Southern world : journal of industry for the farm, home and workshop. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1882-18??, October 15, 1882, Image 13

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next trip. “Madam," he added, to Mrs. Brown, “don't you think the ohildren ought to be saved first?” But Mrs. Brown said “No,” and began to cry, and said if any body was to be left be hind, to leave the biggest Ferniey boy; and Johnnie commenced to get out again, when Almira begged him to stay, saying: “I’Jl stay; I’d lust as lieve as not. I ain’t a bit afraid. If Mrs. Brown and Kitty will only keep Josie warm, I’d just as lieve wait as not.” Johnnie wanted to stay with her, but Al mira begged him not to. “Mother gave me the charge of you all," she said 1 “and you promised to mind me, Johnnie. I ain’t a bit afraid—and you'll hurry back, mister, won’t you?” "That I will, my little lass," said the man; “and I’ll see that every one knows how brave you are, too.” Mrs. Brown hid her face, and perhaps, wished in her seliish heart, that she could be brave, but she could not; so the boat was pulled slowly away with its precious freight. “Good-by, dears," said poor little Mira, leaning over the railing. “Good-by, good-by,” came faintly from the cold and frightened children. They had plenty of wraps in the boat, so they had left her a blanket; and Johnnie, standing up, had helped to wrap it close about her. As he did so, he noticed how pale her cheeks were, that he bad always seen so rosy, and how dull and heavy were her bright, sparkling eyes. How long the faithful “little mother” shivered and watched and waited, they never knew. It was long past noon before the boat could get back, and then the bal cony was gone—had been torn away, per haps, by some of the many heavy things floating in the water. They rowed around and around until they found her, and then they had to put her in the “best rom,” with the poor old woman and her little child. The little woman had remembered to the last, that “mother trusted her," and had kept her faithful promise “even unto death.” Pet Beetles. We were sitting on our piazza one warm evening, when our neighbor over the way opened his front door and proceeded to cross the street. * Now we had never felt much interest in this particular neighbor, agrave, silent man, but this evening every eye was fixed upon him with attention, for as nearly as we could discover in the surrounding darkness ( he appeared to be bringing to us a basin of tire, real tire, that lighted up his whole face so that we could see quite plainly how anx iously he watched his fiery dish. As he came nearer, we all rose, eager to see what this dish contained that burned with such a strange greenish light, and, as we could now see, appeared to be water, blazing water. As our neighbor paused to open the gate, he stumbled, and the next instant all was confusion. We saw two gleaming lights rise from the dish, heard a crash of broken crockery, and then were astonished at the sight of our grave neighbor bobbing about up and down the high steps, making quick snatches at the two lights thaVtianced about his hands. Presently both lights disappeared, while our neighbor entered our family circle so suddenly that several chairs and small chil dren were overturned. “Beg your pardon," gasped the gentleman, when he had, at last, found a safe resting-place. “I was sure I'd lost them. Look here, you little folks, did you ever see fire-bugs like these ?’’ We, children and all, crowded about him in the darkness, and by the faint light that came through the parlqr-blinds, coild see him slowly open his hands, and then we saw nothing but two ugly brown beetles, quite dead apparently. "Well, I declare," said our neighbor in consternation, as the two beetles refused to respond to the friendly shaking he gave them, “I’m afraid I squeezed ’em too hard." At some one’s suggestion the injured bee tles were taken into the house and water sprinkled on them to “bring them to,” but the shower-bath only had the desired effect upon one leg of each beetle. The revived legs kicked vigorously, but the rest of the beetles refused to come to life until they were dipped in a bath prepared in the ca nary’s bath-tub, borrowed for the occasion. This bath proved the beetles to be impos tors, for no sooner had they touched the water than their legs flew out in every direc tion, and from two large yellow spots on their shoulders streamed the strange, beauti- THE SOUTHERN WORLD, OCTOBER 15,1882. ful blaze that had lighted