THE ALAMANCE GLEANER
- • • •
VOL. LIL
Beautiful Gateway to the Northwestern States
I- ll,f gntPwny and „ nH ,h«
"° a p ""* °' imp ' B "" ' rchi,ec,ute to a -"«
Romance of Sea
Rivals Fiction
Canadian Fireman ' Who
Saved Babe Be
comes Heir to Millions.
Toronto, On't.—Heir to $2,000,000
and guardian of a girl of fourteen
whom as an infant he saved when the
Titanic went down In 1912 is the hap
py fate which, according to his own
story, lias befallen John James, a fire
man employed In one of Toronto's
pumping stations. A few days ago
James left for England for the pur
pose, he said, of concluding legal for
malities.
Among John James' associates his
story is accepted at Its face value, for
they have known him for many years
as a trustworthy workman and a man
of his word. Among others there is
skepticism pending his return from
England with his .millions and his
ward.
Mm James' stbry in any case stands
unrivaled among romances of the sea.
Here it is in his own words:
"I had shipped on the Titanic as a
seaman under the name of John
Jones. I did not use my own name
because of a previous disagreement at
the company's employment office.
"When the vessel struck the 'growl
er' I took my station beside No. 8 boat.
Receives Charge of Baby.
"It was as the passengers were get
ting into the boat that I received
charge of the baby, who has been re
sponsible for the events which have
happened recently.
"A number of women had got Into
the boat. I remember they included
Mrs. J. j, Astor and Lady Rothe, when
a woman carrying a baby In her arms
tame forward. Her husband and tw»~
other little children were with her.
She first handed me the child and
'hen, on learning that her husband
could not accompany her, refused to go
herself. The other two children "Stayed
*ith their mother, and I was handed a
of money and an address In Lon
with Instructions that any
tli"g happen I was to deliver the child
that address. I was told I was
eeping the baby for extra precaution.
• one of u s dreamed for a moment the
-titanic would sink.
We lowered away and pulled off
"om the doometf vessel.
Each hour I made each passenger
a teaspoonful of rum and I took
i' )me "'yself. It kept' us alive, for
16 cold, following the proximity of
8 icebergs, was intense and I was
ressoel only in canvas breeches and
ersej. i i la( j not even B hoes on. I
8 stowed the baby, wrapped flp In
T oiltskius, in the boat's locker. Now
aguin it would cry and I molst
wat " S " ps witb a little rum and
Hive' hat ' In my opinion, kept It
Picked Up by the Carpathia.
1 Was terrible when the passen
r n tfle boat realized the giant
se was gone. The tragedy has
sufficiently written about, and
„ * e,! °ugh for me to say that the
thp ~n ' o rnlnß we were picked up by
urn ari,a tbla and that the baby was
safe and sound. /
the ''' he Carpattila theV tried to take
Worn ♦ from me > but 1 had s ,ven W
inn r ° de " ver 14 Its) grandparents
J, meant to keep It /The child was
feach^ 6^ o '' 0f coun p> and after we
New York I Vook It ashore
„ h J me and then baik to England,
it 11 Was met by toe grandparents
'h«n Verp ° o1 - and handled her over to
ben/, At tbe time I (was well com-
W«2. financially, /and after the
«olni Ugtou a "d Southampton In
' at both of "Which I gave evi
dence, I returned to my calling on the
sea.
"The grandparents would write me
and send me money on the Titanic's
anniversary, but it was not until the
war iliat I saw them again. It was
about six years after the Titanic's
sinking that I was in hospital wound
ed. When I was discharged I was
given a fortnight's leave and I went
to spend it in London in the Union
Jack club. I had nothing to do there
so I thought I would call for the first
time on the baby's grandparents, for
I had" been, of ten Invited when In Lon
don to do so.
"I went down by bus and, of course,
I was wearing my sailor's uniform.
When I arrived at the address I was
surprised' at the size and Imposing
front of the house I had come to visit.
Mustering up my courage I rang the
bell and when the door was opened
by a butler asked to see the lady of
the house. He viewed me with ap
paren% doubt and then remarked that
the lady of the house was not at
home.
" 'Take her my name,' I said, 'I
know she will see me.'
"He was about to close the door
when a little girl walked from a room
to the left of the great hall across It
She was dressed In white, and as she
crossed she saw me. She stopped and
looked at me for a long moment.
" 'What is your name?' she asked
me, and I told her.
" 'Martin,' she said, 'kindly let the
gentleman In. I know him and grand
mother will see him.'
"I was taken inside, where an old
lady was sitting reading. I Introduced
myself and to my consternation she
kissed me.
