Edgefield advertiser. (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, May 28, 1902, Image 1
THE NATIONAL BANK OF AUGUSTA
L. C. HAYNS, Pres't V. G. FORD, Castler.
Capital, 8250,000.
Undivided Profil? } ?110,000.
Facilities of our magnificent Kew Vault
?containing 410 Safety-Lock Boxes. Differ
ent 81708 are offered 'to our patron? and
the public at 93.00 to $10.00 per annum.
THE
PLANTERS
LOAN AND
SAVINGS
BANK,
AUGUSTA, GA.
Pajo Interest
on Deposits.
Accounts
Solicited.
L. C. Hayne,
President.
Chas, C. Howard,
Cashier.
VOL. LXVII;
EDGEFIELD, S. C.. WEDNSDAY. MAY 28. 1902
NO. 22.
I _- -. , . -r- ,,.wr- LJCI Dm MR.
? The Bells of
i
i
i
AN IDYLL OF
By DAV
"Ye.may go down to the shore ii
ye like, Annie Doon; but dne thing y?
will not see, an* that's the Bonnie
Ann weather the Beacon. . For she'll
never come into Portknockie again.
Oh, my son, my bonnie man, that I
hae dandled on my knee!"
She was an old woman, upon whose
face many sorrows had set their seal.
Have you ever looked at the faces
of seafaring folk who live close to
the great deep, and whose lives depend
on its mercy from the cradle to the
grave? If you have, you do not need
me to tell you of the pathos, the
patient, hungry, waiting look, which
speaks of hearts not stayed intrust,
but rather prepared for the worst, even
the greatest tragedy of all.
It was an October night on the shores
of the North Sea. The sun had gone
down in red wrath, leaving a long
yellow glare on the horizon.which the
inky blackness of the storm speedily
swept into the sea. It was hard to
say which month of the year gave the
stormies; record; but perhaps if you
.had asked the weather-wise, they
would have said that the gale to be
dreaded above all others on that trea
cherous coast was the gale of the Equi
nox in the late autumn. It was:a wild,
magnificent, awful coast, with many
beautiful but few kindly spots. The
cliffs ijose sheer from the stony
beaches, and were torn by great gullies
and wonderful caves, which people
came from distant parts to see
when the weather was fine and there
was nothing to frighten or frown at
them.
Here and there in the clefts* of the
rocks a handful of red roofs or a little
spire proclaimed the habitations of
those who go down to the sea in ships.
Here, too, there would be a strip of
shingly beach, and a natural harbor,
affording even at the best of times
a precarious shelter. And here they
lived and moved and had their being,
?*?pt and loved a-d suffered, those
Wgo.strove to wrest a scanty living
from-the great deep.
On fiat wild night two women stood
by an open cottage door, with shawls
tied about their heads, their strained
eyes peering out into the blackness
of the night The noise of the mighty
rushing wind and the boom of the sea
against the rocks where the salt spray
dashed into the air made it difficult
..?for them to hear one another's voices.
w.hich "were shrill and high and
striking the note of pain.
.?Dinna say that, auntie," said the
girl, and shivered as another great bil
low broke in thunder on the shore:
"Go back into th- house, and I will
run to the harbor and hear if there's
any news."
Sho-^rt-T?--?-,*~*--r
? i?-rV"TIgOr?7 ana gently pushed her
back into the house. She did not de-,
mur. She was old. and the wind buf
feted her; she was no longer , able to
face and fight it. So she crept back
to the desolate hearth, and sat down
by the red embers to watch and pray.
The girl closed the door, wrapped her
shawl more closely about her, and
turned to face the blast. It was only
a few steps to the harbor mouth, but
more than once she wavered, feeling
as if the next gust must sweep her
into the sea.
A group of women, a few old men,
and a handful of children crouching
at their mothers' skirts were huddled
under the frail shelter of the harbor
wall. There is untold pathos always
about the watchers when there is peril
on thc sea; the women and children
and the old men, who wait at home
for the safe return of th o bread-winners.
The harbor lights gleamed fitfully i\pon
anxious faces and appealing eyes turn
ed, ever turned, to the angry sea.
Scarce a word was spoken, and when
Annie Doon joined them she became
a part of the silence. They fell apart
a little to let her into the circle, and
one of the women laid a kindly hand
on her shoulder. For they knew that
she feared for the man she loved, the
stalwart skipper of the Bonnie Ann.
