davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star., 1921-03-13

Bolton. So 1 am sending to you now
all that 1 have which Is worth send
ing. And that is-El kut. ! have
called 1t The Purple Bubble. How 1t
came to be mine is too long story,
but for nine years ii has been in my
possession. This much however, you
should know. Many generations ago
FL Kut was owned by Sheik Ilderim,
who ruled over more desert tribes in
Arabia than any other man OF his
day. He ruled wisely and well. and
the secret Of his wisdom and strength
was FL Kut. You will find 1t in the
box OF wild ass skin. Whether or
not it will be of use to you depends
wholly on the development of your
psychic sense. Being the sevent
Sally you should be a psychic. Per-
haps you are not aware that you are
one, or il may be that environment
has dulled your spirit. You will know
when the time comes to make the
test. But beware, Do not call on
FL Kut until you are old enough and
wise enough to use his power. The
method is simple. Cover your head
with the green veil in which Ell Kut
is wrapped. then look with fear and
reverence into The Purple Bubble. FL
Kut will reveal to you the secret
thoughts of any person you may call
TO mind. II this be a gift or a curse
do not know. To me il has been
Well. that does not matter. I am an
old man, and weary. But guard FL
kut as you would a rare jewel. See
that 1t goes wherever you 60. And
Evening star., 1921-03-13

1t was nothing more than a package
which came by express"
Not a bomb. l hope"'' says Mr..
Robert.
'T trust not" says she. 81 hadn't
thought of that. You see, 1 haven't
opened it as yet"
What remarkable self-restraint"
says Garry. Why haven't you, may l
ask"
Il didn't dare" says Sally. "And
now 1 suppose ! must tell you some
thing about it. Well. then, this was
1 presume you would call it an ante
mortem legacy. Anyway, it was sent
by my Uncle Cyrus, who is still liv-
ing. At least, he was when he sent
the package. And I may as well con-
fesS that he is an eccentric old man.
Always has been. / hadn't heard
knew of him he had gone out to
California to join a colony Of theo-
sophists."
"oh, yes" breaks in Garry AT
Point Loma%'
That was the place. 1 believe" :"
money with him. which was a bitter
blow to my family. I have heard
them discuss it. They were much
disappointed. And that is one reason
why came .to-New York. and tried
to- be an: actress.
THANK YOU" says Sally. But !
didn't mean to go into all that. I Had
almost forgotten that / had an Uncle
Cyrus, when this mysterious box ar
rived-and the letter. Perhaps you
win understand better il 1 read it.
May To-
- The ayes seemed to be unanimous.
so Miss Bolton fishes this square.
purple lined envelope out of her mesh
bag. There is neither date nor plac CO
indicated" says she, but it is post
marked from Cody, Wyo. And here
is what il says:
"'Ny Dear Niece: I am leaving man
and the haunts of man-forever. ! am
going up into the mountains to be
aIone-until the deliverance. As you
know. / am the seventh Cyrus. and
! the last. You are the seventh. Sally
Evening star., 1921-03-13

ton, who had been expected to be the
life of the party. She just sits there
quiet and dreamy-eyed. Finally
Garry, in that penetratin' drawl of
his. calls attention to the fact.
please, won't some one bring Sally
Bolton out of her trance" says he.
Really, I've talked myself hoarse.
and all to no effect"
No wonder. then" says Mr.. Rob
<rt You would put the spell of
silence on any one. Garry. Shall
have him gagged Miss Bolton"
Then she shrugs her stunnin'
shoulders and puts over that fasci-
natin' smile of hers. I'm sorry il I
am more stupid than usual" says
she. Il hoped no one would notice
il. As q matter of fact. though. l
have been in something of daze
ever since morning. 1--we had
rather an odd experience"
"Attendez vous. Order in the
court" sings out Garry, rappin' on
a finger bowl with his coffee spoon.
Miss Bolton is going to give us a
real thrill"
"Oh. no.. says she, pleadin'. II had
not intended to say word about It,
IL don't know that | should"
why, Sally" protests Mrs. Robert
els that fair 10 the curious sex? Tell
me, at least. or else l shah stay awake
half the night"
''And what abont the rest of us?'
complains Garry. "Oh, come. Be kind. -
'But really" protests Miss Bolton.
you might not thlpk- it-worth while.
Evening star., 1921-03-13

