The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1916-12-15
Would SELL WOODEN
PEDAL TO THE Queen
YANKEE SALESMAN THOUGHT
SHE WAS NURSE GIRL
Danced On His Pins lust To Show Royal
Lady of Italy How EASILY 1t Could Be
Done; Gave the Grizzly Bear" and
Other Up-to-Date Figures of the Ball
Room; His Nerve
JOHN n. HEARLEY.

Rome, November 15.-[By Mall j
How an American salesman tried to
sell a wooden leg to the queen of Italy
under the impression that she was
Red Cross nurse was told here today
for the first time
C. c.. Swain, breezy drummer for
an artificial limb maker of Washing
ton, d. c., had been doing his best to
place an order with the hospital COM
mittee representing the Italian gov
eminent. Just as he was on the verge
of giving up the gentlemen as bad
prospects in came a most charming
black eyed nurse and Charlie, taking
heart, started all over again for her
benefit
Could Spin on His Pins.
tits all question of getting used
to it, said Swain. See, l can spin
around on mine like top!" For
SWANS best example was his own
left leg.
The Red Cross nurse was intensely
interested.
Swain unwound every inch of his
line of talk Over the mysterious
frowns and restlessnesS of the COM
mitteemen he gave her much unsOli
cited information. He told her of his
climb to the skyscraping dome of st.
Peters. If she didn't believe it, she
could ask the guide who had seen the
performance and had received his
card
Danced "GrizzIy Bear"
Afterward, he caught up chair and
danced the ''grizzly BEAR" gliding
gradually into hesitation" He end
ed his dancing spree with bit OF
| tango" Apparently amazed and
amused at his stunts, the black-eyed
nurse made her thanks and disap-
peared.
The American salesman, thereupon,
turned again to the committee. He
met laundering storm of wrath.
Fool! Fool" roared chorus of
voices, didn't you know that was Her
Majesty, Elona, Queen Of Italy!''
"Holy Smoke!" sighed Swain. ITO
think that had a golden opportunity
and used it like nickel plated one!"
During the siege of Alexandria by
julius Caeser, the famous AleXandian
library, which contained 100000 man
uscript books, was destroyed. These
were lost forever, the works of
many ancient authors, or in those
times the art of printing was I'M
known, and books were all in writ
ing.
history left nothing but wreck, ruin
The most disastrous fire of ancient
history left nothing but wreck, ruin
and humiliation. Before the days of
fire insurance. there was no incen-
tive for reconstruction.
A striking contrast between bust
ness methods of the ancient and the
modern world is the fact that now
fire usually means only temporary in
convenience and not total per-
manent devastation. Like the tabled
Phoenix, ashes are transformed into
beauty.
The great Chicago fire-the most
stupendous conflagration of recent
years, is nought but history now.
Chicago grows and fourishes. Gigan-
TIC business DlOChS OVeTIOp ASHES anu
debris.
The horror of the catastrophe of
the earthquake in San Francisco and
the fire imediately following, over
whelmed the civilized world. Today
we have San Francisco transcendent
in architecture and beauty.
One year ago the Mankato Com
mercial building burned, utterly wip-
out the largest institute for
commercial training west of the
Mississippi
Today a handsome, modern fire.
proof edifice stands on the site of last
December's conflagration.
This modern new structure as it
now stands is an excellent illustration
of the good business methods of
Messrs. Brandrup and Nettleton in
having fortified themselves with good
insurance, which enabled them to
erect such splendid building, cred
it to themselves, boon to students
in the whole northwest, and an in
stitution of which all Mankato is
proud.