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About Custer County Republican. (Broken Bow, Neb.) 1882-1921 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 13, 1910)
il > II NCL.E SAM'S scientists have had moro than ono good word to say for the toad. Several govern ment publications have been Is sued , I am told , tolling about the toad and its good work. There Is no department in nature which Is overlooked by the scientists of Secretary of Agriculture James Wilson's department. If it is be lieved by the experts that any beneiit may come to the people of the United States by the study of the habits of a particu lar animal , that animal la studied forthwith and studied carefully. In folk lore history and In the history of lo calities which hardly can bo classed as folk lore , the frog and the toad frequently have been confused ; sometimes stories have boon told of frog visitations nnd It has turned out that the Invading army was composed of toads. The reverse of the statement also has been ' o * 1 found to bo true on several occasions. I Some years ago an army of track-hopping I tramp toads took possession of the gravel road I bed of the Sioux City and Pacific railway , and In unbroken column miles In length , as the local story had It , the toads marched p.ast the town of Blcncoe , Iowa , It Is stated that there were so many millions in this mighty army that nothing llko an accurate estimate of the toads could bo made. The ground was said to be brown with the color of Its visitants. If there was such an army of the batra- chlans as It Is said there was it would bo no wonder if the residents of the infested district might have feared that the toads would divert their course from the railroad Into the towns , to repeat Pharaoh's plague of the frogs , "When ' the rivers brought forth frogs abundantly , which went up into the houses , nnd Into the bed chambers , nnd even upon the beds , and upon the people , and even Into the ovens and Into the kneading troughs. " Now the toad is not nearly so handsome a Doing as is ins rrog cousin. Ho never could "a-woolng go" like his green-coated brother , despite the fact that STiakcspeare proclaims that his toadshlp has a Jew el in his head. Ugly and venomous , the bnrd of Avon writes the toad down , nnd ugly and venomous to the people's mind in many places ho is to this day , al though in reality ho ranks with the birds as ono of humanity's best friends. As n matter of fact , it Is likely that the brown-skinned ar my which moved without banners in military array corno years ago was on the march to meet the great nrmy of Rocky Mountain lo custs which was moving steadily forward In an op posite direction and In Gen era ? Sherman's words , "For aging liberally upon the country. " . Even though the toads are EO harmless and helpful - ful , they perhaps will never get anyone to love them. It must be admitted that ap pearances are against them. The Iowa people who some years ago were visited by the toads hatl no reason to arrogate to themselves any particular distinction on ac count of the visitation , for in scores of instances the animals have appeared in Wlndham who did not thoroughly accept the in terpretation were Colonels Dyer and Elderkln. In n few minutes the light of the torches showed nn immense concourse of toads or frogs , whichever they were , bearing down the main street of the town , croaking nnd "glucklng" llko a myriad of night demons. It suddenly struck the people that If Judgment day was at hand , nothwlthstamllng the fact that Colonels Dyer and Elderkln seemed to have been singled out by the visitors , the day of accounting according to the Bible was an all- embracing affair , and thereat all the Wlndham people started trembling violently. There are living today a good many persons who are direct descendants of the Colonel Elder- kin whom the batrachians called to Judgment that night. In Chicago until recently there lived a Mrs. Charlotte Perkins Noirls , a direct descend ant of Colonel Elderkln. Mrs. Norrls had heard the story of the invasion of the village a score of times from the lips of her grandmother , who na a child was taken tlmo after time to see the place from which the night disturbers came. To the days of their deaths Colonels Dyer and Elderkln were called Frog Dyer nnd Frog Elderkln , nnd If local Connecticut authorities are to be believed , thcro has not been seen from that day to this either a toad or a frog in the meadow and pond from which started that midnight migration. To get away , for a moment , from frogs nnd toads , and In order to lead back to them again , let it be said that out in Utah the gull Is a care fully protected bird. Ollvo Theme Miller speaks of them as "great , beautiful , snowy creatures who