The San Francisco call. [volume], February 05, 1910, Page 6, Image 6

About The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913

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6
VAN; BRUNT CHILDREN SEE BIG RIVERS
-> Eleven rivers of the United Slates
.arc concealed in the following story.
The first buried river is "Pearl," hid'
den in the phrase* "trip early." The
[other rivers, all of n>hich ape heller
, \norvn, arc buried in a similar manner. '.
BOnynd Susie Van Brunt had ill- '
ready gone/ on a number of jour
neys "by moans of ordinary \u2666Ye- ;
hides, when. one day tjielr father sug
gested that the whole family should* 'fro
on a trip In n balloon, tho object be- \u25a0
' ing to get an 1 idea' of the Interior
waterways of the United States by vis-,.
. jitlnfr some, of the \u25a0 principal rivers.'^
i Everybody acceded with, delight to this '
."Ptoposnl, and Mr. .Van Brunt told thorn ,
they must .. be ready to start on tho
; trip early next morning.
The next day; thp.famlly started gay-
up In. th«. .air-,' when suddenly Bo'lV
cried, "We've forgotten -something!".';
His father find- mother could not
£gruesa what it was. until Bob snUl de-"
tmurely, "Susie," nnd sure enough sleepy.
Susie .; had forgotten about the early
start nnd had been loft behind. *\u25a0
party put bock at once and
called to old Dinah, the family, cook,
i who was out- on -the' veranda, to tell
V tho dilatory, traveler to hurry, up. .\u25a0. \u25a0 .•.\u25a0
• -"Miss is'sippln' her chocolate* jes'< ail
.--. comfortable as ef you all hadn't gone
and left her.", chuckled Dinnh. "She's
'•'forgot all the viage.' . .
- •>— — : SB —
ROSA AND THE HIVE OF SWARMING BEES
i % PECULIAR thin -vibrant roar'
[ ."..; ' J\ caused me to drop my book and
i ' j <i Vsaze from the window. Follow-
i . \u25a0\u25a0..'\u25a0 * - ,lrig. the course, of the /_; sound' I
| 'Klanceil up into my neighbor's apple
-/ <M '^ liariJ - "Ah! Bees swarming! 1 '/ 1 cx
i claimed. The air . was black '.with
'^•myriads of frantic bees. They circled,
?.; J .darted- and zigzagged so , swiftly that
-;\u25a0 the blue sky .was shot with.? black
.. dashes, , and -.: thelr.^ countless :\ invisible
\u0084 wings 'created • a', dull; ; menacing sound
:~ that might have easily prompted a
.«:\u25a0. ; passer ;\ by, to instinctively duck for
.-,', .'. cover. \u0084 ': \u25a0; -"/ ; ', : ." \u25a0' ...--\u25a0
,\fe -Presently there "emerged from the
, '^doorway/of the old farmhouse a fat
i ; \u25a0\u25a0 ,>' c*'e * ' . energetic, •' "middle itged woman,
;\u25a0; ... clothed r- In. red' ! calico from head to ,foot
'v^yand .wearing a liuse sunbonnet that
.^completely hid her face. ; Down through
,:-; ; the' thick June : clover she came with
r'l neav yvstridos, silently yet -with; def
; mite; purpose .in every limp swish of
,>' her. short skirt. ' ' ' :..., \u25a0\u25a0'-."
<\u25a0 ''.;\u25a0\u25a0'\u25a0: -"Good' '"\u25a0 day to' you," I : ventured '
"V- Quietly. . \u25a0 \u25a0\u25a0, : , \u25a0;'.\u25a0/\u25a0 • T
i ,:.; 1 '"No: talking," the old lady retorted
sharply. "They don't: like it,"- ; she con-
nodding, toward the cloud'
.. of bees that had ;begun ; to condense
upon a' knobby i apple branch.
\u25a0; ""'"- The; queen -of this tempestuous mob
; had -evidently selected her throne wltli.