"There's little use to stand here, nee
bors." said one of the old men at
length. "Until the wind fa's the open
sea's their safest bit."
"But auntie saw the Bonnie Ann off
the Beacon, Davie Duff us." said the
girl feverishly; "just on the back o'
six o'clock."
"She dreamed it, lassie. Francie
Scott wad never come near the Beacon
in a nor'-easter like this, that is, un
less he took leave o' his seevin senses,
which is not likely."
"But I think I saw her mysel', Davie,
when the moon arose afore the rain
came on. > And whaur can she be
now?"
"On the Beacon," he answered grim
ly. "Uuless he made for Portknockie
harbor. Wheessht! What's that?".
Through the boom of the storm
came the distant clangor of a bell.
"It's the bell of Portknockie! She's
on the Beacon," said the girl, in a low,
anguished voice, and her fingers work
ed convulsively with the fringes of her
shawl.
"Then there may be a chance. The
coast-guard's oot afore the bell rings.
Lord help them a'!" said the old man,
and the crowd began to separate, as
if their suspense and watching had
come to an end.
It had only, however, entered on
a new phrase, and those who were able
began to climb the steep brae face to
the summit of the cliff, whence could
be seen the cove at Portknockie, and
the light on the dreaded Beacon Rocks.
Thc Beacon was a sharp, sheer ledge
of rock, which ran far out into the sea,
and was always submerged, though at
low water its black, cruel outline could
bo defined by the troubled passage of
the waves above it Upon this treach
erous reef many a barque had founder
ed, many a life destroyed. It had in
deed been- the grave of many a fair
and goodly hope.
Annie Doon paused outside the door
of her aunt's cottage, the home that
had sheltered her since she had been
cast orphaned on the sea of life.
Through the unshuttered window she
could see -the dropping figure in its
hopeless attitude by the fire; she could
even catch the expression on her face.
It indicated prayer.
kAA.AAAAAAAAA
Portknockie.
TK? NOKTH SEA.
ID LYALL.
"I winna go in," she said tb herself;
with ? sob: "She canna hear the bell,
and it may be th?t they'll fae saved
yet."
Then she sped up the brae with foot
so fleet that she overtook them long be
fore they reached the summit. Even
from thr-.t point of vantage there was
little to be seen.
The night was of inky blackness,
and the light of the Beacon only serv
ed to show the- whereabouts of the
treacherous rocks, but sent no beam
afar. Quite suddenly, however, the
clouds were swept aside as by an un
seen hand, and a fitful moon shone
out very clear and bright, revealing
' the boat in distress and also the res
cuers on the harbor at Portknockie.
The lifeboat was launched with a
ringing cheer, and ploughed its way
through the terrible sea tumult to the
distressed men on the wreck. It was
an hour! of terri ole suspense, but at
last the survivers, three men and a
boy, wer? taken off, and the boat leap
ed in the trough of the sea again as
they tried to steer it back.
All this time there was no certainty
among : the watchers on the cliff re
garding, the boat or its crew; but
somehow they accepted the fact that
it was .-the Bonnie Ann, with John
Ardbuckle, the skipper, on board, and
Frank Scott. ->m Annie Doon loved.
Now Ardbuc*. as Annie's cousin,
and loved her. .s own soul. He was
a big, slow, . man, of few words
and forbidding aspect; but the young,
slim girl who had grown up as a sister
at his side had become a part of his
life and being, and he had sworn, time
and again, that none but he should
have her to wife. But Annie had
laughed at him, and said nobody ever
married a brother, which was what
he was to her. Then there had grown
up in his soul a fierce, slow, terrible
jealousy of Scott, who was part owner
with him of thc" Bonnie Ann, and had
been his constant companion all his
life. And when some one outside, at
Portknockie, had told him Annie and
Scott were to be married at the New
Year if the "drave" was good, he had,
saying nothing, .vowed to himself that
it should not be...
Under cover of the darkness Apni?
Doon slid down the face of the brae
to Portknockie nimbly as a young deer,
and came upon the harbor mouth as
the lifeboat grated against the steps.
Then she stood, with the shawl drop
ing from her shoulders, and the wet
wind in her hair, until fK
one by one. Ardbuckle
"Ye are there, Annie," h
kind of gruff gentleness,
ter been at hame."
