TIIE OMAHA SUNDAY' BEE: MARCH 3, 1907.
How Mother Nature Cares For Her Children Through Winter Months
I lOMPORTABLY housed in weft
I I heated homes, snug and scur
322
think of the condition of the blida
and beasts and other creature.
provision for whosi welfare and comfort
rests entirely with nature.
As you go to and from your business,
wrapped In fur nnd woolen garments, d5
you ever pause to look nt some bit of an
imal life; a chickadee or a brown creeper,
perhaps, a midget cf feathers no larger
than the end of your thumb?
How do they manure to keep from freez
ing when the thermometer registers 10 or
W decrees below zero?
Nature has two chief ways of providing
fir her furred and feathered children in
r-nter. Rome of the mammals she puts to
and to sleep ns soon ss cold weather
sets In, nnd they slumber until spring".
Most of the birds she send to warm,
soul hern climates where there Is nn abund
ance of food. Why she favors some of her
charges and allows others to suffer from
cold and hunger Is a secret of her own.
As a rule the mammals are better housed
than the birds, for most of them seek
refugo from storms and cold In hollow
treo trunks or burrow In the ground, and
many of them use. these places as perma
nent hibernating homes. The woodehuck,
the gray squirrel, the chipmunk and many
Of the mice hibernate as soon as It begins
to get cold, though they sometimes come
out during prolonged spells of warm
weather.
What the Wnodetinelc Chucks.
The woodehuck pushes out a partition of
dirt In front of his nest of dried leaves
and grass, thus making a snug little room
In which to sleep. Not Infrequently a roam
ing skunk or a rabbit will resort to the
same burrow for a time, and there, divided
by a thin partition of loose dirt, only a few
Inches apart, live the two furry neighbors,
each one utterly Ignorant of the other's
proximity.
It can hardly be ald that the rabbit or
the skunk hibernates. They usa the shel
ters only when the weather Is extremely
cold. The rabbit Is far more active than
the skunk.
A slnglo day of warm weather will Induce
Mm to come out and feed, as many tracks
and the gnawed roots and bark of trees
testify. On warm days you will find him
sunning himself by the side of a stump or
a log or under a brush pile, but ho re
turns to his burrow again when the mer
cury reaches zero.
The skunk, too, often changes his quar
ters. When a week of mild weather favors
Mr. Woodehuck you will find deep furrows
In the snow where he has plowed his
clumsy way from one burrow to another.
Of all the mammals that brave the win
ter, depending on what they ran pick up.
the muskrat has the hardest time. Nature
does not provide him with a blanket of
fat on which to siAslst, as It does the
wooJchuck and the skunk, so he has to
get out and hunt his food.
Has to Dodite the Hnnters.
He Is a slow moving fellow and dares not
travel far from his burrow In a stream or
pond's bank or the chamber of the round
topped home of dirt clots and rubbish that
he has built In the early fall. After a
snowstorm you can follow his tracks to the
orchard or to some particular oak tree of
which ho knows, and here you find where
v he has dug in the snow for decayed apples
or sweet acorns. Tou can always Identify
his tracks because he drags his tall, and
as the days go by the continued travel over
the same route mnkes a well worn path to
land from his feeding ground.
T Nature gave him a soft, thick, warm fur.
ut In doing so it created a aemana ior
(Is skin, and this demand has grown to
such an extent that It may be a matter of
only a few years before he will have been
exterminated In the eastern states. He Is
extremely easy to catch and his fur wears
the bent nnd Is the warmest of all cheap
furs, but the time Is coming when the
muskrat automobile coats will be among
the costliest of furs.
The fox Is another animal that has to
hunt his living from day ,to day. During
storms of several days' duration he goes
hungry, for then grouse, rabbits, mice.
BALLINGER SURPLUS FUND
Gentleman George Draws Another
Card and Smithers Moralizes.
OR what we ore about to deceive,"
said Jurge, with an up'ard
Blimp", "may we be July t'ank
ful." And he pulled a card from the
box containing the dub'us and dejlcted
claims of the. Charakter Burety company.
It was short and to ths pint, like a
Dutchman enj'yln' his flaggon, and read
in manner follerin':
The "Hazardous people are also after
Ezra Menedlct, who wants to be bonded In
fOO.OOO as treasurer! of Palisade county. Let
them have lilni. He may be all riKht, but
the IlullliiKcr surplus moneys will come
Into his hands along with other court
funds. Iu other words, if he chooses to go
wrong he has the greatest ponslble chance
with the least possible risk.
