et-maker. Cabinet-making is a worthy trade;
indeed, it is one of the most appealing of all trades; in fact, it's
not a trade, it's an art. I haven't a doubt that William made splendid
furniture, especially chairs, for nobody appreciates a nice, roomy,
strong chair like a fat man. I haven't a doubt that it was his
ambition in life to be remembered for his furniture, even as the
brothers Adam, as Chippendale and Sheraton. But it was not to be. In
an unfortunate moment, William discovered that by eating fewer
potatoes and cutting out two lumps of sugar from his tea he could take
off some of the corpulence that troubled him. He told of his
discovery--and the world knows him now as a method of getting number
44 ladies into a perfect 38. I have always felt sorry for William
Banting. He is one of the tragic figures of history.

Of course, there are many more, if none other quite so poignant, but
you must recall them for yourself. For some paragraphs now I have been
working up to a climax of prophecy. I have been planning to predict
what Kaiser William II will be noted for in the days that are to come.
It seemed to me that would make rather a neat conclusion for this
little essay. But, Gentle Reader, I've got to turn that job over to
you, also. Not that the space is lacking, but after long and painful
concentration I have been unable to think of anything bad enough. It
may turn out that he will be known simply by the meek and nourishing
kaiser roll on the breakfast table--the only surviving relic of a
monarchical vocabulary in a peaceful and democratic universe. Perhaps,
for him, that would be the bitterest fate of all, the ultimate irony.

[Illustration]

[Illustration]

_The Old House on the Bend_

I wonder if other wayfarers through New England greet, as I do, with
special affection the old house on the bend of the road? It is so
characteristic of an earlier civilization, so suggestive of a vanished
epoch--and withal so picturesque! Even if you are unfortunate enough
to "tour" in a motor-car, which of course is far from the ideal way to
savor the countryside, still you cannot miss the old house on the
bend, even though you do miss the feel of the land, the rise and dip
of the road, the fragrance of the clematis by the wall, the already
fading gold of the evening primroses when you start off after
breakfast.

Even for a motorist, howe