A Rapid Dresser

1895

This New York Society Man Can Do the Lightning Change Act.

The man who thinks he is a rapid dresser was in a cafe at Broadway and Twenty-sixth street with half a dozen friends at 6 p. m. He was in afternoon dress. Being invited to stroll down the street, he answered that he was afraid he did not have time, as he had a 7 o'clock dinner engagement and must go home "in a few minutes to dress."

"I should think," said one of the party, "that if you had far to go you would be late to your engagement as it is."

"Oh, no," answered the other. "It's true that I shall have to go to Fifty-ninth street to dinner, but I have ample time."

"Well," said another, "if I had a 7 o'clock dinner engagement, I certainly should not be sitting here at 6. I'd be home dressing."

"I'll tell you what I'll do," said the rapid dresser. "I live at Fifth avenue and Twenty-seventh street. I'll bet you that I leave here now, go home and dress, come back here, taken drink with you all, walk to the nearest elevated station — three blocks — go to Fifty-eighth street, walk two blocks to the house where I dine, all within ten minutes before 7 o'clock."

"I'll not take the bet," was the reply, "but I don't see how it can be done. Why, you will need half an hour at the least to dress. I require nearer an hour."

"I'll make you another proposition, then," said the "lightning change" man. "I'll bet you that I walk home from here, dress, come back here and join you before 25 minutes past 6 o'clock, and it's now eight minutes past the hour."

"Done!" cried the other, and the rapid dresser immediately left the cafe.

"I guess I've won that bet," said the taker, glancing confidently at the clock.

"I guess you haven't," said another one of the group. "Jack can dress in ten minutes on a pinch. It will take him not more than four, possibly only three, minutes for him to walk to his home and back here. Give him four for walking and 11 for dressing, and he still has a leeway of two minutes. Wait and see!"

At 23 minutes past 6 o'clock the fast dresser strolled into the cafe. He was in full evening dress, his hair carefully and smoothly plastered, his tie fastened and set to perfection, and his whole appearance that of a man who had a lot of time to kill.

"Guess I won the bet," he said coolly, drawing a chair to the table and removing his gloves. — New York Tribune.

Cockroach Derby Excites "Rookies"

1916

HERB ROTH'S "ATTABOY" IS EASY WINNER.

Runs the Two-yard Course in Two fifths of a Second — A Classy Brute.

BOSTON, Massachusetts, (Aboard the U. S. S. Kentucky). — "Attaboy," the pride of Herb Roth's string of racing cockroaches, won the two-yard championship on a recent afternoon from a field composed of Dal Dawkins' "Hammock King," J. W. Bailey's "Ditty Box Bill," Herbert Reed's "Mess Jumper," Albert Schedy's "Scamperer" and a half dozen others. Practically all of the civilian volunteers and many of the regular crew witnessed the speed contests and the bookmakers did a thriving business.

It was thinness which finally resulted in victory for the Roth string. Hawkins had starved his roaches for two days in preparation for the big race, but some miscreant broke into the stables and fed them, so that they were a bit leggy at the start and not much interested in the mince pie which awaited them at the finish, while Roth's "Attaboy," ravenous, covered the two yards in two-fifths of a second.

The overfed condition of Hawkins' string resulted in all his entries running last, while Bailey's "Ditty Box Bill" and Reed's "Mess Jumper" were a bad second and third to the winner.

"Attaboy" is a magnificent brute, standing nearly three-quarters of an inch high at the withers and weighing not less than ten milligrams.

These cockroach races have proved so interesting a divertissement that it is proposed to arrange intership contests.

—The Saturday Blade, Chicago, Sept. 16, 1916, p. 7.

Pittsburg Boy Takes Boating Bet, Threatened by Tramp

1897

IN A SKIFF

A Pittsburg Boy Made a Trip to This City.

He Made the Trip In Eighty Hours Actual Working Time and Thereby Wins His Expenses and a $25 Wager—Exciting Experience Enroute.

There arrived in the city Wednesday a couple of young men—John Phin and Godfrey Nelson by name—who have led an exciting life for the past two weeks.

The pair left Pittsburg just two weeks ago Wednesday in a small pine skiff, and one of them—Nelson— rowed the entire distance—four hundred miles—to the Portsmouth wharf. It appears that the young men are employed in one of the Pittsburg rolling mills. They belong to an athletic club, and a wager was recently made that Nelson could not row from Pittsburg to Portsmouth in eighty-five hours, actual working time. If he succeeded in doing it he was to receive his expenses and $25. He took up the offer and two weeks ago started on his trip. Phin came along to represent the club and see that he did not shirk his work and tie onto a passing boat. They covered ground rapidly, and when they rounded into the wharf here the actual rowing time was just eighty hours. They immediately wired the result to their friends in Pittsburg. They spent the morning here and left this afternoon for Cincinnati. They expect to return to Pittsburg on one of the packets the first of the week.

