The L'Anse sentinel., August 28, 1897, Image 3

About The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current

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fhe L'Anse Sentinel.
CEO,
i, c. JACKliSt Editor ana PobUxher.
L-ASSE. MICHIGAN.
"JIM,"
'jloruau"" she called him. In a novel
vifoml mother found tho name she gave
him:
t don't like It. f er I'd kinder took
Jflon i .11 . frivor'ble to "Jim."
Half-li'tlJ' but happy, an she laid: "I
That you shall name him, after all," I
"W hy. Wnme It all, of course It la Mor
duunt." Pie knew the way I felt about such names,
An' this wa a sacrince. fer she
pij often heard me Bay that honest
nd Just about the proper ring fer me;
jut though 'twas Ulsapp'intment, still I
gh0 was the one that had the right to
.hnosO.
t. itherc wasn't any question ought
To reconcile my wishes to her views.
He wa so delicate so teeny small.
But smarter than the cracker of a whip;
I believe he ever cried at all
Somehow he'd pucker up his little lip
i. lnoit at you until you was ashamed
Of all the sins you knew he knew you'd
done.
I often thought he grieved because we'd
named
By men a name a helpless little one.
n thlr.kln' that, when we two was alone
1 called him by the name I liked so well;
Ills mother would 'a grieved If she'd a
Icr.own, But neither Jim ner me would ever tell.
ytt nver told. He'd laugh an' crow to
hear
Me whlsporln' so happily to him:
yer' name's Mordaunt, old boy, when
mother's near:
Eu: when there's only me about It's Jim."
w never told our little secret, and
We never will. We never, never will;
Somewhere off yonder In a flow'ry land
A little baby's todJIln', toddlln' still,
1-ftckln' In the sunshine all alone
The God that gave an" then that sent fer
him.
Jlorduunt's the name- carved on the little
stor.e.
But in my heart the name Is always Jim.
Chicago Record.
,'iYi'iYiYiYiiYi'h
1 A DOUBLE DEATH. 3-
miimiiiiim
S I look back riow It Kevins to inc.
that I must always have been in
ove wnn ierma .uaxwew. icrtainiv
I know that if I try to fix the time when
it became un accepted fact, upon which
I thought while awake, anil dreamed
a thousand tender dreams while Bleep
ing, I tind it quite impossible to do so.
As a matter of fact, we had grown up
together. Herbert Maxwell, the bnnk
er of IS n, and my own dear old gov
ernor, who was a retired colonel anil
lived on his pension and a small but
convenient income, which, nlas! is non
mine through his death, had been life
long friends. And so when my father
returned from 20 years' service in India,
it was taken for granted that he would
settle down in II n and pass the
evening of his life with the dear old
chnni of his boyhood.
Whether these two, as they sat over
their evening "grog" laid plans and
vove schemes for the united fortune
of Bertha and myself I have never quite
known; but the ill-concealed grief my
father displayed wheal certain un
toward events came between us, and
ior a lone:, drenrv, hopeless time blotted
the sun from our sky, led me to believe
CO.
At any rate, Bertha's budding girl
hood and my awkward boyhood were
spent together. We played tennis, we
went fishing, we took long walks
through the beautiful country which
surrounded 11 n, and so we insensi
bly grew into each other's live, and
became a daily necessity to each other.
At this time Bertha was to me the
most beautiful of human beings in
deed, the is so still and never for a
single moment has anyone else seemed
quite so fair or so lovely. Her figure
lithe nnd graceful; her step, when
she walked, buoyant with. overflowing
health; and her cheeks dyecj with that
rich hue so often seen in those of south
ern birth; while her eyes were at once
tereue nnd thoughtful, or brimming
over with mirth and mischief. She had
a thousand little ways peculiar to her
self, all of which, I now know, endeared
her to me.
However, I must come to my story,
for if I run on about Bertha I shall
never cense. The hair is frosty about
ny temples now, and my step Is not
o quick as it once was, but a little lady
who now walks beside me through the
same green lanes often looks up archly
in my face nnd says: "Dad, you do
like to talk about mother!" And so
I do.
