The San Francisco call., 1905-01-30

is that one sister married Sir William
Graham Of Gartmore and another a
Barclay -Allardice. Whatever may be
the ultimate decision as to the matri-
monial alliances of these two sisters,
Cu1ningh hame- Graham makes a still
stronger claim to the title as heir male
in right of descent from Sir John Gra-
ham of Killbryde, second son of the
first Earl of Menteith. The Grahams
had a checkered career One died tn
sane and another greatly impoverished
and known as the 'Beggar Earl died
| in ditch at Bonhill and was buried
by charitable folk. The case will mean
much raking up of musty records and
| rich pickings for peerage lawyers
Cunninghame-Graha is one of the
most picturesque and interesting per-
sonalities in the United Kingdom. He
is handsome, alert, distinguished
looking man, with crisp outstanding
gray hair and vandyke beard.
Though during the last six years that
he sat in Parliament he was one of
the most scholarly members who ever
enlivened the dreary atmosphere of
the House of Commons, he glories
more in having been hailed as "com-
rade" in the stormy days of his social
istic youth by blacksmiths miners
and artisans than in all the heritage
of learning and pure Scots blood
which has come down to him from
the days of his royal ancestor.
OUT OF PARLIAMENT.
He dropped out of Parliament in
1892. To one so fond of activity and
adventure life there seemed dull and
tedious ands most of its oratory gas
eous and ineffective. Also he found
it expensive. He was the most vic
timized man in the Commons. He
n.fe l.
Shoals of people of extreme opinions
who had had the misfortune to lose
their jobs or their purses or had
other reasons for desiring small tenn
porary loans sought him out at st.
Stephens and few of them went away
empty handed.
Deeply did they deplore his depar-
ture from the halls of legislation for
the wild regions of the earth where
applicants for "backsheesh" are less
numerous and persistent. But liter
ature has been great gamer there
by His books of travel and adventure
are most delightful reading and their
style is classic
He is a throw back" From some
remote ancestor who f1ourished long
prior to the days of Bruce has come
down TO him strong dislike for the
humdrum monotony of civilization. A
short spell of it suffices to start him
wandering again. He has been almost
everywhere, and in perils oft, but has
always contrived to escape. In Mo-
rocco, for wanting to know too much,
he was once imprisoned in one of the
castles of the wild tribesmen, but by
the aid of friends in Tangier he con-
triveo to give them the slip. He has
ridden through miles of prairie in
South America during an Indian raid,
when at every other farm the own
er's mangled body lay at the door.
He has spent fortnight below
matches on tramp steamer whose
cargo had shifted, with nothing to do
except read the "FaerY Queen" and
listen to the Ananias-like yarns of the
chief engineer or watch the captains
face when that worthy came below.
looking, in Cunninghame-Grah
graphic phrase, like Lots wife when
she cast her last wistful glance at
Sodom.'
LITERARY WIFE.
For several years he kept q ranch in
South America and there learned to
throw the bolas and the lasso like
guacho. At 81 years Of age the buccaneer
authors life of adventure has left him
singularly young in heart, body and
mind He has got vastly more out Of