Mr. Nelson, who is a very pleasant gentleman, said to a Times reporter that the trip was a pleasant one and at times exciting. At a point near Marietta a tramp endeavored to take possession of the boat and was for dumping Nelson and his partner in the river. Nelson pulled a gun and bluffed the fellow off, however. They also had some trouble with shanty boatmen. Nelson has been tramping about the country for several years in the summer time and working in the Pittsburg mills in the winter. He is an expert oarsman and a fine walker.

—The Portsmouth Times, Portsmouth, OH, July 17, 1897, p. 1.

Honeymoon Couple Walking Around the United States

Pennsylvania, 1915

HIKING HONEYMOON

Mr. and Mrs. E. L. Shaw to Keep at Three Years

Mr. and Mrs. Edward L. Shaw have arrived in Gettysburg. The couple began a unique honeymoon trip on December 1, starting at Glen Falls, N. Y. They state that on a wager of $10,000 they are to travel on foot to the capitols of all the states forming the border of the United States within three years. Their plan of procedure is to walk six days in a week, and rest on Sundays. As an incidental source of revenue, they sell picture post cards.

Up to the present time they have met with no mishaps, and have enjoyed good health. Their route has taken them through Albany, Binghamton, Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, Harrisburg, York and many smaller cities and towns.

—Adams County News, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, January 16, 1915, page 5.


Deductive Reasoning

"Mamma, what's a bookworm?" asked small Eloise. "A person who loves to collect and study books, dear," was the reply. A few days later a woman called whose fingers were decorated with innumerable rings. "Oh, mamma," exclaimed Eloise, "look at Mrs. Smith's rings. She must be a ringworm!"


Mushroom Farm

A mushroom farm in California consists of 600 square feet, the beds being in tiers in a basement. Although mushroom growing in the United States has assumed considerable proportions, the imports continue to be large.


Significant Madagascar Dance

In Madagascar when the men are absent at war the women dance for the greater part of the day, believing that this will inspire their husbands with courage, and doubtless many a man hard pressed on the field of battle does feel a peculiar access of determination to vanquish the enemy when he thinks of his wife dancing tirelessly all day that he may win.

Walking 1100 Miles on Hike, No Money or Baggage

1910

WALKING 1100 MILES ON HIKE

Pedestrian Traveling from Atlanta to New York in Two Months. Reaches Gettysburg. Held up on Mountain by Moonshiner.

B. F. Pearce, Atlanta, Georgia, a pedestrian who is walking from Atlanta to New York City, over the route taken by the Atlanta to New York good roads automobile run of the early part of this month, arrived in Gettysburg Friday evening, coming here from Waynesboro. He left Gettysburg Monday morning.

Mr. Pearce left Atlanta on his 1100 mile walk to New York, May 18, and has been walking steadily ever since, making 25 to 40 miles per day. He is due to arrive in New York City, July 18. He is now four days ahead of his schedule.

Because of the very hot weather, he does some of his walking at night. He left Harrisonburg, Tuesday evening, and walked all night and all of Wednesday, arriving in Hagerstown about six o'clock Wednesday evening.

He gets from the postmaster the postmark of each town in which he stops, this being one of the requirements of the wager.

He was compelled to leave without money or baggage and is not permitted to ask any one for aid. So far he has had no trouble.

He doesn't have a penny and hasn't had one since he started from Atlanta but that has not caused him any deprivation. Some one always takes care of him when he tells his story.

"He always has two and often three meals a day. On the road here one man noticed that the soles of his shoes were becoming thin. He had a shoemaker repair them.

When he reached the Natural Bridge in Virginia he was asked whether he wouldn't like to go under it and view it from that position. He pointed to the sign, "$1 admission," and said:

"That sign and I don't agree."

"That makes no difference; I'll let you in free," said the caretaker.

Once when crossing the Blue Ridge mountains in Virginia he was held up at a lonely spot in the road by a man he supposes was a "moonshiner." He had a big double barreled shot gun thrown over his shoulder and he stopped Pearce's progress until be had answered all the mountaineer's questions in a satisfactory manner.

Pearce takes some pride in the fact that he is still ahead of three of the autos that started on the recent Atlanta to New York run. One is in Staunton, with its engine torn apart, one is in a farm yard farther south and another in a garage.

Pearce is a married man, with two children. He has lived in Atlanta for ten years. He is a Yankee, however, and was born in Connecticut. He has not seen his relatives there for ten years and may make a visit to them when he reaches New York.

He does not travel on Sunday.

—Adams County News, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, July 2, 1910, page 2.