Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-05-24
THE TOPICAL TALKEB,
What a Fly Did-FiR Trees Are Scarce
Here, bnt Tip About Buckeyes May be
Useful-The Rise of Miss Gale.

What a Fly Did-FiE Trees Are Scarce
Here, but Tip About Buckoyes BIay be
Useful-The Rise of Miss Gale.
Among the inestimable blessings of the sum,
mer the flies have arrived. 1t is surprising
what one small house fly can do.
For instance. just as pious man was about to
| say grace before meat two or three nights ago
he saw fly alight upon the table. II was the
only fly in the house, am informed, Its pres
| enee infuriated the pious paterfamilias, how
| ever, and approaching steathily he aimed a
| vicious blow with the palm OF his hand at the
precocious insect which was calmly combing
its eyelashes with gauzy wing.
Was the poor fly smashed? Not at all. But
glass dish of stewed rhubarb, verdant and
juicy, was precipitated from the table with an
initial velocity of about ten parasangs second.
Green wall papers are unh ealthy, it is said, but
really the az sthetic pain of a blotch of rhubarb
upon cream and gold 35-cent wall paper leaves
no room in the spectators mind for hygenic
specUlations. Papa and the house dies are not
on speaking terms in that household any more.
Some of you, the fortunate ones, rest these
sunny days in the shadow of your own fig
trees; and about fig trees have no pointers to
give away. The only fig tree ever knew well
fourished under a high wall and many other
difficulties in city garden. 1t did not always
indulge in leaves, and resting under it was not
pleasant except on cloudy days. Little knobs of
green fruit which we children ate every season
in spite of memories of the disasters consequent
thereon in preceding years, were the only signs
it bore of being fig tree. When allusion to the
outrageous character of the fig tree was made
In church, there was nudging and laughter in
our pew. Dou btless that fig tree did its best. 1t
came from the Holy Land, and that's a pretty
far cry fro m London, the modern Babylon.
But it wasn't fig trees proposed to talk about
anyhow.
Tfs new wrinkle for the conservation of
chestnut trees-buckeyes that is.
Perha ps you've noticed that the terrible in
fants of your neighborhood-if you are lucky
enough to live where trees actually grow and
are green for your delight--in autumn make
war upon the buckeye trees. They want the
buckley es, and no means are too violent to
effect their purpose. The hurting of stones and
sti cks, and breaking of limbs, bring about the
wreck of the great green ship; her spars are
sha ttered. her sails torn and she looks very lit
tie like the symmetrical, graceful bark that left
the port of Spring.
If you would snatch temptation from the ter
rible infants-and what infant even your own,
is not terrible sometimes? Go to work now
when no buckeyes are IN bloom, and cut the
blossoms. Then when autumn paints things
red there will be no chestnuts to seduce chill
dren from the paths of virtue, and your trees
will pass scatheless to another year:
In the East End know of at least one buck
eye tree that has grown up to perfect beauty
through this simple provision. Chestnut trees
might everywhere be protected in this way; and
everywhere refers only to suburban and city
regions where the preservation of trees is more
important than the qualification of lawless
youth. The trees grow all the stronger, put out
more leaves and branches after the bloss oms
have been removed, am told.
WHEN Booth and Barrett played here two
seasons ago Pittsburgers will remember
that Minna K. Gale played the Shakespearean
heroines in "Othello" Hamlet and "The
Merchant of Venice" with what a great many
considered unusual ability. She had been but
short while on the stage then, and yet her
Portid was remarkably finished impersona-
tion-a delicately colored piece Of original
work. Frankly / confess that Miss Gales
Porttd pleased me better than Madame Mod
jeska's did this season. Now it is evidently the
intention of Miss Gale to make bid for higher
honors.
correspondent writes me from New York
some gossip about Miss Gale. He says of her:
''She is well born, well bred, well educated
dainty and cultured to her immaculate finger
tips. Like Rosalind, she is more than common
TALL but her proportions are SO perfect she
does not look her many inches, except when
she shows good half head above an actor of
medium height. Theater goers are familiar
with her in a copper colored or blonde wig, but
in reality she is a pale-skinned brunette with
straight black hair and deep brown eyes of
remarkable brilliancy. Her features are deli
cate and piquant, her smile slightly sarcastic
and on the street she is distinctly tailor-made
girl, carrying her small head as proudly poised
as the Duchess of Leinster. She lives with her
mother and sister in an artistic apartment on
Gramercy square, not stones throw from the
new Players club.