" 'Send for Mrs; Martin,' she or
dered the butler. 'Mr. James will stay
with me.'
"I demurred, but she insisted and
the whole of my fortnight's leave was
Baby War Refugee
Is Made Heiress
London. Fourteen-year-old
Marie Suzette Stevenson, a tiny
Belgian refugee from the war
torn fields of Europe 12 years
ago, is a British heiress as a
result of that same war which
spread misery and ruin across
half of Europe.
Suzette was born In Belglunt,
where her father was an artisan.
When the nations leaped at one
another's throats, she was two
years old. Her father went to
the front and along with thou
sands of other refugees, Suzette
was brought to England.
A fairy wand waved over the
humdrum refugees' camp one
day. Suzette was scarcely old
enough to see It. Lord and Lady
Stevenson stepped out of their
limousine in search of a child to
gladden their home. The wand
pointed to flaxen-haired Suzette
atfd she became their adopted
daughter.
For three years Suzette had
filled the Stevenson home with
laughter. Lady Stevenson died
in 1917. But at her deathbed,
Lord Stevenson promised Suz
ette would never want for any
thing. The second Lady Steven
son, too, loved Suzette. A few
months ago there came the death
of Lord Stevenson, and his will,
Just made public, brings to Suz
ette' a legacy of $123,000 which
is all her very own.
spent In that wonderful house. Bach
day we would drive to W theater or
some entertainment or other, While I
met many people at her home. You
can guess I was not entirely com
fortable, but I'gradually got used to
the new luxury and my leave expired
almost before It had begun, so to
speak. Then I went back to the sea
again. After the war, with £SOO the
old lady gave me, I came *to Canada
and started my new life here."
Now, according to James, the grand
mother is dead and he has been noti
fied that he must assume guardianship
of the child and Is heir to an estate
that is valued at $2,000,000.
An embarrassing change in his mode
of life is entailed but James thinks he
can best bridge the gulf by becoming u
gentleman farmer, an old ambition
with him. a.
In any case, he says, he will not
abandon Canada or his friends at the
city hall and elsewhere in Toronto
Diamond "Kings" Fear
Diggers' Price Cut
London.—Diamonds soon will be as
common as artificial pearls if the
present unrestricted output from allu
vial diggings continues! in the opinion
of the South African diamond mag
nates, says a dispatch to the Daily
Express from Capetown,
The correspondent says the diamond
mine owners are perturbed over the
increasing output of stones from the
alluvial diggings, where Individual
seekers are finding plenty of dia
monds and putting them on the mar
ket at prices below those charged by
the De Beers syndicate.
Solomon B. Joel, Sir Ernest Oppen
heimer and Sir Abe Bailey, mine own--
ers, have arrived in Capetown from
England with the hope of inducing the
South African government to limit the
alluvial output. Mr. Joel is a direc
tor of the De Beers Consolidated
mines. He Is a nephew of the late
Barney Barnato, a poor Jewish ped
dler who went to South Africa In the
early '7o's, and made a large fortune
In diamond and gold mines.
Shoos Pigeons Out of
Church After 50 Years
Milwaukee, Wis. —The age-old prob
lem of ousting tenants without hurt
ing their feelings Is facing Rev. Ar
thur H. Lord and the vestrymen of
St. James' Episcopal church, because
the time has arrived, they believe, to
ask pigeons to move from the steeple
of the church where they and their
ancestors have lived for 50 years.
Two months ago a steeple-cleaning
expedition was carried on by Otto
Gehrke, sexton, and three men. They
took 108 bags or nearly three tons of
debris from the floor of the tower. It
was seven years since a similar Job
had been performed, according to
Gehrke and the debris Included skele'
tons of dead pigeons.
Reverend Lord wishes they would
find new home*, but says they may
use the steeple on cold days.
Salted Whales' Tails
Delicacy to Japanese
Tacoma, Wash.—Over in Japan
there is no worry over the shortage
of turkeys for the holiday season for
during the last week 170,000 pounds
of salted whales' tails have been ex
ported to that country. The whale
tails, In great demand there, cam*
flom the various whaling stations on
the north Pacific Alaskan coast and
represent a value 1 of over $41,000,
whereas a few years ago they were
discarded or worked over Into 1o»
grade fertilizer.
Sticks to Job
London. —David I>ewls has been a
farmhand on one British estate for 6?
years and has awarded the Ban
bury Agricultural association's loag
service medal.
GRAHAM, N, C., THURSDAY imiJUMIJli!IC^4rl926.
LIFE FOR
LIVING, NOT
DREAMING
By EZRA H. YORK
(Copyright by W. O. Cbipmu.)
