TOO LATE—
ALMOST
88
By B. A. BENEDICT
\ Associated Newspapers.
VVNU Service
WHEN a girl reaches nineteen
she has every right to feel
that she .s grown np. But
Mnrlel Priest's mother nnd
father (especially the latter) didn't
share this feeling. For example, Mr.
Priest still clung to the Idea that he
should meet and approve ot every
young man who wished to take his
daughter out. It made Marlel feel silly,
but nfter all a bed tf roses is n bed
of roses, est>ectnll.v when times are
hard, nnd as yet she hadn't met any
young man who was worth risking a
rebellion over.
That Is, she hadn't met any one be
fore Gill Sheldon came along. And
then she didn't knovi ii until It wn«
too late—almost.
She met Gill at a dance at the conn
try club. lie was down from Boston
visiting the Nevilles at their summer
place. Mariel was attracted to him be
cause she liked the sound of his voice
(lie had a Harvard accent). And when
after cutting In on her seven times, he
asked If he might take her dancing
next Thursday night, she laughingly
assented. Already she had begun to
discover that young Mr. Sheldon had
something besides a Harvard accpn*
But she didn't decide detinitely that
It was young Mr. Sheldon himself, and
not the sound of his voice nl all. that
she liked until he called for her
Thursday night. When she came down
stairs Gill and her father were sitting
in the library. And that’s all they
were doing: sitting. Mr. Priest had
settled his horn rimmed glasses on his
nose, (which he always did when one
of Martel's new young men were un
der scrutiny), and was glaring. Young
Mr. Sheldon was glaring hack, hut
there was a smile on his face. If oc
‘The Reason I Haven't Said Anything. |
Old Man,” He Replied, “Is Because It
Isn’t My Place to Make Conversa
tion.”
curred to Mnrlel that there was some
thing about that smile that wasn't just
right.
She entered the library, unseen, and
was on the point of announcing her
self when her father said In a not too
gentle voice: “Well, young man, w'-y
don’t you say something? You've sat
there like a bump on a log ever since
I came Into this room.”
Gill’s smile grew more unattractive
"The reason I haven’t said anything
old man,’’ he replied, “Is because i>
Isn’t my place to make conversation
I’m the guest here and you’re the host
Yet apparently you expect me to n<
the entertaining. It's quite obvious, sit
you have neither manners nor breed
Ing, nothing but a lot of shriveled up
Ideas like meeting and approving of
your daughter’s suitors. I’ve heard
about you, but I wouldn’t believe It—
until now.”
It was In that moment that Marlel
decided Mr. Gill Sheldon had some
thing much more likeable than a Har
vard accent. She almost swooned with
shock, but she knew she liked him.
Mr. Priest was slowly strangling In
his chair. In fact. Gill had risen and
almost reached the door hefore the
old man got himself under control
And then the words he uttered didn't
make sense; he sounded like one in
whose throat an olive had become
stuck.
Marlel turned anti made a quick exit
the way she had come, and when Gill
reached the street he found her wait
ing there for him.
"Hello,” he said. "You'd better g<>
back. Your pop doesn't approve of
me.”
"So what?” said Marlel.
Gill frowned. "I Insulted him,” he
explained patiently.
“And you did a nice Job of It,”
Marlel complimented.
Young Mr. Sheldon scowle.. at her.
Presently he said: "Hop In and let's
go to the dance.” And Marlel smiled
arid hopped In. Hefore the dance was
over she succeeded in completely over
coming the faint misgivings that
thoughts of her father aroused, an t
instead was conscious only of a sweet
new sensation of happiness. Hours
later she Interpreted the sensation, or
rather confessed It. She was In love.
Completely and permanently. Follow
lug the confession came the usual re
notion: Old (Jill Sheldon love her!
What If he despised her because ol
her father? What If he went sway and
left her alone? What If she never saw
him again?
Muriel didn't sleep much that night.
