PORTLAND OREGONIAN. SUNDAY MORNING. DECEMBER 16, , 1906.
AN
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lOopyrighi, 1006, by the Xetc Tort Herald
Company AU Rights Reserved.
THE last time we -were at the
farm grandpa told us the story of
the cave. He said that when
he was a little boy his grand
father told him the story, and
, said he was certain that such
a caTe was on the farm. Grandpa used
to look for it when he was a little chup,
and because he never could find it made
up his mind that it was only a story book
care after all. Since the wind blew down
the tree which had grown up in front of
it and let Eggy fall into it grandpa has
made lots of trips out there and found
plenty of things to prove that it was really
the cave of the story.
He said that during the Revolutionary
War a party of Continental soldiers had
been sent by General Gates to take the
news about the defeat of Burgoyne over
into the New England States.'" They had
stopped In the very house which was the
beginning of the house grandpa lives in
now, and after telling the news to the
women, who were the only ones there, had
filled their knapsacks with good food and
started away. They had not been gone
more than an hour when they came hurry
ing back and told the -women that they
had discovered signs of some of Bur-
eovne's Indians and did not like to leave
them there in the house nlone.
One of the women, who was grandpa's
great-grandmotlwr, said she would take
her people to a cave on the farm where
they would be safe. She would not let
the" soldiers stay to protect them, because
she said the good news the soldiers had,
to tell would make lots of farmers join
General Washington, and that was worth
more to her than being made safe herself,
so the soldiers saw the women to the cave
and went on their way.
. Grandpa says that soon after that a
little landslide must have covered up the
mouth of the cave and allowed the tree
to grow over it. which was kuocked down
by the wind the day before Eggy fell
into it.
Grandpa' has some old copper dishes
which Jie found in the cave and which he
feels certain sure were left there by the
women when they went back to the house.
Of course a story like that set us kids
to playing war. We played the war of
Troy, and it's ever so much more fun
playing it than studying it. We made
the rope swing under the oak tree in
front of the house Troy and drafted Tow
ser, grandpa's hound, to be the wooden
horse, which he liked all right until Eggy
stabbed him with an icicle, and after
that he played his own part at a snfe
distance. We didn't have enough kids
to go. around, so I was Achilles and
Ulysses; Eggy was Hector and Priam;
Pussy had to play borh Helen and Taris.
First we had the fight between Achilles
and Hector, in which I had to chase Eggy
three times around the city that is, the
swing and that part of it Towser de
lighted in. The people of Troy came out
of the swing and gave us our arms long
icicles for swords and short ones for
spears which were all right except that
Achilles had to stab Hector with the butt
of his sword, owing to the fact that the
wooden horse bit off the point in the
early part of the enBageuient. We had
just finished the slaughter of the people
of Troy when grandma called us in to
dinner, and Mary, who was there, said
that the new teacher was lucky that we
had a game which made us remember the
names of the characters.
When grandpa heard about our battle
of Troy he said he guessed we'd have
more of a real fight if we went out and
caught a turkey he wanted to send to my
dad for Christmas. We did.
I'd never caught a turkey, but I've
dearly wanted to ever since I saw my first
live one, which was when I came here.
So the girls and Eggy and I went out to
the barnyard, where the hired man
pointed out the turkey grandpa had se
lected for dad, and we made a plan of
battle. Eggy and I were to chase him
up to the girls, who stood at the barnyard
gate. They were to hold him in check
until we brought up our forces, and then
we were to fall on his flank, compel his
surrender and tie his legs.
When we told our plan to the hired
man, whose name is Si, he said it beat
anything he ever heard of. It did.
Si said that turkey was a grand bird.
It was.
Well, the girls took their places, and
Eggy and I began to manoeuvre to cut the
grand bird out of the flock, but either he
didn't want to leave the flock or the flock ,
didn't want to leave him, for they ran in a
bunch and beat that three times around
the "n ails of Troy a mile or two.
Si sat on the fence to encourage us, he
said, but the other things he said didn't
have so much encouragement as humor.
Anyway, Si fell off the fence, laughing.
Then we called in Towser, and he un
derstood at once what we wanted, and
got the grand bird separated from the
flock in no time. Also he got some of its
tail featheTs, which did not improve its
temper at all. Hut we drove it toward
the girls, who, seeing it coming, screamed
aud ran into the barn, with master turkey
after them, and Eggy, Towser, the hired
man and me following. Finally, just as
we thought we had it cornered, it flew up
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iSEE, XF THE!. XCE-
' TE XSiaCJVEL. IT! TJCfVCISO THE. 3-XreL
How the Black Snake Avenged Her Children.
OICE time I was forced to spend
Sunday at Old Fort, in North
Carolina, where the mountains
loom liiKh above you and the
country Is wild and rugged. I did
not wajit to stay, but I was after
ward glad that I did, for I saw a
snake story with my own eyea, and I chal
lenge the world for another like it.
