The Washington times., 1904-11-27
T THE hazard OF wearying you
this tale of vehement emotions
1 must be prefaced by a discourse


n must be prefaced by discourse
on geometry.
Nature moves in circles; Art in
straight lines. The natural is rounded;
the artificial is made up Of angles A
man lost in the snow wanders, in spite
Of himself in perfect circles; the city
mans feet denaturalized by rectangular
streets and floors carry him ever away
from himself
The round eyes Of childhood typify in
nocence; the narrowed line OF the fiirt's
optic proves the invasion OF art. The
horizontal mouth is the mark of deter
mined cunning; who has not read Ma
lures most spontaneous lyric in lips
rounded for the candid kiss?
Beauty is Nature in perfection; and
eIrcularity IS its chief attribute. Be
hold the ful' moon. the enchanting golf
ball, the dornes Of splendid temples, the
huekleberry pie. the wedding ring. the
circus ring the ring for the waiter and
the round Of drinks
or the other hand, straight lines show
that Nature has been detected. Imag-
int Venus girdle transformed into
straight rront"'
When We begin 10 move in straight
lines and turn sharp corners our natures
begin 10 change. The consequence is
that Nature. being more adaptive than
Art. tries TO conform TO its sterner regu-
lstions. The result is often rather Gu
rious Droduct-for instance; \ prize
chrysanthemum. wood alcohol whisky, a
Republican Missouri, caulihower an
gratin and a New Yorker.
Nature is lost quickest in big city.
The cause IS geometrical, not normal
The straight lines of It's streets ana
architecture the rectangulartty OF Its
laws and social customs, the unde-
waiting pavements. the hard. severe. de-
messing, uncompromising rules or All
IT'S ways-eveu Of its recreatiOns ana
sports-coidly exhibit a sneering den
ance of the curved line OF Nature.
wherefore. il may be said that the big
CITY has demonstrated the problem of
souaring the circle. And IL may be
added that this mathematical introduc-
ton precedes an account of the fate OF
a Kentucky feud that was imported 20
the city that has a habit Of making its
importations conform 20 its angles
The feud began in the Cumberland
Mountains between the Folwen and the
Hardness families. The tTst victim OF
the homespun vendetta was a 'possum
dog belonging 10 BIZ Hardness. The
Hardness family evened up this dire
loss by laying out the chief pf he Fol
well clan. The FolWens were protup.
al repartee. They oiled up their SPUR
Tel rifles and made il feasible for Bill
Harknoss 20 follow his dog TO land
where the 'possums come down when
freed without stroke OF an AK.
The feud fiOurished for forty years.
harnesses were shot al the pillow,
through their lamp-lit cabin Window.
coming from camp meeting, asleep. I'm
duello. sober and otherwise, singiy and
I'm family groups, prepared and unpre-
pared. Folwells had the branches ot
their family tree Topped or i'm similar
ways. as tae traditions Of their country
prescribed and authorized.
By and BY the pruning Jeff but sim
gle member OF each family. And then
cal Harkness, probably reasoning THAI
further pursuance of the controversy
would give "a too decided personal fiavol
10 the feud suddenly disappeared from
the relieved Cumberlands baking the
avenglng hand OF sam. the ultimate OPP
posing Folwel
A year afteFWsrd sam FolWeu learned
that his hereditary. unsurpassed enemy
vas living in the city Of New York
sam turned over the big iron Washpot
IN the yard scraped or some OF the
SCOT. which he mixed with lard, and
shined his boots with the compound
He put on his store clothes OF butternut
dyed black. a white shirt and collar.
and packed carpet-sack with Spartan
lingerie. lie took his squirrel rife from
its hooks, but put it back again with q
sigh. However ethical and plausible
the habit might be IA the Cumberlauds
perhaps New York would not swallow
his pose Of hunting squirrels among the
skycraperg along Broadway. An
ancient. bat reliable Colts revolver that
ne resurrected from a bureau drawer
seemed TO proclaim itself tile pink Of
weapons Tor metropolitan adventure
and vengeance This and hunting
knife in a leather sheath Sam packed
IN the carpet-sack. AS he started. mule
back. for the lowland railroad station
the last FolWen turned In his saddle ans
looked grlmly Al the little cluster VI