davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star., 1928-11-25

father Each time she looked at him
she felt that he certainly was prize
package.
LOST ROMANCE.
The idea, I imagine. grew in her
mind that If she hadn't married father,
she might have hit something better
and could hardly have struck anything
worse.
There comes into every womans life
the knowledge that she has married the
wrong man. So 1t was with mother
The realization that father was a nut
more and more shadowed her life.
Once, in one of her rare moments of
confidence she told me that there was
Mr.. Jones in Little Block, Oklabraska
whom she could have married who was
very musical and played the gramo-
phone to perfection, but he had lung
trouble and drank whisky and was
Communist. SO he went West for his
lungs end got better and made lot
of money in cattle.
But meantime mother had married
father
NOW Ts,CAN BE TOLD.
suppose every woman has a ro-
nance in her life like mothers.
And now let me try to give a more
intimate and confidential picture of my
home, because I want to make my
reader feel that he knows me. Our
house stood In the country on the tenth
concession of the township of Blank
backwards and sideways from the road
and a little edgeways. l can shut my
eyes and see 1t; but when open thepl
I can't.
1t was only a mile down the road
to the post office of Blank and five
miles and ten rods to the village of
Blank. Our county town was Blink and
there was no large city nearer to us
than Asterick.
With these facts we'll In mind, the
reader can form a pretty clear picture
of my home and its surroundings.
should. perhans have added that our
Evening star., 1928-11-25

toned, remained the great national
figure in his party for years, as did
John Quincy Adams, Roosevelt and
Wilson. Adams served as a Congress
man for the Anti-Mason party and was
a fiery AbolitioniSt. Martin Van Buren,
was candidate for the presidency in
the Barnburners party. John Tyler
became member of the Confederate
Congress. Andrew johnson was elect
ed to the United States Senate.
Roosevelt is the most conspicuous
example of an eX-President who SIM
ply could not keep out of the political
imbroglio. He did good deal of trav-
cling and became editor of a current
events magazine. He expressed the de-
sire to remain definitely out of politics,
but the progressive element of the Re-
publican party drafted him and stam-
peded the famous convention of 1912
In the campaign Roosevelt defeated
Taft. although Wilson was elected. He
was the only leader of the Progressive
party It was Roosevelt's support of
Hughes in 1915 which marked the dis
banding of the Progressives. He ener-
getically supported the war policy of
the United States and attempted to
raise volunteer division. Until his
death in 1919, he remained one of the
greatest figures in the Nation.
4 X
OUR only living ex-President today,
william Howard Taft now occu-
pies the second highest position in the
Government-thAt of Chief Justice Of
the Supreme Court. That would seem
to be the ideal place for an ex-President
Secluded In the court from the political
limelight, he still remains an official of
prime Importance.
Not many Presidents have lived very
long after completing their terms. Lin
coin. Garfield and Mckinley we're as
saSsinated while in Office. William
Henry Harrison, Zachary Taylor and
Warren Harding died while in office,
and James Polk died but a few weeks
after his retirement. The average
length of life Of Presidents after retir-
ing has been about nine years.
The early Presidents, from Washing
ton to Monroe, spent their last years
in dignified retirement or literary labors.
But subsequently the ex-Presidents
seemed to be In a dilemma as to what
they ought to do. Many were not
wealthy enough to retire and yet did
not wish to lend thair names to com.
mercial enterprises. Since most Of them
Evening star., 1928-11-25
Catching the Cobra.
TT is said that Of all reptiles the col

