The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-07-06
], TALBOT CLIFTON GONE,
He Took Passage on the
Steamer UmatiIla Yester-
day for Alaska.
WILL HUNT THE POLAR BEAR.
The BIoods at Burlingame Are In
Mourning and whitehall Nc
Carly Is Sad.

Burlingame is in mourning, society is
distract, "White Hat" McCarty is in the
dumps. J. Talbot Clifton has hied him
hence, valet and dogs and all, for the snow
clad fields of Alaska, to return nobody
knows when.
1t is blow to the smart set, all the more
stunning in that it was totally unexpected.
AT $50 o'clock yesterday morning the
fishermen around the Broadway wharf and
the few passers-by who were democratic
enough to be out of bed at that hour saw a
sight. The steamer Umatilla was ready to
slip her moorings preparatory to gliding
out into the bay and the ocean for Alaska,
when the tall figure of J. Talbot Clifton
hove in sight. clothed in about as i'll fitting
a suit of tweeds as were ever turned out of
PooIe's. There were checks enough in it to
have made bankers fortune and splotches
of color sufficient to enhven the most
erotic novel. Be hind trotted the ever
faithful valet, canes and umbrellas in arm !;
the dogs of the Lord" in the leash follow
ing tamely after.
A moment later came whole wagon
load of luggage, and in very short time
all was on board-Clifton, the valet, the
dogs, the canes and the luggage. Lord"
Clifton was outward and northward bound.
Yes, indeed, "Lord" Clifton was bound
for Alaska, and none of the swell set, none
of the smart set-not even "White Hat"
McCarty-was on the pier to give him the
farewell shake or wave him bon voyage.
1t was hard on the Lord" after all the
dollars he had spent in Burlingame, that
the very few of his intimates who knew OF
l.. I'll n =, tntx
to see him off. Bad enough, and some of
the gloom of his thoughts was plainly VS.
ible on his face as he leaned sadly over the
rail and gazed at the waste of water below.
Gay and happy and fearless, with spirits
running as high as a schoolboy's, was }.
Talbot Clifton at Burlingame on the
Fourth. Astride his nervy pony, Lima
Beans, which he did not buy from White
Hat" he played polo with the Blues
against the Reds and lost. He was here,
there and everywhere on the field, making
fearful smashes at the little round ball,
kicking up lot of dirt and making any
quantity of slushes, but making never a
goal. But little did ]. Talbot care for that.
He cares as little for empty honors as some
of his friends do for empty bottles, and
was just as happy in defeat as he could
have been with victory tanning the iaurels
on his brow. He didn't make goal, it is
true, and he didn't break his neck or take
a cropper, which is stranger, but he had
the excitement.
Afterward, when the summary gowns Of
the beautiful women had faded from the
vicinity of the club, they all Joined in, the
reds and the blues, the admirers of Tobin
and the friends of Talbot, and they
cracked any number of large 'bots" and
had real swell time, and then Talbot
broke the news TO the few choice spirits
remaining. He was going to Alaska,
would take steamer in the morning and
sail for the land of the Bering seal and the
blooming polar bear.
1t would take something more con-
vincing than rumor to explain the absence
of the only "White Hat from the side of
his noble friend at the hour of parting
from the man to whom he had sold so
much remarkable horsef1esh at such re-
markable figures. He had sold him Lark
and Guadalupe and any number of other
good things-any number of them but
Lima Beans-and he could not desert him
when he was about to sail for the land of
the midnight sun. But he was not there,
and up till noon yesterday there was a
well-founded rumor in certain circles that
"White Hat" had given the Lord" the
cold shake.
AS the clock in the Palace grillroom in
Dictated II o'clock, however, this rumor
was dissipated in an instant, as if by
magic. Pale and downcast, pulled under
the eyes, the celebrated white chapeau
crushed down on the head, white Hat"
walked in. He looked neither to the right
nor to the left, but proceeded slowly
through to the bar. He took ore stiff eye
opener and sank into the first chair behind
the screen. There were only few present.
and McCarty said nothing, but every one
knew that he had tried desperately to catch
the boat and failed. He knew the "Lold'
had gone, and therefore he was sad.
Last night Mccarthy gave it out that
Clifton had sailed to the northward with
the avowed intention of hunting the polar
bear, and the polar bear alone. He had
promised to stay in Juneau, Alaska, till
one came down there to be killed and Nc
Carly was to look after his Roman-nose
steeds. incidentally, of course. the Lord"
might hunt seals. He was an old hand at
that business, McCarty said, having
toppled over any number of gold and
white and red seals, but never any Boring
seals This time he would try them.
And that is the reason why Burlingame
is sad and McCarty has Grape on his
noted high hat.