"Whpre's Frank. Job
she asked, in a voice shri
"We had to, lassie. A
him clean into the sea b
e'en. An' what could m
then, puir chield? Come uwa uauiu.
But she would not let him touch her.
"Let me a be!" she said, and turning
from him.disappeared in the darkness.
And none saw which way she turned.
They talked in low, regretful mur
murs of their comrade whom the sea
had claimed. He was one beloved of
all for his high courage, his sunny
heart, and generous disposition, and
all were .wae for sweet Annie Doon,
widowed before she was a bride. Ard
buckle had little to say, at which, how
ever, none wondered, knowing him to
be a still, silent man, who refrained
from all verbal expression even when
he felt most.
As there was nothing to be done
until the dawning, when it would be
their melancholy task to seek their
comrade's body among the drift cast
by the storm, they began to disperse
slowly to their homes. It was close
on midpight,.-..and that had been an
anxious,'* weary ^day.' Ardbuckle, still
keeping himself apart from his fellows,
strode home to his mother's cottage on
the Iee shore, under the shadow of
the cliff. -
No light burned there. The solitary
figure crouching in despair by the fire
had forgotten the flight of time. She
sat so motionless, she might have been
asleep or dead. The step on the
shingle outside aroused her; it was the
step she loved, and had scarcely hoped
to hear again on earth. She sprang
up with a low, shrill cry, and met her
son at the opening of the door.
"Eh, my laddie, are ye safe after
a'?" she cried, beginning to weep now
that the strain was loosed and relief
had come; "where's Annie an' Frank
Scott and wee Willie an' the rest!"
"We are a' safe but Francie, mother.
A wave swept him into the sea. It
was like a mighty churn, an' he dis
appeared in a moment."
Although her joy at her son's re
turn was overwhelming, her face cloud
ed again.
"Aa' where's Annie? Does she ken?
Have ye no' seen her?"
"She kens. I thocht I should find
her here."
"Her heart will be broken, John;
it's set on him. She's but a frail thing,
and she'll be wild. Maybe she has
thrown hersel' into the sea efter him."
"She walked away frae the sea. But
I'll seek-her now if ye like."
"But ye are soakin' to the skin,
laddie, an' jist saved frae the sea.
Come to the fire. Annie will be here
soon. She'll come to nae harm."
But Ardbuckle could not rest. He
turned on his heel out into thc night
again, and just at the head of the slop
ing shingle met the girl walking with
slow, disconsolate step. He took her
by the arm, and his touch was tender
ness itself.
"Come; my dear, it will do nae good
to be wanderin' here in the nicht. Ye
are wet an' cauld, Annie. Come hame."
She suffered him to lead her; but she
spoke never a word. Once or twice
her eyes turned to the angry sea, which
had wrought such woe in her heart and
life. They came together to the house,
and old Jean Ardbuckle, whom the sea
had robbed of three sons and their
father, took the girl to her motherly
heart. If there had been any bitter
ness there because she had seen an
other preferred to her own, it melted
away at sight of that woe-begon face.
There was no sleep tor them that
night; it was spent by the glowing
driftwood fire, and at the grey dawn
ing some peace came to the troubled
sea, mayhap to their hearts. Annie
Doon crept to her bed in the attic room
and sobbed herself to sleep. Next day,
in spite of what they would say, she
was with the sei chers on the drift
strewn beach; but not On that day nor
on any Other was the body of Prank
Scott recovered. Nor would be until
the sea g?ve up its dead.
Life has to flow in its appoirited
channels, even though hearts are at th?
breaking. The daily duty then be
comes the merciful healer.- The gaps
closed up in Portknockie year by year;
a few white hairs, a line about the
mouth, a quietness and stillness of
speech-these perhaps were accentuat
ed by the increasing sorrow." But the
boats put to sea as usual, and the same
hours of anxiety and heart sickness "
were endured by women on the shore.
Out of it there grows a quiet courage,
a dumb patience, a still, unmurmering
waiting on the will of God.
Annie Doon did not weep where she
could be seen, nor did che give up a
single item of her daily task. The
only mother she had ever known was
growing frailer day by day. The whole
care of the house devolved on her; and
there was work to be done, too, for
the fishers and the nets.