"A wise decision not to Insure a tlrrlble
tempattun," refllctcd Gentleman George.
"I know somethln' about the Balllnger
funn.
"There are two brothers, Marcus and
Tull'us, fummerly In business togedder, but
now hatln' each odder like poison and
fight In' toot' and nails. The big Balllnger
block they owned was sold troo some fool
IttlKatun, and a cool million paid fust into
coort and thin into the county trlsurer's
oflke, there to remain until a hull calendar
of soots have been tried, appealed, rt
vusseil and 'thin tried again.
"I say, too, Menedlct may be all light,
but If he don't realize his opportunities,
thin he orter be taut."
"By Prof George ninggold and his tal
ented assistant, William Smithers, two
wits?" I ast.
"By thosa silf-same prides of the cur
riculum. You see, Smithers, It Is time we
branched out.
"We've got a tidy bit in hand from our
. last coop. We must use It to put our
vee in money's way, to woo fortun' with
ortun'. The county seat is a pretty live
town, a little off the mala Hues, where
we are still unknown to fame.
"What's the mater with our blossomin'
out there as two glntlemen from the fold
ing west with Independent means and
p'llantroplo lnds "
"I twig,' says I, with tne finger to me
nose.
And I fort' with fetched from the closet
the unclaimed package I had bought at
. the expriss auctuun. It consisted of the
charter, articles of Incorporation and blank
stock certificates of the One-Two-Three
Mining company, ehlpped by Noah Munsey,
the priaident, from Saphorn, at the time
whin the great boom there was at Its
height; and reachla' town alter th boom
had collapsed Into splinters. Consekently,
It had been unclaimed by Socritary Abel
Pinch, the consignee, who had not cared
to carry anny V4 weight In his skip for
1 ' 1 V
evrrw-r"!. B".ssrr tkino a sun bath.
squln .-. .
their shelter.
No sooner does the storm cease than you
find Bre'r Fox's tracks wandering about
the country for miles and miles. Few
animals travel as much as ho does, prob
ably because few have the fleetness and
ability to take care of themselves that ha
possesses.
Bre'r Fox and His Breakfast.
Here you will see where he has caught
a meadow mouso, after digging Into the
snow and chasing It out of Its snug little
nest of grass. Again, In a swamp at the
foot of a hill giving shelter from the wind,
he has followed the tracks of a ruffed
grouse and finally pounced upon It as It
slept under the roots of an upturned tree.
When day finally dawns Bre'r Fox takes
himself to a thlcketed lowland and, curl
ing up by a log or stump, sleeps the sleep
of the well-fed.
The little meadow mouse Is well pro-
teoted so far as warmth is concerned, for
when there Is no snow he lives in a nest snow lead to and from the nest In all dl
of d Med grass. In a hole In the ground, rectlons, and here a meadow mouse ro
under a stump, log, pile of stones gr sldea until the melting of the snow leaves
boards. As soon as a deep snow has fallen the nest exposed to view. Then he takes
he begins to build a neat little nest of up his abode in his former habitation,
dried grass blades, using the coarse ma- His little stomach Is often empty, for
terlal for the covering and the finer for while he semetlmcs lays by a store of
the lining. grain and seeds, that Is when he lives near
the unknown.
"We'll make a start tomorrer. Pinch,"
said Jarge, as he sorted the persplrtusses
like a deck of cards.
'All right, Mr. Prisident Munsey," I
replied, a I folded the scrip with the gold
seal out.
Hot' pretty and live the county town
proved with a big summer hotel in Its cen
ter, not bad to winter in. We lnskonced
oursilves In It. and havln' sent a few
sheers to the editor of tho weekly, follered
the example of our mine by awaltln" dcvll
opmints. They came like a decidedly green bay
tree. From the leadln" tailor troo the
mayor and the council, up to the pastor
of the swell church, the hull town tunned
oVt to pay us its respicts a spontan'us
tribute, which cud not fail to incrcare
wan's fait' in the brudderhood of man.
