THE ALAMANCE GLEANER
VOL. LII.
A Noble of Abyssinia and His Wife.
(Prepared by tho National Geographic
Society, Washington, E>. C.)
THE status of Abyssinia, sup
posedly settled a score of
years ago when England,
France, and Italy guaranteed
her independence, is up for considera
tion again among the guarantors. The
country Is practically the last bit of
Africa unappropriated by European
powers, and some of the powers are
wondering whether It would not be
better after ail to bring western civi
lization —and control —Into this cor
ner of the Dark Continent.
Although the people of Abyssinia
may be immersed in medievalism,
their rulers have managed to keep
pretty well up with the times.
One of the most famous women
rulers In the history of the world sat
upon the throne of Abyssinia nearly
3,000 years ago, but the present em
press of that country, a daughter
of Menelik 11, is not allowed to gov
ern her people. Walzeru Zauditu is
merely the nominal head of this coun
try, which was noted as the home of
the Queen of Sheba in the days of
Solomon. The actual ruler of Abys
sinia, or Ethiopia, as Its natives pre
fer to call It, Is Ras TafFari, the
regent and heir apparent, son of Ras
Makonnen of Harar, and cousin to the
empress.
Unfortunately, the United Slates
has no resident agent in Ethiopia. Al
though the ruler is very favorably
disposed toward Americans, and Is
willing to extend unusual courtesies
to them, he first makes very sure
of their mission and satisfies himself
that they are as they represent them
selves. A would-be traveler may have
to cool his heels In Addis Abada, the
capital, for many weeks before he re
ceives permission to go about the
country.
What Addis Ababa Is Like.
Addis Ababa is a straggling city.
The principal streets are "paved"
with round, waterworn bowlders from
6 to 10 Inches In diameter, and the
two main suburban roads along the
base of the hill are surfaced with a
Mn macadam. Wheeled traffic Is un
common, njost residents going from
place to place on horseback. It is a
Journey 'of an hour and a half from
the American mission, on one edge of
town, to the British legation, on the
other.
A fairly good road runs from the
residence of Ras Taffarl to that of
empress, and several streets are
Passable to the half-dozen automo
es, which are limited to the city
aid to one road which is improved
or some distance, westward. Over the
country as a whoie there is no possl
ty of wheeled traffic of any kind.
To ride In an automobile In the
y is more or less of an adventure.
r* streets are always filled with
estrlans, each one of whom Is ob
cssed with the Idea that he must
cover how long he can keep In
of the machine by running. The
arc 6 Paclc P Oll coming to market
I Dn used to autos and gallop wild
vJ'yPS the road, causing their packs,
•** loaded with hay, to slip sldewise
,1 Anally beneath them.
s,ore buildings are one or two
wed a^"')e an * s t° ne structures cov
with galvanlzed-iron roofing,
feri stocks °f goods are small and In
a p° r ' alt hough at one store, run by
of a considerable assortment
stor C ' e,S ' S for sa ' e - Besides the
Krais*' t,lere are the thousands of
hl!i» r °?/ e3 huts scattered about the
the* ere the native population
*^er re 19 D ° electrlc lty, no gas, no
, or sewerage system, but there
w « movie."
ft*" town goeg to the station In
from lT ne w 'hen the train arrives
ir e ... ,utl - The coaches of the train
of . | wl th all kinds and classes
Any 1 w ho arrfve weary and
bjt' th_°f ly 500 miles from the coast,
toy train has labored heavllj
for three days to accomplish the
Journey. It runs only in daylight
hours—a practice due In part to dan
ger from the Somalis and Danakils,
nomadic peoples of the semldpsert,
for It would not be difficult to remove
a rail, plunder the wreck, and disap
pear in the darkness.
Needs of Travelers.
When traveling In Abyssinia there
are a few details of organization to
which particular attention should be
paid. The first is to be well sup
plied with interpreters. There should
be at least two, preferably men who
do not like each other, for there are
several hazards in having but one In
terpreter. In the first place, you are
at his mercy, and are told only the
things that he Is willing that you
should know. If he wishes to go a
certain route, he tells you that there
is but one road. Again, he may fall
ill and thus leave you without means
of communication.