IT Is said that Of all reptiles the ccb~a
is the most passionately fond OF
music and that it may easily be enticed
from its hiding place by the notes Of
the violin or of bagpipe. In India it
is very seldom that the cobra hears
any but the first instrument, and those
bent on its capture take advantage of
the snakes weakness for the violin.
When cobra is found to have taken
up its abode in the neighborhood of
an Indian dwelling it is customary to
send for professional snake charmers,
who at once proceed to work upon the
snakes love of music. One man will
play a tune near the place supposed
to be occupied by the cobra. It slowly
emerges from its hiding place and takes
up a position in front of the player
1t then becomes the business of this
man to hold the attention of the snake
while a companion undertakes it's
capture.
The second man, with a handful Of
f1ne dust, creeps up behind the cobra
The casting Of the dust upon the snake
startles it and for q moment it falls
its full length upon the ground. Brief
as this period may be, however, it suf-
4LCSo AOA tlS purpose Ol JIl5 assistant
snake catcher. With lightning-li;e
movement he seizes the cobra by the
neck just below the head.
If 1t be deemed desirable to extract
the fangs at once. the captor presses
his thumb on the throat of the snake.
thus compelling it to open its mouth.
when.the fangs are drawn with a pair
of pincers.
Should, however, as not infrequently
happens, the operator desire to keep the
cobra intact for the time being, the
musician comes to his fellows aid,
forcibly unwinds the coils and places
the body of the cobra in a basket. The
head only is left protruding. this being
held by the other man. The lid is then
pressed down to prevent the cobra from
wrtggltng out. Then. suddenly, the
captor thrusts the head in and bangs
down the lid
Evening star., 1928-11-25

without the passengers or pilots leav-
ing their compartments.
Within q short time a complete
airplane of weight equal to that of
modern air liners will be subjected to
the parachute drop. so that the public
may be shown the possibilities of this
aerial lifeboat.'"
X
SOMETHING over year ago, Just
- before his retirement as chief Of
the Army Air Service, Maj. Gen. Mason
NJ. Patrick voiced a similar opinion:
The time is not remote when para
chutes capable of sustaining the weight
of entire airplanes in their descent to
the ground from causes that prevented
their further flights will be perfected
by the Army Air Service
While the best mechanical knowl-
edge in civil life is being applied to the
problem of making airplanes foolproof,
the Army Air Service is forestalling the
future possibilities Of air accidents by
Evening star., 1928-11-25

will afford les wind resistance. The
parachutes we are using today are made
of an especially woven Ja1anese silk.
They must be made sufficiently strong
enough to resist the severe jolt they
will receive when they open suddenly
with an entire airplane swung on to
each one of them
1T has already been ascertained that
the parachutes intended for use in air.
plane descent will not be too bulky for
storage nor unwieldy in size.
The parachutes we are now using
for individuals are constructed with
such strength that they will sustain a
approximately 10 feet in diameter. But
that does not mean that a parachute
made to sustain 10 times that weight
must have a diameter 10 times that size
Evening star., 1928-11-25
Startling Disclosures of a Soul

nearest railway station was at -
and our only telegraph Office was at
Let the reader get these
facts clearly before him and he will
have a grip on my narrative which he
otherwise might fail to get. Perhaps 1t
is pertinent to say that the -
Express Company had an agency at
and that there was a first
class garage not more than three miles
from 3! y! =! =.
A TRUE CONFESSION.
At any rate, it was here in these
quiet surroundings that I passed my
first girlhood--not my second, my first.
And now I am going to give my
reader something OF the kind that he
has been sitting up waiting for.
want to take him into all my secrets,
and tell him some things that I sup
pose no woman ever tells to the world
When I set myself to write these
disclosures I said to myself that
would conceal nothing, but would rell
my reader everything. II a great deal
of what have to say sounds unusual,
I can only defend it on the ground that
at least it is the truth.
I want to be quite frank with my
self and speak OF myself as II l were
discussing somebody else. want the
reader to Judge for himself everything
that l have done. I don't know
whether I make my meaning quite
clear. I am trying to state it as simply
as I can.
I will only say that what mean
is that I am trying to say what mean.
1 can find no other words to express
it more simply, but if can think Of
any later on I'll use them.
l want to begin by saying that like
great manS girls. was for a long
time densely ignorant. doubt whether
society realizes even yet, in spite Of all
revelations and confessions that have
been published. how ignorant girls are.
In my own ease up to the age Of.
But stop. That's a peach of q place
to end up this story.
IA (Copyrtght, 1920
Evening star., 1928-11-25