Siutkes bave always been cbarmingrly
mysterious to human kind. A nun will
declare himself haughtily indifferent to a
snake story and yet after a few minutes
of listening- will lose himself in Ills eager
neas to hear It through. -It Is because
snakes really do perform wonderful things,
' as the cropping up of an occasional news
paper article will testify, and everything
that newspapers publish may be regarded
as solemn truth. J-lere will be found a
rattlesnake or a king snake in the centre
of a city, here is a reptile which Is coiled
about a hawk and Anally brings him to
earth from a lofty height, there Is a snake
trained to catch rats about a residence.
there is a. rattler Lhat has found its way
into a stove and allowed itself to be baited
and another that was discovered on a front
porch harmlessly toying with a little child.
So the tales go with infinite variety, and
all are read breathlessly and hooted at as
"but snake stories."
At Old Fort I had a travelling friend
named Moody, who was a .partner In my
loneliness. We wandered about all the
morning and looked at mountains and
rocka and trees and flowers, and,, becoming
very tired, eat on a log to rest. W.e were
co tired that we were foolish and told
each other wild tales of Indians who long
ago roamed the mountains threatening
deadly attacks upon the fort built near by
to keep them In check. Not that we knew
any of the tales to be history, but they
answered the purpose of amusement pretty
well. Moody grew enthusiastic "Sup
pose there were now a band of savages,"
said he, "creeping from behind that big
rock!" I held my breath and looked.
Suddenly there was a rustle near our
feet and we both started. It was not an
Indian, but a snake, a blacksnake, whdoh
grleame in the sunlight s he drew his
ionjs bodx through Jh 4rte4 leaves and.,
twigs on the ground. He was- moving
Slowly away 1 ram us.
Moody sprang to his feet and exclaimed,
"Let me find a stick. I'll kill him!" But
I grabbed him by the leg and pulled him
Pack. I was too fired to work the rep
tile's destruction myself and did not care
to delegate the sport to any one else.
Entirely unconscious of the commotion
we made, the snake raised his head and
looked deliberately about him. Then we
became interested. Our Interest might
have taken a personal turn had he moved
toward us, but he -pursued his way in an
other direction. In a lltUe while he raised
his. head again, after the manner of the
boa constrictor In "Swiss Family Robin
son"; only he lacked the impressiveness
which came with thirty feet of the boa's
length, and our . snake was not large
enough to swallow one of us, much less -a
Jackass. He was evidently in search of
something. "
.Moody had another paroxysm, and ner
vously stooped for a stick. I laid, a force;
ful hand on his shoulder, and commanded
him to desist. I wished to see the ad
venture through, and pleaded with him to
be reasonable. He subsided somewhat, and
for half an hour we watched the snake.
following him at a respectful distance.
There was no abatement of interest in tils
quest till he reached a log and slowly crept
over it.
For a moment we lost sight of him. Then
there was a movement, and we saw our
snake dart up and down again with light
ning speed. A wild, noisy flurry followed.
and we ran forward and reached the log
in time to see the snake raise himself once
again for a stroke, and fall viciously upon
the neck of a huge rattler that writhed.
wsangled, hissed end shook his rattles
noisily. The fight was a glorious one, and
we knew that our black was destined to
be the victor. He lashed the rattlesnake
with his tail and duns' to his neck with a
deadiy grip. For five minutes the struggle
lasted. The rattler quivered and lowered
his -rail as a sign of defeat. The black
slowly loosed his hold and moved off Into
the woods, ieaviiag' his eaemy to die in
. . . j
It was the hour of triumph for the black
snake, and also for Moody; for, in an un
guarded moment, he seized a stone and
sprang toward the victorious reptile ano
martyred him in the full flush of his
achievement. Then he mutilated his body
with stone after stone. I felt helpless In
the presence of such unrestrained blood-
thirstiness and muttered wearily: "I fee
sorry for you. Moody."
I was determined, however, that Moody
should do nothing to the rattlesnake, and
prepared to protect his dying frame at all
hazards, for I wanted his skin. He was
rare specimen, with six good rattles and
a ibutton, wnicn indicated that his years
upon the mountainside had been seven, and
that the victims of his deadly bite had
been legion. When he moved his last I
lifted him carefully about the middle of his
body, and we went down to the hotel.
.The hotel man knew the way of snakes
and interpreted the whole affair, with the
wisdom of a seer. . He told -us that the
rattlesnake had been robbing the nest of
his black brother, as an examination of his
stomach would show. We ripped him open
carefully and found no fewer than ten lit
tle blaik snakes, upon which he could
have rested luxuriously for a week, free
from the distress of hunger.
- An TJnprogfessive Institution.
"One of the most successful clergy
men In Philadelphia," remarked a col
lege professor,- "was proud of the fact
that he was always addresed as plain
'mister and that he possessed no de
gree which entitled him to the honor
able name of 'doctor.
"An elder entered the clergyman's
study one morning and handed him i
marked paper. The item stated that
the minister had been honored by his
old college - and that now he could at
tach D. D. to his name.
