Newspaper Page Text
September 27, 1911 ] T H ? 1
the heavy snowdrifts. Sometimes the bear waits
until after a heavy fall of snow, and then digs a
white cavern of the requisite form and size.
Such is his home for six long months.
Our common little cotton-tail, or so-called rabbit,
does not live in a burrow as does the English
rabbit, but makes a slight depression in the
ground, in which he lies so flatly pressed to the
earth as to be scarcely distinguishable from the
' soil and the dried herbage in which her abode
is situated. The rabbit is strongly attached to
its home, wherever it may be placed, and, even
if driven to a great distance from it, contrives
to regain its little domicile at the earliest opportunity.
One of the most gruesome among animal homes
is the wolf'8 den. This is simply a hole dug in the
side of a bank or a small natural cave, generally
situated on the sunny side of a ridge, and almost
hidden by bushes or loose boulders. Here the
wolf lies snug; in and about his doorway lie the
remains of past feasts, which, coupled with his
own odor, makes the wolf's den a not very inviting
place. Nevertheless, there is something so
dread and mysterious about this soft-footed marauder
that it even lends a fascination to his
home.
A (to.. i 1 -f i " - "
xi nj-uj-.uigiii, sun ox nome is xnat 01 our
friend, the bob-white, yet it seems to serve the
purpose yery well. Under the broad, low bough
of a small pine or cedar tree, the flock take their
night's repose. Quail, in retiring, always sit in
a circle with their heads outward, and so they
rest, presenting a barricade of sharp eyes and
sharper ears against possible danger.
The home of the elegant little harvest mouse
next claims our attention. It is built upon three
or four rank grass stems and is situated a foot
or so from the ground. In form it is globular
and about four inches in diameter. It is composed
of thin, dry grass, is of nearly uniform substance,
and open and airy in construction- It
shows great cleverness in this little animal, which
is the smallest of mammals.
The winter home of the American red deer is
very interesting. When the snow begins to fly,
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tuc icauci ui tiic neru guinea me in to Hume Niieitered
spot, where provender is plentiful. Here,
Letters
Dear Presbyterian: I am a little girl nine years
old. I have recited the Catechism. I also have
a pin given me for attendance at Sunday school.
My little sisters are my only pets. I did not see
my little sister Elizabeth for two years. She
was traveling with our aunt in Colorado and
other States in the far West and South. She
went bathing in the Gulf of Mexico on the 24th
and 25th of last January. I will answer Mary
Giacona's question: Isaac was Abraham's child
of promise. I will ask a question: Who was
Jesus' favorite disciple?
Your little friend,
Luray, Va. Janie Margaret Rice.
h*
Dear Presbyterian: I am a little girl eleven
years old. This is my first letter. My mother
takes your good paper and we all enjoy reading
it. I go to Sunday school at New Providence.
Our pastor is Rev. H. W. McLaughlin. We all
love him very much. I have three sisters older
*"* T T 1 will rna/tli flip
tnan 1 am. x nope my icuci mu uuV ???. ...?
waste-basket. Your friend,
Fairfield, Va. Mary C. Wade.
Dear Presbyterian: We have seen so many letters
from the children we thought we would
write too.
'EtBJBYlKKlAN OF TH? SO
as the snow falls, they pack it down, tramping
out a considerable space, while about them the
snow mounts higher and higher until they cannot
get out if they would. From the main opening,
or "yard," as it is called, tramped-out paths
lead to the nearby trees and shrubbery, which
supply them with food. In this way they manage
to pass the winter in comparative peace and
safety.
One could go on enumerating bird and animal
homes by the score, and they would all be of interest.
The present space, however, will not permit
of going further. The writer has, therefore,
simply described some of the more curious of the
homes, as well as those presenting the widest contrast.?St.
Nicholas.
IN TRAINING.
"That," said a sophomore in one of our colleges
to a visitor, "is John Black." He pointed
to a wiry, muscular young fellow, who, in boating
costume, was making his way to the riverside.
'' He is going to take a pull on the stream for an
hour. He is completely in the hands of his
trainer now."
"And what does his trainer do for him?"
asked the ignorant visitor.
"He regulates his whole day. John gets out
of bed at a certain minute every morning; he
exercises with Indian clubs; is rubbed down;
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xuiio u cuujmc ui iiuico uu iiil* uuurac j tancs it cum
bath; is nibbed down again; and so on until
night. Every mouthful he eats is prescribed by
the trainer. The day is strictly divided into
hours for exercise, for rest, for bathing and for
hard work. The life he leads is as hard as the
life of a galley-slave."
