Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1912-03-28

sensitive conscience? Then he ex-
planned at great length tina the Gus
toms of England die not permit him
to take back the halt crowns. but that
he would consent to wager double or
quits until the British lion had won.
MIR. Childs agreed TO this. under pro
test. and Dickens gave us AN auda-
cious wink, which meant. put five
shillings on his conscience"
Young Charles tried his best to lose
the anne but the balls sympathized
with Mr.. Childs and the British lion
was victorious. When MIR. Childs. re
lleNed of his gambling gains. a re-
tired smilingly, Dickens asked, us 1t
possible? Have 1 been dreaming? And
yet he is Il great man. He has done
Wonderful things"
Portraits Unlike Him.
None of the portraits published re-
sembled Dickens at the prime of life
and the height of his fame. He looked
alertness and vigor that suggested
"heaNe ahead, my hearties,' This sug-
gestlon was heightened by his ruddy.
w~eatherbeaten face, his grizzled, foam
fiecked hair and beard. and his keen.
calm serious eyes that seemed to re
a brother. Frederick Dickens, who
looked so like him that 1 had often
thought they We're twins-the same
sallor-like face and manner, the same
talent as an amateur actor, but with
no literary ability. 1t was curious to
study the two brothers. exactly alike,
but one lacking the inspiration of ge-
MUS. as If nature had created dupli-
Gates and then decided to endow
Charles, instead of Frederick.
The world knows Dickens as a
writer. but as an oral s%toryteller he
was even more marvellous. He old
stories allnos as constantly as Lincoln
or Scheherezade, but they had a mys-
FERROUS popularity. Rememberthem-
repeat them word for woodland they
had lost their magic. For example.
when We were IA small family party at
Gad's Hill, we would coax Dickens to
tell us the story of the Woman with
the Rec Shawl" He had dreamed of
a who Wore "A red shawl, and
at night. going HON after his lecture,
he had met the identical woman, wear
ing the same red shawl as i'm his drealn.
There was nothing Very remarkable
in such an incident; but, as Dickens
told it, the story Interested. amused
and thrilled us. though we had beard
it over and over again.
He talked With such a quaint pre-
cision, such an undertone of fun. wit
and satire, that it seemed as te he
might have saved himself many weary
~ has lONCl w a I u
nOgrapher.
Across the road, but within the
manor of Gad's Hill and under the
jurisdiction of Dickens as landlord and
as justice of the peace, was a country
tavern, originally called 'Th Jolly
Pillow Boy but rechristened Sir John
Falstaff's Inn" One night there was a
disturbance i'm the tavern and we went
over in a body, Dickens leading. to
investigate it. Among Il party of rough
fellows was a man with blood stream
ing down his face II he said that the
landlord had struck him with q pewter
pot.
'Did you strike this man" asked
Dickens sternly.
Veil, sir" replied the landlord.
"vether Hi it that MOI on the ed With
a pewter pot hit his not for the like
on my mind is that Hi did not"
We'll. sir retorted Dickens judicial
~. whether you hit that man on the
head with a pewter pot it is not for me
to say; but the impression on his head
is that you did"
Edwin brood.
Dickens left no memoranda from
which the plot of his uncompleted nov
ell, The Mystery of Edwin Brood
could be discovered. But, before writ
ing this novel he told me of a plot
which he was considering. Pointing to
a building ON the bank of the Thames
he said: That is our poor house. A
Well to do overseer put his father into
that house under an assumed name.
The MAJ revealed his identity to the
board of managers and they sent him
back to his son. whom they threat
ened to prosecute for fraud. Angry.
mean and alarmed, the overseer put the
father into a buggy and drove into the
river. here at this spot. His intention
evidently was to drown his father and
pretend there had beer an accident.
But the father chung to him and both
were drowned. The overseer had taken
out insurance policies upon his own
life and that of his father and distant
relatives applied for the money. The
insurance companies refused to pay.
Litigation ensued and the court de-
clded that the policy upon the father
was void. because he had beer DELHI
erately murdered, but the policy upon
the son must be paid, because he had
not intended to commit suicide.
There are hundreds of such heady
made plots in British Jurisprudence"
Epidemic Cerebrospinal Meninoitis.
IN. appearance of c~erebrospinal men
nights in serious epidemic form in Tex
as and ~sporadically in numerous places
in other states has intensified interest
in this dangerous disease. In the las.
Issue of the public health reports is a
timely paper by DIR. w. H. Frost which
covers the history as we'll as our pres
ent knowledge of this disease. Through
the studies of recent years four vital
points concerning this disease have
been practically settled. namely. the
identification OF the causative organ
ism, the diagnosis by examination of
the spinal fluid. its effective Treatment
by the antimeningitis serum and the To-
cation of the infective agent In fine