The next day she drove over to the
liurdons'. The liurdons lived next door
to the Nevilles, where (Jill was stay
ing. Her artifice was rewarded when
Gill himself came along the path
through the trees and smiled at her
pleasantly. He sat down beside her
on the screened in porch and stayed
till dinner time. Muriel was afraid he
was going back without asking for a
date. But he didn't. He wauled to
know If she would go driving with
him Saturday. He said he’d meet her
at the post office, and grinned mean
ingly.
So they went driving Saturday and
canoeing Sunday and to the movies Mon
day and dancing on Wednesday. Koch
time they met at the post office, and
neither of them mentioned her father
On the following Saturday, Gill told
her he was going hack to Boston. Ma
riel caught her breath and waited.
"1 wish you'd come up some time
and spend a week-end with us.” he
said. “You'd like my folks.”
“Oh. I know I would. And I'd love
to come."
Gill cleared Ids throat. “I hate tin
derhanded business. Your father would
never approve of your coining—If he
knew.”
"He’d probably disown me," Marlel
agreed.
“And still you want to come?"
She nodded. Gill sucked In his
breath. “If he disowned you, what
would you do?"
“I don’t know," said Marlel.
"Rut still you’d come?”
"Still,” said Marlel.
Gill frowned, thinking deeply. "Jin
riel,” he said after t moment, "this is
all my fault. I—I—” He turned to her
suddenly. "There's one way out. If we
got married, your father—eventually
he’d probably get used to me.”
“Probably,” said Marlel. “he would
Now there remains onlj the matter of
you and I falling in love."
"In love!” Gill stared at her In as
tonishment. “Why. good heavens. I’ve
been In love with you since that first
night we met. Po you think for a single
minute Pd consider taking on a fa
ther-in-law like y mi dad If 1 weren’t
In love?”
“And ■ do you think I’d tolerate a
man who Insulted my father If . didn’t
love him?” said Marlel.
And that night, for the first time,
Marlel Insisted that Gill drive her
home and come inside for a minute.
Gill complied with s dubious expres
sion on his face, an expression that
turned to misgivings when he found
Mr. Priest waiting for them. Misgiv
ings gave way to astonishment when
the old man beamed at him and ex
tended his hand.
“My boy, congratulations! You’re
the first young man to call on my
daughter who’s displayed more back
bone than a Jelly fish!"
Marlel beamed, and Gill felt as
though he'd been struck He didn't get
It at all, not even when she explained
that she wanted to make sure he loved
her In spite of her father, and want
ed him to know ,!mi she loved him In
spite of his Insults. Artifice she called
It. But Gill only nodded and smiled in
a blank sort of way. It seemed to him
that every me bad gone to a lot of
trouble to bring about a happy end
Ing. For, In spite of everything, he
was happy and quite content.
Color of Catfish
As In structure, the color of the
common catfish is decidedly variable.
While it is usually a dark yellowish
brown, more or less clouded. It varies
front yellowish to nearly black nnd is
sometimes marbled or blotched. When
lirst hatched, it is a delicate pink. and.
as the egg-sack Is absorbed, becomes
unite black, with the barbels often
being white, these usually becoming
darker us the fish grows older. The
throsit and belly region are usually a
dirty yellowish-white.
Value of Laughter
In days .it old laughter was not only
believed to deliver one from mag:<
spells mad spirits, hatred and hos
tlllty hut it was tlionetht to posse*
life-giving properties. So at pagan
spring festivals the people laughed
hilariously for hours at a time to
tiring lile hack to the earth. Appar
ently the lonians of ancient tlree.'e
also liked those who laughed ii» they
had a law which exiled those who
never did.—Collier's Weekly
Napoleon Encouraged Bc-tt Culture
In 1811 Napoleon Bonaparte, on
learning that the culture of heels iin
proved the soil appropriated 1,000 two
francs to encourage the industry which
lie created by Imperial decree. In two
years he Induced the erection of K.'!l
beet sugar factories.