This last is some indication of the
financial value OF the Presidents name.
That name is known necessarily to the
60,000,000 or so American citizens of
voting age, to the 30,000,0O0 school chill
dren-to practically every cne of the
l20,000000 population old enough to
talk, and to uncounted millions in other
countries the world over. Any advertis-
ing man can vouch for the worth in
terms of dollars of so huge a public.
And added to the mere numbers of the
people who have heard of the President
are the fame and prestige which go with
his high office.
X X
NEVERTHELESS, most Of our ex-
Presidents have not used their posi-
tions to financial advantage. It was diff
ficult for many TO be content with a
lesser political office after having occu-
pied the highest in the land. And to
others there was stigma, real or imag-
mary, attached to the use of great
name in the commercial world. But
nowadays that stigma is no longer OF
any importance, and Mr.. Coolidge need
have no compunctions In accepting q
high position with some great corpora
ton.
Foreign writer's have suggested that
the dignified retirement of our Presi-
dents should be provided for by the
bestowal of some honorary office OF
by provision for their support out OF
the public funds. The problem oc-
casioned some controversy in Roose-
velt's time and Roosevelt himself said
that "it would be unpleasant to be
pensioned. There is something attrac-
tive about retiring from office and be-
coming a private citizen" Benjamin
Harrison suggested helpfully that ex-
Presidents be decapitated.
AS yet such ruthlessness has not
been necessary. With certain notable
exceptions, ex-Presidents have been
content to reassume the ordinary pur-
suits of life where they had left off
A few again entered politics. usually as
candidates for reelection to the presi-
dency. but the majority dropped theil
political life entirely. And none except
, Grover Cleveland and Benjamin Harri-
son found that their tenure of Office was
their fortune.
Cleveland entered the White House In
1885 In but moderate circumstances
After his defeat for reelection In 1888
he took no the practice 81 law in New
York City. His success Vas immediate
Evening star., 1928-11-25

To work out the problem requires only
the application of simple mathematics.
"At any rate, from the way it appears
now. we are not very far from the time
when the United States Army Air Serv-
ice will accomplish this most desired
safety element in the business OF n.y.
ing
TT Is significant to note that virtually
every one of Maj. Gen. Patricks
hopes and prophecies for a standard
chute for planes to be used by the Army
Air Corps have come true, thanks to the
untiring efforts of Maj. Hoffman, who,
bv the way. was awarded the much
coveted Collier trophy last year in recog-
milton of his work In the development OF
the man-carrying parachute.
In the first place, recent ground tests
made by means of instruments capable
of measuring force. showed that pull
of 4.S00 pounds was eXerted by the
giant S4-foot parachute when 1t opened.
as compared with 2,000-pound pull OF
the 24-foot man-carrying chute. The
point to note here is that since those
tests we're made the majors aerial life
boat has proved that 1t has plenty of
tensile strength TO carry thaC tremen-
dous pull, as the recent tests with bomb
weights, already mentioned, reveal. AS
for the Air Corps efforts to find good
method OF releasing the chute quickly
and in the right manner, the fact Is that
Immediately after his narrowing expert
ence during the chasing Of the giant
umbrella via the automobile method,
Mai Hoffman vowed to work on posi-
tive releasing mechanism that would
separate plane and parachute inme-
diately upon landing and thus eliminate
the @eat hazard of dragging.
And now, it seems. the majors efforts
in this connection have met with sue
cess. Today he is perfecting several
new methods for releasing parachute
and plane and while he has not yet
made public just what the mechanism
of these methods happens to be, it is
understood in official Army Air Corps
circles that an announcement on the
subject will be made shortly.
Then, again, concerning the two
points stressed by Maj Gen. Patrick
regarding the need for chute of proper
size aid one that takes up very littis
storage space, Maj Hoffman's inven-
tion, with It's latest perfections, fills
Evening star., 1928-11-25