GERALD HOLMES was whai
the world called a successful
roan. At fifty be had won n
place In the estimation of his
community. He was rich, a widower
of several years' standing, and the
father of grownup children. And, like
many successful men, he knew that
life liud been for him a failure."
His marriage had been happy
enough. Hardly any one ktew, and
none of his own children knew, the
story of ills early love affair with Lil
lian Huntley. They had been class
mates at college,, they had loved each
other' since they first saw each other.
They were engaged to be married as
soon as Holmes had established him
self in his profession as a scientific
engineer. Often in afterdays, when
he was called from end to end of the
great continent to achieve success at
this profession where other men had
failed, Holmes would recall how he
and Lillian had fought over those
problems together In her little room,
where she, with her trained mind, was
able to aid even him, the first in the
class at the university.
Their lives had had such prospects
of rich fruit; they were so perfectly
satisfied with each other, that Holmes
had always felt their joy was to be
snatched from them. Lillian fought
for five days against pneumonia.
"Tomorrow will be the crisis," said
the doctor.
But when the crisis came Lillian
could not withstand it
He was called to her bedside In her
last hours. The struggle for life had
ceased, and her beauty, her strength,
her faculties were going out swiftly
on the ebb-tide.
"I want you to be happy, Gerald,"
she whispered. And, seeing the look
on his face, she added, with a faith
that amazed him:
"I know ail good comes to those
who wait. I know that some day the
perfect life will unfold for us. I want
you to marry and be happy in this
life, Oerald, and, some day, I—l will
come to you again."
Then her eyes closed and she began
to pass into that place from which
none return, so far as we positively
know, though we all hope thn.. we may
meet there.
For days after her death Gerald
shut himself up In his room and re
fused to see anyone. Then, all of a
sudden, Just when his friends had be
gun to despair of him, he changed.
Something had been at work to change
the nature of the man. It seemed as
if he had resolved to forget 'all his
memories of the past. He worked
bard and he played hard. He was
now called callous. He married, in
due courqg, and sons and daughters
were born to him. Then his wife died,
and he lived with his children* in his
fine bouse in a suburban district, un
dertaking only occasional work of a
highly remunerative and national
character. At fifty his life's interests
had closed. He did not know what to
do with himself. His eldest daughter
wanted him to marry again. She
brought suitable ladies to the house;
but she Boon saw that her father did
not look upon her scheme with ap
proval. e
n
Among Holmes' civic Interests was
that of the Olrls' home. He was sit
ting In his capacity as chairman of
the board when one of the Inmates
was brought to him. She was a girl
of about eighteen, and apparently in
corrigible. He listened to the ma
tron's story as the girl stood sullenly,
with downcast eyes, before him.
She was not bad, but wayward.
Her parents, poor laboring people, had
never been able to control her. She
had a passion for finery, and had been
caught pilfering from one of the de
partment stores. She had been com
mitted to the borne, and she refused
to obey any of the rules, and bad de
fied the authorities.
The matron requested permission
to have her seat baqk to the court
for sentence for the theft
"A prison sentence will stamp her
Irredeemably as an outcast" suggest
ed Holmes.
"She's that now, sir," said the ma
tron angrily. "There's no way to dis
cipline her."
"What Is the trouble?" Holmes
asked the girl.
She began to speak without raising
her eyes. "They hain't treated me
fair," sbe blurted out "I don't be
long to them."
"Belong to whom?" Inquired Holmes.
"Tbat lot down to the East side.
I'm a lady. I ain't goin' to mix with
that crowd of loafers and shop girls.
I want my chance. For God's sake,
give me my chance to go to a decent
school. Instead of shutting me up
here."
"Why don't you look at the chair-
man when you speak to him, you la
soleift girl?" demanded the matron.
The girl raised her sullen eyes to
his, and.Holmes saw—Lilllup's.' He
saw the soul of Lillian looking at hiin
directly out of the eyes of this way
ward girl of the slums. He saw tlie
appealing gaze of Lillian, and it
seemed to say:
"She is not I. She Is the product of
her environment, but I am I, and we
know each other across the bridge
of death."
The chairman spoke presently, in u
singularly self-contained and quiet
voice.
"Matron, I will be responsible for
this girl. 1 will have her educated,
and see what I can make of her.''
The matron thought that the heat
had affected him. So did the secre
tary and the stenographer. But
Holmes and the girl left the home
together.
ILL
Amazement, mingled with scandal,
greeted this action on Holmes' part.