-\u25a0,•[\u25a0 more spirit of. 'adventure than wisdom,"
U. but herxloyal;; subjects:- were ; pilihgN
: themselves / about her • enthusiasticallj'/
'. 'no , doubt reverently, j and w there y was
5 fast 'appearing ;a large, yellow brown,
, squirming lump jon the ;slender 'branch.
-^ From the r size of: your fist; it grew 'to
the: dimensions of your head, and , be
* ; gan to stretch down the shape of a
.^."hornet's nest,; and then, Just when the
• last few thousand : insects .were 'about
,v,- to "arrange themselves ; upon .their" fel- :
• lows, the overladen branch gave way,
. and an avalanche of bees crashed down
;, the foliage. The woman i'made
some irritable soft sounds lp-Ifer throat
| which ;ii could not cattfi and waved' me
.frantically away* ;\u25a0;; 'the. yellow mass.
• melted with Incredible swiftness, . as .
though n flame had been turned on a
SJYuwflake. A .. few -.Inches from^ ..the
';:. ground : the queeft /found herself once
. more unincumberod, twirled Jieiv.wings \
'; airly and madofor'a tougher bough. ln
1 v the same'tree, followed by speeding
' •: .thousands of her admirers, beginning .
' all over again the maneuver.of swarm
\u25a0 ing.:- \u25a0 •' ;, -..' \u25a0',-' ;. *.'\u25a0', -, ,-. i,'' if y '-\u0084
% ; ,' In the. meantime the stout woman .
, had gone , to v neighbor's , house arid
a ladder many . times her
i lieight and, In the midst; of' thousands
,', Qf bees apparently, all much annoyed
i and In a great hurry, she was bal
i uucing this ladder and adjusting, lt to
i \u0084a wavering branch hear,
i .'where the beta were swarming. As
i \u25a0 b life stopped to look, about aB though'
i, needing help of ttpme sort in this dif.
1 llcult undertaking, she caught sight of
1 a wlender, fair- girl 1 coming down the
1 la no, apparently from Sunday, morn
' ing church going. The girl, rather
delicate looking, was somewhat olab-,
\u25a0 orately dressed in pink muslin with
n bit of a rose garden om her head.
"11l there, Rosa!" called the owner
of the bees, "you got to come right .
here, I'm too old to do all this work
alone. The new, hive Is' swarming
something itwful, and even if It is Bun
day you've sot*: to help your , mother.
£ ffuesa the bees bought that frock
you've got on." \u0084 .
The «lrl in pink came reluctantly
past the row 'bushes up the pathway.
,"AJn't:it a.Bhame," she said, slowly;
"to think they'd ewarm today and me
dressed up?" , . . , '
• Just what help this slender, fragile
t
THESAK FRAXCISCQCAU,,;SAT(;RDAY^ : I-]tnKUAKV 5, loiu. — TIIK JUXIORXALL
Susie was' "astonished' wjien sho dlfl.
covered that it was the day of the
journey and that shb had almost lost
tho opportunity of going, nnd she
hastily bundled herself; into the
loon, which immediately: made n fresh
start. The first stop made was on the
banks* of a picturesque river, which
flowed between hlKhv hlll.< Tho bal
loon came down with a thud so near
the precipice; that it frightened every
one. Not far away -from -where (hey
landed a pretty younj? /won»an .was sit
ting in themiddle'Of a" prrnVs plat toll
ing a fairy story to some children.
Bob and Susie joined the group, and
when It was tini9 for the balloon to
start again they had made a whole
looking Kill could be was hard to im
agine./ Her hands were long and, slen
der and idle looking, and she. herself
suggested«a. vague sort of country ln
validlsm , rather tiian the 'l pqwcif to cope
with a difficult situation. , She... turned
languidly toward the house, passed
through,; swarms of beeS unflinchjngly,
and entered the door.' \u25a0 „
Rosa had been gone only ; a few 'min
utes when 'she 1 returned, a' strange ob
ject stalking down, the clover path.