Well, the time came for me to go away
to complete my education. When we
parted I remember it as if It were
yesterday Bertha kissed me over and
over again. It was, however, only ns a
joung and Innocent girl she kissed me;
nd as she stood in the doorway be
tween my father and hers, waving a
tearful farewell, it was to a chum and
playmate of childhood only that her
adieus" were given.
Four years passed swiftly away. I
occasionally saw Bertha, and I, at least,
knew that the camaraderie of our child
hood was at an end. Bertha had grown
into the most queenly creature in the
world, and had taken her place, quite
undisputed, as the belle of B n. Her
banner with me was as charming as
ever, but there was a slight constraint
t such times as we were altogether
'lone; not the constraint of formality,
but that of diffidence. For my part, I
found that instead of decreasing her
Attractions to me, my absence had
crved to enhance them. To me she was
tben, what she ever has been, the one
woman in the world. Every day I re
solved to put my fate to the test, but
hesitation, born of timidity, prevented
nd the time passed away without
toy ever giving utterance to the word
of love and passion which I longed to
speak.
But If I hesitated, there were others
more bold Indeed, Bertha, at every
"garden party," or other 6ocial func
tion In the neighborhood, was always
the center of a group of devoted admir
ers. Among them all lloynl Phelps was
preeminent alike for his handsome per
son and for a certain fascination of
manner which made him popular with
men and women alike. He stood over
six feet, had fair hair and blue eyes, and
nn athletic frame in which grace and
strength were equally apparent.
Bertha, while appearing to share the
general admiration for him, never
seemed quite at ease in his presence,
und it was perhaps this evident con
straint whenever he was present which
led my father to chuff me pleasantly one
evening after dinner by saying:
"Charlie, my boy, you had better not
let your bird of paradise remain un
caged much longer, or some one else
may catch it!" And then the dear old
fellow laughed and winked at me mys
teriously, as though he were quite in
the know.
I think it w-as the presence of Koyal
Phelps and many suggestive hints about
his devotion to Bertha which finally de
termined me to put 'to the test my
chance of happiness with her.
It was a bright and lovely day in
June, and a large party had assembled
upon the spacious lawn in frontof our
"bungalow," as my father always called
his house. Bertha had never seemed to
me so fair, so altogether worthy of my
love and my life. Early hi the ufter-
noon, for she had come before the rest,
to uid us in arranging for our numerous
guests, I had seen her color rise as I
made some slight remark about her ap
pearance, und as our hands met 1
thought hers trembled. Was it my
imagination? Or was she, too, like me,
longing to acknowledge her love?
"I shall not be with you long. Bertha,"
I said, hoping thus to prepare the way
for my proposal. "I shall be leaving
fr Hong Kong within a month to take
up my appointment."
"Yes, yes, Charlie, I have heard it ull
from father; he says you passed your
'exams' with llyiug colors. I am so
glad."
"(ilad! glad of the fate which ban
ishes 'me from Englund, and from"
But she did not let me finish the sen
tence. "No, of course not that; it will be
awfully lonely without you, and the
old place won't seem like itself a bit;
but still, you're a man, and you have got
to make your name and way in the
world, aud I'm glad that you are making
to good a start."
'1 could look forward to my life in
the east, Bertha, dear, with a great
deal more joy if the prospect were not
so lonely." Bertha's eyes fell before
my ardent guze, and I fancied that her
lips trembled, nnd I hastened to put nn
end to the tension we were both under,
when a rollicking voice broke in upon
us:
"Ah! here you are. Bertha! What,
and Charlie, too! Ah! I hope I urn
not de trop. Shall I come again? Ha!
ha!" and Koyal Phelps' laugh rang out
clear and loud, but with a touch of
cynicism in its ring.
"Not for the world," replied Bertha,
crimsoning to her hair; " we were just
arranging the games for the day, ami
now you can help us." And so the
golden moment passed, and the word
I had been longing to speak remained
unspoken then, and alas! remained un
spoken for many bitter years.
Tennis, and gossip, and tea, and
laughter, and merrymaking soon sped
the afternoon. I had succeeded with
the aid of Bertha's cousin, Eva Win
throp, in beating Koyal and Bertha at
tennis, and had then given myself to the
duties of hospitality.
