The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1914-08-14

! crank explained Jarvis: comes from
| Washington: something to do with the
government work."
"Kinder Ioony. l think" conjectured
a little, thin. piping man. MUSES.
and moves around like it,"
lis that so"!' said Sailor Smith. who
still had his eyes fixed on the scarited
neck. well l amt any too dunn sure
tibet he's az big a fool as some folks
| know tibet thinks likelier Of their
selves. He seen there was somethin'
queer about tibet rope. an he asst me
about the knots, right off,"
Possibly the II supporter of the
absent would have wavered in his 10y
atty had he seen the trove that Pro-
lessor Chester Kent had carried un-
ostentatiously from the beach. in his
pocket. after picking it from the graf
ing. 1t was the fuzzy cocoon Of a
small and quite unimportant insect.
The Washington scientist, seated on a
bOwlder opened up the cocoon with alb
sorbed interest. pricked it until the
impotent inmate wriggled in protest.
and then cast it aside to perish.
Between the roadway and the broad
front lawn of the Nook a four foot.
rough stone wall interposes. Looking,
up from his painting. Francis Sedg-
wick beheld in the glare of the after
noon sun Il spare figure rise alertly
upon the wall. descend to the road and
rise again. He stepped to the open
window and watched a curious prog
ress. A scrubby bearded nan clad in
serviceable khaki was performing a
stunt. with the wall as a basis. He
was walking from east to west quite
fast and every third pace stepping
upon the wall: stepping. Sedgwick
duly noted. not jumping. the change of
level being made without visible ef-
fort.
Leaning out of the window he called:
Hello. there!"
Good afternoon" said the stranger.
in a quiet. cultivated voice.
Would you mind telling me what
you are doing on my waltz"
Not in the least" replied the beard
ed man. rising buoyantly into full view
and subsiding again with the rhythm
Of"a wave
well what are you doingT"
Taking il little exercise"
BY this time. having reached the end
of the wall. he turned and came back.
making the step with his right leg in
stead of his left. Sedgwick hurried
downstairs and out into the roadway.
The stranger continued his perform
ance silently.
DO you do that often?" he asked
presently.
The gymnast paused. poised like a
Mercury on the high coping. Yes"
said he. otherwise l shouldn't be able
to do it at all. 1t is in pursuance of a
theory Of self defense
What in the world has wall hopping
to do with self defense:"
Il shall %eXpound." said the stranger
in professional tones. taking u seat by
the unusual method of letting himself
down ON one leg while holding the
other at right angles to his body. EDO
you know anything of jujutsuY
Very little"
I'm common with most Americans.
For that reason alone the japanese
system is highly effective here. not 50
effective in Japan. You perceive there
the basis OF my theory
NO; | don't perceive it at all"
"A system of defense is effective in
proportion to its unfamiliar That
is ALL"
Then your system consists in step
ping up OF a wall and diving into
obscurity on the farther side perhaps
suggested Sedgwick ironically.
Defense. | said, not escape. Is
cape is perhaps preferable to defense.
but not always so practicable. No;
the wall merely served as a temporary
gymnasium while | was waiting for
you" .s..
You have distinctly the advantage
Of me-" said Sedgwick, with 4 frown.
for; he was in no mood to welcome
strange visitors.
ITO return to my theory Of self de-
Tense" said the other imperturbably.
MY wall exercise serves to keep
timber and active certain muscles that
in the average man are half afro
phied." ...
He rose on n foot with an ease
that made the artist stare. descended.
selected from the roadway a stone OF
ordinary cobble size and handed it to
Sedgwick. j.
Let that lie on the palm Of your
hand" said he. land hold it out. waist
high"
AS he spoke he was standing two
feet from the other to his right. Sedg-
wick did as he was requested. As his
hand took position there was a twist
Of the bearded mans 1.-THE body. a
sharp click. and the stone. flying in a
rising curve. swished through the leaf
age Of q lilac fifty feet away
How do you do that?" cried the
artist.
The other showed a slight indenta-
ton on the inside of his right boot
heel and then swung his right foot
slowly and steadily up behind his left
knee and LET it laDSe into DOSitiOn