But out of the girl's heart the sing
ing bird had gone. In the Spring of
the next year, when the wonderful
tenderness of an April sky was mirror
ed on a sea which always smiled, Jean
Ardbuckle laid her down to die. She
was neither sad nor glad to go. She
would die as she had lived, acquiescing
in the will of God.
"Annie," she said one day, as the
girl, wh-<? had been twice a daughter
to her, Irpt over her bed, "he has lo'ed
ye lanh, my John. When I am gane,
unless ',c talc' him, what will ye do?
If I cwJd ' ?. ye man an' wife afore
I dee I would shut my e'en in peace."
"I can never be wife to ony man,
auntie; my heart is died," the girl an
swered, simply.
"But it wad come to life again,
Annie. Listen. When I was young I
thocht as you do; but I married a man
that had loved me true for years, and
when I was his wife and his bairn
lay upon my knee I knew he was the
man God meant for me. John has
lo'ed ye a' his life."
The girl's face flushed a little, and
her eyes were troubled. In the soit
calm of the spring night she went out
upon the hrae to commune with her
own heart .nd to ponder on what had
passed bei jen her aunt and herself.
She thought of all the years she had
been sheltered in that humble home,
of John's tender if undemonstrative
care, and a strange humbleness and
?pomi-? >AnoH?i him Mmp over her.
_ ^ _w-?/ilOSV, v
where the pink sea daisies blew. And a
there they stood stil, she leaning t
against a boulder, with her eyes to g
sea. She was very frail and slight, g
and her face was one of uncommon 1 ^
sweetness, with that touch of sadness (
which set her apart. He was stalwart {
and strong, and the salt sea had tanned
his cheek, and his eye v/as as blue
as tha wave where the sun had kissed
it. But his face was sad also, and
there was silence between them.
"Auntie's failin*. John," said Annie.
"She will not live long noo."
"I see that. An* you an' I will be
left. Annie. We hae that to think j
on."
"Aunt Jean has been speakin' to
me, John," said Annie, and there was a
faraway, note in her voice. "If it will
mak' her happier, as she says it will,
I am wiilin', an' I'll dae my best to
be a good wife to you for a' your
goodness to me."
There was a look of high resolve,
rather than of tenderness, in her face,
and he knew in his heart that if she
had loved him as he loved her the
words could not have fallen so glibly
from her tongue. His ruddy color
paled, and the strong hand which had
fought the waters since his boyhood
trembled as it touched the stone where
her slender fingers lay.
"Annie! Annie!" he said hoarsely.
"I canna. I am no' worthy, though
God abune kens that I loe ye."
She turned to him with a smile
of inexpressible sweetness.
"Ye needna say that to me, John.
Have I no' kent ye a' my deys?"
"Ay, but-" He took two steps
away from her. and the struggle in his
soul was terrible. For his nature was
deep and slow, and he loved this
woman with the passions of a life.
When he came back his face had clear
ed of its agitation, and there was a look
of settled sadness about it.
"Listen, Annie, and I will lay down
the burden that has been on my soul
since the Bonnie Ann was wrecked.
I saw the wave comin' that washed
puir Frank away, and had I been quick
enough I micht have saved him, though
maybe at the expense o' my ain life.
But that wadna hae mattered, for ye
aye liket him best."
Her face paled, and the smile grew
wan about the mouth.
"It was thc will of God that Frank
should be drowned. John. It was his
weird-his time had come."
"But there was as guid as murder
in my heart. Annie. I hated him be
cause you liked him best. Am I no' a
murderer in God's sieht?"
"I dinna believe what you say, John
-you that never wad hurt the small
est beast or bird. It's the horror o'
that nicht upon ye yet." she said, and
there was no reproach in her voice.
"Frank aye said we should never be
man an' wife because the sea would
tak' him first. An' if-an' if it be true
that there was sic a thocht in your
heart, God is merciful. He kens an'
sees the heart.'
John Ardbuckle turned away, and his
bosom heaved, while a stinging moist
ure, salter than the sea, was in his
eyes.
.'Annie," he said humbly, "surely God
has bidden you speak to me. This is
the first peace I hae had since that
awful nicht. An' if it be that ye can
Join your life to mine I pray that J
be worthy o' ye afore I dee."
"Oh, wheesht, I am but a puir laasid
that kens naething, and a' Partknockie
kens what you are," she said, as she
laid her hand with the women's
courage and tenderness upon his arm.
"Come, let us go back to Auntie Jean."
