends over the tea cups in
her piak and white boudoir. Only her sister,
the haaisesie Mrs. Paulding Fosdlck, has known
of he etttsoUo search. Hor parents, who have
rg4 her te marry young, have complained that
"Beetle was hard to please," but even they did
not kaew why. They did not know that all tho
Urn that MLm Yoakum was experimenting with
various mmbws of the Newport set, way back
in her Ia4 she felt very certain that Mr. Lap
kin woM eveataally prove the ideal one.
Five years ago the Yoakuma took a large and
expeaatve hettae In Newport. They wanted to
lease "Craaswayv," the fftuyvesant Fish estate,
tint had te he satisfied with one on the Cliffs.
They wese welcomed with open arms, for there
were two remarkably pretty girls in the family
and Beajasatn Yoakum woe noted as one of tho
richest railroad men in this country. It was
speedily seen that Paul Fosdick, the tall, good
lookrng eon of Mrs. Charlie Childs. had the inside
road te Catherine's heart, and the young bach,
elora a tho Circus Set turned to the younger
later.
'A etcnay stroam of suitors has slnco wendoQ
tholr way to tho Yoakum drawing room, but onO
and nil thoy, like tho King of France, turn and
march homo again. In this procession wero Cryil
Hatch, ono of Newport's millionaire bacholor'd
and usually devotod to Eloanora Sears, th"3
Burke-Rocho twins Mrs. Burke-Rocho's Bonn
Charllo Sands, "Stuyve" Fish, Jr., oldest eon of
Mr. BtuyvcBont Fish, Ralph Thomas, Henri Mar
tin, tho Swiss Attache, and a dozen other men
of all ages.
In tho days when the two sisters wero email
girls running about the folg ranch thoy showed
tho disparity in their tastes that Is still so
marked. Katherino, tho older, cared not a bit for
tho ranch; in. fact, she hated it and all that it
meant Sho would not learn to shoot, she would
not ride tho broncos and ran away from cow
boys and rattlers.
Bessie, the younger, was muoh braver. Eha
learnod to shoot beforo sho was ten years old and
rodo tho worst horses on tho ranch bofore she
was twelve. When she saw a rattler she killod
It, and when she saw a cowboy eho smiled at
him. Tho sconory that, made Kntherlne shudder
with dread, made Bossle thrill with Joy.
Whon sho entorod 'socloty she was unhappy
becauso sho was compollod to llvo the life con
ventional. It was tho great difference between
tho ranch and tho men sho met in Nowport and
Now York that mado her doclde to marry only a
man who would fit her ranch.
Said Miss Yoakum once:
"You see, I was born In Texas, on the most
beautiful ranch in the world. Thore are thou
sands of acres of the most wonderful hills and
rooks and grasa Holds, and the scenery is thrill
ing. I always feel like kicking up my heels when
I go back. It Is nothing like Fifth avenue or
ways known that It would bo.
Tho man I marry will have to love the ranch
as much as I do and ho'U have to fit into Us life."
Therefore, when Cyril Hatch, dark eyed, mys
terious looking and a whacking good tennis play
er, came up tho path leading to her heart sho
put htm to a uevero teat
Over the garage in her several homes Miss
Yoakum has a gymnasium and shooting gallery
fitted up. When Mr. Hatch began to show his In
terest in hor, it is said, she took him Into
tho gym and said:
"Any man who hopes to win me must
fulfill these conditions." And she pointed
out a printed list pasted on the wall. Mr.
Hatch wont over, and his dark eyes grew,
darker as he read
What I expect HIM to do:
Live with me on my Toxas ranch.
Wear "chaps" and eombrero.
CompoBO well with ttho scenery.
Ride a bronco.
Lasso a coyotte.
Kill a rattler.
Keep the trail for twenty hours at a stretch.
Kill and dress a steer.
Throw and brand a calf
Dress for dinner every night
Sboot a deer on the run.