At last, however, I found myself free,
and went in search of Bertha, resolved
to endure myVjincertainty no longer.
I approached the library window, and
had almost entered the room when I
heard Bertha's voice. It was clear und
cold and positive:
"No! I have told you how impossi
ble it is. I should w rong you and my
self. I cannot marry you, because I
do not love you!"
I was about to beat a hnsty retreat
from my false position when Koyal's
words chained me to the ground:
"It's for that proud brute, Charlie,
I suppose, I'm thrown over! Oh! well,
take him; but, curse him, I'll "
"You forget yourself; I have not said
I love another, certainly I have not said
I love Charlie. We are old friends, that
is all, nothing more. He is no more to
me than you"
But I could stay to hear no more,
and with heart beating I gained my
own room, and hid my grief from the
curious eyes about me. And so this
was the end: "He is no more to me
than you" Oh! cruel words! And
I ah! there, to me she was more than
all the world beside.
"Governor, If you don't mind, I think
HI spend the next few weeks in Lon
don. I've a good deal to do before sail
ing, nnd if you will run up with me we
can be pretty much together until I
leave."
"All right, my boy, I shall be delight
ed; but I thoughtr ah, well, nevermind
what I thought. I shall be ready when
ever you are."
And so the next day we slipped away
to town, I leaving a brief note for
Bertha, saying I hoped to see her again
before sailing, though I knew full well
that I should not dare to see her with
those words still ringing in my ears:
"He is no more to me than you!"
I will not dwell on the days my dear
old father and myself spent together in
London. They were the last I ever
spent with him. He died three months
after I left England. We were as
brothers together then, and he entered
into all my plans with greater zest than
myself; and when at last I told him
how and why I had come to resign all
thought of Bertha, his dejection seemed
M real and as deep as mine.
Dear old dad, next to my wife, he was
the best chum I ever had; and I can
see him now as he stood waving his
umbrella on that foggy day when tho
Oriental carried me away from homo
and all I loved to China.
Of my life in Hong Kong I need not
speak in detail. It was a combination
of hard work, which soon led to pro
motion, und such sports as arts to be
found in the island. Having been a
"blue" at Oxford, I was soon well to the
front In cricketing circle; and, singu
larly enough, it was iny interest in
cricket which led to consequences to
Bertha and myself as fur-reaching us
they were sad. I had been chosen as
one of the eleven to represent Hong
Kong against Shanghai, upon the sad
and memorable occasion when the Bok
hara was wrecked on the return voy
age, and, with a few exceptions, all
hands were lost. By what seemed to
me the. merest fluke at the time, I man
aged to cling to a plank, and after be
ing tossed about, till nearly dead, by
the surf, was thrown ashore thorough
ly exhausted. The news of the catas
trophe cast a gloom over the entire Eu
ropean population, and It was cabled
home that till were lost. Before the
news was corrected Bertha was mar
ried and married to Koyal Phelps.
Her father, shortly nfter the death
of mine, had succumbed to pneumonia,
nnd Bertha with her mother had
greatly to their surprise been left In
comparative poverty. So that when
Koyal renewed his suit Bertha had
yielded, and to gain a home for her
mother, hnd consented to an early mar
riage. And when the news reached
England that I with two iers had
been saved from the Bokhv, i. Bertha
was already the wife of another. I
shall never forget the effect upon me
of the news that she was no longer
free. The meaning seemed to have
been taken out of life, nnd for me there
was 'no joy in the present, no hope in
the future.
Two dreary years passed away, and I
came home, having resigned my ap
pointment in the east, resolved to set
tle down in England, and devote my
self to those literary pursuits for which
I believed myself to be better suited
than for public service. I had no in
tention of settling in B n. The
place was too full of sad suggestions
to prove inviting to me. I was com
pelled to go down there, however, short
ly after my arrival, to attend to the
disposition of certain family belong
ings, and it was then, for the. first time
since that fateful afternoon, that I
again saw Bertha. How changed she
was! Not that she was less beautiful;
but her proud face was, oh! so sad. It
seemed as though she. had gone through
a world of sorrow since I last saw her.