Gone, were her*' rustling garments, van
ished the! rosy headgear, entirely trans
formed her manner of -languid idle
ness; even , her - hands in their largo
gauntlet gloves looked vigorous and
capable.; She was dressed from head
to foot in a workman's close fitting
suit of blue jeans; her feet were en,
cased in' heavy boots, into the tops of
ENTERTAINING THE CHILDREN
ONE of the secrets of a successful
birthday entertainment for children
!s. to 'specify, the hours in the Invita
tion, say from 3 to 5, 6 1 to 9, 7 to 10
according 1 to the ages of the little ones,
X children arrive early at a party and
stay on indefinitely, not only the guests
but the entertainers aro worn out, sc
it is better for all concerned' that fes
tivities end when every "one is' having
the "best time ever" than to watt until
.amusement begins to pall. , : . .
Another point in party giving Is tc
have aome simple form of "play", to fll!
up 'every minute. ' ; !
The presence of a yoUnj? girl friend
or some jolly young man to start things
is often of great assistance- io" the
mother. ;.... • {£ 1"\
As soon as two. or three children as
semble begin flaying- games, .for it U
usually tht first half hour or hour thai
makes or mnrs the success of 'the party
especially where the -.'children are oi
mixed ages.
'i Let some one stay in the dressing
room to help the children take off theii
wraps and make introductions if neces
sary..- \u25a0 ;: ;..\u25a0\u25a0/' :;;•« '\u25a0\u25a0,"\u25a0•.'\u25a0'\u25a0\u25a0\u25a0.\u25a0 :\u25a0
'\u25a0 As to the kind of games,; If one lives
in. an apartment where the. rooms arc
small and the ather dwellers have tc
be taken into account, the entertain
ment may. have to be limited to quiet
"sports." - ,
Soup Bubble Coulent.— A soap bubble
contest makes excellent fun. For thte
have', clay pipes enough for all (and it
is wiser to lay in a fow extras in case
of accident, small bowls of ,soapsude
and fans madu of utiff paper with which
to propel the bubbles from the starting
point." Lay a long stick on the floor
to servo as a goal. At a given signal
the bubbles are blown and the fans
brought into use to drive them to the
goal. :. If a bubble bursts before any
of the players have reached the goal
the player may return to blow and
start- a second one.' A simple prize
may be given the successful contestant
while the others may be allowed to
keepj tl«elr pipes as consolation sou
venirs. ,
. A I'lfif Dr«fTln«r <'outr»t. — For eacli
drawing pin on tiio wall a large fresh
sheet of white paper. UHnUfoUl eacli
of the would be artists, then lead him
in turn to try his luck at drawing a
pig with a charcoal pencil. A china
pig box of candy may go to the most
successful artlßt and h pig bank to the
one who mukes the most unsuccessful
attempt.
.silhoui-lir-. — Put a large sheet oi
white paper against the wall, Turn out
all the lights but on?, then let each
child In turn have his picture drawn
with a pencil. Remove from the wall
and cut out the silhouettes,
circle of \u25a0 new friends!
Everything wont well with the bai
loonists for two' days, and then one
afternoon the v weather grew* threaten
ing and Air. Van Brunt pointed" to some
low hanging ''clouds heavily banked
against the horizon arid in color n
doubtful purple, "1 think we'd best pet
out of here quickly,", he said. "That
looks very much like a bad storm."
Even with their Haste, however, they
wore unable to reach" the earth In time
and wore drenched to the skin.
One of the funniest adventures the
party had oecurred.one day when Mr.
