North Carolina Newspapers

No 76 ; NEW BERN, CRAVEN COUNTY. ' N.i CUTpESDAY DECEMBER, 26, 1911-FIRST SECTION 34th; YEAR MM1 6y iouis imam CHAPTER TY-Wliett the Irishman foci to hit roori he flndi there the own er of the myatflrfoua feet. It li hie wife, - Beatrix, from -vhom he had run away a year previous They are reconciled, and opening the letter he had received, ha Knda that a law Arm In Rangoon, India, Otters him 100,000 pounds for an Indian jewel known as the Pool of Flame and feft to him by a dying friend. O'Rourk tells his wife that It Is in the keeping f friend named Chambret In Algeria. goul. In the steadfastness-of her im pregnable heart! . . . -i : But It's doubtful If ever he had an alyzed his passion for her ao minute ly. Mostly, I think, at that moment ol her abrupt disclosure to him, he long ed unutterably for her llpa and the Sroffered wreath round his neck of her lim, round, white arms. -! Yet he would not. Trembling though , M was, with every Instinct and every fiber of his being straining toward her, witn tne hunger for her a keen Daln In his heart, he held himself back; or his ?ncepuon of honor held him back, hat which he had voluntarily forfeit- - ed and put away from him for his hon or's sake, he would not take back ' though it were offered freely to him. It "So," he said, after a bit, shakily; : men pulled himself together, end controlling his voice "So 'twas your elf. after all, Beatrix! Me heart told me no other woman could have sung mat song as ye diet " i 1 .The woman dropped her arms. "Your kert, Terence?" she asked a little bit terly. ! "What else? Do ye doubt It?" She shook her head sadly, wistful ly, . "How do I know? How can I tell? Surely, dear, no two people wore evi : happier than we yet within a yeat from our wedding you , , you left wui away from me,;,. . ' , Why?" tv"Welt ye know why. dearest,. aaJ weirje know 'twas love of ye alone . that drove ma from va PmiM I Id it hfl Bfllfl Va tlttt O knahan .V. H,A.t ,. v - uuovauu nuu Ktu , uvuimuia vi Bupporuug yei uouia 1 let it be said that your husband lived like a leech upon your fortunes? Faith, didn't I have to go for aaknr I .! "No," she dissented with a second eery shake of her pretty head; "il think It was love of yourself, a little, Terence that and your nrlde. - Why should any of our world I 'T'ARKPrl VAI1 ira mtt tha 1nk man you fancied yourself when we Were married? Who would have told tLem tint vmir lanitad tiarttocra In Ireland had turn m.r r.nmi..t Vnt t, my dear'" '? "I know" that," be contended stub- liomlv "hut i later It would have come out, and they would have said: 'There she ' goes with her fortune-hunter, the ad .tentw .hn married her for her money' " . ' ' . ' "And if so? What earthly d! Iff er ence could It make to us, sweetheart? What can gossip matter to us If you love me?" - . I "If!" he cried, almost angrily. " "If ! , . , Ah, but no, darling! 'tis your elf knows there is no 'If' about It, that Tin sick "with love of ye this very minute nick and mad for ye . . ." J " "Then," she pleaded, with a desper iate Utt'e break in her Incomparable voice; and again held out her arms r to him "then have iity on roe, oh, my iearest one have pity ou me it only .(of a little while." ,. -' And suddenly he had caught her to ' ltn, and she lay In his arms, her feung strong body molded to his, her lips to his, her eyes half-veiled, the sweet fragrance of her too well re fcembered intoxicating him; lay su slne in his embrace, yet held him itrohgly to her, and trembled In sym pathy With the deep, hurried pounding f his heart. . . ; " ; ' ' . " In the south the horizon flamed livid to the senith, revealing a great, black wall of cloud that had stolen dp out of Africa; beneath it the sea ihone momentarily with a sickly silk in luster. Then the dense blackness if the night reigned again, as pro found as though Impenetrable, eternal " Later a dull growl of thunder rolled tn across theaste. With It came the Irst fitful warnings of the Impending Mud storm. ? "Twas ye who sang to me, dear is tr ' '"Who else, you great silly boy? i . . And when you followed me to tie door, making as much noise as a r'oung elephant, Terence I was mlnd id to punish you a little, a very little, my duar. Bo I merely opened mine and clossd it sharply; '. "There was a woman tn the hall " "I saw her, dear, aad laughed, thlnk f how puzzled you would be. . . . i ,.i 1 cruel, my heart? But I did not an to he. I'd planned this surprise, i know, from the minute I found r rooms adjoined." "And this letter" O'Rourke fumbled i lis pocket and got It out "ye 't It to me!" "It camo to me In Ixindon, doar, two ero; Ve wore top Mtler Clara ::..imou and I at t.e Carlton, : t to la j .t I J t ' ij was I H- f r t ' ) I . I n v I -2 A Tt- where to send you tb IeTTST. HaTe" rou read lt?" ' - , "Have I had time, sweetheart of nine?" . - - , . Thera was an Interlude. . In the distance the thunder rolled and rumbled, c Resolutely the young woman die sngaged herself and withdrew to a lit tle distance.' 