years-when girls wore curls and
blushed a blush behind fan if you
said there was a. good show at the
Comiuue. or a square piano has four
legs. All, my friends, then chivalry
and beauty, with a snuffboN in many
a pocket. tripped the light fantastic
toe to the merry measures or the
stately minuet-and. bending low: ne
pressed his lips upon her hand! That
way marched Braddock; there was
Washington's headquarters; there
was Lafayette received, and the
bricks were brought from England! -
Splendid. but little shy on meat.
When was the mansion built. when
did 1t burn down. who buflt II, VINO
was the builders wife, now many
children did they have, what were
their names, what became OF them
and what of their descendants? To
that your answer would perhaps be
something like this:
well. You know. those are smafl
details with which ] have not con-
cerned myself. have connned my
researches to the salient points; but
~ YOU want all those unimportant
th;nSs to help fill up the paper. why
can tell YOU a man-who Is ninety
years old and remembers nothing
who no doubt can tell you ABOUT
it understand he used to sit on
the old causeway and fish.
Last week the Rambler told you OF
a little old book written by David
Baille Warden. printed at Paris; IN
ana Statistical History Of the District
Of Columbia, the Seat of the General
Government of the United State With
Engraved Plans of the District and
View of the Capitol" Does that word
"choroeraphic" stun you? 1t is com :
Evening star., 1921-03-13

before you look into his purple depths
be sure that you are wise enough and
strong enough to bear what you may
see.
Farewell
THE Seventh Cyrus to the -,
Seventh Sally"
There. You SeeT'
At which Miss Bolton folds the let
ter and stares vague across the table
at nobody in particular. She's some
swell reader, I'll say. Got voice
like Julia Marfowe's at her best; one
Of the kind that sort of tingles your
spine and makes you feel almost as
il somebody had been playin' the
violin in the next room. .-
For a minute or so nobody says
word, but just gawps at her as II
they'd all been hypnotized. Garry
Bliss is the first to break the spell,
you might know.
Weird. Absolutely" says he
what a rummy old codger. FL Kut.
eh? Perfectly bully: But I say,
Sally. what did you do with the
thing"
why. brought it with me-" says
Miss Bolton.
: Good work" says Garry. Let's
try 1t out. Eth. WHAT
"oh" says she. lookin' startled
oh. please, Sally" puts in Mrs.
Robert. TT would be such fun.
Where is it,
why. l. left it UPSTAIRS says
Sally. II wrapped it in my fur coat.
OF course. / was silly to bring it. but
the letter said. you know. that L
wasn't to so anywhere without 1t.
Yes. l know I'm absurd. But fold
you how queerly l had felt since the
package came. I'll get used to It, in
time, ! suppose. But just now"
she spreads out her hands and tries to
smile.
II know" says Mr.. Robert THE
thing has gotten on your nerves. And
the only way to get it off is TO open
the box and see what's inside. Per
haps the old boy was just trying to
put one over on you. Come now.
You're too sensible to take any stock
Evening star., 1921-03-13

Alexandria. One need not doubt that
Mrs Mason biushed and made a curt
sey when David B. Warden toid hcr
that she was so youthful in appear
ance that a stranger might readiIS
suppose her TO be the sister OF her
daughter rather than her mother
All, Dave. that was fine speech
then, but it's old stuff now. even
though mothers fall for it just as they
did hundred years ago.
y X
The Rambler will here sidetrack Mr..
Warden's little book for few mo-
ments to tell something about old
time ferry boats. You read a few
lines above. though you have proba-
bly, forgot it already. that Mr.. Warden
says he was ferrcd over in a fiat boat
Of rude construction. "awkwardly inn
PEELED by an oar placed at each cN-
tremity." That is not quite clear to
tho Rambler. but some centcnarians
among his readers may understand II.
How could a boat be impeitcd. even
awkwardly. by an oar at each eN
tremity" With an oar at the stern u,
could be -'sculled' over. but what
Evening star., 1921-03-13
Til e Little Book
Written by David
Baillie Warden and
Printed In Paris In
1816-Occupants of
the Island a Hun
dred Y e ars Ago.
Concerning Old
Ferry Lines A
F a US Pic mic
Ground.