Incidentally I may add that the weekly's
currant issue contained this Item:
"An evidence of the cosnils reputation of
our beloved burg as a center of culture and
a source of health Is the pregnant fact that
Messrs. Noah Munsey and Abel Pinch, Joint
owners of the famous One-Two-Three mine,
are now enjoying for a few weeks the lux
urious care of mine host of the Inn, far
from the madding crowd. The O. T. T.
has Just declared Its thirty-fifth semi
monthly 8 per cent dividend, and not a
share of it has yet been marketed by these
genial proprietors of this modern Pactolus.
We wish we stood in your boots, gentlemen
both."
Exra Menedlct cams also, a meager man
yearnln' for fat In all Its infinite vart'ty.
Jarge relaxed his rule In his case and
talked finance; and It was wonderful the
pipe dreams he devolved over the cigars.
"But Mr. Munsey." at length pleaded
Menedlct, "If you should decide to enter
active operatuns, along these lines so
promlBln', would It not be prudent to dis
pose of some of your holding In the O. T.
T. for spot cash, mind, and to wan who
wud be proud to make your will his law?"
"Hum," refllcted Jarge, nlcklu' oft the
ash; "I might; purely as sn act of frlnd
shlp." XL
While our piscatorial dlvershun waa pro
grlssun so favorably that there was Ivery
prosptct of a greedy bite, I noted a tin
dency In Jarge to wander from the line
with a faraway look In his eyes, which I
cudn't mistake. Bometbtn or somebody
had roused the slntlmlntal llemlnt of his
natur.
If I didn't watch out he wud be up In
the saddle and off at full tilt, reeculn' dls
trlssed maidens, yleldln' to I very glneroua
and rheumantlo Impulse, rlghtlu' wrongs.
In a wud, Instkl of wronging rights,
MM if flMjM
close t J II 111 , , , v ' , II
In this hollow bsll of grass, the size of
i hat crown, there Is a single opening
where the owner enters. Tunnels In the
Jarge, thin, was not deplndable. Whin
his hand was to the plow he was apt not
unly to look back but to wave his hand
kercher. Nor was this all.
A responsive flutter seemed to shake his
puppose and dlspuss his cold common slnsc.
It is alius the way; the harder the real
self, the softer the Ideel self. Vanity
maketh the strong man weak; and thus
supplies the main motive for love's scram
In' farces and horrid tragedies.
I follered Jarge all unbeknownst wan
day into the gall'ry of the swell church,
of all t'lngs, where he set smoothln' his
mustache and slndln' mlltln' glances over
his hand at a partlc'lar pew below.
I watched him In the vtstabule as the
school passed out; the sheep to the front
and rear, the lambs In the middle, two b&
two, like cellst'al crltturs from a hivenly
ark a garland of posies, with a few rank
weeds at eeder Ind. It was cliverly done,
but more by the black-eyed girl with the
red cheeks and mischievous smiles than by
him.
Bhe was near the ind of the line In the
spl'cul charge, so It seemed, of a beshawled
slab of a spinster, whose vine'ry counte
nance med me wish for false teet. All of
a suddent the slab tripped cud It be that
a trim little bottlne had slipped deftly be
tween its supports? It wud hav fallen
but for Jarge's hllpln' hand.
"I thank you, sir," said Tarragon, within
wan degree of the congealln' point.
"It is I that am grateful," returned
Jarge. with his eyes casht down, "for beln'
able to serve the slven Cadogan vuttuea
to onct."
And order beln' restored, the long line
wound down the street, a rigular Fust of
May percessun, lncludln' the pole.
"I seen that little witch palm you a note,
Jarge," I said, comln' on him unexpectedly,
as he stud In the porch In a rlv'ry, milaii
choly ylt dellrshus.
"Isn't she the darlln'l" he cried. "Come,
Bmlthers, where we can have the privacy
of the club Interspussed with the comforts
of hum."
"It Is this way." he explained, arter the
sicond round. "Fate t'rew me in the way
of this little Ethel Balllnger It was love
at fust sight, Impassened, Irresistible.
Ixve, too, found the way for me to woo,
for her to be won, though Miss Niggles,
the Harpy perclptrlse, has an eye and a
clutch on her that wud tunn Cerb'rus his
sllf Into a yaller cur be comparison."
"Balllnger?" I exclaimed. "Kin she be
anny kin to the barbarous brudders of
Balllnger Block? My, that's a hive of
"em."
"The darter of Marcus," Jarge ansered.