His new ward excited the bitter ani
mosity of his own children. They
guessed that he was infatuated with
Laura Dean. When he spoke of send
ing her to school, they Imagined It
was to til her to take her place at
the head of the household.
For a month he kept her In his
home, but then the mutual recrimina
tions became too strong, and he seat
her to a boarding establishment for
young ladies. During that month,
however, Holmes had satisfied himself
that Laura was by no means bad.
She was naturally a woman entitled
to the good things of life. The pinched
and tawdry environment of her home
had been impossible for a girl of her
type.
Her temper was violent, yet some
times, when they were alone together.
Holmes would see the old look of Lil
lian in her eyes. And It seemed to
him that this girl was Lillian re-horn
on earth. Once he questioned her.
"Do you know the name Lillian
Huntley?" he asked.
The girl looked amazed, almost stu
pefied. The look of Lillian, the love
of Lillian shone in her eyes and was
reflected in every feature.
"I seem to remember it," she mur
mured, passing her hand across her
forehead.
Holmes was sure then. But would
she remember? If he gave her the
advantages that Lillian had had.
would she come to know him as her
destined lover, destined through, all
the ages? He resolved to try the ex
periment.'
The school to which he sent her
was a special one, guaranteed to In
culcate refinement among the children
of parents who bad suddenly risen in
the world. When Laum came home
at the end of the first year, with ex
cellent reports, although she was con
sidered a little headstrong. Holmes
found that she was as well bred as
hig own daughters.
This only Increased the 111 feeling.
They thought their father was going
to marry her at once. But Holmes
had other plans. He meant to send
Laura to the same university that Lil
lian had attended, that her dormant
soul might be awakened there.
And It seemed unnecessary to speak
of love, because the calm and stead
fast eyes of Lillian seemed always In
Laura's face, and their love was too
real to require utterance.
IY
Holmes was counting the days uutll
Laura's return. He meant to ask her
to become bis wife. He had no antici
pation of a refusal. His children, aft
er protracted quarreling, had talked
of leaving him. Holmes did not care.
He felt that he had resumed that
early life which Lillian's death had
broken off. Only two weeks remained
till her return.
He read her letters. Affectionate
they were, such as a daughter might
write to a father; yet Holmes read
something dearer Into them. In his
Infatuation he could hardly wait for
the time to expire.
That evening a telegram was put
Into his hand. He tore It open, while
the messenger waited; and, as he did
so, be felt a sudden chill foreboding
It read as follows:
"Professor Murray and I Were mar
ried this afternoon. Dear father, wi'.i
you send us your blessing?"
The man, retaining full self-control
in tbat moment of stunning shock,
penciled: "God bless you as I do,"
upon the form. Then be turned away.
And it came to blm then that life Is
for living and not for dreaming. Lil
lian, if she had ever come back to
him, re{tjifed bis strength, his cogni
tion, to make her know herself. He
saw that she was lost to blm In life
forever. ,
But afterwards he saw, with a great
gladness, tbat love was never lost,
and that what part of Laura's person
ality had been his would remain hia
forever.
Bowing to the Inevitable
When slow teams block the road
we're on we wait until the teams are
gone. We have a reason for It too.
There's nothing else we can do,—
Houston rust-Dispatch.
KENYA
ITB PEOPLE
One of the Native* of Kenya.
(Prepare! by the National Geographic
Society. Washington. D. C.I
THE first link of the proposed
British nlr service from Cairo to
the Cupe of Good Hope In Africa
will soon be established
beginning of nn airplane line from
Khartum In the Soudan to Klsumu In
Kenya colony. klsumu Is on Lake Vic
toria, the "Lake Superior" of Africa.
Kenya, which will thus be brought
Into much closer touch with England,
is one of the most fascinating regions
of Africa, geographically speaking. It
presents a relatively new name to
world maps, for before the World war
It was known as British East Africa.
At the southeast corner of Kenya
is Lake Victoria, second largest fresh
water lake In the world. Along Its
shores dwell a people whose nudity
is a symbol of their modesty, and
whose men are as beautifully formed
specimens of their sex as are the
Marquesas women of theirs.
Just across Kenya's southern border
is Kilimanjaro, highest 'mountain 'n
Africa, and near its center Is Kenya
peak, also volcanic, which o'ertops
Mount Whitney by some 3,000 feet.
Cutting across the colony is the fa
mous Itlft valley, here from IK) to 40
miles wide, and generally several thou
sand feet below the plateau's general
level. X
However, It Is as a zoo and a lux
uriant botanical garden that Kenya
makes Its chief appeal to the nature
loving visitor. Perhaps Its most amaz
ing single spectacle Is the flamingo
colony on the northern shores of Lake
Hannington. •
Hippopotami swim in the shallow
waters of this bay; antelope and gnu
Infest Its shores. Its port. Klsumu. Is
the terminus of the Uganda steamship
line, which lands rubber, ivory and
hides here for railway shipment to
the coast.