THIS is still the story of Analos-
tan Island. The Rambler re-
grcts that he has not the time
to hunt out that ancestral
home of yours which, during the
American revolution. or in some other
remote age, stood embowered in a
grove on tract of 10000 acres that
was royal warrant from King
Charles to the greatgreatg tgrandfa-
ther of your grandfather. That win
come, and then you can cut the article
from the paper and send it to those
friends who smiled when you told
them you We're of noble blood.
Some of you yawn as you learn
from the headlines that this .'ramble"
also treats of Analostan Island. Per-
/ haps you are saying: "Pshaw. He
wrote about that last Sunday" or 81
I'm tired of Analostan Island" Well.
the Rambler has nothing to do with
the selection of your reading matter.
The whole Sunday paper is before you
! do not mean to quarrel with you.
The Rambler wants to give you
history that will stand the acid test
whatever kind of a test that is-be
cause he feels that a good deal of
history that has been handed out to
you is not so and never was. He has
taken the trouble to go to the land
records and other records for infor-
nation about Analostan Island be-
cause it was the only way to get
the information. Analostan Island
has been lying under your eyes since
they were opened. You have seen
the island every day and you went
over there on Sunday school picnic
when Tony Rodier ran it AS a pleas
ure place. and you went over there
to foot race or a base ball game
when the island was under lease to
the Columbia Athletic Club. yet it
may be that all you know about the
island could be written in para =
graph. and most of that would be
wrong.
If you were talking with man
and the subject of Analostan Island
came up, you would say, with a con-
siderable show of confidence. "Oh,
yes. I know all about the island
I have, lived here all my life, and l
used to go over there on picnics. -
Then, if you were called on to write
an essay on the island. that essay
would be like this-or as this
which is it?
There, like green emerald nes-
Ting upon the placid bosom Of the
watery Potomac. sleeping all untrou-
bled by the traffic thunders Of Water
street-all unruffied b. the trucks
that shake and quake the bridge
there. gentle reader, lies the fair
island gem of Analostan. There. in
bygone days that are no more. when
sunsets were more golden and Luna
silverier silver ttan in these drat
Evening star., 1921-03-13

Mrs. John Mason. The Rambler, in or
der to give grace and tone to his
''ramble,' will here present Mr.. war
den and let him speak as follows:
Analostan Island. the seat Of George Mason.
is situated in the Potomac River opposite
Georgetown. and contains nearly seventy acres.
fiat boat of rude construction awkardiy
impelied by an oar placed near each extremity.
affords a safe conveyance between the island
and the mainland. a distance Of 200 yards.
The profits of this ferry are rented by Gen.
Mason for rhe of 800 year. BEFORE
the erection Of the Potomac bridge II yielded
more than double this amount. On one side
the island is connected with the main
land by artificial mound or causeway which
was raised at the expense Of the government
for the purpose of stopping the current IN this
side Of the island and thereby increasing the
depth OF the water in the Georgetown channel
This current in 1854 considerably deep
cred by the passage OF an immense quantity
Of ice that forced itself down after sudden
thaw und carried with it large masses OF
muddy bottom. The Georgetown channel has
been but little deepened by the erection of
this causeway. Mr.. Custis proposed TO open Il
passage for vessels 10y means OF flood gates;
he Observed that there were formerly from
fifteen to twenty six feet of water in this
channel. Near the close of the year 1910 it
was proposed TO confine the current by me-
chancal means and to remove the soft bottom
by Increasing the velocity OF the water. For
this purpose the corporation Of Georgetown
entered into contract with the proprietor
Of This plan. engaging t. pay the sum OF
Evening star., 1921-03-13

5000 for its execution with the guarantee OF
its duration for the space OF two years. II
at the expiration alton Of this time ETH there remained
branch to Georgetown they were to receive
an additional sum Of 5000; otherwise to ex-
pend from their own funds. for other neces
sary labors, q sum not exceeding So 900.
Mr. Warden wrote that Analostan
Island seemed to him to be of mod
ern formation and said that in
searching for water a mass Of trees
was discovered at a depth of fifteen
feet. Gen, Mason instructed a work.
man. Bryan Duffy. to cut through
them. After having removed several
trees of large dimensions. Duffy, ac-
cordinR to Warden. sthfew aside
his axe. swearing that he met huge
ones with their tops upwards" He
says that trees buried at a depth OF
twenty-five and thirty feet had been
found at several places on the island.
The highest eminence, on which the
house stands, according to Mr.. War
den, is fifty feet above the level of
the river and the common tide rises
to height of three feet.
Here the Rambler will turn over
his typewriter to Mr.. Warden and he
asks his readers please to give par
ticular attention and loud applause
pays to Mrs. Mason. Flatterers who
have no regard for truth often say
the same thing today. Mr.. Warden:
can never forget how delighted vas
with my nrst visit to this island The
smiable ladies whom / had the pleasure to
accompany, left their carriage at Georgetown
and ! walked to the mansion house under
cherry. apple and peach trees, Of the haw-
thorn and aromatic shrubs filled the air with
fragrance: We found Mrs. Mason at home
in the midst Of her family composed of nine
children. Twin boys Of a healthy mien and
like each other as scarcely to be dis.
tinguishsble were tumbling on the CARPET Of
the saloon. full Of Joy ard merriment. Mrs.
Mason has 50 youthful an appearance that q
stranger might readily suppose her to be the
sister of her daughter rather than her mother.
If there were nine children. and If
stranger might readily suppose Mrs.
Mason to be the sister Of her daugh-
ter, there were eight boys in. the fam
lily. One of these was James NJ. Ma
son. orfe-time United States senator
from Virginia and Confederate COM
missioner to England. He lived and
died at his home. called Ciarens. near
the Virginia Episcopal Theological
Seminary, about three miles west. OF
Evening star., 1921-03-13

