Newspaper Page Text
September 29, 1909. TH]
all as I wished to be treated by them.
Some of the balls had next to no training
and looked as if they had lived all
their lives in very uncleanly quarters.
They seemed to feel a little out of place
in there with so .many fine, well-bred
balls.
Finally we reached Para. I felt
really sorry when I had to take my
leave of the friends I had made on the
way down, none of whom I shall ever
see again, probably. I must say I didn't
like the cruel, heartless way they have
of getting the balls out of the ship's
hold. Every man has a sharp hook,
which he whacks Into the side of a ball
and tosses it up on deck. If one man is
not able to handle the particular ball,
then two get their hooks in the ball, and
up it goes. Fortunately, my size saved
me from a like treatment. Bigness is
uut ouv.ii u ycij uau lumg uliui an, at
times, any way. It saves you many a
hard knock.
"If all I hear about this city is true, it
is a very cruel place. I hear they have
what may be called rubber slaughter
houses, where men, with big knives,
butcher and cut into small pieces every
one of the balls that come to this city.
Then they pack them in boxes of 250
and 500 pounds and ship them off to
other lands. Here, again, I believe my
size is going to save me from such a
cruel fate, for the present, anyway. So
far I have been well treated. I could
not desire better. I hear the papers
have announced my arrival and given a
short sketch of my life. A great many
people have come to see me, and I try
to behave as a well-bred rubber ball
should. They all go away saying that
they never saw the like before. I
naturally feel proud of the-fact that I am
the largest ball that has ever come to
this city of rubber balls. More rubber
10
io ouippcu Hum Lino LiLj man 11 u 111 any
other in the world. More than this, the
finest rubber in the world comes from
my home forests. If I may not appear
too vain, I will tell you a secret: I am
of the finest rubber known and command
the top prices. My bigness is
going to bring me further good things.
1 am to go on a trip of exhibition. I
shall remain here a short time, then I
am to be taken to New York, where I
shall remain for a while; then I shall
go across to London, and then the
largest city in the world will have the
biggest rubber ball in the world. Who
can tell whether I may not also croBS
over the channel and tour the continent?
There Is no use denying it, I shall feel
more important than I really am when
all those people come to see me and wonder
at my size.
"I see you are growing tired of my
long story, so I must be bringing'it to
n close. Whenever you meet up with
any of the Rubber family please remember
my story. I failed to mention the
fact that many who go to the forests to
get us never come back. They will remain
there until the last trumpet sounds.
Thousands of lives are sacrificed for us.
Every member of the Rubber family ha?
a long history behind him.
E PRESBYTERIAN OF THE SOU
"Good-bye, boys; I booe we may meet
some day.
"Your true friend,
The 'Wee' Rubber Ball."
STRANGE BAROMETERS.
It was to be a great military parade,
and Harold had been promised to go.
Officers and soldiers galore and one real
live general were to be there; and now,
the very morning it was to come oft the
weather never looked more threatening.
Great clouds in the west were hurrying
"to catjch hold of hands"?Uncle Tom's
way of expressing it?and, if it rained,
'twould spoil all the fun.
Many times before breakfast Harold
went to the door and peeped out, a serious
look on his troubled face that almost
amounted to what grandma often
called "a having-given-lt-up" expression.
"Do you think, grandpa, 'twill rain."?
ne asKea, going to tlie shed where his
Grandfather Nicholas was grinding the
ax.
"I hardly think it. Suppose we go to
the barn and see what the barometers
say."
"The barometers"! exclaimed Harold,
wonderingly. "In the barn?no barometers
are there."
"No? Suppose we see." And his
grandfather, with a mysterious look, laid
down his partly ground ax and started
for the barn.
"Arp thpv nnur"? nnootlAtiA/l T-Ior/%1/1
w v-v-j 1?V \{UVBVIUUCU HHiUtUi
doubtfully.
"Not especially. Some of them have
been hatched over two years."
"Hatched?barometers"!
"Yes, indeed?every one of them. How
else could we obtain our hens"?
"Hens"?
"Certainly. Now, let's see. Here they
are; and not one "of thein oiling herself.
No, no rain today. You'll see the narade
right enough; all the barometers say
so."
"I don't see how you can tell from the
hens." And Harold looked Increduously
at the flock before him.
"They're not oiling themselves," explained
grandpa. "Haven't you seen hens
rub their bills over their, feathers sometimes?
Each one has an oil-sac, and
when it is about to rain, they take oil on
their bills from their sacs and rub it
over the feathers so they'll shed water.
You see, that is why I call them my barometers."
"But do their weather predictions always
come true, grandpa"? For Harold
was still doubtful.
"Not always; but I'd give more for
what my feathered barometers tell me
than for many a new-tangled weather-indicator
that you buy."
"I guess, grandpa, the hens are weather
prophets this morning. See, the sun
is coming out."
"And so will the parade?see if it
doesn't." Inmrhort t?rn nH r?o (TOTrlir
a ? oAnd
it did. And, strangely as it may
seem, Harold's thoughts all that afternoon
were divided between the columns
of marching soldiers and the strange hen
barometers at home.?Sunday School
Times.
V J
TH. 19
America's
Leading
Fur^x""? the
I standard of what a I
4^2 satisfactory coffee I
I Cshould be,?its re- I
VOFFEE jy markable popularity
a proof of its super- I
iority.
232 Carloads Sold Annually I
Sold Everywhere
jTil. KEn.Y-TAYL.OR CO.
New Orleans, U. S. A.
LOST HIS FAITH IN GOD.
A small boy, new to the Sunday-school,
was greatly pleased with his picture card
and its text, "Have faith in Qod." On the
homeward way, however, the precious
possession slipped from his fingers and
fluttered from the open street cars and
immediately a cry of distress arose. "Oh,
I've lost my 'Faith in God!' Stop the car!
Please stop the car!" The good-natured
conductor signaled, and the card was regained
amid the smiles of the passengers.
OflP of *hom ooiil -* 4 "
? ?? w. wuvrn outu ouuiruilUg clUOUL tne
"blessed innocence of cnildhood," but n
more thoughtful voice answered, "There
would be many truer and happier lives
if only we older ones were wise enough
to call a halt when we find ourselves
rushing ahead on some road where we
are in danger of leaving our faith in God
behind us."
A PRAYER IN THE DARK.
A young boy was in bed with his brother
when he heard his father's voice. It
was late at night and the two boys listened
to hear whom he could be talking
to at midnight. Presently they perceived
that he was praying.
From small things great things grow.
For a small boy to hear a voice in the
dark was a small thing; but the life
which he later gave to China as a result
of that overheard prayer was a great
'ug. If we could see the inner story of
<iu,y Hie we snouia aouDtiess nnd that It
was shaped by some apparently trivial
ning. A sentence began the transformation
of John B. Gough. With other men it
ms been the stroke of a bell, the crow of
a cock, the random picking up of a book.
The father did not know that he was
doing anything for the boy. He had no
thought of influencing him. What he was
doing he was doing unconsciously. So
Peter did not invite John into the tomb,
but he went in himself. "Then entered
in therefore the other disciple also."
What we do in the daylight is seen by
utuci a aim iiiuiuh luem, uui even in tne
midnight, ears may hear or eyes see, and
a life be shaped by what we are in the
dark.?New Guide.
We know not what evils we have been
preserved from, for dazzling prospects do
not always bring the cheer and comfort
we expect, and promise of future good
often results in disappointment and sorrow.
There are blessings and privileges
in every life; let us be thankful for all
those which fall to our lot.?Selected.