-British Weekly.
GRIM COURTSHIP.
CtUtottis of Kidnaping nntl Marder Still
?xtnnt in Ut? Cnucimn*.
The manners and customs of the
people of the Caucasus have not
changed to ? great extent sinc? the
country was subdued by Russia. One
of the relics of the good old times to
which the Caucasians especially cling
is the custom of kidnapping the wo
men whom they desire to make their
wives.
Recently a case of this kind result
ed in a tragic end. A prominent in
habitant of thc little Caucasian town
of Katuhagan, named Ismail Ogli Oki.
tried to kidnap the sister of his best
friend's wife while his friend was ab
sent from home. The girl resisted his
attempt to carry her off, aided by her
married sistcY The baffled lover
drew his sword and inflicted danger
ous wounds on both the ladies. At
this moment his friend returned, and,
enraged at finding what had occurred,
killed Ismail on the spot. Then cut
off Ismail's head and carried it arouDd
to show the neighbors what a fearful
revenge he had taken.
In the same district a young noble
man desired to marry the daughter of
i neighboring land-owner, and invited
the girl with her parents to a grand
ball given at his castle. During the
evening he found an opportunity of de
coying the girl into a secluded part of
the house, where she was seized by his
men and placed in a carriage. The
prince jo'- d her, and, in spite of the
girl's o ' ties, started out to drive
:o a placv. where they could be mar
?ied without much delay.
The girl's father, on finding that his
lost had disappeared with his daugh
er, gave chase, and being on horse
lack, overtook the carriage. He shot
he nobleman without ado, and took
lis daughter home. The nobleman,
?owever, had won her heart during
he drive, and the girl was now reluc
ant to marry the man of whom her
ather approved, but the stern parent
nsisted on the wedding taking place
it once. The bride appeared in the
?burch, pale, but cool and collected.
)urlng the ceremony she drew a dag
;er and stabbed thc bridegroom to the
leart. Afterward she committed sui
ide.-London Mail.
QUAINT AND CURIOUS.
Mower nf Wellintrton. Kan., the
wholesale as a preventive measure
.gainst the plague. This disturbed
he religious scruples of Umat'ario Ne- i
;al of Akasaka-ken and he began to
ee rats at night. To get rid of tho
[reams he has spent $1000 in building
i stone pillar twelve feet high and six
eet thick, in honor of the spirits of
he killed rats. ?
An ingenious method of obtaining
i reputation for patriotism cheaply
las been invented by certain Berlin
jublicans. On their shop fronts they
lang legions to this effect: "So long
is the war in South Africa lasts I for
lid any Englishman tc enter my pre
nises." The use of this placard is,
it is said, entirely confined to houses
3f a class that never entertained an
Englishmj^Jn the course of their ex
istence.
The American oppossum is one of
the most curious animals living in the
United States. It is the only one that
carries its young in a pouch like the
kangaroo. It. is the only animal that
can feign death perfectly. It is re
markable for hanging by its tail like
a monkey. It has hands resembling
those of a human being. Its snout is
like a hog's, while its mouth is liber
ally furnished with teeth. It's eyes
are like a rat's, and*it hisses like a
snake.
A. G. Webster reported to the Amer
ican Physical society in New York
City recently the results of experi
ments on a singular difference in the
audibility of sound when passing over
water and over grass. Under similar
conditions of quietness it was found
that a given sound could be heard al
most exactly four times as far over
water as over grass. The assumption
that water is a perfect reflector and
grass a complete absorber of sound
waves is not, Mr. Webster says, suf
ficient to explain the phenomenon.
The practical importance of knowing
this peculiarity, where sound may
have to be sent across a grassy plain,
is evident.
Sarah Fisher, a character of the
country-side, of Hampshire, Eng., has
just died at the age of 90 years. She
lived in a cottage by herself, and spent
nearly all her time in the open air.
Every day, no matter what the weath
er was, she tramped about the coun
try, wandering miles away from her
home. Twice a week she called at Sir
Robert Wright's house at Headley
Park, where she received a basin of
soup and plenty of "victuals" to take
away with her. She called at a neigh
hors house the evening before she
died to get a loaf which the baker
had brought, and left to go home
across the fields. Missing her way
she fell into a ditch, and there her
body was found the next morning.
His I'nnHhmonf.
