The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1917-11-21
EDITORIAL
INFORMALITIES
By Eighty James.

Dy GAShty JohuSS.
A fish story every now and then
is good thing; it helps to whet
fellows imagination, and takes his
taxes. The Journal published one
yesterday morning. 1t was tele-
graphed all the way from an Atlantic
port, and by the Associated Press.
Never knew before, by the way, that
the Associated Press had sense OF
humor. The story was to the effect
that steamship commander built
smudge fire on the hatch of his
ship, and when a submarine made Its
appearance told the captain of the
undersea boat that he had explosives
aboard and was expecting an explo-
sion any moment And the German
believed him. 1t may be according to
Hoyle for submarine commanders to
pass the time of day with the cap
tains of their prospective victims. but
it is a sort of informality that is
! probably frowned on by the best fam
| lilies.
This sugar shortage is serious
proposition. Sugar is a nerve food,
(which means that it is so readily con-
verified into energy that it is high
|
was endeavoring to swim the English
channel, his trainers fed him sugar
and olive oil. When your nerves are
tagged, sugar will trim the ship as
practically no other food will do.
And, Agnes, dear, we are nervous
people.
| Without meaning any disrespect
whatever, that was a genuine Belasco
murder up at Belts All thu details
were there for a stage setting. ac-
cord to the reports. A train stood
on the siding, waiting. Two men
were quarrelling on the platform in
plain sight of the passengers. Sud-
denly one of the men hit the Other
one; IN the ensuing furry, the first
assailant snatches the pistol from the
holster of the second, and hits him
over the head with it. The man falls,
lies unconscious, then slowly rises,
starts to run. There is a report, he
falls at the threshold of the. station
door. Now, what does the assaiIant
do? Run? Not on your life. He
goes up to the man who has fallen
and is bleeding profusely, and says
Are you hurt?" ''Yes," wa. the re-
ply. II am dying; you have killed
me-" Then the man who fired the
shots does the thing that illustrates
the queer way the mind works in an
emergency; he goes into the station
and takes big, bulky catalogue and
comes out and tenderly raises the
head of TIE dying man, and places the
catalogue under it. That is the toucl
that strikes the heart, and it is just
such touches that lend reality to the
plays upon the stage. When mar
shoots another one and rum awav
that's commonplace; but he VINO stop.
to place pillow beneath the mead O.
the dying man, he's an actor.
We don't blame Mr.. Tracy for get
ting lost on the river in q fog.
log IS more than curtain of mist
1T is picture making, mirage maxim,
deceptive combination of air and wa
ter that has gotten many man.
goat. The story is told of a Confed
crate man O war coming slowly int
the mouth of the Rappahannock rive
in fog. Suddenly there loomed u
ahead fleet of Federal eunboats
The air was calm; there was no pos
slble escape for the lone Con>ederat
hunter, so she cleared decks for &C
ton. Meantime, she dirfted down O
the enemy fleet with the tice. Sud
denly one of the crew on the Iookou
Tor ard called out-''Them amt CUR
boats; them's water witches" An
they were. And il you don't believ
that yarn, you've never been in
really truly forg