"And be the same mark, whether It Is he
fears that Tull'us may kidnap her, or has
tunned Roman like his name and designs
her for the oonventunal life, the fact Is
that hs pays Miss Niggles trlbble terms to
keep double watch and ward.
"She can't write a letter, she can't see a
frind, she can't go out alone; as ylt, you
know me, Bmlthers, be the help of us three
this very night she will gain pufltct freedom
t'roo pufflct union with me."
"The free of us?" I repeated, lookln'
around. "Tell me, Jarge, 's he absent In
body or am I absent In mind."
"It's fcr brother, Edgar Balllnger," a
:iwsi$; m &m:M iSir
- " 'i
a grain field. Those of his relatives who
Inhabit the lowlands and outskirts of fields
and brush lots eat the bark of trees, some
times doing great damage to pear trees,
apple trees and ' berry bushes. Sumach
heads he dearly loves and dock seeds also
help to keep him alive.
How the Deer Lire.
In the Adirondack mountains ' the deer
herd together and make yards In the snow.
replied, "from whrm her crule father sepa
rated her so absolutely thnt until I wrote
him he didn't even know where she was.
She is a proper girl, Smithers, for all her
spirits, and wudn't hear to an elopmlnt
until I deranged to have her brother prlsent
to give her away. He ccmes on from col
lldge, this arternoon."
"What day is this?" I ast arter a mo
ment's refllction.
"Friday, you fool."
"I fought I deticted somethln' fishy."
And thin Jarge wlnt off on his high hess,
cusstn' and b'ratln me for a false and
weak hearted pal. of a nlgatlve mind and
a enpt'us tlmperature. until I was glad to
follow lmpllclty his plans.
"But In holdln' on to this string to the
Balllnger mtll'uns are you grin' to let go
cf the odder?" I ventured.
"Not at all," declared Jarge with a
mighty oat'. "I rxplct Menedlct to supply
the funns for the honeymoon."
III.
Nlver were explettuns founded fummer
on rocks. At our meetln' with Menedict
that arternoon a cns'al gllmp at the geld
sealed scrip' seemed to set him wild. With
tears in his eyes he begged to have the
hlah priv'lege. and It suttenly did come
high, of taking one-half our capital stock
and payln' tSOO.OOO spot cash for It be noon
the next day.
But Jargo took exclptuns to this, t'lnkln'
wisely enouch thst ary such draft on the
Balllnger funns wud excite commlnt. Bo
It was finally agreed that the stock shud
remain In escrow In my hands, and thet he
shud make Ave piyments cf $110,000 each
upon It. flv years apart, bcarlnnln' at next
day noon. And away wlnt Menedlct to
make the deransemlnta. pnappln' his Ang
ers and tilkln' to hlssllf arter the faahu'n
of the balloon chaser unlvussal.
"And now, Jarge." said I, "for the diffi
culties of the night."
They didn't seem much from his tellln'.
It waa planned that he, young Balllnger
and me should pereeed to the sehrol by a
bvwsy which let Into the grounds at the
side about midnight, whin the girl felt
confident she cud silo from the dummltory
without beln' noticed. Thin the free of
thlm wss to drive to a country squire, al
riddy primed, and loop the loop, while I
retarned to our bachelor Quarters for wan.
It was apparent to me that In lettln' me
In on the plan Jarge had made a vuttue
Out cf its commonest mater'al meanln', of
ooorse. neclsslty. Nor was I at all assured
that otherwise he wudn't have left me out
of his deal with Menedlct. skippln' with bof
the girl and the dollars.
But honor among thieves Is a nlarlble
quantity, because there Is either too little
of the wan or too many of the odder.
Besides. I didn't have time for more of a
reproof than a chastened smile; for a hall
boy prlslntly denounced Mr. Edgar Bal
llnger. who follered ImntlJItly rter In his
own proper pusson.
A proper pusson, Indeed; quite the Ideel.
of the smooth faced, clean limbed young
at'lete. with the suporor gate and th
protubrtnt chin. He lost no time In show In'
that be considered hlsself his sister's keeper
by qulstuntng Jarge clus as to his mean
of livlehood epproprit term, that, "llvaly."
"X shall hav to defer you t my esteemed
Sk . 3 v
From these yards they make excursions
through the forests and crop oft the ends
of twigs, returning to the yard at night.
