Evening star., 1924-11-16

you know the how. 1 took two
lessons.
You see, you don't catch the mod
ern ghost prowling around moldy
churchyards, nor haunting ruins
along with bats. He turks in the
warm shadows of nurseries. where
babies sleep and froIic: goes to teas.
incognito, without having to do his
share of gossip; gets INTO theaters--
d"adhead-and makes for the electric
lights the minute the curtain goes
down"
This seems to be very helpful
importation, seeing that our own
stock of ghosts is practically de-
pleted by that vandal Progress, that
hews ahead with no more sentiment
than a buzz saw
For one eminent loss, you recall,
most likely, a certain corner on II
street that was an old red mansion
before it was Matched into the big,
hustling office structure of today.
There was a ghost for you! One of
those treasure guarding shades you
read about-an out-and-out buc-
cancer of the Spanish Main-yellow
boots, embroidered velvet and d most
unpleasant smell.
Those acquainted with him, in the
primitive days the other side of the
Civil War. claimed that he would
clink his stolen gold to the rhythm
OF dying screams, but was otherwise
harmless and wouldn't have been half
bad to have around if it wasn't for
the habit of wearing his head under
his arm.
And now he has vanished with the
ancient brick whose first, way-back
owner could have told a yarn-and
did-about inherited money from an
adventurous anceStor--a sailing cap
tain of the Caribbean Sea.
Which seems to show that if you
are the lucky owner of a house in
the suburbs, some trees and ivy and,
oh. joy! baying hound. there is no
reason why you can't have your
Christmas ghost hunt. with refresh
ments and dancing to follow, just
as though you had been to England
for the idea.
NOV that Finance has tied d blue
ribbon on the morals of the
client with a hobby. a collector, who
once brought to this source a con-
fession that his own freak fancy was
for feathers, is back to base with a
suggestion that some paper ought to
start a hobby corner for the purpose
of raising corner in hobbies He in
vites himself, as founder and would
bring i'll a charter member who could
show pebbles from most of the
beaches Of the world-eXcept that
when he was off in the Summer his
small grandson got away with the
lot.
His argument is that every-man
has a crazy bone in his mental anato-
my, and that all of us, no matter how
methodically we keep in the mid
road of conventionality, have our
best times when we slip into some by
trail of individuality in company
with the thing we call a hobby.
And, furthermore, Ma'am. as the
demands of this class of trail-travel
should be recognized why don't you
start a merry-go-round where all
may ride their hobbies free, and each
take his chances in the ring?
Now, as to my own collection,
have a feather from nearly every
native bird and fowl and many from
foreign ZOOS. | keep them in enVe
lopes. 1t is really d first-class thing,
for if YOU look through a magnifying &
glass you will find that a feather is
about the most wonderful thing in
the world. Feathers are so alike. And
so different,'
A feather hobby seems something
entirely new under history's sun, but
warned by the agelessness of the lat
est Joke, it may be that Adam and
Eve started the gathering of plumes
after the style in fig leaves went out.
Nobody knows, but it's d good little
hobby all the same.
x X X =
IT was big. wide-open place
where many type machines clat-
tered-where men at desks flashed
blue pencils across copy very much as
nature flashes blue lightning across
:: sky, and where everybody, from
staff heads to copy runners. was
working, brains, bodies and legs, to
get the worlds news on the street.
One woman was brisking along a
corridor toward the big place to look
in a certain pigeonhole to see If any
belated organization wanted to be i'm
mortalized in the Activities" of the