were lawyers and politicians. they fire.
quently resumed the practice of law or
accepted honorary governmental posi-
tions. Their fields of endeavor were
limited by their former Offices, yet the
public seemed to expect them to do
something. Which was the reason for
Harrison's radical suggestion for dispos-
ing of the matter.
Today the Government has come to
be regarded as huge business. and 1t
no longer seems inappropriate for
Chief Executive to take the leadership
in private business organization. And
that is the course the present incum-
bent seems most likely to pursue.
Evening star., 1928-11-25

continuous and indefatigable work to
make flying safer.
THE fact that parachutes have al
ready demonstrated their usefulness In
saving the lives of individuals has nat
urally attracted our attention to the
possibility of making them larger. even
to the extent of enabling them to give
sufficient support to an entire airplane,
or at least to save those in the passen-
ger compartment of the plane while it
is descending from any cause that pre-
vented the continuance of its flight
made in this regard by an officer of the
United States Army Air Service, who is
devoting all his time to the problem.
He is the same Mai. Edward L. Hoff-
man stationed at Wright Field, Dayton.
Ohio. who developed the parachutes
now being used in individual rescues.
Evening star., 1928-11-25

we have several difficult problems
to surmount. One of them is sufficient
tensile strength; another is easily acces-
sible storage space, and another is to
find a method of releasing the chute
quickly and in the right manner: and
still another is that of proper size.
These problems are being studied pains
takingly today by the Army Air Service.
When they have been solved then the
increase In the use of aircraft for pas
senger travel will be nothing short of
revolutionary.
Then. I might add that we have
also the question to answer of the dam
ger of the parachute becoming en-
tsng,ed in the air)lane Immediately
upon its release.
"All these difficulties will be worked
out in time, I feel assured. We have
studied the problem of where to store
the parachute on the plane. 1t now
seems that the under side Of one of the
wings may be the proper place, since it
Evening star., 1928-11-25

father and wish to leave nothing con-
cealed, may as well state the fact
openly that he was a vegetarian.
have decided, in putting down this life
story, to leave nothing unsaid--that 1
can think of to say--and so l will
simply chronicle the fact that my
father was Vegetarian and let the
rceder Judge for himself
But this I only came to know slow
ly as I passed gradually out of my
childhood, thing it took me a long
time to do.
AS a little child I thought he was
an Episcopalian or at times l fancied
him a Wesleyan Methodist Later
came to know the truth. He was a
Vegetarian. Only once or twice, how
ever, did l ever hear him refer to the
fact.
remember once he took me on his
knee and said. I've been vegetarian
all my life" then he kissed me and put
me down again and walked out of the
house. He did not come back again for
long time; not till meal time. l grew
to know that my father always came
back at meal time. / think he was too
proud to stay away.
MOTHERS PAST.
My mother stands out less vividly be-
fore me, partly, perhaps. because
never knew her height as accurately
as I knew my fathers.
But will record here one thing
about her that always seemed to me
to mark her off from most people,
and in way to isolate her in class
by herself. and that is that as a girl
she had lived for some years in Little
Block. Oklabraska.
Why this should have been So
never knew. My mother never ex-
planned 1t to me and never spoke of
it. But l think 1t gave her kind of
loneliness.
Later on as I slowly grew up. which
took years and years. began to under
stand that my mother was a disap-
pointed woman. She realized, think,
that she had been let in In marrying
Evening star., 1928-11-25