Official Language of Mexico
The official language of Mexico It
Spanish, and that Is the language ol
the schools. More than half of the
population is either Indian or Mes
tlzos, and Illiterate, and their native
1 tongue consists of Indian dialect*
Let Our Motto Be
GOOD HEALTH
BY DR. LLOYD ARNOLD
Professor of Bacteriology and Preventive
Medicine. University of Illinois,
College of Medicine.
SEVERAL COMMON-SENSE
RULES OF HEALTH
I „
What can we do to (live people com
mop sense rules of health so that they
can help themselves
to keep well? That
is a tpiestlon public
health olliclnls are
asking themselves
all the time. In the
research laboratory
of the University of
Illinois we are seek
ing constantly to
Hud the simplest
means for accom
pushing this end.
For instance, we
have been carrying
on a study of tlie skin for quite a nura
her of years.
We find that clean healthy skin dis
infects itself rapidly. Dirty skin does
not do this and hence dirty hands are
dangerous hands.
Germs can rest on top of the dirt
on soiled, unclean skin, just ns easily
ns they can on dirty cloth or on sticky
doorknobs, telephone mouthpieces and
receivers. We also find that washing
the hands with good soap and warm
water removes most of the germs along
with tlie dirt, and then the clean skin
can kill most of the remaining germs
within the spare of ten minutes, and
all of them within tlie space of thirty
minutes.
If the skin Is broken or otherwise
Injured, however, It will not disinfect
Itself at the broken or injured place.
Ilence a broken skin surface will carry
alive any germs put on It.
We have also made a study of the
lips, and we have found that where
the moistened membrane of the mouth
and the skin meet, bacteria do not die
so quickly ns they do on other parts
of the skin, but will live from two to
three hours. This discovery is of spe
cial significance in the spread of lung
and throat germs. When n person
with tuberculosis coughs, the germs
live on the Ups for at least two hours
nfterwnrd. This means that when a
tuberculosis person puts his fingers or
a cup to the lips any time during a two
or three-hour period after a coughing
spell, the fingers or the enp will get a
dose of germs. We can thus see that
disinfecting and burning the sputum
are not the only preventives necessary
against the spreading of tuberculosis
germs.
In our study of common colds, we
have found that persons susceptible to
colds—those who catch colds easily,
are different from the persons who sel
dom have head colds. The difference
can he stated briefly as follows: By
using a special apparatus, we have
been able to measure the temperature
of the nose, throat, forehead, cheek and
nrm nil nt the same time. Now, when
a normally head cold-resistunt person
dips his foot Into cold water, or puts
a cold towel on his back or his chest,
the skin temperature on the fnee and
nrm lowers Immediately, and the tem
perature of the lining membrane of the
nose lowers likewise to the same de
gree. But within ten seconds the
nose temperature starts rising and it
keeps on rising until It Is higher thnn
normal temperature, or is at fever
heat, ns we say. The skin tempera
ture Is much more sluggish, hut grad
ually It starts to rise, too. And It Is
not until It Is back to normal that the
nose temperature comes down to nor
mal. To repeat, the normal reaction
of a person who does not catch cold
easily is—skin and nose temperatures
drop nt the same time for the first ten
seconds, I hen nose temperature quick
ly rises to above normal temperature
nnd stays that way until skin tempera
ture has cor.ie bnek to normal, when
both become vqual again.
Now, when the same experiment Is
performed on a person very suscep
tible to colds or on one who has a his
tory of four or live colds a year, we
find that while the nose temperature
makes the same sudden drop as the
skin temperature does, It does not
quickly rise to above normal, ns It does
In the healthy person.
Or. Irwin Splesman and other work
era on our staff hnve found that the
only way to make people with frequent
head colds less susceptible to colds, is
by first training their skin temperature
regulatory system to react as It does in
cold-resistant people.
Then the diet should be watched to
see that it contains plenty of fresh
fruits and green vegetables and lean
meat. Sweets and pastry should be
avoided, and corn bread used in prefer
ence to wheat bread.
Doctor Spiesman has learned also
:hut cold-susceptible persons nre In
clined to worry. fie asks thorn: "Did
worrying about a thing ever help?”
It's a question that makes one think.