Her greeting was one almost too pain
ful for either of us, and when she said:
"We all thought you were, drowned;
you are as one risen from the dead,"
I renlized that she would never have
been the wife of Royal Phelps but for
the news of my death. What I saw and
learned In B n made me resolve to
stay there, for the present at least. I
do not know how I came to suspect It,
but the suspicion grew, and at last be
came absolute knowledge, that Koyal
Phelps was turning the life of the only
woman I had ever loved Into misery.
I hnd always known him to be of a
reckless disposition, but I hnd not
dreamed that he was addicted to gam
bling, drunkenness, and debauchery.
I did not see him often, and I scarcely
ever saw Bertha; when I did, her face
was so sad so silently and uncom
plainingly sad that It was all I could
do to look at It and remain quiet. As
for Koyal, he had grown gross in per
son and coarse in manner, and scarcely
ever seemed quite sober. And so the
days passed; from a distance I watched
my proud, beautiful darling pine nnd
fade, till I feared that death might
step In to Interfere where I was pow
erless. Thus things went on, till one
night I was summoned by a message
from Bertha's motner: ' "Come quick
ly, we are in great trouble.".
I went, and found the doctor there be
fore me, and learned thnt nn hour be
fore Koyal had come home drunk, and
upon meeting his wife had first abused
her, nnd then struck her a cruel blow,
which had left her senseless at his feet.
He had then Bnllled forth again, leav
ing his wife, for all he knew, dead.
There was little I could do but creep
back to my solitary misery nnd spend
the night In agonizing reflections upon
the past. But, when the day at length
broke, I hnd resolved that the man who
hnd robbed me of my darling, only to
maltreat and make her miserable, must
answer for his brutality to me.
There is, however, a higher power
than any we can wield, which often in
tervenes in the affairs of man when
least expected; and, before I ever saw
Koyal Phelps again that power had
placed him forever beyond the reach of
earthly retribution. While still half
wild with drink, he had mounted to
follow the hounds, and a few hours
afterwards was carried home dead.
We never speak of those dreadful
days, now long passed. In the old home
to which Bertha clings with tenacious
effectlon we are living a life as nearly
perfect in happiness as ever falls to
mortal lot. The old light has come
back to my darling's eyes, the old-time
buoyancy to her step. As I write these
lines, upon lifting my eyes I see her and
a smaller Bertha laughing and playing
upon the lawn together, and I know
that if the news of my death was the
beginning of misery for her, she is, at
least, happy forever. St. Taul.
John Huff died at Hyden, Ky., at
the age of 09, leaving 78 grandchildren,
142 great-grandchildren and 14 great-great-grandchildren.
His Immediate
family was a large one.
In the ant hills of South Africa have
been found suspension bridges passing
from one gallery to another and span
ning a gulf mora than six Inches wide.
SCHOOL AND CHURCH.
!'Black Beauty," that celebrated
story of a horse, is used as a reading
book in the public schools of Minneap
olis. Mr. II. N. Illgglnbotham, of Chi
cago, has offered $300 In prizes for the
best essays on "The Field Museum"
by pupils of the public schools of that
city.
Bishop Thoburn now.suffers from a
broken arm. While riding from Nainl
Tal, Northwest provinces, India, to in
spect the missions in Eastern Kumnon,
he was thrown from his pony.
Uganda has advanced enough in
civilization to have a hospital estab
lished by the government at Mengo, the
capital. It will have a men's wnrd with
Bix beds, a woman's wnrd with four
beds, an operating room nnd a store
room. A missionary doctor will be in
charge.
Ex-Ambassador Bayard, before re
turning home from England, procured
a reproduction of the chair used by
John Btinyan in Bedford jail, as also a
copy of the charges under which he was
committed to prison, and proposes to
present them to the Baptists at Wil
mington, Del.
Dr. Cheyne, of Oxford, the well
known student of the Old Testament,
will deliver a course of lectures nt the
Union theological seminary, New York,
In the autumn, on "Israel After the Ex
odus." He is also to lecture in Brook
lyn, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and per
haps at other points.
INDIAN INK.
Connnl Prascr Ilenorta on How It la
Manufactured.