Captain-Sergeant, note down Priv
ate Grasgrum-three days on bread
and watpr for slovenly turnout on par
ade.
Sergeant-Beg pardon, captain, that
.won't make the slightest difference
to him-he's a vegetarian.
Captain-Then give him three days
on meat and soup.-Pick-Me-Up.
RE INSTINCT FAILS j!
By J. Carter Beard. T
X" ?T the reader, as he linds oc
jP^'casion and opportunity, try
the following experiment :
1nr ' tn tr
Take a deep, wldo-inouthod
Jar, j^iy from seventeen to twenty
Inchjadong, with a neck from live to
J!
?n? TrnvF.v-DEW
make the most of thc opportunity given
them to escape; the bec, on the con
trary, though popularly supposed to
be the wisest of insects, will buzz in
anely about the closed cud through
which the light comes, without sucking
to escape iu any other direction. Light
and liberty with the bee arc synonyms,
and she will perish rather Hint J prove
false to her convictions. You can keep
her confined with the back door ot* her
prison house wide open as long as you
choose; she will never And ber way
out.
Mr. Fly, on the cm tra ry. an idle fel
low, "a mau about town," whose Ir
regular habits subject him to innum
erable perils, has developed a faculty
for getting out of scrapes which, though
perhaps not equal to that he possesses
for getting into them, is superior to
anything of the sort Iiis more Indus
trious compeer eau boast of.
Near the cottage where an experi
ment similar to the one here described
was, in pursuance of the suggestion of
Sir John Lubbock, tried, grew some
pitcher plants; and toward these, as if
to show that the instinct of Hies also
has its limitations. Hie prisoner that
first escaped from the jar made his
way. These pitcher plants are the
tlfmllng places of fast Insects of var
ious sorts, particularly Hies. Spread
about the opening to the vegetable sa
loons ls a regular free-lunch counter
open to all comers. Mr. Fly, attracted
THE PLANT KA F FL ES IA ARNO)
TAINTED BEEK, UPON WUK
by the drops of nectar upon thc ctn
ions leaf of Hie Sarracenia, uiisus
peet inply follows thc trail ot' I read
trous sweetness to the portals of Hi
vegetable saloon where Hie nectar i
Abundant.
He ls a thirsty individual: perbap
his free hinch makes bim more so: an
the cool, green depths of the pitcbui
plpnt contain a store of tempting li
quid refreshment. Ile crosses Hie hos
pitable threshold and enters what is
to him a spacious and elegant apart
ment, si rolling along, stopping hero
and there to sip a drop of nectar, until
he is well within the walls of the en
folded leaf. Here he encounters a
glazed zone; a portion of the leaf of
such :i peculiarly smooth and slippery
surface, consisting of delicate, over
lapping glossy hairs, upon which even
lie, that can walk upside down upon a
glass skylight, lintis it difficult to keep
hi? footing. Ile slips ami falls, but
sp;catling his wings, Hies and attempts
to alight on the opposite side, a little
farther down perhaps, to avoid thc
slippery zone, but encounters a sur
face thickly set with stiff, downward
pointing hairs, that affords him no
footing; and even if he succeeds with
the greatest difficulty iu alighting, pre
vents his progress upward. Taking
Hight again and pounding against the
Avails, bewildered, tired, perhaps stupe
lied or intoxicated by the food be has
taken, he Inevitably, sooner or later,
falls into the liquid at the bottom of
the tubular leaf, a pool of death in
which are already imprisoned the
bodies of numerous previous victims,
and so incontinently becomes a subject
"to point a temperance lecture or adorn
n tale."
A BEE (CHALICODOMA) EBBCTR?G A SKY
SCRAPES UP?X A CELL ALBEADV
BUILT.
structures. Mason Vices fashion nests
of very solid masonry. Chalieodotna
murarla is solitary in her habits; she
constructs lier habitation alone and
unaided, usually selecting a bowlder
of considerable size as a solid basis
upon which to build an adobe edifice
of a suitable sort of earth moistened
with ber own saliva. Wlien this is
about au inch high she proceeds to lill
MU, GIVING OUT TITI-] SMELL OF
UH FLIES LAY TH El lt EtUJS.