Van Brunt was unable to control the
balloon as ho wished mid It descended
in a circus lnclosure. The animals were
all very much frightened; A harmless
old tiger tore down the iron bars wKlch
cagod It and an Eskimo dog ran des
perately up on top of the big circus
tent. With the help of Mr. Van Brunt
and Bob peace was presently restored
and the balloon proceeded on Its jour
ney. \ - \u25a0' -
The last stage of the journey carried
them to that part of the west.. which
wnicn mo uouser ieg\s were stuck, a
huge cartwheel of a hat covered her
head, and this was draped in a white
gauze netting to protect' her face and
neck, i She 'approached the' tree, pass
ing through thousands of>" buzzing in
sects swiftly, -Avithout. the slightest
trepidation, everything- about her sug
gesting business like vigor and de
cision. •' Making the ladder secure she
proceeded to mount swiftly, without
a sign of hesitation or a hint of shy
ness. :/'*;\u25a0:
In one hand she carried a broad, flat
canvas, bag. She climbed higher and
•higher ' through .(iery insects until her
head appeared within a few inches of
the crawling, droning, yellow mass.
The' noise, if. nothing ; elsei must have
suggested danger' ut such close range.
At the very top of the ladder she
Shadow riot u re*. — Hang Up a sheet
between two rooms, leaving the front
room where the audience is seated in
darkness. Have"- but one light in the
rear ' room and place it so that the
shadows of the performers will'fall-di
rectly on, tho sheet. Now let the per
formers, divided into sets,' each take
their turn in providing .fun for" the
others/Illustrate, if you like, the dif
ferent nursery rhymes and stories, for
Instance: '. .. • -'*
Old Mother Uv>t>bard
Went to the cupboard
\u25a0\u25a0--\u0084 -^Po'get her poor dog a bone.
If you have a real dog in the house
or a Teddy. bear, this ia specially fotch
ing,-- letting "Mothor Hubb^rd 1 ' limp in
on her staff, followed by her dog and
reaching up into an imaginary cup
board. ", \ \u25a0 \u25a0
Jack be. nimble, Jack be quick,
Jack jump over the 'candlestick
is another good one, alßo.- scene's from
"Bo Peep,". "JJt'tle Red Ridlng.Hbod,"
"The Three Bears," "Robinson Crusoe,"
"Tom, Tom, the Piper'n Son," and so. on.
After, one set of guest Sshas furnished
entertainment 'le^v the. otljer try, while
the first party guesses the story being
illustrated. . ; j :•
The Four TV
There are four T'a too apt to .run,
'Tis besttojset a watch upon: '
Our Thoughts'. ' '
Oft when alone, they take then) wings,
And light upon, forbidden 'things.
Our Temper:
Who in the, family controls It Best,
Soon has control or all the rest. v
Our Tongue:; ' '\u25a0\u25a0', .
Know when to speak, but be content
When silence is mom eloquent.
- • ' • . *
Our Time: . ' . /
Once lost, ne'er fbund; yet who can say
He's overtofken yesterday?
Why He Could Beat McGregor
Alexander Ure, ' the lord advocate of
Scotland, is a keen golfer, and he has
a good store of golfing talfts. These ho
is always ready to relate, even if they
tell against himself.
Playing on a certain course in Scot*
land, he remarked incidentally to his
caddie: "By the way, I play«M a round
with Todd McGregor tho last time I
was here. Grand player, McGregor!"
"Aye," said the caddl», "but ye could
bate McGregor the noo."
"Do you think, so?" exclaimed the
gratified lord advocate, being well
aware of McGregor'* pnMvevs,
"Aye," drawled tho caddie. "Me*
Gregor's deiil."— Golfing.
their father explained had boon known
M wild and woolly — before advancing
civilization had made lnw a renl power
In the land. Sotno remnants of Xormor
oondltions still remained and tho chil
dren saw nothing funnier during their
Journey than tho little Indian babies,
naked' ami brightly painted, running
about In tho sun.
One evening when they had stopped
beside a beautiful broad river for tho
night Bob came running to .Susie much
disturbed. '{We're going to start fctr
home tomorrow." lie paid. "Isn't it too
mean! And we're Kolnp back by train
because the bullion Isn't In good work
ins order."