Their coat Is now thicker and heavier
than the red summer coat, and unless the
snows become so exceedingly deep that they
cannot travel enough to get food, they
pass a comparatively comfortable winter.
Caribou, elk and moose winter In much the
same manner, but the elk and caribou
paw away the snow and eat the grass, the
associate, Mr. Pinch," replied Jarge, slde
steppln' mudestly.
And I, without namln' names, showed the
gold sealed stock In escrow, and explained
the conditions on which It was to pass.
So much so good. Young Balllnger nod
ded a grave approval, and thin ast for the
details of the elopment.
"It won't do," he declared with an em
p'atlc bong whin Jarge had explained his
Ideas. "I must meet Ethel at the door, not
you.
"Remember, I haven't seen her for years;
I haven't heard from her except by tho
hurried note which Implored me to take a
part in this mad scheme. It Is unly faml'y
Ixlgincles which destraln me to constnt,
but before I do I must hav a wud with her,
slpnrately and apart.
"A young girl, even If she haa a mind.
Is apt to change It so often that she can
hardly recognize It hersllf. There Is to be
no undoo influence in this case, Mr. Mun
sey." "But Miss Niggles If most alert and vlg
lant," Jarge objlcted. "She Is apt to hear
Ethel, follow her, and give the alarm. At
least, I shud go on the porch wld you; so
that in such a case wan of us cud neck the
old pelican Into silence, while the odder cud
hurry my darlln' awsy."
Young Balllnger seemed struck by this
observotlon. I t'ought the endearln' term
hit him hard, too.
"Very well," he said at lengf arter he
had swallered onct or twlct like ths
preacher and the fly. "There can be no
objectun to your fri'nd Mr. Pinch goln'
with me. Ethel doesn't know him; he cud
work no spell. Let him tackle the old dame
If she prowls. If he's cort, it will make na
dlfTerlnce to us."
And so it was agreed and .so It trans
pired, much to tne chilliness of me back
bone. Young Balllnger and I left Jarge
with the spnnkin' team In the side-cut.
We crep' f roo the darkness to the silent
and shadowy porch.
The shine of the front door faded; some
thln' white slipped out like a ghost. It wss
Ethel. In an Instant she was In her brud
der's arm for an Instant unly, and ylt
long enough for him to breathe, for her to
ketch a vital wud.
"Oh." she peeped In an agonlzln' whis
per. "She heard me Miss Niggles, she Is
comln' down the stairs to the alarm. Stop
her, stop her, or we are lost!"
"Pinch," murmured. Balllnger, stunnly,
"remlmber your task; do your sheer. W
await you in the woods." And off they
put. hand In hand, like birds in the night.
I did wait, to the trlmble of my back
bone, listenln' for the carpet slippers; but
they came not. There was not a sound:
there was not a sign that Ethel's abslnc
had been noted.
At lengf I hurried back to the carriage.
There sat Jarge with the spankln' team,
invlntun strange cusses. Where, oh, whsr
were the brother and sister?
IV.
We didn't know, the next marnln. whin,
warn and tarn be rage and chagrin, we
hobbled back to town. In a slnse, which
will prlslntly appear, w nlver did know.
Unly wan clue had rewarded our anx'us
sarcb, A carriage bad been observed.
.tia -A ..-.-fci ' '1r' "j.
muss unu
the lichens.
Partridges and Quail goffer.
The ruffed grouse or partridge Is found
In the heavy timber and thick brush lots.
In winter you can track them back and
forth through the forests, and here and
there at the foot of a tree, by a log or a
stump, or under the drooping bough of a
spruce, are depressios In the snow where
they have snuggled.
In deep snow they tunnel for several rods
nd sleep In these burrows, covered com
pletely by snow. As you walk along the
snow suddenly upheaves before you and
with a loud whirring of wings the part
ridge darts off through the tree) trunks.
If you are careful and go slowly you oan
track the bird under a log or a stump, and
there you see him' snuggling comfortably.
After he has flown out, sometimes almost
Into your face, you put your hand Into the
cavity and find that It Is warm and per
fectly sheltered from the wind. At this time
of the year the ruffed grouse . live on the
buds of birch, poplar, maple and pear trees,
and they pass the night In the beds Just
described or roost on a llmk of a pine,
spruce or hemlock tree, well sheltered by a
hill or a ravine.