up the water in our neighbor's bowl, now lying broken on the steps. Those who have never seen the “Elatcr," as this tropical phosphorescent beetle is called, can have no idea of the strange bril liancy of the light that shines steadily from the 8pots on its shoulders. As the beetle lifts its wings you see the soft body also flaming with light, and you soon think of these spots as windows through which the light from the body shines. Our neighbor told us of a poor prisoner, who was shut up in a dungeon so dark that he could not sec his hands before his face, to whom friends succeeded in sending a little scrap of paper in which was folded one of these clater beetles. When the frantic, half-mad prisoner un folded the paper, a wonderful light shone out about him, and in spite of the terrible darkness into whicli he had been cast by cruel men, he was able to read, by the friendly, steady gleam of the elater, direc tions, written on the scrap of paper, for es caping by a secret passage leading from his dungeon. This beautiful light proved true to him, for after a patient search it showed him the stone, described in the paper, that could be rolled aside from the hidden door. We were all glad when we knew that the two fire-beetles were ours, and the children immediately named them Jupiter and Mars. A pretty little red Chinese lantern with per forated paper over the top made au elegant house for our new pets, and when we had put for their refreshment a piece of banana in the tin candle-socket, and bung the lan tern to the gas-fixture, we thought Jupiter and Mars might be quite comfortable. When we put the gas out they rewarded us by brightly illuminating their red castle. From the first they were very tame, or very stupid, and seemed to have no fear. The children made a tiny chariot of thin whito paper and covered it with diamond powder. This chariot was harnessed by silken threads to Jupiter and Mars, and a lovely paper fairy with diamond-glistening hair was drawn by these fiery steeds round and round a marble table. In a dark room, with the weird greenish light from the bee tles falling upon the gleaming chariot, this made a very pretty sight. The entertain ment was sometimes varied by placing Jupi ter and Mars upon their backs. In this po sition they were helpless as turtles, until they gave a spring in the air and came down right side up again. Tliis performance delighted the children, but one evening Jupiter and Mars became tired of the sport, and with one accord rose in the air, dragging the chariot after them, and throwing out the fairy driver, who was badly injured in the efforts of the children to capture the runaway steeds. Poor Jupiter came to an untimely end at length, through being fed, by the little ones, on wet sugar stirred with a match. The phosphorus paste, thus innocently made, wholly disagreed with the poor beetle’s di gestion, and we felt so badly over our dead elater that we did not grieve when Mars, taking advantage of the general confusion, escaped through an open window. “He was safe from matches, anyway,” the children said.—Youth’s Companion. Taming Wild Animals. Lion and tiger “kings” lead a life of danger, lor wild animals are never “gentle." Every time they enter a cage containing these fierce creatures they carry their lives in their hands. “Gentle?” remarked one of these venturesome folk the other day. Those tigers of mine ? Why, do you see that whip? I know, as well as I know any thing, that if I drop that whip when I am in that cage, they’ll be on me. Their idea of obedience is connected with the whip first, then with my voice, then with my face. Severity? Cruelty? No use at all. I never use cruelty in training them. Only patience. When I take a new cage of beasts I work to get them used to me; feed them ; cleaning the cage; talking to them ; all that sort of thing; before I go in among them. Then I do that. It’s a ticklish piece of business go ing in the first time, and I pick my chance for it when they are specially peaceable. I go right in, just os if it were a matter of course, but I keep my eyes about me. It is all humbug that a man’s eyes has power over a wild beast. Your eyes are to watch their motions—that’s all. They'll find out quick ly enough if you are getting very careless. They are always sure enough to be watching you all the time. Are they intelligent? Well, there's as much difference among them as there is among men. I can train a really Intelligent lion, right from the wilds, im about four weeks, so he will do all thai the lion kings