A second end to be secured in or
ganization is dissension In camp.
There can be wo concerted action
and little Individual sabotage in the
way of delaying the marches, If
there are factions among the serv
ants. To this end It is wise te hire
both Mohammedans and Christians.
The Mohammedans prove especially
useful in tying up the -Christians
when the latter get drunk.
The plateau of western Abyssinia
slopes upward from the low plains of
the Sudan. It rises gradually higher
and higher until the extreme eastern
edge is reached.
Here it breaks abruptly Into a
great escarpment, the first drop being
one of 5,000 feet. Its surface Is cut
by streams, the larger of which have
eroded canyons of great extent and
of forbidding depths. The aspect of
the country is extremely mountain
ous, but for the most part this ap
pearance Is due to erosion.
The canyons Interpose great diffi
culties in traveling. They necessi
tate either very hazardous descents
and climbs or time-taking detours of
many miles. The trails, as far as
possible, fallow the high ground.
Seventy-five miles northeast of Ad
dis Ababa (but six days by horse
back lies Ankober, situated on a
peak In the breaks of the eastern es
carpment. The traveler sights It
hours before his arrival, but he Is
compelled first to drop down thou
sands of feet to cross a stream and
then reclimb to an almost equal ele
vation. The sides of the canyon are
very precipitous and, although the
trail zigzags back and forth, it Is
extremely steep.
Ankober on Its Peak.
Ankober Was founded by Amada
Yesus about 1750. It consists of a
needlelike peak surmounted by a
citadel which includes an inclosure
and a couple of houses, one of which
belongs to the ruler. There are sev
eral lines of defenses of a type per
fected as a barrier to spearmen.
There &re also three or four guard
houses on the path which leads to the
crest. About the hill lie a few scat
tered huts and on either side is a
church.
The view from the peak at the cor
ner of the plateau Is magnificent. To
the north and west are lines of crags,
rocky pinnacles and forbidding
chasms eroded from the escacpment.
To tire northwest the escarpment
rises like a wall. From the south
west to northeast the plain of the
Hawash river sweeps In a great curve
—miles and miles of blue-black acacia
grasslands that fade away In the low
er levels to Intangible streaks of
white.
The Amharas belong to the Coptic
church, a branch of the Christian
faith. In their services the priests
often encircle the church dancing, or
dance before. It, as was the custom of
the Jews In Biblical times.
THE
EAST AND
THE WEST
By H V M. EGBERT
(Copyright by W. O. Chapman.) •
UT T'S never Will Thorpe!"
"That you, Jimmy?"
1 The two men gazed at each
other In half Incredulity. Then:
"How you've changed, Will!" ex
claimed the Easterner.
"I guess I'm wearing clothes that I
wouldn't have cared to be seen In at
Harvard or in Boston," said Will
Thorpe, smiling at his friend.
"I don't mean that," answered Jim
my Tremont. "It's—it's —well, I don't
know Just what it Is!"
Will Thorpe thought about his
friend's words that evening when he
was alone In his cabin on the moun
tainside. Had he changed during his
three years in the West, beyond the
mere physical appearance? He was
inclined to think he had. Certainly
his tastes seemed to have altered In
many ways.
Will Thorpe had been sent West
three years before. He had been an
Idler and extravagant; at last his fa
ther, who had always dealt with the
boy rathec hhrshly, refused to assist
him further unless he entered his iron
foundry and settled down. Angry
'words had arisen, and in the end Will
had packed his suitcase and gone
West with a hundred dollars In his
pockets.
His sweetheart, Marlon Vanslttart,
had scolded him for his decision. She
had reminded him, petulantly, that she
could neither marry a poor man nor
wait forever. He had kissed her and
told her that he would return with his
fortune linade. And for a few months
she had written. Then her letters be
came shorter and less frequent; finally
they ceased altogether.
It was more than two years since
he had heard from her. And gradual
ly the new life had woven itself about
him, and he ceased to care.
Then he had received a mysterious,
unsigned message asking him to be at
the railway depot at a certain hour,
to meet the train. And he had gone,
to find Jim Tremont waiting there.