.- it about half ?till of honey and o
!- pollen; lays nil egg ?iii it, ?ind close
i- it over with a roc!" of cement. Afte
e eight or nine of these cells have bee/
s completed she adds an additional prc
I tv t ion. a thick layer of mortar placet
ts ove:- the cul ire construction,
il A cell in an early singe of construe
r-J tiou was '>?ken away, aud in piuco o
-From the New York Tribune.
lt was substituted ouo already built
?ind stored with honey and pollen. One
would, in such a case, naturally sup
pose that the mason bee, glad to be
saved so much labor, would simply
supply the necessary egg and seal up
the cell. But no, indeed! the regular,
ancient and established custom in the
Chailcodonia order of procedure is far
too important to be disturbed by a
little thing like this; the bee calmly
goes on building until the cell is built
up as much as a third more than thc
proper height; then, although a suf
ficiency of provision for the larvae
had been already supplied, she wastes
ni tins ca??s <...? wv.
genus, but of a different specie* frou^
that just described; it is the Chalico
doma pyrenalca. This species builds
cells as does the other, bin fills them
with honey as she goes on, raising the
walls a bit, then going on several ex
peditions for honey, then building up
the walls again, and so on until the
cell Is finished.
A ?ell was chosen which was almost
completed, and while the bee was away
a hole was pierced in the cell below
where thc bee was working, allowing
the honey in the cell to gradually es
cape. Entirely ignoring an incident
so contrary to precedent and established
usage, the bee on ber return calmly
worked away as if nothing had hap
pened, adding mortar to the edges of
the cell and honey, which immediately
ran out, leaving tho nest empty. This
experiment was repeated many times
with differences of details, but none
in the results. As it might possibly be
conjectured ?hat the bee had failed
to notice the injury a cell was selected
which had but a very little honey in
it. A large hole was made in this,
which the bee returning with thc honey
certainly noticed, for she went down
to thc bottom of her cell, and not only
examined the aperture carefully, bu(
felt its edges with her antennae ant'
pushed thom through it. Did she then
as might naturally 1 ie supposed, stoi
it up? Not at all. To do so would Ix
to prove false to all the traditions ol
her race-be a departure from the im
memorial usages of the Chalicodom
?ans. and introduce a new and a dis
turbing element into the ancient ant
honorable order of mason bees.
However this is, thc poor, devotee
creature went on emptying into thii
vessel load after load of honey, which
as a matter of course, escaped at tbi
bottom as fast as she'emptied lt at tbi
top. All of one long, hot summer af
ternoon did she labor at this booties;
task, and began again next morning
At last, when, regardless of the result
she had performed her prescribed dut;
in the prescribed manner, made tb
customary amount of journeys am
supplied the usual amount of honey
she conscientiously laid her egg an
closed up the empty cell.
It ls quite common to speak of th
Intelligence of insects, but it reall;
seems, in the light of recent scientlli
investigations, almost as correct t
speak of the intelligence of a watel
Insects doubtless accomplish wondei
ful results, but shell results seem t
be effected tas are ii1?1 equally woi
derful adaptations of meaos to an eu
by tlie vital organs in our own bodies
by automatic, unconscious, and unit
telligent obedience to internal or e:
terna! stimuli.-Scientific American.
Leonids' 10001 li Tour.
Thc next return of the Leonids, t
November meteors, will mark tl
1000th anniversary of the first recoi
of this swarm. Last November, on tl
morning of tho 15th, one America
observatory estimated that 1000 m
(cors an hour were falling. In En
land a number of meteors were doub
observed, the mean heights of eigl
being tims calculated at SI to 50 mile
with visible paths of 22 to 07 miles.
A Japanese family of five can ll
on less than $8 a mouth.
"IKttb I MA I ri?VC ntui u? .....
Let others sing in praise of mea,
Of art and books galore;
My song shall be ot impress deep
Wrought by the woodland's store;
Of aspirations that the oak
Taught from ber acorn small;
Of perseverance that my soul
Learned from the chestnut tall.
The maple fair, tbe stately pine,
Each willow by the brook
Guided my childhood's careless thought
In upward ways to look.
But yet 'tis true beyond dispute,
As memory'9 loaves I search.
The tree that influenced me most
Was mother's little birch. >
-Life.
HUMOROUS.
Noll-What a deep voice he ha?.
Belle-Yes, for such a shallow mind.
Blobbs-Bjones has a suit of clothes
for every day in the week. Slobbs-So
have L I've got it on now."
"Borrowell-Alas ! I'm undone.