look strangely out of place so far from the sea shore " I have been told that Uiese gulls are sacredly protected by the law and the people of the western state , nnd I have also been told that the early settlers , the Mormons , believed that the Lord has sent the birds to his chosen people. It Is no wonder that It was believed the gulls were specially sent. Clouds of grasshoppers had destroyed the crops In that early day in many of the western territories. They attacked Utah by the million millions. Then It was that the MX ? AH ACCLrfiATJF FJTJMATf Immense bodies , and in some cases , without any Intention so to do , they have inaugurated veri table reigns of terror. Years ago , in the little Puritan settlement of Wlndham , Conn. , out of which sprang as many notable American families , perhaps , as have come from any other colonial hamlet , a migration of toads led the people to bellovo that the tocsin of the last day had been sound ed , and they were all summoned , sinners nnd sinless , tp answer at the bar of Judgment. Tra dition says that the migration which brought * - * * - jrjT this fear upon the people was ono of the frogs. Scientists of today lean rather to the toad theory , but it made little difference to the frightened populace which species of batra- chlan brother It was that brought horror into their midst. Now It happened that there lived In Wind- ham two colonial colonels , big men and digni fied , by names Dyer and Elderkln. It may done no harm at this late day to say that both these military titled gentlemen were more fond of good living , so the story goes , than was per haps exactly consistent with the strictest Pur itan thoughts.Somo of the elders of the place , it Is said , looked a bit askance at some of the views of Colonels Dyer and Elderkln. There were slaves In that day In Connecticut and Wlndhain held Its share. Ono peaceful night In May the Wlndham families retired nt their usual hour , not long nftor "candlo light. " At midnight they were wrapped In the profoundest slumber , but no sleep however sound could withstand the roar that broke upon that peaceful hamlet In the watches of the night. There were blended the noises of & million throats. It was guttural , harsh ana horrible , and It came out of the | otty' blackness of midnight. The people of Wlndham Jumped from their beds panic strick en , throw on what clothes they could , and rushed outdoors , many bearing pine torches , which ate little light holes In the Inky black ness. ness.The The slaves were prostrated with fear and clung to the knees of their masters. The noise ceased not for an Instant , but on the contrary Increased with every moment , and then , to the added horror of all , the noise found shape In words which one quick-eared , Imaginative woman Interpreted Into this , all but two of the people accepting the Interpretation read ily : "Judgment day ; Judgment day ; Colonel Dyer and Elderkln too , and catch anlggor too. " It Is perhaps needless to say that the only two people among the whlto Inhabitants of gulls appeared birds never before scon in that locality within the memory of man. They came in tremendous flocks nnd devoured without stopping the hosts of the enemy , and they completely saved the crops from destruction. Now the gulls follow the plains llko chickens , and In Utah at least , It Is said that no ono has any desire to raise his hand against them. What the gull was to Salt Lake region the toad was to ono section of a northwest Texas county , some time ago. There was but a com paratively small area of the county under cul tivation , but the growing things were threat ened with destruction by a horde of Rocky Mountain locusts ; then there appeared to the astonished gaze of the resident Texans an army of toads , before which in numbers the great army of Xerxes was but as a scoro. Those dismal-looking , warty-backed Hop-o'-my- thumbs came along as on business bent. They said nothing and they nto grasshoppers. They cleaned up utterly one entire flight of the crea tures. And they quietly sat under the cab bage leaves and beet tops to wait for more. They didn't come. The toads had saved the crops , and it may bo Judged that if ono wants to bo certain to got in n quarrel ho can get It if ho will go that section of Texas and ma lign a toad. Should anyone bo Inclined to doubt the in sect-eating capabilities of a common every-day American toad , lot him listen to the evidence of an experimenter , who is at once a scientist and a clergyman , the ono fact establishing his accuracy and the other his veracity. This theologue-naturallst , as the record shows , found a toad In his garden nnd proceeded to make a pet of it. Ho went to call on master toad ono morning about ten o'clock nnd with out