make them do. A Horn always takes a couple of weeks longer, an so does a leopard and tiger. You can't get hyena well in hand inside of two monthi They're the meanest of brutes. You can’| teach any of the creatures to love yoi They’ll fawn and fawn on you, and you’ think you've done it, may be. Then yoi get into the cage, if you want to, withoi your whip, or when they’re in bad tempo and find out for yourself what they’ll di They’re all treacherous. Every lion kin, gets sick of it after a while. I could nanij more than a dozen of the best wl\o hav| given it up right in the prime of life. Onci they give it up, nothing'll tempt ’em insid of a cage again. You see, every now an then, some other tamer gets clawed and bi ten. They've all been clawed and bitte more or less themselves. The strain on man’s nerves is pretty sharp—sure dcatl around him ail the while. And the pay isn'l anything like what it was.” Cottcn-I’lckett. A good many years ago a Mr. Cotten, of Amite county, was riding along the road, and finally fell in company with a stranger, goingln the same direction. After the usual salutations on such occasions, the stranger asked: “ What might be your name?" “My name is Cotten, sir,” was the re sponse. “ What might be your name?” asked Mr. Cotten. “ My name is Pickett,” said the stranger. Mr Cotten regarded the response as an af front, and in an excited manner said : “ If you think you can ‘ pick it,' sir, just light, and I’ll convince you of your mis take.” Without further ado the gentlemen dis mounted. fastened their horses, and with no one to witness the contest, they took off their coats and at it they went. They fought and knocked and knocked and fought for some time, and finally it re sulted in a draw fight. Explanations fol lowed, which developed the fact thnt the stranger’s name w«s Pickett, and that Cot- ten’s name was Cotten, and then they laughed at themselves and laughed at each other, shook hands, and were afterwards good friends. Mr. Pickett was from Franklin county.—Magnolia (La.) Gatelle. W. A. Ross & Co, the manufacturers of Ross’s Royal Belfast ginger ale, have just received tbe gratifying intelligence that their goods received the only gold medal at the International Exhibition in New Zea land. And the ale eminently deserved the honor conferred upon it. It is a sparkling, invigorating, refreshing and non-intoxica ting beverage. We call attention to Mr. Henry H. Ross’s card in our advertising columns. DO YOUR SHOPPING IK NKW YORK BY LKTTKB, AND KNJOY TIIK HAMK ADVANTAGES AS GIVEN TO CITY RESIDENTS. SAME PRICES AND ATTENTION EVERYTHING CAN BE FOUND IN OUR ESTABLISHMENT IN SUBSTANTIAL DRY GOODS. LADIES', MISSES' AND CHILDREN’S SUITS. BOYS* SUITS. MILLINERY GOODS. DRESS SILKS, TRIMMING SILKS, VELVETS, LACKS, WHITE GOODS, DRESS TRIMMINGS, HOSIERY, GLOVES, MITTS, GENTS' FURNISHING, PARASOLS, STATIONERY. FANOTT GOODS. IIOUSEFUKNISIIING GOODS AND WHATEVER. ELSE EDW. RIDLEY & SONS, 300, 311, 311%, 313, 313%, 310, 815%, 317 Grand Ntreet, 08, 00, 03, 04, 00,08 mid 70 Allen Street, 00, 01 and 03 Orebard SI., 3STB-W YORK. FALL AND WHITER GOODS, COMPRISING SILKS, VELVETS, FANCY DRESS Shawls, Hoslory and Underwear, Laces, Embroidery, Linens, Mus lin Underwear, Housokooping Goods, Flannels. Blankets, Dress Trimmings, ‘Wors ted Goods, oto., otc. 400 IMPORTED COSTUMES! CLOAKS AND GARMENTS, From Furls and Berlin. MISSES’ SUITS AND CLOAKS, BOYS’ CLOTHING. Also Gloves, 111101115' Wear. Handkerchiefs, But tons, Notions, Cottons. Itlbbons, Parasols,Men's Furnishing Goods, Umbrellas, etc., Ladies' and Misses' Suits and Garments, Boys’ Suits, Millinery, Bools andSboes, Uphol stery, Bugs and Mats, Stationery, En graving and Printing. Confectionery, Jewelry, Hair and Toilet Articles, Dressmaking and Tallor-roado Suits, Fancy Goods, Fans, etc. duality Guaranteed. Borne ot the wealthleat and most distinguished citizens are patrons of tbo Asso ciation. A Special Feature it the “ Order Bureau." Goods may be Ordered by Mail. Send for Catalogue. CO-OPERATIVE DRESS ASSOCIATION, (LIMITED,) 31 and 33 West 23d Street. GEO. W. RUE, Hamilton, Ohio. 8<nd i iMTP. ROCKS, Brownleghorns Light and DarkBrahmas. UNITED STATES MUTUAL ACCIDENT ASSOCIATION. Office 400 Urondwny, New York City. Has over 10,000 members; haa paid 1,300 claims. All valid claims are paid at light. 81,000 Accident Insurance, aud fiS weekly Indem nity for wholly disabling Injuries for f4 Membership fee and assessments, averaging a cost of about |10 per year. Write for circulars and application blank. JAN. B, riTCHEll, 8ec.