An interesting account of the manu
facture of the so-called Indian ink,
which is made only in the Anhui prov
ince of China, is given by Mr. Fraser,
our consul at Wuku, on the Yang-tsze,
In his last trade report. It Is more cor
rectly called China ink encre de Chine
and from Anhui it goes to every part
of China nnd nil over the world. In
1S95 about two tons of it, valued nt
504, were exported from Shanghai to
foreign countries. The materials with
which this beautiful black ink is made
are sesnmum or colza oil, or the oil ex
pressed from the poisonous seeds of a
tree extensively cultivated in the Yang
tsze valley, and also well known in
Japan. To this varnish nnd pork, fat
are added. The lamp-black made by
the combustion of these substances is
classed according to the materiuls nnd
the grade of fineness, and also accord
ing to the time taken oer the process
of combustion. The paste made of this
lampblack has some glue, added, und is
beaten on wooden anvils with steel
hammers. Two good hammers enn pre
pare iu a day SO pieces, each weighing
half a pound. A certain quantity of
musk of the muskdeer, or of Baroos
camphor, for scenting, and gold leaves,
varying from 20 to 160 to th pound, are
added to give a metallic luster. The
materials thus prepared are molded in
molds of carved wood, dried, which
takes about 20 days In fine weather,
nnd adorned with Chinese characters In
gilding. About 32 average-sized sticks
of ink go to the pound. The price
varies from two shillings or less per
pound to as much as seven pounds,
there being over a dozen different
grades. Nearly all writing is done by
the natives throughout China, Japan,
Corea, Tongkipg and Anam w ith this
China ink, rubbed down on n stone ink
slab, and applied with a paint brush
of sable, fox or rabbit hair, set in n
bamboo holder, and when not In use
carefully covered with a protecting
brass cap. The superior kinds of this
ink-appear to be used in China, and not
exported. Manufacturer.
Rrnnons for Divorce.
A North German spouse nought re
lease from a brute of a husband be
cause he advertised her to go to the
masquerade ns a captive balloon, with
a string tied around her ankle. In IJa
ho of late a wife of that region sought
a bill of divorcement, one count in hpr
indictment being that her husband
smoked a pipe in their bedroom. In
his demurrer he declared that he
smoked only the best tobacco; thathia
wife knew he smoked wjr n he married
her, and might rationally have expected
the occasional fumigation of their
dormitory. lie declared also that he
habitually smoked1 on the. doorstep, ex
cept when It rained, nndthnt his wife
objected to his going o the- saloon
when It did; as 'to liis smoking in the
parlor, he averred that he tried it once
in has early conjugal days, and had no
inclination to repeat the experiment,
ne was therefore forced to take occa
sional refuge in the bedroom, but gen
erally smoked out of the window, as a
loving and! considerate husband should
do. Ifo statute was foundj'lnthe Idaho
codex covering the case, which the
Judge advised them to settle out of
court on a basis of mutual tolerance
and conciliation. Chicago Inter Ocean.
Not in Good Form.
A couple of stylishly-dressed -oung
women met on Market wtreet yester
day, shook bands, kissed, inquired after
each other's health and proceeded to
gossip. Suddenly one paused, nnd,
atarlng at the other in surprise, asked:
"What In the world makes you look
so thin?"
"Thin? Why, I weigh' more than. I
ever did."
"But you look ns slim ns ami!."
The slender girl reflected a moment,
then blushed furlou-sly.
"Oh, let me get off the street. I must
be a fright," she exclaimed. "I left my
hips nt home on a chair." San Francis
co Tost. '
She Wanted to Know.
It was nt Asbury Park, nnd Johnnie
Washer hnd ardently declared his love
to Nellie Chaffee.
"I am wholly yours', Mr. Masher," the
happy girl replied; "but would you
kindly leave your card before you go?
Not as a guarantee of good faith," she
explained, "but I am curious to know
your full name." Tammany Times.
FOR YOUNG PEOPLE
THE OLD TIN SHEEP.
"Creak!" said the old tin sheep on wheels;
"I'm growing old, and down my back
I'm very sura there's a dreadful crack.
There's nobody knows," said the old tin
sheep, "nil no's old how an old toy
feels."
"I used to trundle "about tho floor;
Cut that was when I was young-and new;
It's something that now I could not do.