Jim was passing through on his way
to California, he told him, and he had
heard he was in that part of the
country. Did Will know that his fa
ther was dead and he was the sole
heir of five million dollars? He had
better write home quickly, because
every one was searching for him, and
he had only heard of his address by
chance.
"I suppose you'll be back East In a
week, and holding out at the club,"
said Jimmy casually, as he shook
hands and said good-by.
It was that that made Will think
he had really changed. How could he
associate those elusive memories
which he had almost forgotten with
this life that had taken possession of
him?
He thought of Norma Gale; the
daughter of the old homesteader
down the valley. How was he to tell
her? The girl, educated and refined
TJas were all the people of the district,
was utterly unpresentable In the sort
of society in which he had moved.
She had never worn a gown with a
low neck In her life. She would be
helpless among a crowd of people such
as—Marlon Vanslttart!
Yet it never occurred to Will that
he could do anything but go. It had
never entered his mind that he was
to stay permanently in the West.
A man on horseback was riding up
to his cabin. Will watched him as he
approached. Visitors were something
of an event in the settlement, and
Will rider as the telegrapher
in the cluster of houses that had
grown up around the depot and was
called a city.
"Wire for you, Thorpe!" he an
nounced briefly.
Will took the message and opened
It. He stared at it as if he did not
understand. It was from Marion. She
had learned his address, she said—
probably every one could discover the
address of a millionaire —and she was
passing through on her way East from
the San Francisco exposition. She
would stay an hour while they changed
engines. Would he meet her?
"Thanks," said Will to the telegra
pher, and watched him ride down the
hill.
Yes, he was going East, and going
back to Marion. For a moment the
old life came rushing over him, with
its memories, its thousand allure
ments. And the new life meant noth
ing.
He mounted his horse and rode
slowly down the valley., He had no
destination in mind, but suddenly he
realized that he was approaching the
homesteader's house. And at the door
stood Norma, in her sunbonnet.
She greeted him. "Won't you come
In and take some tea?" she asked. "I
hear you are going East, Mr. Thorpe."
He dismounted, and now he saw
GRAHAM, N, C., THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 1926.
that his lips were trembling. How
known he was going East?
Did the news fly as fast in this settle
ment as in the great world? And what
did it matter to her?
"Yes, I am going East, Norma," he
answered, taking her hands in his.
"I—l congratulate yon," she an
swered quietly. But he saw the tears
in her eyes.
"You have meant so much to me,"
he said impulsively. "I hate
thought of going. And yet—it Is mj
duty, I suppose."
"Then you must go," said the girl
softly. She was smiling very bravelj
at him. "Won't you come In 7"
"No—l can't now," he said crudely.
"Norma, I shall—l shall see you again
before I go."
She nodded, and he knew the mean
ing of her silence. The girl cared for
him, and In her unsophisticated way
was incapable of concealment. He
saw her walk back quietly Into the
cabin.
Marlon's train was to arrive the fol
lowing morning. Will rode down to
the depot with a heavy heart. The
old and the new were tugging at It,
and he did not know which pulled him
the harder. There were so many
memories here—yet the thought of
Marlon came to him like a flood of
sunlight. How-he had loved Marlon!
She had tacitly released him by her
silence, and yet doubtless she would
explain that. He would follow her
soon. He saw the old life vividly,
their marriage, the quiet home in Bos
ton. . . .
The train was pulling in. He had
stood on the platform In a sort of
daze. Now he awakened suddenly,
and he felt his heart beating hard in
anticipation. The men about the plat
form were watching him curiously. He
looked into the carriages of the train
as it came to a halt. He walked Its
length. Marion was not there. Had
she missed her train?
"Still dreaming. Will?" asked a hard
voice over his shoulder.
He started round, to see Marlon,
with a party of girl friends, dressed In
the height of fashion, looking at him
with a smile.
"Dear me, I must be very hard to
find," she said. "Well! When are
you coming home?"
The hardness of her tones struck
him like a blow. Surely he had
changed out of all recognition If he
had ever thought Marlon's voice beau
tiful. The girl whom he had loved
to the point of infatuation stood re
vealed to him as an artificial, hard
young woman, without the slightest
charm.
"I think It was vfery wrong of you
not to write to me for so long." she
continued. "But I forgive you, Will,
We can forgive a man with millions
anything, can't we Dora?"