House promises to remain silent
for some time to come. Presi-
dent Coolidge has nothing to say
about the years during which he
will be the second of our living EXPIRES
tdents. viii he retire into obscurity as
so MANY Of his predecessors have done
or will he take advantage of the obvious
cpportunities open to man who has
occupied the highest public office In the
United States? No one, with the pos
Sible exception of Calvin Coolidge, seems
10 know.
He is the only one of our Presidents
who has managed to save any consider
sble sum out Of his salary. The Presi-
dent receives $4,000 year and ex-
r,enses--which amount annually to
about $500 600 President Coolidge, a
comparatively poor man before enter
ing the White House, is now reputed to
havs 5000, 900. But with characteristic
thrift he probably will not be content
70 live very long on his income.
There have been rumors galore about
the Presidents future. Some have II
that he will become president OF AM
herst College, his alma mater, wf1ile
others report that he will head the
fTnited states Steel Corporation, various
life insurance companies, or some law
arm. The immediate expectation Is
that Mr. Coolidge. who has never been
~ Europe. will take his first opportunity
An 20 wears to do some travelling. HIS
onlv comment on the subject is that ne
will now have time ito do little whit
tlinr"-which Immediately brought
forth gifts of hundreds of pocket knives
from al over the country
Evening star., 1928-11-25

inmps on it. She takes her readers into
the most intimate. disclosures OF a woinan's
life The writer does not spare herself.
MY (FIRsT) CHILDHOOD.
Y WANT to begin these disclosures by
speaking of my childhood.
First let me talk of my parents.
There were two of them, my
father and my mother.
And I am now going to tell mere
something about my father which up
tin now I have never even whispered
10 a soul namely, that he was born in
Peterboro. Ontario
NV father seldom spoke of having
been born In Peterboro But l know
he brooded over it. l remember once
when was quite little girl he drew
me to him and patting my head quietly
he nurmured. Il was born in Peter
boro." After that he sat silent, looking
into the fire for long time. Then he
nut on his hat and went out. And a
little afterward he came in again.
A FAMILY SECRET.
While am speaking Of my father,
I NAV as we'll set down something else
about him that only came 20 know
gradually and that I did not fully un-
derstand at first, and that is that he
was five feet nine inches and seven
cighths high.
:. I recall as If it were yesterday my
mother measuring him against the
wall, and saying as she looked at the
measuring tape. Five feet nine inches
and seven-eighths.
1 was too young to know what seven
eigllths meant at the time; later on I
came to know. But to the best of my
belief neither my father nor my mother
ever mentioned to anybody that he was
five feet nine inches and seVen-eighths
high. They were proud people and
kept things to themselves.
THE PATERNAL VICE.
Now that am speaking Of my
Evening star., 1928-11-25

The parachute was of double construc-
tion with q smaller chute acting as
pilot.
witnessing the veteran pilots daring
feat were Charles Broderick, inventor
of this particular parachute Device
Walter T. Varney, air mail operator.
conductor Of q flying school and backer
Evening star., 1928-11-25

cisco Naval Air Station, shut of his
motor at an altitude of around $500
feet, but made no attempt to glide.
The plane landed in minute and six
seconds after falling at an average
speed of 38 feet per second.
Early in the fall the descent ap-
reared ra7id, Oelze says, but 1t was
Evening star., 1928-11-25

the bill admirably, 1t is generally be-
lieved.
The very first landing of pla"
supported b. a parachute ever made
in the United States. and probably in
the world, was accomplished early in
the Spring of 1927 in California. The
pilot. r. Carl Oelze Of the San Fran
Evening star., 1928-11-25
5 MEN WANTED

Important cases were given to him in
great numbers, and he became a
wealthy man. At the same time he
remained the leader of his party. and
in 1892 was again elected to the presi-
dency. Four years later he was able to
retire from active public life on his
accumulated wealth. although he re-
nnaincd an influential figure In the
Democratic party until his death in
1908.
Harrison also practiced law after
Evening star., 1928-11-25

death every penny received from the
sale Of his estate went to the liquida-
ton of his debts. leaving his family
Evening star., 1928-11-25
BY STEPHEN LEACoCK.

The following starting disclosures are, in
our opinion, the most powerful piece OF self
revelation that we have seen revealed this
season The writer lays her soul bare and
Jumps on it, She takes her readers into
the most intimate disclosures OF womans
life. The writer does not spare herself
Evening star., 1928-11-25

HE silent man in the White
House promises to remain silent
for some time to come. Presi-
dent Coolidge has nothing to say
about the years during which he