3 "Read, monsieur," she Insisted, per smptorily. . , . , , . ' . ; i "I've better, things to do, me dear," he retorted 'with composure. t "You'll find it interesting." i . -v "I find me wife more Interesting than How d'ye know I will?" - "Perhaps I have read If O'Rourke turned the letter over In his hand and noted what had thereto Core escaped his attention the fact what the envelope, badly frayed on the sdges through' much handling,, was pen at the top. "So ye may," he admitted. "It waa that way, when I received It. And I have read It. How could J help it?'' ,r'::' : t,v: "Then yev saved me the bother." He prepared to rise and capture her. She retreated briskly. "Read!" she commanded. "Read about the Pool of Flame!" v He stopped short, thunderstruck. The Pool of Flame?" he reiterated j . He Stopped 8hort, Thunderstruck. lowly. "What d'ye know about tnatf "What the letter tells me no more. - What has become of Itr I But he bad already withdrawn the en,cJ0?ur,l n t08"d tb? e?T?lop '"We, fcnd was reading absorbed, ex- cited, oblivious to all save that con veyed tq his intelligence by the writ ing beneath his eyes. , It was a singularly curt, dry and business-like document for one that was destined to mold the romance ot bis life strangely terse and tritely phrased for one that was to exert ao far-reaching an Influence over the Uvea of so many men and women. Upon single sheet ot paper bearing their let terhead, Messrs. Secretan and Sypher, solicitors, of Rangoon, Burmah, had caused to be typed a communication to Colonel Terence O'Rourke, Inform' Ing him that on behalf of a client who preferred to preserve his incognito they were manased 1a tfter a raw awl M one hundred thousand pounds ster ling for the return, Intact and un marred. of the ruby known as the Pool of Flame. : The said ruby was, when last heard of, in the possession of the said Colonel O'Rourke, who Would receive the reward upon the delivery of the said stone to the un derslgned. at their offices la Rangoon within six months from date. Said delivery might; be made either in per son or by proxy. With which Messrs Secretan and Sypher begged to re main respectfully his. " ' The Irishman read It once and again, memorising its Import; then deliber ately .shredded It into minute parti- "So it's come," he said heavily, "just is the O'Mahoney foretold It wouldl He sank back In his chair, and his wife went to him and perched herself upon the arm of it, Imprisoning his bead with her arms and laying her cheek against his. "What has come, my heart? ' "One hundred thousand pounds,1 he said. . . . '"Treble its worth, Jouble what the O'Mahoney expect- d. ; "Who is the O'Mahoney, dear?" He roused. "An old friend, Beatrix an old comrade. He died some years back, on the banks of the Tugela, lighting with a Boer commando. He was ) lonely man, without kith or kin )r many friends beside meself. That, I preBume, Is how he came to leave the Pool of Flame with me." He aound an arm round her and held her slose. "Hearken, dear, and I'll be telling ye the story of It." Behind them the Infernal glare lit dp the portentous skies. Thunder echoed between cloud and sea like neavy cannoning. The wife shrank :lose to her beloved. "I am not at all ifraH," she declared, when her voice ;ould he hewrd "wi:a yon. . . . Tell me about the IV-l f lme." "The O'V:.:. r 1 t It V. ! SMALL GIFTS TO la Wall Street Houses This Christ mas Salaried Men Fare v u New York, Dec. 22d( The word ; baa gone out in Wall Street that Christmas stockings will be lean this year. It has been a year of comparatively poor bus iness for Slock Exchange houses, and the bonuses which the army of employ es in the street have become accustom ed to expect will be in proportion to profits.