South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1915-04-14
Seeing America
First
BY Fred Kelly.

About the cuteSt things at the san
Diego exposition are the little wicker
electric chairs that run by means Of
batteries. They are a cross between a
wheel chair and an electric runabout
When YOU throw one of these into the
nigh II viii make about four miles an
hour and YOU can travel madly about
the grounds seeking what you will
one AFTERNOON l had real adven-
ture in one of these machines. l was
driving across a big, open plaza where
pigeons gathered to be fed One
pigeon was strutting leisurely along
few yards ahead of me and L
honked TO it, for L am not reckless
chauffeur and had no desire to MAIN
or cripple a pigeon pedestrian. The
bird waited until l was almost upon
II and then stepped nOnchalantly to
one side without giving me SO much
as glance. Then it appeared that we
were both going in the same direction.
We travelled along side by side, the
pigeon afOOt and L in my fine wicker
car. Neck and neck we were and
neither seemed able to gain on the
other. This soon got on my nerves.
Nothing can be more humiliatlng
than to pay 81 an hour for a convey
ance and then not be able to pass
pigeon. Before l realized what was up
we We're having a race. l had no de-
sire to do any speeding or enter into
a race with anybody, but / saw a
number of bystanders looking on and
il was impossible to ignore the
pigeons impudent challenge.
1t was up TO me to defend my honor.
/ was determined not to let that
pigeon pass me, and yet that was
just what it seemed about to do,
for my batteries were weak, and it
was beginning to gain. ] jOckeyed 1t
a bit. but still it seemed to be forging
ahead. I was making a brave try
under great odds, and the crowd
seemed to be with me as the under
dog, but that was not enough. / pant
bit of strategy. | knew that unless l
could Outgeneral my contestant all
was lost. BY turning my machine and
changing our course q bit, / headed
toward a stretch of down grade in the
big open space we were crossing.
knew this down grade would help me
more than it would the pigeon. 1t
may not have been quite according to
race rules to shift ones course, but
the pigeon fOOlishly made the turn,
giving me the pole, and my machine
began to gather momentum. Soon
we were going fully four and a half
miles an hour.
I brought up at a curb had per-
sonally selected for our goal nearly
NAN Il leuSlil dltdu VI NIt pl6tOiA-
I had won the race / had shown that
pigeon up. The next time a pigeon
tries to start anything with me 1T
had better know just what it is about
Oranges are about as expensive in
California, unless you know where TO
buy them, as anywhere else. This
seemed illogical to one tourist / met
here, Mr.. Gittins from Niagara Falls,
CittfnC hammered m
place where he could buy couple OF
dozen excellent oranges for "a quarter.
He bought a quarters worth The
next day he had to take a train TO
another point, and he crowded his or
anges into a grip, rather than see
them go to waste. An adult train boy
came along selling oranges at five
cents each.
Aren't those rather high. right here
in the orange country" asked Gittins.
"Oh. no." the boy told him, OR
ranges cost just as much here as any
place. They are good ones. They
cost better than 80 cents dozen
wholesale"
81 should think you could buy them
cheaper than that" remarked Git
tins "I'll bet you could get 'em for
20 cents a dozen"
I'D take all I could get at that
price" declared the boy.
"AIl right" replied Gtitins. I'll sell !
you mine" And he opened up his
grip.
But the boy failed TO buy
At the government aviation field IN /
San Diego, the other day. Glenn Mar |
tin. the aviator and aerOplane build
er, told me a funny thing about wom- /
en- folks as airship passengers. lie /
SAYS he would much rather fly with a
woman passenger than a man. n
woman does her Mysteries, If she does
it at all, before climbing into the ma
chine. Having once made up her
mind TO take a fight-having once
placed that much confidence IN the
machine and the driver. her trust is
ike that of a little child. With
man il is different After he is up in
the air a thousand feet or so he gets
TO wondering if he wouldn't be better
Of back on the ground He says TO
himself: II don't know about this
-ow" and then turns to ask the
driver if everything is all right.
THE only passengers I ever had
who showed nervousness while in the
air" SAYS Martin. were not women"