The Topeka state journal., 1919-12-20
ON SECOND THOUGHT
BY JAY E. HOUSE.
(From Philadelphia Public Ledger.l

"My brother deserted his wife a =
year ago. writes an Ohio man. "He
does not want to live with her. lie
has been going with other women. She
does not know his whereabouts. He
owes her parents several months
board. She has threatened to have
circulars printed with his picture on
and send them broadcast asking his
arrest for inhuman desertson and fail
ure to pay board What would you
adviser"
We do not pretend that such ad-
vice we may extend in the premises
1 is authoritative, expert OF legal in its
nature. But such as it is, It is that
the recreant husband dig in a little
deeper and let we'll enough alone.
1t is pointed out by his publishers
that Ray Stannard Baker began writ
| ing his book about What Wilson Did
at Paris in the middle of October and
turned in the complete manuscript on
November 4. Having. so to speak. no
Acquaintance with the literati we do
not know whether Mr. Bakers per-
| formapce is regarded as notable o.
| otherwise. And so its only effect on
us was to recall the story they used
to tell on 'Bill" Hackney.
What was the story? Thank you!
We had hoped you'd insist that we
tell it.
When the boom came to his small
town In the Middle West the Hon. Will
Lam Pr Hackney. more Familiarity
known as BILL" found himself seized
and possessed of a plot of ground
which had. been his fee in a certain
lawsuit in which he had engaged.
Money was easy and the town was
spreading rapidly over the adjoining
Iprairies. The result was that the Hon.
Mr.. Hackney took what money he had
in hand and much additional as
could be raised by first and second
MORTGAGES and caused to be erected on
his plot of ground a magnificent bust
ness block. On the facade of the
building he had cut in large. strident.
ldeep-voiced letters the initials, "W.
p. H"
In time the boom receded. The
town flowed back into its naturs
channels and the Hon. Mr.. Hackncy's
building was left stranded high and
dry beside the banks of extingu shed
hope. Its tenants followed the trick
ling stream OF humanity back to town.
The mortgage took it, and for ten years
or SO it stood idle. tenantless apd hol-
low-eyed the home of Bats and creep
ing things. One day the Hon. Mr..
tive and ruminant mood before the
building. BILL" asked the crony as
he contemplated the neglected struc-
ture with critical eye, what do them
letters up there stand for?" Them
letters" "Bill'' replied, as he shifted
Ibis battle axe from one jaw to the
other. them letters stand for William
Played Hell"
1t is a curious thing that the an
| nouncement iof Mr.. Bakers forthcom-
ing volume should have recalled the
story on bill" Hackney, but it did
We hesitate to speak the brusque
[ and snappy word or raise the phrase =
illogical bludgeon,. but the New Yor'z
tice of his favorite actress into the
; column might as well desist. There's
nothing doing.
In the first place. we go on to sny.
r space in the column cannot be pur-
chased with d photograph of the love
~ lady. Pictures of actresses are Tot
I legl tender at this desk. We have a
truskflh of them at home. Rather. we
should have q trunkful of them
= hofae IL we had home and could
, get the trunk out of the storage ware
house In the second place. notice
in this column is not worth the trou-
BILE the r. A is putting forth to get it.
Not that we are trying to convo v
: the impression that ell actresses pa :
, IN photographs. Far from it We
wrote a piece about On actress once
and she was so grateful she permitted
US to listen to her while she talked
about her manager for period of
thirty-five minutes.
And. when it comes to tha:, we've
attended performances that were
much less interesting.
| We acknowledge the receipt of desfS
blotters from three different sources.
Tt seems useless TO pay further atten-
ton to the canard to the effect that
nobody reads the column.
An editorial colleague wants TO
know whether Mr.. Hoover is a Repub-
, ican or a Democrat. We haven't an
, idea. but we've heard Democrats
, charge him with being a Republican.
, and We know plenty of Republicans
who claim he is 4, Democrat.
! T.i44fo DonnXS