- One concern, which in the past has been well known for its generosity, informed its employes that it did 'not feel justified in making the customary distribution. In other houses the amount appropriated for gifts is considerably smaller than in other years. Banking house employes will fare better than brokers' clerks, as the banking business while below that of some other years, has been relatively better than that of the dealer in stocks. The directors of two trust companies have voted to give their employes 10 per cent, of their yearly salaries. This is about the av erage distribution, an lioug-n in some years of big business the bonuses have rus much higher. The house of J. P. Morgan & Co. is credited with having given its employes 100 percent, of their salaries on more than one Christmas, The United States Steel Corporation has not yet made known what it will da, Last year it distributed 12, 700, 000 .in each and stock, The Standard Oil Co, heretofore has given its employes preS' ents in the shape of annual increases in salaries ranging from $1 to tlOO a month, ' Owing to the splitting up of the oil companies in accordance with the Su preme Court dissolution decree, the em ployes this year will Be obliged to look to the individual companies in the Stand ard O'l group for their gifts, and jt will depend upon the directors of each company whether presents will Be made. On the various exchanges the customa ry funds are being collected this week. The Stock Exchange ustfally raises about $U,0C0 for its employes. Brokers' clerks have become recon cited to some extent within recent years to the passing of the lavish Christmas gifts which were the common expecta tion in the years of big promotions, bull markets and the wide public spec ulation of which the present year has seen but little.' It was in the years af ter the Spanish war, when, the huge industrial combinations were being form ed and money was flowing into Wall Street on an enormous scale, that the Christmas trees in the financial district were laden most heavily, Among the banks, especially, there has been a movement away from the Christmas bonuses in latter year. In their places is being substituted a system of salary Increases for meri'orinus service, with pensions and sick bent fi s. Xmas Gifts. I have never had such a beautiful as sortment of useful articles to select from.' Visit our Btores and look over the different articles and 1 am sure you will be convinced. ' J. S. MILLER, The Furniture Man. Attorneys for the mtat packers in the trial at Chicago concluded their opening statements to the jury. Colored People of This City Mak ing Elaborate Arrangements For the Proper Celebrat-" ion or That Day. . " ' - , ' " ' ' Next Monday, January 1st, will be Emancipation Day and the colored con ttngent of New Bern are making ex tensive arrangements for the obser- vsnce. of the occasion. During the early part of the day there will be a parade and this will be followed by a meeting at Smith's hall. There are number of speakers on the program from out hs city and it is more than probable that the meeting will Inde-d be an interesting one. Einancipati m Day is looked forward to in this section of the State with much anticipation and every colored person who can poa sibly de so will be on hand to assist in the exercises. ricturcs Great Assortment. EMPLOYES WILL OBSERVE EriMT 1 ID You can buy at your own price, as pictures are not selling fast since so mimy people have th'ir own special sul jeeta framed. Anything in the pic ture line t cont, will nlu,w you the bill to J iovo t'l you if you want to m-A it. j. f. r:i.u r ; - . THREE "TIGERS" yillD Op Police Drag Net Thrown Out and as' a Result " Three Alleged. . Whiskey 1 Dealers ;WM , ..Trstijoj Cferiatmas Din- - " ner; In' Jail. ' As a result of the vigilance and per severance of police rfficers I pock and Foscue three alleged whiskey dealers. Hairy Scales, White and James Cam way : and Dave Hatch,- both colored, were arraigned before Mayor McCarthy yesterday afternoon on a warrant charging them with retailing apiritous liquors. Probablex Cause waa found in each case and the ' defendants hound over to the next term of Craven County Superior Court under bonds of $100 each.., They failed to give these bonds and were committed to jait.. Chas. Jones, white, Wat charged with retailing, bub, the State failed to make out a case against him' and he was dismissed. '''V , The case against Jo Tisdale . and John Golding, in whose . place of .husj pees eight pints of whiskey were found when the poliee made A raid on the soft drink establishment of the city Thurs day afternoon, was continued until Tuesday afternoon.) . .." Ladies, better put a new coat of paint on that room where Santa Claus visits, J. S. Basnight Hdw. Co. ISlull TAKES Hundreds "Witnessed v Exciting Football Game vBetveeu New ' Bern and Washington. Score 10 to 1 In Favor , ? of Washington. Washington, Dec. 25-Wasbington'e large number ol football enthusiasts turned