The girl addressed as Dora mur
mured something. The whole party
was taken aback, not to say shocked,
at the sight of this man In the cowboy
clothes. And he was a millionaire!
He was Will Thorpe of Harvard and
Boston!
Perhaps Marlon shrewdly divined
the change that had occurred In him,
for she drew him aside.
"Will, I know I ought to have been
more serious," she said, "but you
can't think how startling and ridicu
lous you look," dressed like one of
these natives. Listen, Will, and let
me explain. I have always cared for
you Just as much, but I couldn't be
engaged to a beggar. You see that
for yourself, don't you? And every
body understood that your father was
going to cut you out of his will. In
stead of leaving you the sole heir. I
am Just as fond of you. Will."
Will Thorpe looked at her with slow
ly rising anger. She did not realize
what she was saying. Had he ever
been like that? Was that the kind of
man that he had been, that she so con
fidently imagined he was still?
"So when are you coming home.
Will?" she continued. "When are you
coming home to me?" she added
softly.
The engineer blew the whistle. Will
looked her full In the face. "Never!"
he answered roughly.
The party was moving toward the
train. Will saw the look of amazed
Indignation upon Marlon's face. He
broke from her. He mounted the
horse that was tethered to a post out
side the depot. The train was start
ing. But Will was riding for the
mountain slopes, and his "never" rang
in lii/ears like the sound of a chanted
chorus.
He flung himself from his horse at
the cabin door which hid at that mo
ment all that life held most precious
for him.
"Normahe shouted, hammering
with his knuckles.
He heard her footsteps; he saw her
stand before him; he caught her In
his arms.
"Norma! I have come home—to
you," he cried.
Nature's Gallery
The artist's bride went marketing
for the first time.
"What have you In the way of veg
etables?" she Inquired.
"Beans, peas, squash, lentils— *
The dealer rattled off a long list
"Dear me. Have yon a catalogue?"
Japanese Coeds Taking Military Training
Coeds of the Tokyo Shuyo-Dan taking military training under the direction of the officers of tha Vint
regiment of the Japanese national army.
Canadian Dollar
Jolts U.S. Visitors
Dominion Money's Advan
tage Over Ours Due Part
ly to Trade Balance.
Toronto, Ont.—United States visi
tors to Canada are chagrined when
they find the American dollar is now
at a discount here.
In a monetary way the amount of
the discount is Insignificant For all
ordinary transactions United States
currency is accepted as par by every
one everywhere'in Canada. But on
large banking transactions the tech
nical discount becomes a reality and
the American eagle has a little bit
clipped off Its wings.
The prosaic rates of exchange tables
on the financial pages tell the story.
Day after day the Canadian dollar Is
quoted In New York at a slight pre
mium. Some days It Is only tjiree
thirty-seconds of 1 per cept premium;
more frequently It Is five thirty-sec
onds or more.
What is the explanation? The sub
ject of rates of exchange Is so com
plicated and so contentious that It
would be foolish to be dogmatic, but
there are certain explanatory condi
tions that are obvious.
Production One Reason.
In the first place Canada is produc
ing wealth at a rate which, having re
gard for her small population and
scale of expenditure, is enormous.
Hundreds of millions of dollars a year
from her wheatfields, more hundreds
of millions of dollars a year from her
pulp-wood forests and mines, to say
nothing of the output of factories,
grazing lands, hardwood forests, fish
eries and other sources of.wealth, are
building up substantial surpluses.
For the year ending Juiy 31. 1020,
excess of exports over Im
ports amounted to $388,000,000 —more
than S4O for every man, woman and
child In the dominion. A proportion
ate favorable trade balunce for the
United States would be around $5,000,-
000,(X»0.
A favorable trade balance first made
Its appearance In Canada during the
war In the era of high prices and mu
nitions business. It wiis predicted It
would disappear when abnormal condi
tions passed. So It did—almost In
1020 It was only $11,000,000. But
since then year by year It has grown.
Last year the increase was $100,000,-
000 and there Is no sign now of Its
diminution.