Poor little Bob White (or quail) often
has a hard time In winter. His habits are
such that when a storm comes he and his
flock of friends seek shelter under a
stump, a hollow log. In a woodohuck bur
row and the like.
If the snow Is light he has no trouble
about digging himself out. but should It
standln' late on the main road, near the
school, and thin drlvln' furiously away.
Had Balllnger found reason to susptctf
Thin we must be up, doln' and off.
"We'll land thst fust hundrld f ousand at
all events," snarled Jarge between his bit
ten Hps.
And sure enought, promptly at twllve
Menedlct arrived, with an anx'us smile and
a lumpy Inside pocket, which med us beam
full as greedy.
"Yls," he said, In answer to our looks,
"I've got It In there In f ousands,"
And I cud hardly count out the scrip, me
fingers were that adrip.
"There ydii are," said Jarge, his eyes
like ellctrfc bi lbs; "the, first Installmlnt
right ar.d tight, and sure to dooble In vally
In lirty days. We'll trooble you for its
equivalent, Mr. Menedlct."
The County Trlsurer raised his palsied
hand he was fumblln' with the top but
tonwhin there were sturdy steps without,
a sturdier ray on th door; and the sturdi
est pair of old boys I Iver seen entered In
a brudder act and stood, all aglow, side
by side.
"Moat sorry, we're sure," began wan,
"to disturb glntlemln of sech statun, but
the clerk said Menedlct was here"
"And our business can't wait, as you wilt
all admit," finished the other.
"How do you dare who are these menTJ'
demanded Jarge.
"The Balllnger brudders," gasped poor
Menedlct, shrinking into a earner and tryln'
to pull clusser togedder his buttoned cut.
"The Balllnger brudders. Marcus and
Tull'us and oh, my Ood, frlndly. Jolly, re.
united!"
Right you are, Menedlct We don't
blame you for beln knocked silly," cried
the two good old boys amid apopleotta
chuckles.
"Tou will state your business, and be
Nonaensd Rhyme
One ther was a little boylet
Who had get a brand nsw toylet.
But It was so mean and poor
Boylet threw It on the floor.
Baying, "You ( will destroy let r
U. W.
sleet Of rain and then frees the w'hli
mantle Is eovered with a hard crust, which
holds poor Bob Whit a captive, and In the
spring, after tb snow has melted, you
find a bunch of quail feathers where one
a flock of quail took shelter from a storm.
Bob White Is a grain and seed eater In
winter, so buckwheat and wheat stubble
are his chief feeding grounds. But hunger
often drives him to the farmer's barnyard
or haystack to pick up the chaff that ha
been scattered.
9)
Visa Crew's Wlat War
tm Crow, too. Is sometimes forced to
put discretion aside and seek the habitat
of his old enemy, the farmer, hoping that
he can pick up a bit of food that haa been
cast aside. Or. winging his way In the
teeth of a cutting wtnd. he files to the or
chards and eats the decayed apples that
still cling to the branches.
In the field he tear to pieces any
meadow mouse nest that may be exposed,
hoping, no doubt, that the owner will be at
home. This fellow, too, roosts In ths
thick pine, spruce and hemlock timber.
The few duck and fulls that choose to
remain In the north all winter seem better
fitted for the weather than any other of
the birds. Cold weather seems to hav
little effect on them.
If the lakes frees over they seek open
water on the rivers, and there the shel
drakes and whistle wings sport as cheer
fully as though It were the warmest day
of spring. When one dives and comes up
with a fish the othere attempt to take It
from him, and the gulls, too, try their
best to rob their feathered neighbor,
even deliberately lying in wait for Them
and attacking one as soon as he appear
on the surface.
But what of the little chickadee, the
brown creeper, the white-breasted nut
hatch and the downy woodpecker? On
might suppose that with the thermometer .
registering 10 degrees below tero every
one of these little creatures would be
frosen In a single night.
But no. The following morning th
chickadees are as Jolly and lively as ever,
hanging by their feet head down and
climbing about the limbs like miniature
acrobats. Not a second of time are they
quiet, but as soon a they have found a '
cocoon, torn It open and robbed It of th
butterfly or moth chrysalld that I insld
they begin searching for another.
The lives of the brown creeper, the nut
hatch and the woodpecker are similar, for
while the chickadee la busy looking over
the branches proper these other birds are .
creeping about th bark, and with bill
that are better adapted for chiselling than
that of ths chickadee they peck their way
Into some orevlce and pull from Its hiding
place the larva of an Insect.
