April, 1880.
THE WEST SHORE.
113
THE KINDERGARTEN CROW.
Nobody knew bow it happened. Every
morning the floor of the school house entry wm
wet, a if someone had been earrvinv water in
very leaky dipper. Nobody did it. Not one
of the acholari could tell anything about' it
There it was every morning a wet place on
the floor.
Then something else happened. The tin dip
per that hung by the water pitcher was found
in the stove, nearly melted away. At any rate,
no one could ever drink a drop out of it again.
Who did that ? The teacher asked every one,
and nobody could tell anything about it, and
really it was very strange indeed.
It was a Kindergarten school. A Kinder
garten school is the best place in the world.
They have games there, and they tell stories
about birds and trees and snimnls of every
kind. Now the teacher of this school could toll
"the very primest kind of stories," and on tho
day the drinking dippr was found on the st ive
"Ho! hoi It isn't a real, truly real crow!
Say. teacher, now, it isn't a real crow t Is 11?"
"Well, I don't know," resumed the tesoher.
"It acts like a crow. Every day it spills water
in the entrv-wav Wntvxty bat a orow would
do that. Crows like to make trouble, and I
think there really must be a blsck erow in the
school house. I have not found him yet, but I
expect every morning to see him hopping up
the stairs, or to find nim perched on the top of
the door, and winking his black eyes at the
scholars.
"Say, teacher, I gneas I saw him."
"You. Johnnv! Did vou see him?"
Johnnv felt orettv badly, but he asid he
didn't mesn to do any harm, and he wouldn't
do it again no. never. And he didn't
So they never found the crow in the Kinder
garten after all. Charla Barnartl.
Rats. Rats are a great nuisanoe in any
house, and it is perfectly proper to war against
them in every oonoeivable way. The Scitntic
Am'riean gives the following method of ridding
a huusn of them. It hits nn advantage, that, i( I illusion
eH I H
D. C.
OF
PLAN
she called all the scholars into the school-room
and said that she hsd something to tell them.
Of course it must be a story. Every one sat
still, and prepared to hear something very won
derful. And so it was- very wonderful indeed. The
teacher said she had a crow in the house I A
erow ! A real, live crow ! Yes, a regular orow.
What is a crow? A bird. What color is he?
lll.cL with black eves snd s groat beak. Did
yon ever see a erow ? Yes, in the woods, but
never in the house.
Sometimes they tame crows, but they are not
pleaaant peta. Why not? Because they love to
pick np things bits of thread or a thimble,
or even a spoon, and anything else they ean
find. How very queer ! Whatever can a crow
do with a apoon or a thimble? No, a crow
does not really want the things he finds, but
hs always picks them up ana carries vnem away,
and be bides them in the top of a tree, or in
some dark corner, where no one can find them,
and as he cannot tell anyone where they are,
the things are lost. Crows always are likely
to be at such mischief, and in fact tliey make
Ttry unpleasant companions.
"But what do they do so for? Nobody
knows. It most be only for mischief and to
make trouble. Now, this crow I have is full of
mischief, and I don't know what I shall do
with him. To-day he stole the dipper and hid
it in the stove."
GOVERNMENT CARP POND, WASHINGTON,
not successful, the benefit of cleanliness and dis
infection is at least secured: " We clean
our premises of these detestable ver
min by making whitewash yellow with copperas,
and covering the stones and rafters in the cellar
with it. In every erevioe in whioh a rat may
tread, we pnt crystals of the copperas, and scat
ter the same in the corners of tne Itoor. The
result was a perfect stampede of rU and mice.
Since that time not a footfall of either rata or
mica has been heard about the house, hvory
spring a coat of the yellow wash la given the
cellar as a purifier, as a rat exterminator and
no typhoid, dysentery or lever aitaoas tne
family. Many persons deliberately attract all
the rata in the neighborhood by leaving fruit
and vegetables nnoovered in the cellar, and
sometimes even the soap is left open for their
regalement, ( over np everything ratable in
the cellar and pantry, and yon will soon hsv
them out These precautions, joined to the
service of a good eat, will prove as good a rat
exterminator as the chemist call provide. We
never allow rata to be poisoned in our dwellings
they are so liable to die between the walla and
produce much annoyance.
WHEN TO MARRY.
Ought engagements to be long or short? It
hss often been said, savs a t y;r, ihii
nothing so much hslps to steady a young man
aa the being engaged to a girl whom he loves,
and for whom he works to prepare a suitable
home. The solioitude of David Coppcrfiold's
friend Traddles to buy bits of furniture flower
pots and such like for the house whore he and
his betrothed were to dwell was a pretty thing,
and much to be commended 1 but on the other
hand, it is undenialda that long engagements
havs their drawbacks especially if the young
people see much of eaoh ether during the period
of probation. In this case much 01 the bloom
is taken olf the poetry of oourtahip, and uo less
gilding off the prospect of marriage. There
may he a great deal to ssy against ths polioy of
wedding in haste, but young people who take
each at tor tor in tier and lor worse. In all the
f mutual trust and admiration, go
through a time of eoataoy un
known to thoae who marry quite
rationally. Ths housy-moons 1 1
such pairs are haloyon epoch to
be remembered all a life long,
and if the after period seem
dull and loveless by oomparisoa,
yet It It s nm thing to hav lived
for however brief a time up to
the highest Ideal of felicity.
Besides, there Is no littls
sweetness in having faced the
hardships of life together. If a
young ooupla have to encounter
poverty, and it they oouquer it
side by side, lightening all their
labors by aharing them, and
diminishing thsir trouble by
mutual consolation and encour
agement, they (org links whioh
must biud their heart eloaer
and closer together. 1 like to
see a snug young man stacking
up money m bank against hi
well ling day, whilst his f 11 tu r a
wife looks on complacently at
tho operation aa one who should
say: "Thomss must sarn a
good many more xunda before
he can furniab a house good
enough to lodge me;" but I Ilk
still more to see a young has
band and wife who have feath
ered their neet together,
sent to hear a smiling woman re
mark: " Ws had nothing at all whan w were
married; but see now how eoey we have made
our house." This means that there ha been
cheerful hard work on ths on side, thrift and
self-denial on the other, In fast, union, Af
ter all, the yoke of marriage la aa apparatu
that should sit on two pair of shoulders) and
there is nothing vsry seemly la seeing a girl
wait to wear bar own part of it until it baa been
nicely padded with quilted satin.
II I pie
A CoirrnrriD Mm.. Udy: "They tell m
your new cow never give any milk, Betty f
Old Bettv; "No. mum. ehe don't give hardly
any. But, bleat 'or 'eart. she'll est aa much as
two o' them good milkers.
A Houskhomi Wan Moroi. la Zurich,
Switzerland, the use of a portable water power,
so to speak, is being eitensively used for house
hold purpoeee. Firewood, for siemple, la to be
sawn into convenient lengths fur burning. A
small sawing maohine on wheels is drawn by
two men to the front of a bouse. They oouoeut
by a fteilble tube with the neareet hydrant; tho
water Hows to the inachins; the saw danoee aad
cute up the wood with surprising rapidity. A
puraaoi turume nas swi een inveuteu, aim
employed in many plaoee in the same sltr, in
driving a Gramme machine for the production, of
eleolrio light. Water I very abundant la
Zurich; but there are other towne la which this
domestic water power oonkl bo sdvantegeoualy
Introduced. Where It la any object to keep a
record of the water used, so ladioator showing
the quantity may be affiled to the machine.