knowing how many Insects already had fallen before the toad's darting tongue , pro ceeded to feed him on plant pests. The toad nto readily and greedily twenty-three largo squash bugs which were offered him , and then looked up Inquiringly for more. The squash bug Inrder was depleted , BO the clergyman turned his attention to caterpillars. Of these hairy , repulsive creatures the toad nte ninety-four , BO the story record goes , and then ho shut down to hop heavily off to a ehady corner to take that rest which It is said aids animal digestion. Now this same experimenter tells tales of toads which might appear n bit overdrawn , were not the gentleman's cloth what It la. Ho took In his experiments with ono toad some largo "tangle-legged" grasshoppers. Master toad took kindly to this species of food , but owing to to the nature of the insect's legs nnd their extreme length ho found difficulty in swallowing. In order to aid in the process , as BOOH as ho would get a firm grip on the grass hopper ho would look for a stick or a stone by moans of pushing against which ho could force his prey down his throat. Now In order to see what the toad would do if no stone or stick were at hand , all of those articles were re moved from his vicinity , and then ho was fed another big graashopper with great knotted legs. Now It must bo remembered that the pres ent writer is not vouching for this toad story ; ho is simply setting It down as It has boon told by nn observer , and if it is a "nature fake" the blame must go elsewhere. The toad , finding ho could not swallow the big grasshop per , looked about as usual for a stone and , finding none , ho attempted to use the ground as a pusher. Ho was unable to got the right angle to secure sulflclont force , and so as a last and perfectly effective means , ho stood on his head and without the least dlfflmlty forced his food down his throat. This toad unquestionably was a wonder. Ono day , wo are told , ho happened to find nn angleworm of great length. Ho took hold of ono end and succeeded In swallowing about an Inch and a half of the worm , which then realizing Its danger apparently , wound the rest of its body boa-like around the neck of the toad. This gave the worm leverage enough to enable It to tug away at that part which the toad already had swallowed. The result was that although by a mighty effort the toad could swallow about half an Inch , the worm , when the relaxation came , succeeded In with drawing three-quarters of nn inch. The toad saw his breakfast slipping away from him , but his infinite wit came to his rescuo. It Is Bald that ho sat up llko a squirrel took ono mighty swallow , and then before the worm could got in Its withdrawing work , ho pressed his fore feet against his throat and held the swallowed part of the breakfast In place ; then , so the story goes , by a aeries of quick successive swallowing and throat squeezing , the toad soon had the worm In the dark Interior where ho was needed for breakfast. Toad migrations are not extraordinarily un common events. They have taken place in many parts of the country , und once the toads in traveling succeeded In stalling a railroad train on the Canadian Paclflc lino. The Btory of this runs to the effect that the wheels crushed the creatures and so greased the rails that progress was impossible for some tlmo. The passengers Bald that they could have stood the situation moro philosophically If the blockaders had boon frogs , for then the ques tion of the food supply would have been settled for a lot of hungry people. Frogs' legs make good eating. It Is not generally known , perhaps , to the layman that toads , llko frogs , lay their eggs In the water. Countless millions of eggs will bo deposited In some morass. They hatch out , the young get big enough , and migrate In a body to the dry land , sometimes going long distances ns an entity. These , It Is said , are the marching armies of toads which astonish people nnd accounts of which are spread broadcast over the earth. Straw Hats and Autos "You might scarcely think , " said Mr. Mac- Blink , "that there was anything In common be tween straw hats and automobiles , but by that way of thinking you'd bo surely forgetting their cost of upkeep , In which respect they are strikingly alike. "Thoy say It costs moro to keep an automo bile than it does to buy ono ; precisely the antno is true of the straw hat. You take my o m experience for an Illustration. "Early In the season I bought a straw hat for which I paid $2. I know a place where you can get a very good straw hat for that money , nnd if It hadn't rained all summer I should have been on the straw hat account under no additional expense. "But It always docs rain moro or less , just as it has done this summer , and ns is very well Unown If n drop of rain gets on a straw hat It is all up. Raindrops on a Ktraw hat will accumulate dust , and then you have to huvo the hat cleaned , and that costs money ; In bonio places 25 cents ; In some 15. "I find by reference to my books that I have paid out this summer in straw hat ac count for upkeep only $2.30 , which Is a good deal. While ( ho automobile man has boon spending his money for gasoline and things I have boon blowing mine for hat cleaning , ami it has cost mo moro to keep that hat going than It cost me originally. "But in this I find some slight satisfaction. In this respect nt least I find myself on the eamo footing with the man who at the begin nlng of the Kcanon bought Instead of a straw hat an automobile. " Canyon's . _ . A 1 tlt.l U. ft { 3 more soothing than Cold Cream ; moro healing than any lotion , liniment or salvo ; moro beautifying than any cosmetic. Cures dandrulf and slops hair from ( ailing out. HER FIR8T PROPOSAL. Ethel Was Bbo glnd when ho told her the old , old ntory ? Marjorlo You bet Bho was. Why , that girl never heard It before. Important to Mothers Examine carefully every bottle of CASTOHIA , a safe and sure remedy for infanta and children , and BOO that It' Dears the Signature of ( In Use For Over 3O Years. The Kind You Have Always Bought ) Not Strictly Orthodox. Police Justice Young man , what id your religion , If you have any ? Chauffeur ( arrested for ovcrspeod' Ing ) Something like Jim Bludso's , your honor never bo passed on th highway. If You Are a Trifle Sensitive About the nlze of your Hhocn , ninny 1'roplj wear snmller HhouMby lining Allcn'x Fool-Kane , the Antlueptiu 1'owdrr to Hhnlto Into the HliofB. It curcrt Tilnl , thvollen , Aching Foot and plvci\ rest and comfort. Jtwt the thing for urenliliiK In now nhoctt. Bold everywhere , B5o Vnmpln ttunt FUEK. AUdrcsa , Alien 8. Oluiuled , La IU > y. N. Y. Hlo Flrct Lesson In Economy. "When I waa n very small boy nnd a illino looked pretty big to mo , I mot John II. Farley who had always been my good friend on the street ono Juno day , " says Frank Harris. " 'Frank , ' ho said , 'the Fourth of July ia coming soon. You'll want Bomo change then. Lot mo bo your banker until then nnd you'll have Berne money for firecrackers , torpe does , lemonade and peanuts. ' "I emptied my pockets into his hand nnd every day thereafter until the. Fourth I turned over to him my small earnings. When the day of days came around I had n fund that enabled mete to celebrate in proper style , whllo many of my platmatcs were flat broke. It was my first lesson in thrift , and It was n good ono. Hundreds of Cleveland people would bo glad today to testify to the fact that when John 11. Farley was n friend of n man or a boy he was a friend indeed. " Cleve land Leader. The Weeds Return. "Confound these election beta , any way ! " grumbled Harker. "Lose heavily ? " inquired his friend. "No , I won ten boxes of cigars and they wore so rank I sold the whole lot to the corner tobacconist for a dollar. " "Well , you made a dollar , anyway. " "Yes , but that Is not the worst of It. My wife saw the boxes In the window marked 'A Bargain , $2 , ' and bought the whole lot to glvo mo as a birthday present. " A FOOD DRINK. Which Brings Dally Enjoyment. A lady doctor writes : "Though busy hourly with my own affairs , I will not deny myself the pleasure of taking a few minutes to toll of my enjoyment dally obtained from my morning cup of Postuin. It is a food hovcrago , not a poison Ilka coffee. "I began to use Postum eight years ago , not because I wanted to , but be cause coffee , which I dearly loved , made my nights long weary periods to bo dreaded nnd unfitting mo for busi ness during the day. "On the ndvico of a friend , I first tried Postuin , making it carefully as directed on the package. As I had nlways used 'cream and no sugar , ' I tnlxed my Postum so. It looked good , was clear and fragrant , and It waa a pleasure to BOO the cream color it as rny Kentucky friend always wanted her coffee to look 'like a now sad dle. ' "Then I tasted it critically , for I had tried many 'substitutes' for coffee. I was pleased , yes , satisfied , with my Postum In taste and effect , and am yet , being a constant user of it nil these years. "I continually assure my friends and acquaintances that they will Ilka It in place of coffee , nnd receive benefit from Its use. I have gained weight , can sleep sound nnd am not nervous. " "There's a Reason. " Head "Tho Road to Wellvlllo" In pkgs. Ever read the above letter ? A new jne appears from time to time. They are genuine , true , and full of human Interest. Kver re nil ( lie above letter ! A UCTT oninppenrH from time to time. Tuey tire Kfiinluc , true , und full of tutrrcul.