out in full force thia afternoon to witness the game between the local team and the New Bern football team. The weather waa ideal for playing and both teams were ip fine form. Promptly at 3:30 the game waa -begun. In the first quarter Washington make one touch down, and in the second quarter another touchdown was made by them. New Bern made one touchback In the second quarter. Both teams worked hard and there 'were a number of fea ture plays. , On New Years day the two teams will play in New Bern and the present indications are that it will be one of tho hardest fought games of the season. The New Bern team will re turn home tomorrow morning. REPORT OF THE CONDITIO -' ; - .: OF TH&- ' :" .' ' , MUTUAL AID. BAKKIKQ COM? ANT. at New Ben.li the State ef Nerta Carolina, At The Close f Bat inesa Dec. 6th, 1911. . , ; ; RESOURCES Loans and discounts. $6,289.70 . 342.36 4- 1,257.93 Overdrafts secured " ; Furniture and fixtures, v All other real estate owned, Due frtm banks atv) banker,; 3,464 84 " 768.76 36.00 232 66 Gold coin . Hilvcr coin. Including all ml nor coin currency, National bank notes and other U S notes, 668 00 Total, $ 18,038 76 LIABILITIES' ' Capital Stock paid in , 1 8,788.60 Surplus Fund. . . ,106 73 Undivided profits, less , cur rent sinenses and taxes paid - r - . 257.48 Bills payable, . 1,000 00 Time certificates at deaoslt. 8.624 00 Deposits subject to check, , 4,361 94 Total, $ 13,028 75 STATE OF NORTH CAROLIHA 83 ' CRAVEN COUNTY, I, John H. Fisher, caehter of the a bove-named bank, do solemnly swear that the above statement Is true to the best ot my knowlsdi and ballet JOIIN II. FISIIER, . ' CaaMer . Correct Attest: II. W. THOMPSON, . ' PARKER ROUEHTS, . ' ' J, E MO' "-I. directors. Subscribed and sworn to before me, this l'Jth day of Drc. 1011. j. r i:r ' r.'.-i. ROLLING STOCK - IS JO HEAVY For Kails. J.0.39G Deaths 150,159 Injured Is Railway Report. ' Washington, Dec 23 The smolder ing jealousy between the Interstate Commerce Commission and the newly-' established Coromsrce ' Court ; flares out in the annual report of the commis sion to Congress. Congress waa told in plain language juat what the com mission thinks of the Commerce Court Out of 27 cases passed on by the Com merce Court," say the commission in its report, "preliminary restraining orders of final decrees have been issued in favor of the railroads in all but aeven case and of these aeven only three are of any magnitude." Other features of the report are as follows. Attention is called to the fact that of the total num ber killed during the last year (10.396), 366 were passengers and 2,872 employes on duty in train service. Out of 160,- 169 persons injured, 12,433 were pas sengers and 45,848 employes on duty in train service. Attention ia also called to the large number of accidents which are the result of trespassing upon the tracks of the carriers. The investigations thus far conducted have developed two important facts- first, the superiority of steel equipment as compared with wooden cars, and, second, the necessity of ascertaining and improving the physical condition of tracks and roadways nsed in inter state commerce. The first proposition is graphically illustrated by the fact that during the last fiscal year five of the collisions investigated involved wooden cars and occasioned the death of 62 and the injury of 667 person?, while during the same period there wbb only one accident of a similar character involving steel equipment, and that oc casioned no fatalities among paiyeng- ers and only one serious personal in jury, The construction of car and loco motives ia tending toward an ever in creasing standard of dimensions with out a proportionate betterment of tra-k conditions. It will be seen by refer ence to statistics that derailments due to defective roadway during the peroiJ of 10 years ended June 30, 1911, have resulted in the death of 416 and the in jury of 12,898 persons, besides a prop erty loss of $8,351,696. , funeral Services I, A. Jack. Norfolk Landmark, Dec. 22 Rev. R. C. Oilmore of the First Presbyterian Church, conducted the funeral yes' er day at 1043 Naval Avenue of Chief En gineer E. A. Jack, Sr., United States revenue cutter service, retired. He was assisted by Rev, J. T. Bosnian of Monu mental M. E. Church; Burial followed in Oak Grove Cemetery. - - Eight enlisted men of the revenue cutter service bore the coffin to the grave. A large detachment of men from the service attended. Honorary pall bearers were Captain E. V. Whitn, L, P. Slater, W. C, Corbitt, John Wal- ten, E. B. Hawks, Charles Syer Thomas