Another factor In the Canadian dol
lar premium Is the continued Influx
of outside capital. Every year for 11
years there has been a
United States capital flowing into
Canada at the rate of $200,000,000 a
year. It finds Investment either In
government bonds or In industrial eh
terprlses. Before 1914 the flow was
from Great Britain.
Some economists, particularly high
protectionists, wjjo are dissatisfied
with the present conditions of trade,
claim that It Is this stream of United
States capital Into Canada that is the
decisive factor In putting thp Cana
dian dollar at a premium. They say
the favorable trade balunce is illusory
and disappears when Invisible exports
and imports are taken Into account.
But the chief Invisible Item is in
terest on foreign Investments in (.'ana
da. These are estimated at around
$5,000,000,000, on which the Interest
would be, say $300,000,000. Substantial
reductions must be made from this
amount Some of this interest remains
In Canada for fresh Investment, the
balance or tourist traffic will account
for another huge sum. Canadians also
have Investments abroad on which
they collect Interest.
Demonstrably Canada's real favor
able trade balance Is large even If
some deduction has to be made from
the $388,000,000 which the government
figures show. It represents a real In
crease in wealth in the country. When
there Is added to it the large annual
acquisitions of fresh foreign capital
coming in to be added to the invest
ments of profits that Canadians are
themselves making, the anomaly of the
premium on the Canadian dollar is not
as puzzling. «~
Canada's prosperity makes her a
better customer than ever of Dncle
Sam. While her excess of exports
over Imports last year were $388,000,-
000 for the whole world, she bought
from Dncle Sam $170,000,000 more
than she sold to him. Even If the
United States did take payment in se
curities, the condition reflected here
is not one which Canadians accept as
permanently satisfactory.
Find "Siamese Twins"
Shared Only One Organ
Minneapolis, Minn. —Only one or
gan was owned in common by Lucy
and Bessie Medlch, "Siamese twins,"
who died within a few minutes of each
other at a local hospital. This was
the bladder, It was discovered at the
post mortem, at the hospital.
Lucy died of pneumonia and Bessie,
her sister, Joined to her from birth,
about five months ago, died of shock
and blood poisoning.
With the exception of the bladder,
which served both bodies, every vital
organ of the bodies was complete In
each Individual.
This possession of two almost com
plete sets of Internal organs, permit
ted, surgeons believe, Bessie to enjoy
perfect health throughout the long
Illness of Lucy from pneumonia. ;
The two were the children of Mr.
and Mrs. N. S. Medlch, South Bend.
Ind., and it is expected that the bodies
will be taken to that city for burial.
They wore fnstened together by a
rather narrow band at the hips, the
heads being at opposite ends of the
double body.
Austrian Trains Field
Birds to Talk and Sing
Bayersdorf, Austria.—ln Austria the
starlings and nutcrackers 'talk and
sing, that Is, all those who go to
school to Mltzl Hofer.
** Frauleln Hofer has been teaching
Two Dwarfs From Philippines
All sorts of people ure unions tlie visitors to the White House. Here are
two of the strangest, Martini and Jean de la Crux, dwarfs from the Philip
pine Islands. With them Is Morris Miller of New York.
NO. 31.
these two varieties of birds to talk
and sing for the last twenty years.
And, so successful has she been, that
customers flock from all parts of Eu
rope to visit her cottage, and to buy
her birds.
She believes that the ability to sing
and talk Is strengthened through in
heritance. Consequently she breeds
her birds with the greatest care and
has developed strains of nutcrackers
and starlings which are not equaled
as singers and talkers In all Europe.
The starlings and nutcrackers go
to school each morning, not just hit or
miss, but In classes. The birds sit on
her head, on her shoulders. ID her lap
and as she trills and talks to them, it
spurs them on to imitative effort.
And her method? Patience, an end
less amount of it.
ONLY BLIND ICEMAN
Hk
W? M i
James lialvui, sixty yeurs old. of
New York, is perhaps the only blind
Iceman in the world. He caters to
quite a large clientele. In wood, coal
and ice, and makes all his deliveries
alone and unaided.
Insomnia Cure
London.—lf you can't sleep try
painting the walls of your bedroom a
dainty mauve. It works fine in St.
John's hospital, as do other col oris In
place of the usual white.