/'Oh, I overheard papa talking nbout
that to tho balloonmnn at our lns«t
slopping place, but, after nil. I'm glad
wt; re going bnek.by train. It's much
Surer than the balloon, and you know
we don't want to miss our Invitation
iq Cousin . Jennie's, \u25a0 birthday party,
which; wo will do If we aren't back
soon."
This reconciled Rob to the thought
that the balloon trip was over niul the
next niornlnp: they, bade goodby to
their interesting vehicle and boarded
the train for homo.-
Answers to Last Week's Jour
ney in Puzzleland
Tn last week's journey In Piizzleland
the buried Italian cities were Genoa,
Rome. Venice", Palermo, Florence/ Leg
horn, Madeira, Naples and Perugia.
ji paused, evidently having discovered
something besides the swarm. Instant
ly she began to descend the ladder.
Half way down she Stopped and called:
"Ma; J you just ; fetch \u25a0mo a oloth.
There sja thrush's nest up here right
alongside of the bees, and there's a
family of liltle \u25a0 onrts in it. I ain't got
any potion to perch up here nnd see
em stung to death.".
A towel soon roofed, over the thrush's
nest much to the. resentment t'ot the
little fledglings and the dismay of the
elder birds, who were circling about
among the bees, uttering most alarming '
cries.
m Now for the capture of the bees.
The canvas bag was so built that it
could be opened wide at the mouth nnd •'•
pushed up slowly -from below urilliit
entirely encompassed the swarm, lthen
the mouth could bo partly closed by the
dexterous hand of Rosa and the branch
shaken violently. At once the great
bunch of bees were gathered down in
the body of the bag, from which came
an infuriated noise of insects whoso
good purpose in life had been diverted
Those that escaped blackened the air
abourthe girl's head, apparently furl- '
ous at her for having, upset their do
mestic arrangement; but with perfect
unconetrn she balanced the closed bag
over her > shoulder by the wooden
•handles, came down the ladder and
knelt on tho ground by her mother near
a hive; the bag ( was. opened; bewil
dered bees were thoroughly smoked
to, deaden their energies, and then they
were shoved into;the open hive. Tn the
meantime, 'as the queen bee still ad
hered to the branch, a small new swarm
made up of remnants of adorers was
collecting about her, and again Rosa,
bag in hand, mounted to battle. This
operation was repeated three times,
•each time Rosa returning to tho hive,
her bag buzzing with living, indig
nant prisoners. The last lot, like the
first, were smoked and spilled into the
hive,, where at last the queon was
forced to settle. ,
After the work was. over^Roea" lifted
the ladder easily to her shoulder, re
turned it to ita owner and faded away
into the recesses of the JUacs. .where
the farm house stood. The mother,
weary and 'warm," turned with n sug
gestion of at last Having something to
say worth mentioning.
"Don't never keep the pesky things."
she said irritably, "they're worso'n chil
dren. One • hive swarmed seven times
• last year. I used to get dizzy trying to
keep track of 'em."
"Are they worth it?"
• "Well, they are and they aren't. Now.*
once I got l,so<hpounds of noney out
of 13 hives and the next year only 500.
Bees are somtthlng like folks. You
can't count on them."
"How many queens are there to a
. hive?" , ; .
"One, of course. She murders the
new ones, unless there's too many for
her.. Then the workers won't let "her
touch them. But when they hatch out
she's got to get away, and usually the
old hive goes with her."
"Poor old girl!"
"You're right, there's not much fun '
in It for her. Her only outing is when
she's ousted from the hive. That'a
when she goes on her honeymoon, ami
she starts off alone, mind you. I reckon
she's the only orpaturtt that ever starts
on her wedding trip alone. Bne meet*
•her mate In tho air ami hustles back
15 mlnutea nfterw«rd unless she's gob
bled up by v bird. Most folks never
seen her utart off long's they live, but
1 seen her twice. Once bank, she take*
to laying eggs, thousands of 'em ft day
Pretty hard work being that wort of v
,queen." — New' York Bun.