Shannon and Eratnett Deans. Representatives from the Royal Ar canum, Eika, stonewall uatnp, (Jon federate Veterans were present. Are you satisfied with your cook stove ? See Bucks line of Stoves and Ranges at J. S. Basnight Hdw. Store. FEW ARRESTS mm Yesterday Very Quiet in Police Circles. A Few Intoxicated Celebrators Locked; Up. Although the local police were kept exeedinply busy yesterday watching to see that no one became too boisterous r endangered the lives of any one else, they made but few arrests. A few Imbibed too freely of liquid re freshments and were placed in the sity lock-up to sober up but were released as soon as they were able to navigate, Today all of those arrested since 3 it urday afternoon will be lined op before Mayor McCarthy and allowed to relate their woes, As is usually the ease at this season, these offenders, unless th y have been undulv disorderly or some terlous charge is entered against th un. will bs allowed t'i pay the costs and dismissed from custody. mm PILES I PILES l Williams Indian Pile Ointment Wil cure I'.'.ind, deeding and Itching Filer, It alfturliS the tumors, a!l?ys itching at on r, acts ss a pou' f. WiUlur V Ir Up'. .r-J f.-r I'' i I ' .it, T'i b, fives it: n i.'aC'r.! ..J I- " - r ant :,--I,t POLICE n LOOKS LIKE DELIBERATE CHRISTMAS HOMICIDE Terrible Affair Last Night. Will Avery Killed. Baker Bryan Locked up ia The County Jail Charged With Shooting. ' ! It seemed that Christmas dsy was not to pass peacefully, though it waa near the close, ll o'clock 'last night when word . was sent down to police headquarters that a murder had been committed in the vicinity of West and Cedar Sts. Chief Lupton acted prompt ly and upon investigation the following was revealed: It appears 1 that Will Avery, a young white man' 23 years of age and ' employed by the Norfolk-Southern as engineer in the yards here, son of If r. - Ferney Avery, with some others; was on West street last night about 11 p. m. when Baker Bryan pushed his way through the crowd, and with an oath drew a pistol and almost point blank fired at Avery, the ball piercing the young man just above heart, causing almost instant death. Two witnesses giving their names as Morgan Shaw and J. L. Col- lette declared Bryan shot as above stated. Search was made for Bryan who was found in a house nearby, lying down, He was arrested and sent to the county jail about midnight, pend ing examination. Bryan ia alleged to have said he was only celebrating and did not know the pistol was loaded. - Large Number of Children Enter tained by Them At The Ath ens Yesterday Afternoon. The local lodge of Elks delightfully entert lined the needy children of the city yesterday afternoon at the Athena theatre. During last week tickets were given to all who made application fur them, and when the hour arrived for the beginning of the performance every one of the tickets had been presented at the door, and many who had no tick ets were admitted.' ' , ; t 1 he ti rat thing on the program was the regular moving picture and vaude ville show. At the; conclusion; ot this Santa Claus made his appearance and d stributed his gifts. Each t the little quests receiving a present, and it was easily seen by all that The recipients were delighted with their gift. The occasion waa one that will kxif linger in the memory of those who were pres ent.:. . - : . ' :. . - The Italian cruiser Puglia seised the British steamer Mevizaleh with $150,000 in gold for payment of Turkish troop. : Hookworm Disease Modes of Infection. The adult hookworm is about one- half an inch long and about the ; thick ness of a brass pin. Its head bends back on its neck like a hook, the teeth also, suggest hooka. Adult bookworms live in the small intestine and deposit numberous eggs. The eggs do not, however, undergo full development un til they are discharged from the host In the open air, with sufficient warmth and moisture, the eggs germinate wiilvn a dsy or two into the embtyo or tiny larva. Thia embryo breaks through the egg-shell and feeda on the ground or eight soil. Within a few days time it twice sheds its skin, the second skin remaining about the larva as a protecting sheath. In this stage it no longer takes food, is too small to be seen with the unaided eye, and under favorable circumstances may live for six moths. This ia known as tho germ stage" or "infecting stags" of the hookworm. Infection may occur in two different ways, by mouth or through the skin. Formerly infection by mouth was supposed to be the only mode of entrance into the system. The germs may be taken in with muddy