©. Western Newnpaper Union.
PECULIAR
FOODS Ffj
Baking Cassava Cakes In Haiti.
Prepared by the National GeoRraplilc Society.
Washington, D. C.-WNU Service.
SOUTH AFRICAN exporters are
bringing a new food to the
world's dining table which is al
ready replete with a generous
:ross section of the living things found
>n the earth and In the sea.
Grasshopper ragout the new article
s called. For many years the Chinese
ind Arabs have relished grnsslinppers,
S'hlch were once destroyed as they at
tempted ruination of South African
rrops. Now great masses of the In
jects are captured, carefully cleaned,
ronserved, and shipped to the Orient
and Asia Minor ready to be eaten.
Strange foods are to be found on tin
markets of all continents. In fact, one
part of the world is rather Ignorant
of what satisfies the hunger or tickles
tlie palate of the other part.
“He who would enjoy his food,
ihouhl not look over the kitchen wall,”
Hie Korean proverb warns; but there
Is much of interest to be found by
looking over the geographical wall of
space and regarding the food habits
of other people. Hats and dog steaks
In China have regular market prices,
and thoroughly ripened eggs are deli
cacics. Our food is often looked upon
as queer and heathenish by these same
people. The Turk regards oysters ns
we do some African and West Indian
dishes. Rut “all human history attests
that hnppiness for man,—the hungry
sinner!—since Eve ate apples, much
depends on dinner.”
Russian borsch Is probably one of
the best known soups. The large
quantity of meat floating In a sen of
cabbage and sour cream Is a meal in
Itself, heavy and tilling. Chinese fish
'soups are known the world over for
their delicate flavor, as is Swedish
bouillon, made of all kinds of birds
with elks’ meat as the piece de re
sistance of the soup.
In a Swedish home, the Christmas
porridge is an affair of grent Im
portance, made in a gigantic copper
washtub, being stirred by several
women, who take turns stirring, two at
a time for no less than ten hours on
end. In this same home, cooks are
pensioned to prevent family recipes
from being given away.
Some Queer Sea Foods.
By Andorrans and Polynesians, land
lubbers and seafaring folk, seafood Is
held In high regard. In Siberia ow
ing to climatic conditions, frozen sliced
fish is tlie epictirian’s delight. Kukson,
the local fish of the salmon family,
t,early t*^.es the place of bread.
Frozen, the skin removed, sliced, and
eaten with salt. It Is a savory treat.
But the South Sen islanders,
far from the freezing point, hunt
their treasured palolos by the light
of the moon. The tiny worms which
come to the surface of the water
once each year are eaten raw “on
location” or taken home in pails. In
Spain, little, white, transparent eel*
two Indies long, called angulns, are
attracted and caught with the old of
oil lamps, fried In batches in popping
olive oil, and served hot.
The river-dwellers of Brazil ana
other tropical South American coun
tries have remarkably large fish In
the Jaearetlngn, from which inrg"
steaks are taken. Fried alligator tail
is h!so to he had there, as well as the
lizardlike iguana. The flesh of the
female iguana is supposed to be ns
delicate as a young chicken, although
occasionally experience has proved it
to be ns tough as an old lien. Iguanas
are sold alive, tnlls tied together to
prevent escape.
Liberia Likes Dumboy.
Dumboy, tbe nutlontil dish of Li
beria, is prepared principally from a
sweet, non-polsnnotis cassava root —
called cassadn In Liberia. Tbe roots
are peeled, boiled, and tbe fibers from
the center removed before the process
of pounding In a mortar with a pestle
Is begun. This process calls for con
slderahle skill and experience hecaus
the cassadn sticks to any dry thing.
TIip pestle must be kept moist, but not
so moist as to make the mass soggy
Dried and fried dumboy becomes so
hard that it Is used as shot In rides.
• To the north of Liberia, in Africa,
is found another standard, ineal-in
itself dish, couscous. Mutton or fowl,
various vegetables, cooked separately
before mixing, and served with steamed
wheat dumplings make n highly sea
soned Arab version of an Irish stew.