Harduppe-I'm worse than that.
"How do you mean?" "I'm dunned."
Silicus-I understand the bride is
quite a gifted young woman. Cynicus
-Yes, she got a good many presents.
He-Fine feathers don't always
make fine birds. She-No; but they
make fine bonnets, and that's more
important.
Will-Before they were married
she had him clean out of his mind.
Belle-And now he has her clean out
of his mind.
Poeticus-There are no geniuses in
attics nowadays. Cynicus-No; most
of them seem to have got down to
business and are running elevators.
"Young man," ?aid the millionaire,
sadly, "my daughter is my only child."
"Yes," confided the suitor, "that's one
reason why I thought I'd like to mar
ry her."
Mrs. Towne-Have you any close
neighbors, dear? Mrs. Subbubs-Yes;
they are all close. So closo that you
couldn't borrow a flatiron or a cup of
sugar to save your life.
"Keep cool!" whispered the lawyer.
"The sweat's just bubbling out of
you!" "Yes," returned the witness on
the stand, "it's trying to keep cool
that has got me so overheated."
"What! back again," exclaimed the
housekeeper. "Why, I gave you soup
only yesterday." "Yes, lady," re
sponded the polite tramp, an' one
good tureen deserves anoder."
She-I wonder why it is that the
average lovers you poets write about
are so awfully stupid. He-Why,
there has to be something stupid
about them to rhyme with cupid.
"What are you swearing about?" in
quired the senior member of the firm.
"O! that new office boy," replied the
silent?partner; "he's never to be found
when he's wanted. "Hereditary, I
-"MWRP. His father's a policeman,
".Hit
VT Aye
Gauss?ir-W?4T,- 4-~iroTie-rr--8ae? au? .?%? -
goes in for the most expensive things.
Mr. Henpeck-Not always. "Talk is
cheap," and she goes in for "that."
Preparing tim Impromptu.
Great orators have generally refus
ed to speak on thc spur of the moment
on important themes. Demosthenes,
the king of orators, would never speak
in a public meeting without previous
thorough preparation. Daniel Web
ster, when once pressed to speak on a
subject of great importance, refused,
saying that he was very busy and had
no time to master it. When a friend
urged that a few words from him
would do much to awaken public at
tention to the subject he replied: "IX_
there be so much weight in my words .N
it is because I do not allow myself to
speak on any subject until my mind
is imbued with it." On one occasion
"Webster made a remarkable speech
without notes before the Phi Betta
Kappa Society at Harvard University,
and a book was presented to him. Af
ter he had gone a manuscript copy
of his eloquent "imprompu" address,
carefully written, was found in the
book, which he had forgotten to take
away.-Philadelphia Post.
Lurk tn Hor*e?hofl*.
The superstition dates back too far
for record, but it was not always con
fined to the horseshoe. Any piece of
iron found in one's path was accounted
a sign of good luck, and as horseshoes
were more commonly picked up than
any other article of that metal, that
particular object at last became the
standard emblem of good fortune and
the supposed defense against bad luck.
In Aubrey's "Miscellanies," written 200
years ago, the author mentions hav
ing seen the horseshoe nailed up in
church, and he also says that "most
of the houses in the West End of Lon
don have the horseshoe on the thres
hold." The horseshoe to possess vir
tue, must have been round, not pur
chased or looked up. Admiral Nelson
had great faith in the luck of the
horseshoe, and one was nailed to the
raaai'gfif his ship, the Victory.
pd" Royal Homo.
Th( A mfa Belgians, who has
just <^"?8H Bt sixty-first birth
day, conies ^J^^?iost. il-fatcd royal
house in Euroi^^he house of Haps
burg-and her cup of grief is more
than full. Her hair is said to have
been white while she was still in her
thirties. The queen's only son, the
Duke of Brabant, died suddenly under
circumstances which suggested poison
ing; her son-in-law was the Crown
Prince Rudolph, who ended his life in
a most tragic manner; her favorite
nephew was killed in an accident, and
her sister is in a lunatic asylum, not
far from the palace at Brussels. Queen
Marie Henrietta has not neglected the
social and intellectual side of life, how
ever. She is a clever horsewoman,
a gifted composer of music and as
fond of her stud as she is of her cam
era and her piano.
A snow wall four feet thick ls a
perfect protection against a rifle bul
let at 50 yards distance.