water, fruits or uncooked vegetables, but it ia believed now that lets than 15 per cent of caaes are Infected in this way. . The common mode of infection is known to be through the skin; It hts been demonstrated that if hookworm germs get upon the skin, either by persons who go bare-footed or who ham'Se In fected dirt, they bore their way throrjh the pores of the skin, escaping from tiir protecting sheath. They s;t rp an Inflammation known as "grin itch, or "toe-Itch," when p through the skin. They enter t' e I ' ctrrent and pass thror;h the I t.."ga and stomach, f:mHy re a ' tl:ir home in tlm tn ' '' .! t !" i t ' ' ELKS MAKE . lilY GLAD COTTON MARKET LUST WEEK Prices Advanced lCarly By- Shorts , Covering. ' Trade : Prospects i Better.' ' - - ' New York, Dec Prices of cotton advanced for a time during the past week mainly owing to the firmness of December with its rather striking pre mium, heavy buying by spot concerns, and the rounding up of the unduly congested-short interest. The Waldorf Astoria have been in full retreat and thia fact of itself helped materially to , bolster up prices. Another thing, the certified stock here is still small despite ' the fact that it has been increasing of late. It is stiil far below the figures of a year ago. Also dry goods reports have been more cheerful. Vermont mills which had been clos ed down for many weeks have just started up. More optimistic reports are being received in regard to the Spring trad s in cotton goods hitherto stagnant Things in the Chinese em pire seem to point to an earlier reaump tion of trade than at one .time seemed possible. Liverpool for a time was a good buyer here. On the other hand the Census Bureau's ginning report was considered bearish and an pointing to a crop of 15,500,000 bales or more. -Stress is also laid on the fact that the , ginning up to., December 12th, already comes pretty close to the crop estimates for many of the States recently issued by the government and that in the csbo of Florida the ghr ing already exceeaa that estimate. Not a few expect the total quantity ginning up to the middle ' of January to exceed the recent crop . estimate of the government 14,885,000 bales. Ginning reports' will be issued up to the third week in March. More over on the advance, the continent is said to have largely withdrawn from the spot as new business is concerned. The continent has latterly been selling in Liverpool after, being a good buyer .a M- . l i I J a - . .. mere tor an exienaea perioa. Ana now cornea the talk of a strike in Lancashire involving some 100,000 banks. Also the movement of the crop in this -country, which showed a slackening for a time has latterly increased and estimates of the quantity to be brought in sight this week are larger than the total for last week. The South is reported to bo selling freely on any upward turn of prices, though withdrawing on declines, The technical speculative position has been weakened here, it is contended by the driving in of the shorts by the big spot interests. . The object in putting op December was to get cotton to New York and it is said that the spot people who have been working tbe bull side of late really expert lower prices later on before the real turn for the better takes place. However this may be, bears are certainly more csutioua than they were some weeks ago. Already talk about trade prospects are more cheerful and there are predictions that the next acreage will be considerably reduced under the sting of unexpected ly low prices resulting from the big acreage last season. Towards the close of tbe week prices reacted owing to the fear ot a strike in Lancashire. - ' POSTAL CLERKS E For Their Eieellent Work During the Past Week. Every Pack age Delivered Un Time. Among those in this city who are tlad that Christmas 1911 is a thing of the past none will be found who are more delighted than the clerks and car riers in the local postoflice. For the past two weeks they have been taxed to their utmost capacity in handling the enormous qu entities of mail which haa been received at and snt through this office. All alone they worked dili gently and succeed in giving the people of New Bern the heat of service. Sat urday an extra man was adleil to the fores and yesterday morning the lout Christmas package which had arrive 1 '"tp to that time, was delivered nn 1 t' entire force drew a r. h of r '' f. I f course the mail will be 1 m r C i usual duri:: r t' o r-" t ' y r till ootUrjr r.e ruff' ' it l : - .' J f ; 1 " ! i I ! : ' f r r f ''.'; j ! t I' 3 r : ', - i t ! i ft ; DESERV PISE I. r