act of Congress. approved by
President Madison. February IS, 1919
The Eastern Branch ferry was be-
tween the sites of these bridges. In
the earliest mention of this ferry
which the Rambler has found it was
called Wheeler's ferry and then Dyer 5
ferry Later it was called Naylor and
Talberts ferry. Naylor bought Tai
bert's interest and for many years il
was known as MAYORS ferry Duke
de Ia aRochefoucault-L -Liancourt. writing
in 1897 of his travels through the
United States in the years, 1895. 1876
and 1897. made the following obser-
vations on the Eastern. Branch ferry;
f. The country from Upper Marlborough to the
Eastern branch rises successively. From the
tops of the mountains which border the East
beyond Georgetown and as far as Alexandria.
The Eastern branch is, also seen in dts course
prospect Of :he whole site of the new city.
the public and private buildings of which ma =
be distinguished as they rise: this view is
sublime and beautiful. but sufficiently confined
by the heights beyond the Potowmack to en-
able the eye to embrace the various objects OF
it without being lost In its immensity
good boat. a little too nat and good deal
too small for the quantity Of horses which are
taken into it. passed in tsis boat with .,t ten
arrived At the other side: After haYing crossed
it you enter the federal city, that is TO say.
its site, for at present there are only few
houses to BE- seen in this capital Of the United
States, in this metropolis Of North America.
There you ought to get little pic
ture. somewhat; dim. perhaps, of a
large scow which served as the ferry
boat. In a paper By Allen c. Clark,
president of the Columbia Historical
Society. read before that society April
IA, 1908, on "The Abraham Young
Mansion it is written that:
The Eastern branch ferry had its wharf
where is the. intersection of 14th street and
Virginia avenue. From it 4radiated westerly
the road to Georgetown. eastarly the road to
Upper Marlboro, and northerly the road to
Badensburg. AQuila Wheeler was the ferry
man. This advertisement appears in the
Washington Gazette: ITO be rented to the
highest bidder Saturday. the 18th instant, by
the Trustees Of the Estate Of Aquila Wheeler
with the Tenemsnts belonging thereto. on the
Eastern branch. now in possession Of Mr.. Ven
able The Advertisement WIS signed by
James Wallace and r. Anderson and dated
April 4. 1TV.
The National Inteligencsr. in July
1901 carried an advertisement that
Evening star., 1921-03-13

in this mystic stun. Here you are,
among friends and all that sort Of
thing: Why not tackle the thing
now?"
Il almost wish I dared" says
she.
'Of course you do" insists Mr..
Robert. "Torchy. run up and get the
package for Miss Bolton"
mo. no." she protests
"Oh. do be sensible" SAYS Mrs.
Robert. You're not afraid of some
trinket that crazy old uncle has
sent you. Come, are you?'
why, no-o-o," says Miss Bolton,
draggy.
"An right. then. Torchy." says Mr..
Robert. yivin' me the nod. %
/ must say. though. that after all
this spooky talk. and hearin' her read
that nutty letter SO impressive. I felt
kind OF creepy when l unrolled this
express package from her fur coat.
Or maybe l just imagined / did. It's
commonplace enough lookin' on the
outside. except that the address Is
written in purple ink and the twine
wrappings are fastened with big gobs
| of sealin' wax. l Iugs II down and
puts II on the table in front of Miss
/ Bolton.
Shall unbutton it?" I asks, pro.
| ducin' my pocket knife.
She shudders almost as II was a
| dentist standin' over her with a pair
| of shiny pliers. but finally she mo.
! tlonS me to go ahead. sy~,e...--s
Evening star., 1921-03-13

pounded of two Greek words. "koros, "
country. and ''graphien.' write. and is
set forth as meaning the systematic
description of the natural features of
a, particular region. and especially
the identification of places mentioned
by ancient writers.
Last week the Rambler told that
the little book, with the big title. was
on his table. 1t is still here. Mr..
Warden was entertained by Mrs. Gus
tbs, evidently Mrs. CuStis Of Airing
ton. was introduced by her to many of
her relatives and friends and in his
dedication chapter he says that she
was even pleased TO accompany him
on some of his eXcursions--meanin
excursions to interesting places in tn"
District That Mr. Warden thought
we'll of the lady is indicated by this
rather iourishing conclusion 10 his
dedicatory note: Accept. madam. Nh"
homage. esteem and respect of your
truly devoted y. Il. Warden.
x
Among the places visited by Mr..
Warden was Analostan Island and
there he was entertained by Gen. and
Evening star., 1921-03-13