No; I shall quietly rest myself on this shelf
behind tho door.
"Creak!" said the sheep; "what's gone
amiss?
Some one is taking me out, I know.
They're pulling my string,' and away I go.
Stopl oh, stop!" cried the old tin sheep;
"I never can go like this!"
But Tommy pulled the sheep around;
About the nursery It went so fast
The tloor beneath seemed flying past.
While creakety-creakety-creak! the wheels
went round with a doleful sound.
Then Tommy left It there on Its side;
The wheels moved slowly and stopped
with a creak.
And tho wax doll heard It faintly speak.
"There's nobody knows what he can do,"
said the sheep, "till he has tried."
Katharine Pyle, In St. Nicholas.
MONSTERS OF THE DEEP.
9rorinh nnd Two " Killer: "Attack
'J a Sperm Whnle.
Two "killers" and a huge swordflsh
had combined their forces and ven
tured to attack a half-grown bull
cachalot. It fell to the swordflsh to
lend off, and he launched himself at the
whale like a torpedo, pointed direct for
the most vital part. But a gentle swerv.j
of the wary cachalot presented to ths
attack, instead of the vulnerable broad
side, the oblique, impenetrable mass of
his head.
The awful blow of the sword, im
pelled by the furious speed of the mass
behind It, struck just before the whale's
eye, ripping a white streak diagonally
upward through the gristly substance
covering the skull, but spending its
force in the air above, while the great
body following glided, serpent-like,
right over the whale's head and fell
helplessly upon the other side.
With incredible agility for so vast a
bulk, the whale turned, settling slightly
withal; then rising, lower jaw upper
most, he caught the swordflsh fairly in
the center between those m'rghty shears
nnd cleft him in two halves.
A sideway shake of the great head, n
scarce perceptible gulp and the .tail
half of that swordflsh slid down the
whale's cavernous throat with as much
case nnd rapidity ns if it had been an
oyster.
Meanwhile, the "killers" had not
been remiss in supporting the spirited
attack of their ill-fated coadjutor. One
hung upon either flank of their giant
foe, and worried him as dogs a boar.
But their time had come. After vnlnly
endeavoring by rolling and writhing
to f reo himself from them, he suddenly
changed his tactics.
Hearing himself majestically out of
the seething eddies like a mighty col
umn of block rock, he fell backward,
tearing himself away from the cling
ing monsters. Up rose his enormous
tail from tho boiling vortex, anil, de
scending like a gigantic scythe, literal
ly crushed one of his aggressors be
neath it. the sound of the blow re
verberating like thunder.
The survivor fled, but the infuriated
whnle pursued, leaping, like a dolphin,
half out of the sea at every bound, and,
nlthough we could not see the end of
.he chase, we had little doubt but that
"killer" gladiator paid the full penalty
of his rashness under the lethal sweep
of those terrible jaws. Golden Days.
MARY, THE FIRE-DOG.
She la n IteeoiilMl Member of the
Memphis Department.
Mary is only a yaller dog, but, like
many another heroine who has not a
line coat to her back, she has many
sterling qualities of head and heart.
Mary belongs to Capt. Boga's fire squad
that is stationed on Poplar street, Meir-
MARY CLIMBING- THE LADDER.
phis, Tenn. Mary has been In the fire
service for over three years, during
which time she has attended every fire
in Memphis. When the fire gong rings
Mary knows it means a run, and she sta
tions herself under the wagon. She
can climb a ladder as well as any fire
man and she has had some thrilling ex
periences In her day. Mary comes by
her fire-attending instincts naturally.
She is the daughter of Fannie, who for
over ten years was a celebrated fire
dog. Fanny has now retired from ac
tive sen ice. She makes her home at
the same enjine-houso us her daughter,
and they are devoted to each other.
Fanny, who is now 13, would still like
to go to fires, but her prudent daughter
prevents it by biting the maternal leg
and barking.
Safe.
Mother Willie, where are those ap
ples gone that were in the cupboard?
Willie Oh, they're with the ginger
bread that was In the pantry. Up-tor
Date.
You cannot dream yourself into a
character; you must hammer and f orgu
yourself one. J. A. Froude.
PRACTICAL DOVE COTE.
