Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1934-10-12
Lights Of NewXork
BY [. [. STEVENSON

Contract bridge players who take
part In tournaments have their pet SUI
perstitions, according to Mrs. Arthur
Il. Loucks-she was Miss Mabel Pier
son when she was in the Detroit may.
or's ONCE In the administration of the
late Oscar B. Marx-the Larchmont
bridge teacher. For Instance, P. Hal
Slms-"he who gives slaps"-has q
rocking chair in which he sits while
he plays. His initials are carved in
the handles so there Is no mlstaklng
the chair. Well, lot OF other tourna-
ment players have also adopted rock
Ing chairs. They take them with them
from table to table. The last big tour.
nament was played In the convention
hall at Asbury Park. The floor is con-
crete and the scraplng rockers made
quite a racket. That wasn't all. The
regular chairs were of metal. and as
they had to be moved to other tables,
the din was increased accordingly.
At that same tournament, there was
the woman who had pug dog-one of
the real old-fashloned kind seen so sci.
dom nowadays--in her arms while she
played. The dog, Mrs. Loucks said,
seemed to know bridge as when the
opponents were considering their
hands, 1t would growl, and when the
opponents got up to a slam, 1t would
bark excltedly. While the play was
going on, 1t would sleep contentedly,
and being a pug, OF course It snored.
When the pug wasn't sleeping. 1t kept
Its eyes fixed on those who were play
Ing against Its mistress.
Also learned what pulling a coffee
house" isk 1t means stampedlng op-
ponents into making wrong bid or
passing a game-golng possibility. 1t Is
done in various manners. One woman
did It by arriving late at the table
where she was to play and having a
luncheon delivered to her and her COM
panion during the bidding. Gentle
game, tournament contract with every
thing dependent on mathematics and
intellectual acumen, eh, what?
Curious thing, but the drouth has
had an effect on the toys that will sur
round the next Christmas trees. News
paper headlines-and the talk Of ell
ders-has stimulated young Americas
interest in farm life, according TO the
experts. So, at recent showing by
the Toy association. construction sets
that formerly featured historical log
cabins or skyserapers or bridges now
offer complete barnyards for fve-year-
Odds to build along with authentic
housing for cows, hogs, sheep and
horses as well as proper fencing.
Even electric train sets are now
equipped with pasture and barnyard
scenes to line the tracks and gas sta
tons give the landscape a further
touch Of realism.
Sheep and cows are popular In the
push and pull category. They come
in wood, metal and composition and
some have real skins and voices. There
are dolls in farm costumes and trac-
tors. dump carts. trucks and farm
wagons. Oh. yes. Starving cattle. the
experts say, have renewed young
Americas interest In the cowboy. So
many ten-gallon hats. furred pants,
holsters and lassos were on display.
A little white ago, made reference
to the varied tasks performed by the
police emergency squad. A novel one
was fscently added to the list. A
twenty-three-months-old baby got her
head caught between the bars of her
crib. All efforts to free her having
failed, the emergency squad was called.
Within a few minutes she was free,
the police merely having sawed one of
the bars. That isn't all. however
While the other coppers were at work,
one told the baby stories to keep her
mind off her troubles. And he did 1t
so well that he got away only by tell
ing the baby he had to go home and
tell story to his own little grill
G. Bell syndicats.--wNU Service.