The Washington times., 1904-12-18

minutes allotted TO the cOnsum-
nation of your cigar while YOU
are choosing between diVeTing tTag-
edy and something serious in the way of
vaudeville. Suddenly "a hand IS laid upon
your arm. You turn TO look into the
thrilling eyes of a beautiful woman,
wonderful i'm diamonds and Russian
sables. She thrusts hurriedly into your
hand an extremely hot battered roll
flashes out "a tiny pair OF scissors, snips
eff the second button Of your oVercoat
meaningly calculates the one word.
'Parallelogram. and swiftly flies down
a cross street looking back feaTfully
over her shoulder
That would bc pure adventure Would
you accept a.? Not you. You would flush
with embarrassment; YOU would sheep
ishly drop the roll and continue down
Broadway fumbling feebly for the miss
ing button. This you would do unless
YOU are one of the blessed few in whom
The pure spirit OF adventure is not dead
Adventures Few.
True advenmrers have never been
plentiful They who are set down in print
as such have been mostly business men
with newly invented methods They
have been out after the things they
wanted golden heeces, holy grails, lady
loves, treasure crowns. and fame. The
true Adventures goes forth aimless ana
uncalculating TO meet and greet un-
known fate. a fine example was the
Prodigal Sou-when ne started back
home A modern and admirable one was
the ruffed Icarus who, when discovered
and pluclled by the heels from beneath
"a he'd in q consequential mansion into
which he had prowled. gave out 10 the
police. press and posterity as the sole
explanation of his exploit that he was
looking FOR the man with the griddle
cakes"
Observation-Disclosures and splendid
hsures-have been numerous. From the
Crusadcs 10 the Palisades they have en-
riched the arts of history and fiction
and the trade OF historical fiction. Bat
each of them had "a prize 10 win, a goal
10 kick. an axe Ia grind. race 10 run.
a new thrust ia tierce 10 deliver, a name
TO carve crow 10 pick-so they were
NOT followers of true adventure.
Twin Spirits Abroad.
In the big city the twin spirits Ro-
nance and Adventure are always
abroad seeking worthy wOoers. AS we
roam the streets they slyly peep at AS
and challenge us in twenty different
euises. Without knowing why. we look
up suddenly a see ia a window q face
that seems 10 belong 10 our gallery OF
Ultimate portraits; ia a sleeping thor
oughfare we hear "a cry OF agony and
fear coming from an empty and shu9
tered house: instead of AT our familiar
curb. a cab driver deposits as before
strange door, which one. with a smile
opens fOf us and bids us enter: "A slip
OF paper. written upon hutters down
10 our feet from the high lattices of
Chance; We exchange chances Of instans
taneous hate. affection. and fear with
hurrying strangers in the passing
crowds. sudden sense of rain-and our
umbrella may be sheltering the daugh-
ter OF the Full Moon and first cousin of
the Sidereal system; AT every corner
handkerchisfs drop. fingers beckon. eyes
besiege. and the lost the lonely, the
raptdrous, the mysterious, the perilOus.
changing clues OF adventure are slipped
into cur fingers. But few OF us are
willing 10 hold and follow them. We
are grown stin with The ramrOd Of con-
ventl0n down our backs. We pass on:
and some day we come. at the end OF
"a very du1 life. 10 reflect that our rO-
nance has been a pallid thing of a mar
riage or two satin rOsette kept in q
safe-depOslt drawer. ana a lifelong feud
with a steam radiator.
Rudolf Steiner Adventurer.
Rudolf Steiner was true adven-
rurer. Few We're the evenings on which
he did not go forth from his hall bed
chamber in search OF the unexpected
and the eEresious- The most interest
ing thing i'm life seemed 10 him 10 be
what might lie just around the next cor
uer. Sometimes his willingness 10 tempt
fate led him into strange paths. Twice
he had spent the night i'm station
house; again and again he had found
himself the dupe of ingenious and mer-
ceuary trIcksters; his watch and money
had been the price Of one nattering al
luTcmcnL But with undiminished ard0r
he picked up every glove cast before him
into The merry lists OF adventure.
one evening Rudolf was strollne along
"a crOss-t0wn street iu the older central
part of the city. Two streams of people
filled The sideWalks-the home-hurrying
and Jhat restless contingent that abau-
dons home for the spacious welcome Of
the thousand-eandle-power table dhote
A GoOdly Presence.
The youn~ adveuturer was OF pleasing
presence. ana moved sereneIy and
watchfully. By daylight hc was a sales
man ia "a PIANO store. lie wore his ;!a
drawn through "a topaz ring instead os
fastel,d with stick pin; and once he
had written 10 the editor OF a maya
zine that "Junie's Love Test" by Miss
I.ibbey had been the book that had
most influenced his life.
During his walk d violent chattering of
teeth iu a. glass case on the sidewalk
seemed al first 90 draw his attention
with Qualm) 20 restaurant before
which it was set: but second glance
revealed the electric letters OF a den
lists chair sign high above the next
door. 4 giant negro. fantasticany dress
"a in "a red embroidered coat yellow
trousers ana a military cap. discreetly
distributed cards TO those Of the passing
crowd who consented 10 take them.
This mode OF dentislic advertising was
common sight 90 Rudolf Usually he
passed the dispenser Of the dentist
cards without reducing his store: bur to-
night the African slipped one into his
hand so deftly that he retained IL there.
smiling a little al the successful feat.
"The Green Door"