Whon Mr. Hatch read this remarkable list he
turned and bravely said that he could but try, and
what should ho do first?
Mr. Hatch's experience was typical of each man
Somo suffered more than others, but all materially
went through tho same things. Ho was willing
to llvo on tho ranch, ho could shoot very well and
was a good rldor. In these two last things the
Newport-New York men oxcell anywny. But his
voice broke whon ho attempted to sing, and when
he trlod to lasso tho Yoakum's pet cat in place
of a coyotte he mlssod and lassoed the chauffeur,
who was peeking through the door. The cat ran
away and stayed for three days.
This was Bad, but not halt so sad as Mr. Hatch
and his later competitors looked when they tried
to throw and brand Miss Yoakum's Scotch collie.
Mr. Hatch did fairly well until he had to don the
chaps and sombrero and pose for Mb photograph
before MIbs Yoakum's camera. Sadly she shook
her head and sold: "Go away, you won't do. You
do. not lit."
"Neither do the chaps," muttered Mr. Hatch.
And he went away. Sad and not much wiser.
How the Fireflies Flash Love-Messages
With Their Little Lanterns
BBBBBBBBBHHaBn I & - V . . r '. vt ' X . ?-V V 5 t ' ' CTO ? -SSSSSSBHSBBSSSSSSSSSST f ISSSf
I 11 1 V-l1
fHr ey
DAWfS
n.
''What a bad influenpe for the live stock if the suitor did not conform to the
ranch standards."
THIS problem that has interested psycholo
gists for centuries, the mysterious ques
tion as to whether such insects as the
grasshopper and the cricket hear, or whether
lightning bugs and moths see, has at last been
answered In the affirmative by two noted scien
tists of the day. At least, that 1b the Interpre
tation that may be deduced from the recent ob
servations and experiments of Professor Mast
of Johns Hopkins Unlvorslty, and Dr. Karl
Peters, of Berlin, Germany.
The Instrumental music of crickets, grass
hoppers, locusts and other Insects Is heard
and appropriately responded to by their mates,
according to the researches of Dr. Peters. The
melodies of these little creatures may be merely
noises to birds and man, hut they contain tho,
love lyrics and tones of wedding hymns to them.
Professor Mast's discovery has to do with the
lightning or firefly and seems to indicate to many
learned savants that these "beautiful illumlnants
of the living Bummer nights" really are pos
sessed of eyes that see.
Professor Mast studied the behavior of light
ning bugs for some time, and his observations
led him to the conclusion that the female fire
fly did not wander far from her own fireside, but
remained more or less in the exact neighbor
hood where you found her. In brief, the lady
bus with the lantern placed amidships, does not
fly At all. Jt crawls or moves about sluggishly.
The paUftanUUs. that; Is tq say, the male gentry
of the firefly community, are the foragers, gal
lants, lovers and voluptuaries. It is the gentle
man firefly that eoob flying around, seeking what
ho Usteth, finding adventures and making love.
Professor Mast found that tho gallivanting
male Insect would fly about, when suddenly It
would flash Us living lantern. It a feminine
member of the trlbo was sticking to a tusk of
grass, a twig, or at rest upon the ground, any
where within a nearby area, It would flash a shy,
modest response in tho way of a flash of light.
First tho furaalo, then the male would signal in
this way ono to the other. This would continue
until the lover discovered its timorous mate
hiding in the dell. Once they caught up with
each other, and found their heart's desire, theirs
would be sparking of the truo-lovers kind.
The conclusion that may be drawn from a
great series of experiments by Professor Mast
is that fireflies make animated love by the glow
of their wonderful little lights. They must have
eyes that see, otherwise the one sex could not re
spond to the light signals of the other sex.
When all Is said and done there is really little
difference after all between love-making and the
amours of these little insects. The buttertllos,
crickets, cicadas, and grasshoppers make lovo
with their little lutes and lyres, man makes love
with stringed instruments and "little liars."