Without counting calories, Bolivia
supplies a novel way of preparing tho
ubiquitous potato. To make chuno,
potatoes are frozen, trampled free of
water, trampled again and again, un
til they are little balls of pure starch.
The countries of the Amazon basin,
however, cling to manioc or mandioca
root. This root Is poisonous, but tho
natives know how to pull Its fangs
by shredding, washing, and squeezing
until tiie remainder can be ground Into
sawdust and eaten without harm.
For green vegetables, the Pacific
Islands present taro leaves, a sort of
spinach, which Is cultivated In swampy
ground by the women of the islands.
The roots may also be eaten like pota
toes, or cooked like poipol. Chill’s
greens come from the sea. Cochayuyu,
or cocha yuyu to the Incas, means
“garden truck of the sen” and Is a
species of sea weed.
Sarmale Pleases the Rumanian.
The Rumanian variety of a New
England boiled dinner Is sarmale.
Soured cabbage leaves, a more delicate
sauerkraut, rolled around n meat ball,
Is served with coarse cornmeal mush
called rnamulign, a highly spiced
sauce, and often thick sour crenin,
Mnmallga Is also served with eggs and
other combinations. Practically the
same dish Is to he found In Sweden—
mincemeat of elk wrapped In cabbage
leaves.
As we like dumplings and fritters
with our meals, so In Khoresm dough
nuts stuffed with rice and eggs, known
ns pirochkl, and In China crullers of
coarse flour fried In vegetable oils,
fill that place on the menu.
Broad In Afghanistan Is more than
mere bread; It Is food, napkin, and
tablecloth, all In one. It derives lti
shape and uses trom the use of quick
burning fuel and a varying demand
From flour to loaf is a matter of only
a few minutes. An oven is heated by
use ns a furnace for n short time with
brushwood tire. For hours on end th*
bnkcshop may have only a scant sup
ply on hand, yet a sudden demand Is
quickly met while the customers watt
In Cuba, one may reach for a sweet
and find It in the barqulllo, possibly
the grandfather of the Ice cream cone
In n panel, white loaves made of egg
white and sugar, which may be snten
separately but more often “dunked” tn
milk nnd dissolved; or in the mango,
a reddish gold fruit. Even lollipops,
coneshaped and wrapped In paper on
a stick, are to be found everywhere.
Afghanistan keeps step with our “snow
balls.” A plate is lirst filled with snow
over which u tiny ladle of sirup is
poured. Then a handful of sweet
paste cut Into strips like noodles Is
added, over which tiny ladles of cream
are poured before the whole confection
Is completed with n dash of rose water.
This is an Afghnn sundae. Suggesting
the taste of good Ice cream is the raw,
frozen marrow of reindeer bones pop
ular In Siberia. China prefers solid
cream for Its desserts, but Khoresm, In
southern Uussla, prepares plrog, a pie
tilled with mashed raisins.
Delicacies In Chile.
In Chile, the uiiel de paltna, honey
of the palm, is extracted from the
felled tree, and served us a sirup with
"panqtteqnes,” Melons, large and yel
low, some weighing 17 pounds, are
grown In Chile, and in Darfur are one
of the stuffs of life. There the mel
ons are broken open and scooped out
Inside, the rind thrown Into the sand.
When all the pulp has been extracted,
it Is squeezed to break up the fiber.
In one vessel, It Is placed on top of
another vessel and the liquid In the
under one percolates through straws
into the tipper. The rind Is then
broken lip and pounded In a vessel
fashioned out of a tree trunk. All pos
sible moisture is withdrawn and the
residue becomes food and drink for
donkey, goat, ami fowl.
I.lquid refreshment varies as much
in foreign iands as does the solid food.
Tea, ot one kind and a not tier, is tie
predominating drink. Tea, of course, in
China, strained watermelon Juice tea
in Darfur, orange tea brewed from
the wild orange tree In Tahiti, tea sea
soned with cardamon ginger In Af
ghanistan. and unappetizing butter lea
of southern China.