"Why does he do it?"
"He is to run against the college champion.
He must put himself in training if he wants to
T*Tir? 4-V* rt wmiaA ' '
Will blic [/I lie.
"What is the prize!"
"A sold medal."
The visitor was also a young man. He did not
want to run or jump or row for a prize, but he
had a great ambition to live a high, noble, helpful
life.
It occurred to him now that he had not been
? From The CI
We go to Sunday school every Sunday we can.
We have not a preacher but hope to have one
soon.
Each of us has a pet lamb. Their names are
Buster and Nannie. We live a mile a part but
we are together often. We have to go six miles
to Sunday-school. We do not have Sundayschool
in the winter for it is too far to go when
the weather is cold.
WifVi Hoof wiolioa fnr vnnr nanoi"
Mary Hevener.
Martha. Dudley.
Hightown, Ya.
Dear Presbyterian: I have been reading the
letters in your good paper so I thought I would
write one too- I am a member of the Presbyterian
church. Our pastor's name is Rev. J. A.
Logan. I have a pet calf named Beauty. We
live on the Gulf Coast and we spent last week
on an outing down the bay. I will answer Lillian
Maitryean's question. "Jesus wept" is the
shortest verse in the Bible. Will close by asking
a question. "Who was cousin to John the Bapj
i a?? rr t
list t iour iriena,
Crystal River, Fla. Lorena Beagles.
Dear Presbyterian: I am a little girl nine years
old but I will be ten the 25th of September. I
U T fl " (919) 7
working so hard to that end as this other boy was
working for a gold medal. When his companion
left him, he walked on alone, thinking of it, and
he made a resolution which may seem fantastic
to some of the readers of this article.
He would put his soul in training. Every
morning he would give an hour to his Bible, and
seek to bring his thoughts and motives into comparison
with the thoughts and mnt.ives nf fThriof
Tie would then exercise his judgment as this
athlete did his body, to make it stronger. For
instance, in the circle of his family and friends,
his thoughts were likely to be harsh and censorious,
for he was naturally a severe judge- But
he would compel himself to find some good feature
in each character, to think of it, and to look
at his friends through its kindly light.
His charity, like the athlete's muscles, would
be thus strengthened by use.
The runner gave part of the day to climbing a
steep mountain in the neighborhood; he thus
gained power and health by the muscular exercise
and by breathing purer air than that of the
town.
He, too, would try to leave behind the gossip,
the trivialities, the coarseness on the dead level
of his daily life, and climb to the height of some
noble thought, or of some great truth of science.
Moreover, as the daily bath was necessary for
the body of the athlete, so must it be for the soul.
He would, by self-examination, seek to cleanse it
of all the impurities that might originate within,
or be gathered by contact with the world from
without.
Why, he thought, if this boy puts his body in
such severe training to gain a coveted honor in
his college life, shall I not train my soul to win
a life that is gentle and true and merciful, and
that takes hold of "the life to come"??Exchange.
Never put unkind words in a letter. When
you can speak your mind will be a better time
to relieve it, and if you never see the person to
whom you would write unkindly, your written
word will have little effect on him.^-The King's
Own.
lildren
have a darling little baby brother and he will be
a month old Monday, the 11th of September. He
smiles when you talk to him, and we all love him
dearly. My grandmother, Mrs. John Morrison,
takes your good paper and I enjoy reading the
children's letters. I will be very sorry when
school starts. I go t? Sunday school every Sunday
that I can. My Sunday school teacher is
Mrs. G. B. Frison and she gave us a picnic on
Friday, and we all had a fine time, and we had
it out at Silver Snriners. Will vou nlease nrint
my letter as early as you can for I am very
anxious to see it in print. Brother and myself
send "good luck" to your paper. Good-bye.
Andalusia, Ala. Virginia Claire Carlton.
Dear Presbyterian: This is my first letter to
the Presbyterian, hoping it will not find the
waste-basket. I am a little girl five years old last
month. Mamma gave me a birthday party. I
have one little sister. She and I go to Sunday
auuuui ueony ever.y ouuutty, wnn my RUnt. \V3
go to the new church at Tablers. Rev. R. A.
"White is our pastor. I will close by answering
the question, "What is the shortest verse in the
Bible?" Jesus wept. St. John 11:35. I want
to know who was the strongest man?
Your little friend.
Martinsburg, W. Ya. Leona H. Thatcher.