Any llojr Can Make On Like That
Here Described.
There are many boys who have pi
geons, but every boy who owns them,
may not have a good cote. Mere boxes
with holes in them answer practical
purposes very well, but they are not
nearly so nice In appearance as the
house-shaped cote with pitched roof
and landings under the windows.
The illustration shows one that can
readily be mude by anyone who can
drive u nail and push a handsaw.
Obtain from a grocery store two large
soap boxes, and carefully break them
up, taking care vot to split any of the
boards. Make a front and back for the
cote of corresponding size, about 24
inches wide, 20 inches high at the
PRACTICAL DOVECOTE.
sides, and 30 inches high in thecentpr
to top of peak. It will take. three or
four boards for each of these; to hold
them together, nail strips, or battens,
across the inside. Then make a bottom
board and the two sides; the latter
should be SO inches high nnd 12 inches
wide.
Next, with a key-hole saw, cut the
holes in the front for the pigeons to go
iu and out, nnd then fasten the sides
nnd back to the bottom. Arrange three
shelves, one on the line formed by the
bottom of each tier of holes; fasten on
the front, and lastly the roof.
Kach floor enn be divided Into three
compartments if desired; but they must
npt be too small, else they will be use
less. Cut five small angular brackets
to support the shelf outside each line of
holes. To support the bottom shelf
nail strips to the under side and carry
them on under the cote where they may
be nailed fast to the bottom.
From a smooth shing!e or other thin
piece of wood, cut an arrow for a
weather vane, nnd make It fast to the
top of a small stick with a very thin
stcel-wlre nail. This stick is to be fas
tened to the front of the cote at the
peak in an upright position, as shown
In the drawing. Balance the arrow
nicely, nnd take care when boring fhe
hole through which to pass the nail
that you do not split the arrow shaft.
This cote may be painted any desir
able color to correspond with that of
the house or out buildings, and two
good coats should be used.
When finished the cote can be mount
ed on a post or fastened on the side of
a barn, and the effect will be found
quite ornamental.
UNINVITED GUESTS.
A Kind of nee Thnt Makes Its Home
with the Ilumblebee.
In St. Nicholas there is an article on
"Some Common Bees nnd How They
Live," by A. Hyatt Verrill. He says:
Unlike the honey bees, the bumble
bee queens, to their credit be it said,
are not of a jealous disposition, but
live ieacefully together in one nest
until in the autumn the family breaks
up, the old queens, workers and drones
perishing, while the j-oung queens, for
saken and alone, crawl away to some
protected spot, wherein to pass the win
ter and reappear in the spring and
found another colony.
If you should examine a (bumblebee's
nest you would probably find among'-'
our busy, hard-working friends a num
ber of Individuals who never labor for
their living, and nlthough they come
and go with perfect freedom, never
bring pollen or honey, nor aid in mak
ing wax. These are the "guest bees,"
or Inquilines, n species which depend
on their host the bumblebee to fur
nish them board and rooms rent free.
The inquilines, like the European
cuckoo or the American cow-bunting
among birds, lay their eggs by stealth
iu the bumblebees' nests. The young,
when hatched, are cared for by their
foster parents, and when full-grown
are treated with as much consideration
ns though they were guests of honor.
Why the bumblefoees should permit
their uninvited visitors to remain with
them is a mystery; for although some
species closely resemble their hosts in
s'ze and color, others are quite differ
ent. It can hardly be supposed, there
fore, that they are mistaken for right
ful members of the colony. On thla
account many naturalists have thought
that they perform some important
service in return for their hospitable
reception; but of what this duty, if
any, consists has never been discovered.
Illrd's Heat on Sheep's Hack.
What is certainly an odd occurrence
Is reported from Michigan. While a
farmer was shearing a sheep, a little
brown egg fell from the fleece and
broke on the floor. The shearer inves
tigated and found a bird's nest on the
sheep's back, so constructed that with
ordinary treatment the eggs could not
roll out; but the bird hod not figured on
the clipping of the wool. The nest, of
course, was warmer than the ordinary
kind would have been; but how the
mother bird could distinguish which of
the flock of sheep bore her nest is a dlN
flcult question to answer.
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