Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-10-19
IHEAPD\


| his birch canoe from fishing headquarters
on Sycamore Island. BY the time the
shades of night were being drawn he had
accumulated about a dozen specimens of
| the finny tribe. They didn't amount to
| much. it IS true, and the fisherman failed
| to account it worth while to burden him.
self with his large carrying bucket. Still,
there were enough of the fishes to make a
| taste for supper. and so the angler placed
| them in double-strength paper sack and
started for the city On the way down to
Georgetown a rain which had been threat
ening all afternoon finally descended. De-
| spite the efforts of the fisherman to keep
the wetness from his precious bundle by the
aid of an umbrella, the bag became satu-
rated and was fast losing its stability.
Reaching Georgetown at last, the local
angler seated himself in a closed motor car
and, forgetting his surroundings entirely,
began to think only of home and supper.
Suddenly there~swas a splutter. Then a
| loud laugh and rustling. The noise woke
the fisherman from his reverie and looking
about him, he discovered that the wet bag
had broken through and his fishes were
| skipping all over the fioor. Ladies in the
car were lifting their skirts and men were
shying with their feet. In falling the fish
sler was In quandary. What to do, what
| to do?
Naturally a. difhdent man, his discomfort
ment was decidedly painful. With mighty
effort he @puiledS=himself together, how
ever, and amid the wild laughter of his
fellow-passengers he~begansto gather up his
eaten one by one, carefully depositing each
within the deep recesses Of his closed UNI
blella.
Il worked six hours for these" he ex-
planned. as he pursued the elusive, slippery
customers about the floor, land I'm not
going to lose them in six seconds
*
Many people are looking forward with
interest to suggestions that may be made
for improvements of methods in the navy
to avoid in the future some of the diff
culties that have been experienced in the
past 1t swell known at~the patent office
that every public calamity, every great
railroad accident and every event directing
the attention Of The people at large to any
need for safety appliance or improved
method of doing any particular work is
closely followed by applications for patents
to fill such needs. Among the great needs
of the navy that have been clearly demon
strated by the Schley court of inquiry is
some easier method of coaling ships at SEA
from golfers, especially when the sea is
rough. If any ingenious individual should
be able to devise some method that would
accomplish this result easier than IL is now
accomplished he would do as much to i'm
prove the efficiency of fleet of battle ships
as II he were to devise an improvement in
the making of armor or invent more CT
hclent gun than Is now known. Ships
without coal are the nightmare of every
commanding officer, and the grea test care
is always taken to keep bunkers well sup
piled with fuel. Without coal battle ship
is like bird without wings or ship with
out sails. Another need is for some plan
to insure the more complete responsibility
OF officers in the delivery of dispatches
and one that would not allow any message
70 De lost without clearly placing the blame
LOT the neglect on some one. 1t Is thought
no dirnr ~ -
lowed by some movement for improving
methods in force in the. navy.
X %Ss X
nave just had professional experience
which leads to a new interest in the prob
lem of mind over matter" said a promi-
nent local jeweler to a Star reporter yes
terday. "A young lady came into my store
a short time ago with many evidences of
distress on her face. She, however, was
dressed richly and bore no evidences of pow
erty. Asking to see me personally, she was
conducted into the office. She produced
what she explained was an opal bracelet,
and asked me to dispose of it for her. She
said the bracelet had been given to her for
a birthday present last October; that the
giver had explained that .opals were lucky
stones for persons born in that month.
Nevertheless, she had always possessed a
horror of wearing opals, and the beautiful
stones. which shimmered in the light,
seemed to. be constantly on her mind as
she wore them. Her misfortunes began at
once. She quarre1ed with a cherished
friend. burned hole in her best frock, lost
a set out of a diamond ring and had two
short stories refused by magazines. At
| this juncture she took off the bracelet and
/ tucked 1t away in her bureau drawer, and
/ soon after this the house caught fire and
i was in imminent danger of burning down.
| 1t was Just after this catastrophe that she
| brought the bracelet to me.
| After hearing her story took the fatal
bracelet and put the stones under glass
| for examination. They were not opals at
| all. but very clever imitation. They were
made by a composition process, and this
| explained to my perturbed customer. She
| was intelligent enough to take in the situa-
| ton Immediately and took her bracelet
! home. She came in my store yesterday
| with 1t on her wrist, and smilingly informed
| me that her bad luck had ceased