Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1914-11-28

government work"
"Kinder lOony, | think" conjectured
a little, thin, piping man. "Musses
and moves around like it.
"Is that sor' said Sailor Smith, who
still had his eyes fixed on the scarified
neck. "Well, | amt any too dun sure
thet he's as big fool as some folks
know thet thinks llkelier Of their
selves. He seen there was somethin'
queer about thet rope, an he asst me
about the knots, right off,"
Possibly the one supporter Of the
absent would have wavered in his 10y
atty had he seen the troye that Pro
fessor 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
small and quite unimportant insect.
The Washington scientist, seated on
bowder opened up the cocoon with alb
sorbed interest, rricked 1t until the
lmpotent inmate wriggled in protest,
and then cast 1t aside to perish.
Between the roadway and the broad
front lawn of the Nook four foot,
rough stone wall interposes. Looking
up from his painting, Francis Sedg-
wick beheld in the glare Of the after
noon sun spare figure rise alertly
upon the wall, descend to the road and
rise again. He stepped to the open
window and watched curious prog
ress. A scrubby bearded man clad in
servlceable 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:
"HelIo, therev
Good afternoon" said the stranger,
in quiet, cultivated voice.
"WOuId you mind telling me what
you are doing on my wall?"
mot In the least" replied the beard.
ed man, rising buoyantly into full view
and subsldlng again with the rhythm
Of wave.
well, what are you dolng"
"Taklng 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 shouldn't be able
to do it at all, 1t Is In pursuance OF u
theory OF self defense"
What in the world has wall hopping
to do with self defense|
81 shall expound," said the stranger
in professional tones, taking a seat by
the unusual method Of letting himself
down on one leg while holding the
other at right angles to bis body, "Do
you know anything Of juJutsu?"
VERY little"
"ln common with most Americans.
For that reason alone the Japanese
system Is highly effective here not so
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 unfamilunty. That
| Is ull."
"'rhen your system consists In step
ping up on wall and diving into
obscurity on the farther side perhaps" 1"
suggested sedgwick ironically.
Defense | suld, not escape. Es.
cape Is perhaps preferable to defense,
but not always so practicable. Mo-
the wall merely served as temporary
gymnasium while | was waiting for
you"
you have distinctly the advantage
Of me-" said Sedgwick, with frown,
for he was In no mood to welcome
strange visitors,
40 return to my theory Of self de.
fensc," said the other lmperturbably.
MY wall exercise serves to keep
timber and active certain muscles that
In the average man are half afro.
phied"
He rose on one foot with an ease
that made the artist stare descended,
selected from the roadway stone OF
ordinary cobble size and handed 1t to
Scdgwick,
Let that lie on the palm OF your
hand" said he, "und hold It out, wniSt
high"
As he spoke he was standing two
feet from the other TO his right. Sedg
wick did ~ he wns requested As his
hand took position there was a twist
Of the bearded mans 1.-the body, a
sharp click, aud the stone, dying In a
rising curve, swlshed through the leaf
axe Of a linc ffty feet away,
"lIow do you DO thnt?" cried the
artist.
The other showed a slight lndenta
ton on the inside OF his right boot
heel and then swung his right foot
slowly aud steadily up behind his left
knee and let II lapse into position
again AT shoulder height" he ex
planed ~ could hnyc done the
same, but It would have broken your
hand"
81 see" sold the other adding witt