Lightning bugs mnke love with the winking
love-light of their glowing lanterns. The love
light in the eyes of the human lover, the flashes
of color in milady's gowns ana mllllnary arq
much the same sort of thing.
Each man oddly enough failed on a different
count
Francis Roche, for Instance looked perfectly
adorable In tho chaps and sombrero; he rode well
and sang well, too, but he could not swear in the
vernacular, and he uttorlv refused to go down to
the slaughter house on East River and kill a steer.
Ills twin brother. Maurlco, did not oven qualify
to that extent He failed to lasso one of the
neighbor's hens, and stopped right there.
Charlie Sands cut through the entire list until
he had to stand up against six cactus trees placed
in one corner of the gym and lean nonchantly
agaimst their stems. Charlie has always been
considered rather handsomo, but he did not look
so under the shade of the catcus. He lost his
chance .utterly.
Ralph Thomas, who has since married Mrs.
Frank Gould, looked so perfectly improper In the
chaps that he stopped there and would go no
further.
Henri Martin, being attached to tho Swiss Le
gation In Washington, refused to live on the
ranch, and he was out the very first count
With all these admirers going through their
paces, Miss Yoakum was a very busy person. It
takes little time to tell, but these adventures and
a few others took five years. But all this time
there wsb another who was steadily qualifying
for the place of ideal husband. No one realized
It for Frank Larkln began when he was a student
at Prlncoton.
He went through his paces in the gym at the
Yoakum estate in Long Island.
When the day came, last November, when he
could slip Into his chaps, toss his sombrero perkily
on the back of his head and twist a cigarette
while riding bare-back around the polo field, Miss
Yoakum knew that she was looking at her future
husband. But sho would not say "yes" until
sho had seen him on the ranch itself, until she
had fitted him with her own handB into the
scenery and Been with her own eyes how he com
posed with It
Therefore in December she persuaded her par
ents to go to tho ranch tor a few weeks' vlBtt
and with the party went Mr. Larkln. With Mr.
Larkln went the chaps and sombrero and a new
rifle.
When the party reached tho ranch Miss
Yoakum happily discovered that Mr. Larkln com
pared very favorably with tho men born and bred
in Texas. He walked with the same swagger,
Bang well, and talked eagerly of the day when he
Bhould kill his first steer.
There on the ranch, therefore, the Princetonlan
qualified in every particular. He lassoed a coyette
on tho run, rode a bad bronco for three days on
the trail, swore in the vernacular and killed six
rattlers.
"But will he compose well with the scenery,
will he harmonhte with the catcus T" asked Miss
Yoakum of her palpitating heart.
To answer this question she took him one day
to the wildest part of tho ranch, whero the cactus
were prjckly beyond words and the rocks
abounded with rattlers.
Nonchalantly Mr. Larkln leaned up against
the cactus trees, rolled a cigarette with his left
hand, sang a cowboy ballad with his tenor voice,
and, when be beard a Busplctous souud back of
him, twirled around with the song -still on his
:!::;-;ii!:::i';!lti:U:i:::;::!!jfl
'!"ti:":"!"l
"Clearly any man who would try to catch a rattler by
putting salt on his tail wouldn't do on the ranch."
lips and the cigarette still in his left hand, be leaned over and
killed a rattler with the gun in his right hand.
"Yod aro to bo my husband," cried the pretty girl who had
put him to this test But there was more to follow before
they reached the ranch house.
On their way home, riding among the clouds, so to speak, a
group of wild hogs broke through the bushes in front and charg
ed down on them. The Javallna Is a ferocious toast, and attacks
humans as readily as small beasts. Mr. Larkln nad never seen
one, but he bad heard of them, and swiftly he Jumped his horse
and with his new rifle shot six of them. Tho rest ran away.
The head of the largest hog baB been mounted, and will have
a place of honor in .the future house of the adventurous Larking
Thus has pretty "Miss Yoakum, one of the wealthiest young
women in this country, and all-around sport, picked her husbana
to fit her ranch.