OF the District. Poors management
or the island made it popular resort,
end nightly there would gather the
young people of Georgetown and
Washington and spend hours in dane
ing the Quadrille. 1ancers and Vir-
einia reel. The gay picnickers would
reach the island by way of High
street wharf. now the foot of Wiscon-
SIN avenue, and there embark on
large fiat scow. which was operated
| by means of pulley rope, fastened
to large pole on the island and a
similar pole on the Georgetown side,
and navisators would pull the pleas
rope"
Well. friends. let us get back to Da-
vid Baillie Warden before the whistle
| blows He said Of the Mason home,
which from its foundation and re-
naming walls srems to have been a
very large and costly structure that
the house. of simple and neat form.
| is situated near that side OF the is
/ land which commands view of the
Potomac, Ihe, Presidents House.
! capitol and other buildings. The
garden. the sides OF which are
washed by the waters of the river.
is ornamented with a variety of
/ trees and shrubs. in the midst of
! which there is a lawn covered with
beautiful verdure." He tells that i'm
July, 1911, Mrs. Mason gave a rural
| dance to the friends and acquaint-
ances of her son at the eve of his
i departure for. France. Though thu
/, weather had been extremely warm
during the day. in the evening there
was delicious breeze. The young
people danced on the lawn. Tea,
coffee. cakes. fresh and preserved
fruits were presented to the guests,
who sat or walked about, conversing
or silently admiring the dancing un-
der the shade of the trees. 'illuminat-
ed by lamps Which were half OBJ
scured by,;ahe. bright light of the
moon. The summer house is shaded
by oak and linden trees, the coolness
and tranquility of which invite to
contemplat ion. The refreshing breezes
OF the Potomac. the gentle fnurmur-
ing of its waters against the rocks,
the warbiing of birds and the mourn
a thousand various sensations. What
a delicious shade-ducere solicitae
jucunda oblivia vitae-''
As the Rambler reads that eloquent
and classic outburst, he thinks Dave
meant TO say. oh, sweet shade of
getfulness of lifel'a You know. it was
an old-time custom to throw in
bunch of Latin in a discourse or a
letter. II is habit which men have
not outgrow.n- Two words of Latin.
salts eloquentiae. sapientiae parum,
will floor an ordinary man. There
was time when, if a fellow knew
two Latin phrases. and knew them
wrong. and had. never learned any,
thing else. the crowd at the village
store or cross-road post office made
way for him. and maintained respect
full silence. He could talk Latin,
therefore he was a learned man! That
superstition has not altogether passed
away. Esto quod esse videris. And
salts superque! Vale!
Evening star., 1921-03-13

might shudder to impose upon ami
mails. as they were not permitted
to land
1t is a message of gratitude bring
back to- the American women who
labored SO conscientiously on the Red
Cross baby layettes. These have been
blessings indeed to the poor. stricken
mothers. They have been proyided in
large numbers not only to hospitals
in such cities as Vienna and Buda.
pest, where they have proved indis.
pensable. but to the Russian refugee.
In the sunny square at Rae-usa, which
is Ii Ike bit Of Venice. I met a He'd
Cross nurse with q quantity of these
fresh pink and blue flannel garments
in her arms. She was carrying these
to the bedsides Of two Russian rafu-
gees They had nothing with them
and no money with which to buy ma.
terials. What, boon and comfort
they must have proved to be!
The need for qualified nurses to
meet the widening field of nursing
activities. far exceeds the supply. Dur.
ing the past few months the Ameri.
can Nurses Association. the National
League. Of Nursing Education and the
National Organization for Public
Health Nursing. with the 7co-oDaration
andT assistance of the American Red
Cross have been concerned in orr
ganizing a movement to Interest
young women in entering schools Of
nursing. and hand In hand with this.
making an effort to increase general
knowledge on the part Of the public
in schools of nursing, and the SUBJ
jecti of nursing generally. While
America is in great need Of nurses,
the Red Cross in its public health
nursing service uses between twelve
and fourteen hundred alone. The Eu.
ropean countries are calling upon the
nursing profession of America to as
sist in various ways. The opportuni-
desrin nursinE are vitality interesting
and. should attract the very highest
type Of young women toenter the
.professions