At night these birds seek the shelter
of hollow trees and limbs, and the wood
pecker has been known to excavate m
nest for a sleeping place only.
Reptile Barf Themselves.
Snakes seek the shelter of burrows and
places of similar character below frost
line, and there remain In torpid state all
winter. At the approach of winter th
turtles, frog and salamander burrow In
the mud at the bottom of some river,
stream or lake, and there remain until th ,
coming spring. It Is not unusual to And
a frog or a salamander deep among th
leaves below frost line. In a woodchuolc -burrow
or other hole In the ground,
and In springs the frog remains active all
winter.
Tb Insect, the butterflies and th
moth nearly all pass the winter a eggs,
or In the larval state or the pupal stage.
Tear off a piece of bark from a rotten
forest tree on the coldest day of winter -and
you will find grubs, worms and spider
hidden there. A soon as you take them
Into a warm room they begin to show
signs of life and In a short time becom
quite active.
Attached to the limbs of trees and
bushes, under the eaves of buildings and
In old sheds and barns you find the cocoon
of butterflies and moths. In these woven
cases sleep the creatures, waiting for th
warmth of spring to transform thsm Into
the last stage of their lives, beautiful moth
or butterflies.
short about It!" threatened Jarge.
"Tut, tut, Mr. Munsey," said Marcus,
wnne run us noaaea assinc to ivery wua,
"we want you to share our Joys, not gi
mad.
"The fact Is that his young scapegrace of
a son, Edgar, has run off and married my
young madcap of a daughter Ethel. What',
done can't be undone. We've-burled th
hatchet and alnt bygones after bygone.
"And now we want' to tunn over th
surplus funns to the happy pair, and to do
It quick, too. Come in, you rascals, and
git your dowry from the county trlsurer."
They came In reluctant, yet not abashed;
a comely, likely pair of youfful lovers,
slndln' somethln' warm to the Innermost
parts of me chlst; and while ERhel glanced
Just onct roguishly at Jarge, Edgar lanced
that suptr'or gas etidily at him.
"This Is my place of business, and It la
not the county trlsurer's office," said
Jarge, with a sort of deadly, despalrln' po
liteness. "With all possible wishes for th
young people" Lord, what wlshesl You eud
fairly hear them frizzle "I must Insist on
your wlthdrawln' thither"
"Yls," thundered young Balllnger, hi
pertubrlnt chin In excllsls; "yls, we will
go, but that cowering thing over there foe
with us, and without unbuttoning his coat
either. I saw him come out of this room
ylsterday; you, yoursllves, told m of a
deal to be consummated today for those
fhmnwMI lh. f-Vil TIa .mi
police Investlgatun "
But without a wud or a look, Mr. Mene
dlct went out between the Jolly Balllnger
brudders. and with the happy pair as a
rear guard; leavln' me to refilct with m
old frind Johnslng on the vanity of human
wishes, and Jarge to chew a fresh place la
hi bleeding lips.
Jokelet.
' "Grandpa, what' th difference between
rheumatism and gout?" asked Willie, who
knew his grandfather was a sufferer from
both these painful diseases.
"Well, sonny," answered grandpa, "you
put your thsmb In a Tic and turn It till
you can't bear the pain any longer and
that like rheumatism; then give th vlo
a couple of extra turn and you'll get a
faint Inkling of what gout Is."
And Willi knew his grandfather waa suf
fering from gout that day.
Tw Little Girls.
I'm twins, I guees, 'cause my ma says
I'm two little girls. An' one o' me
Is Oood little girl; an' the other 'a' she
Is Bad little girl as she tan be.
An' ma eays so, 'most ever' day.
An' she's the fvlnnivst ma, 'cause when
W'y men my ma she sob an' sigh.
An' doll won't mind, sn' I '1st cry.
An' say, "Iear Oood little girl, goodbye!
Bad Utile girl's come'd here again I '
Last time 'at ma act' that a-wsy
I cried all to my eel' awhile
Out oa the steps, an' sen I smile.
An' get my doll all fix In style,
Aa' go In where ma's at, aa' say!
"Morning to you. mommy dear)
Where's that Bad little air! wus here?
Bad little girl's goned clean away.
An' Good UlU girl's corned back to stay."
Warn Wbitcomb KUay.