Government of tha Colony.
A few years ago Oreat Britain had
• n uncomfortable racial problem on
her hands In Kenya, but the matter
haa now apparently l>een smoothed
over. The native population numbors
about 3,000,000 and there are In addi
tion whites of European origin. East
Indians and Arabs. £ J
From the tldie when British Influ
ence made Itself felt In East Africa,
during the last quarter of the Nine
teenth century, until 1920, the then
British East Africa was a protec
torate, a form of government which
the British empire generally makes
iiFe of when there la practically no
white population other than the ad
ministrative officials. Under this sys
tem there was scarcely any popular
phase to the goverpment. affairs were
administered for the moat part as the
officials thought best. A start toward
popular Institutions was made In 1900
when executive and legislative coun
cils were eatabllahed.
By 1919 the white population had
grown to the point (nearly 10,000) felt
to demand greater governmental par
ticipation. Provision was made for
the white settlers to elect 11 members
to the legislative council. Two were
appointed to represent the East In
dian population, and one to represent
the Arabs. A sufficient number of offi
cial members WHS then appointed to
give the government a majority. The
final step of creating the newest Brit
ish crown colony from the old pro
tectorate was made July 23, 1920,'
when Kenya colony came Into exist
ence.
The emigrants from India and
their •descendants, who outnumber the
Europeans two to one, were dissatis
fied with their small representation on
NO: 38.
the legislative council and demanded
»-qual suffrage. There also existed in
the background the question of what:
part If any the 3,000,000 black native
residents of the colony should' take,
eventually in the management of af
fairs. The whites of Kenya and of
the much more Important Union of
South asserted that if Great
Britain alflmdoned the principle that
her people have the obligation to main
tain her institutions among the less
ndvanced peoples of her colonies, it
would mean the death of the British
empire and of the civilization which
she has developed in Asia and Africa
1 People of Manjr Races.
The land which Is now Kenya colony
has had Its mixture of races for a long
time. Phoenicians, Arabs, Indians,
even Chinese, skirted its coasts in
very early times and traded with Ha
natives. Later the Arabs came in
numbers; and now there is a popula
tion of about 10,000 of them in addi
tion to a large number of people of
mixed Arab and black blood. The In
dians began to go to this region be
fore British influence began, and now
number some 25,000.
Of the blacks there are numerous
tribes. The Suks belong to the
Nilotic race group. The Swahllis are
the hybrid people formed huqMjhe
union of Arabs with the Somalls awl
(.•alias. There Is also the Bantu-shak
ing population, many of whom dwell
in the regions around Mount Kenya,
which was for a time believed to lie
in the fabled regions of the "Moun
tains of the Moon," as well as more
of the Nilotic group, consisting of the
Masnl, the Nandi and others.
Though Kenya calls itself the new- :
est of the British colonies, It is one of
the oldest, lands of the earth. Colonel
Roosevelt, In speaking of his African
hunting trip, said that the Masai often
reminded him of the pictures of the
soldiers of Thotlimes and Rameses
made by the ancient Egyptian
sculptors, In that their faces were
resolute and had featured.
The same noted traveler said of this*
tribe that though the women were
scrupulously clothed, "the husbands
brothers very ostentatiously wear ilo
clothing for pur-pose ß of decency."
Women Who Wear Tails.
Though unclothed the Kavirondos
are much bedecked, every circumfer
ence the human form affords, from
chest and stomach to ankle and wrist,
Is wire-wrapped The women add one
ether decoration, a tall-like tuft sus
pended from the waistline in the rear.
Sparse population of a region where
the altitude offsets the equatorial heat
and the fertility invites farming is due
largely to these warrior Masai whose
former livelihood was gained prin
cipally by raids on their neighbors.
Many of them have settled down to
tilling the soil.
Another native tribe, the Andorabos.
formerly lived largely upon flesh of
the Colobus monkey. The skin has a
market value because of its silky black
and white hair and the tail with an
immense busby plume ut the end.
They, too, turned to the soil as the
British imposed restrictions ou mou- .
key killing to save the animals from
extinction.
The Gallas, though they are now of
little importance either politically or
economically, take great pride in their
past. They say that they once had a
sacred book, like the Bible or the
Koran, but a cow ate it, and not being
certain about the particular animal, In
their search they are still opening thw
stomach of every «m thut dies.