The Washington herald., 1921-04-17

able, as you well know. There may
be more-I do not know.
when thes D. c. returns he re-
quires an accounting. Two serv-
ants have put their talents out at
usury and gained 100 per cent.
Good. The Improbable one simply
digs up the talent deposited with
him and hands II out on demand.
A pattern of behavior for trust COM
panies, surely! In one version we
read that he had wrapped IL In. a
napkin and laid II away. But the
commentator Informs us that the
talent mentioned was composed of
$50 ounces of silver about $500
worth. So the ehronicler who mem
toned the napkin had either to re-
duce the amount Of the deposit or
do a lot Of explaining about the
size Of the napery used in those
days. Therefore, in his version. we
note that he uses the word pound"
instead Of talent" - "a i-Ff
A pound of silver mayNvery well
be laid away-ands carried yaway-in
a napkin, as any hotel or restau-
rant man will tell you ~ ).
But let US get away from our
mutton.
When the returned nobleman finds
that the one-talented servant has
nothing to hand over except the
original fund entrusted to him, he
is as angry as q fnulti-m millionaire
would be IL someone should hide
under his bed and make a noise like
an assessment. He orders. the un-
profitable servant cast into outer
darkness, after first taking away
his talent and giving 1T to the one-
hundred-per cent financier, and
breathing strange saws, saying:
From him that hath not shall be
taken away even that which he
hath" Which is the, same as to
say: Nothing from nothing leaves
nothing" ..
And now closer draw the threads
Of parable, precept allegory, and
narrative, leading nowhere IL you
will, or else weaving themselves
into the little fiction story about
Cliff MCGOWAN and his one talent.
There Is but a definition to follow;
and then the homely actors trip on.
Talent: A gift, endowment or fac
ulty; some peculiar ability. power.
or accomplishment, natural or. ac-
quired. "a metaphor borrowed from
the parable in Matt. XIV. 14-3o.)
In New York City today there are
(estimate0 125,ooo living creatures
training for the stage. This does
not include seals. pigs. dogs. ele-
plants, prize-hghters. Carmens,
mind-readers, or japanese wrest-
lers. The bulk Of them are in the
ranks OF the Four Million. Out of
this number will survive 1,e0o.
Nine hundred of these will have
attained their fullness of fame when
they shall dubiously Indicate with
the point of hatpin a blurred fig-
ure In a fiashlight photograph of
stage tout ensemble with the proud
commentary: That's me-"
Eighty in the pinkest of (male)
Louis XVI court costumes, shall
welcome the Queen of the (mythi-
caD Pawpaw Isles in a few we'll
memorized words. turning a tip
tilted nose upon the 900.
Ten. in tiny lace caps. shall dust
lbsen furniture for six minutes after
the rising of the curtain.
Nine shall attain the circuits, be-
siesing with muscle. skill, eye. hand,
voice, wit, brain. heel and toe the
ultimate high walls of stardom.
! One shall inherit Broadway. Sic
VENT gloria mundi.
| NiAh hCIOWd an ana Mac mdCGOwan
were cousins. They lived on the
West Side and were talented. Sing
ing, dancing. limitations, trick bicyle
riding. box. German and Irish dialect
comedy, and a little sleight-of-hand
and balancing of wheat straws and
wheelbarrows on the ends of their
chins came as easy to them as it is
for you to fix your rat so II won't
| show or to dodge a creditor through
the swinging doors of a well-lighted
| cafe-according as you may belong
to, the one or the other division of
the greatest prestidigitators-th
people. They were slim, pale. con-
| summately self-possessed youths,
whose finger nails were always ire
| proachably (and clothes seams re-
proachfully) shiny. Their conversa-
'tion was in sentences so short that
they made Kipling's seem as long as
court citations.
Having the temperament, they did
no work. Any afternoon you could
find them on Eighth avenue, either
in front of Spinelli's barber shop,
Mike Dugan's place. or the Limerick
Hotel. rubbing their forefinger nails
with dingy silk handk erchiefs. At
any time. IL you had happened to be
standing, undecisive. near a pool ta-
bic. and Cliff and Mac had, casually,
as IL were, drawn near mentioning
something. disinteresterdly. about a
game, we'll, indeed, would 1t have
been for you had you gone your way,
unresponstve. Which assertion, care
fully considered, is a study in tense
punctuation and advice to strangers.
OF all kinships 1t is likely that
the closest Is that of cousin. Be-
tween cousins there exist the ties
of race, name and favort-ies thick
er than water, and yet not coAeu-
| lated with the Jealous precipitations