" "Well, well,' muttered the pastor,
not without feeling, for he loved his
college, 'my old school is a little be
hind the times, and still believes In cap
ital punishment.' "
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the barn stairs and wo flew after it.
There we did corner and fall on it.
You would never know from eatinjr
turkey how strong a grown bird of that
tribe is in the excitement of the chase.
In our struggle we all rolled down the
stairs, and it was some time before the
hired man could untangle us, for Towser
had the bird's tail clinched, the bird had
my trouser's leg clinched, Eggy was hug
ging us all and there was a great deal
of fuss and feathers. But dud has the
Wrd now.
After dinner we went down to the pond
to see if the ire would hold, but it
wouldn't. It held Towser all right, and
he harked at us to come on so joyfully
rhat Egy and I tried once more. I say
mce more, because we've tried that ice
very day for a week now, and each time
we found out that it wouldn't bear us up.
Of course it, isn't much fun to go into ice
water up to your waist, but the hot cider
and doughnuts grandma gives ns to pre
vent a chill after we have rubbed down
-md put on dry clothes is really worth the
trouble of the nib down.
My Tintype Girl.
In fluttering show of summer l.ices,
'Neath the shade of a pretty parasol,
Shinrs the swertest of possible taws
From the murky mirror against the wa!l.
'Twas there I tucked lier. witlx pride and
pleasure. .
When I cast my lot In the city's whirl
And owned, poor verdant, but this one
treasure
My tintype girl.
Ah, dear, meant only for sweet beguiling,
I fear you have grown most worldly wise
With the sounds you have heard and kept
on smiling
With the sights that have passed before
your eyes.
When over the wine cup's crimson glow
ing. While you watch the smoke of our pipes
upcurl.
We bend to the cards, with look how
knowing
My tintype girl.
Yet your honest gaze shines on as clearly
As those nights when we tripped thro'
Virginia reel.
Or we talked (and I must have loved yoa
dearly
I knew Swinburne by heart, and I read
"Luoile")
How it all comes back I recall each
feature
Of that face with Its wonderful pink and
pearl, . .
And the name what was your name,
pretty creature
My tintype, -girl?
RUTH HALL.
XNT GCPa. SrreTJGG-T.K.. WE 1DIXE:D DOWr THE
The Horse : in the Light of Tradition.
rv (EJCAIiLJNG the verv Jntofestinz arti-ihorse of A IcranHpr th nt Tj,.hai,..
IJcle.in he Hjeraijj from a professor in would at night, on hearing a blast of the
1 the Smithsonian Institution, wherein trumpet from the soldiers on guard, show
he said that the dog was th most in- ing :the approach of the enemy, run at
teuigent or an animals, possmiy he may not great speed to his master's tent, and with
know that Smichsoh-himself, the founder; hj3 teeth grab the sleeping , monarch and
shake him untllr he, sprang into the saddle
and galloped "toward the enemy.
Also how the great Caliph, iHaroun al
Raschid, In the eighth century, in march
ing toward the forces of Queen Irene of
of the Institution, was a ciose' student of
animal life, especially tne horse, of which,
he was a most enthusiastic admirer, be
lieving it to be the most intelligent of all
animals, and in his letters to Lord Gran
ville, published by the Royal Philosophical Constantinople constantly had a number.
Society, who was also greatly interested of trained Arabian horses thrown forward
in natural history, hSj relate now thalaracauta which, iron lima to time rUtxn&dlilrel JS.91T. Jngland. elerxTm&s. YhoseJjOOC
to camp and by a peculiar whinny and
neigh and the pawing of a fore foot re
ported the proximity of the enemy. Again
he relates the experience of the Portuguese
explorer, Albuquerque, who lived for many
years in .tne oixteentn century on the
Island or t. tteiena,- where he and the
natives taught the herds of wild horses
there not only to dig potatoes, but to husk
corn and shell peas.
But to come down to the present day. the
writer,, who spent the summer in the Berk-
shires, was told by a very Intelligent
sands of life had nearly run out, that one
day on leading his horse down through a
lano to a brook for a drink tne animal sud
denly halted, and, turning its head around,
graboed up with Its teeth one of Its hind
shoes which had Just dropped off, and.
holding it in its mouth with the nails dang
ling from it, backed up against a stone
wall and clapped it on to Its hoof and with
few violent kliks nailed It on again.
The clergyman was so astonished at this
proceeding, especially as he had only the
lav -before had the horse newly shod, that
in going back through the lane he stopped
at the spot where the shoe came off, jnd
there found growing a bunch of moonwort.
He then remembered reading years ago
that in. Europe. locally in Devonshire and
Hertfordshire, and also in Normandy, the
plant was cailed unshoe-the-horse and that
it possessed the wonderful power of open
ing locks if a leaf was put in the keyhole
and of extracting nails and unshoeing the
horso when trodden upon.
This curious property of moonwort is re
ferred to by one of the minor English poets
of the sixteenth century as follows:
Horses that, feeding on the prasoy tillla,
Tread upon MooDwoort with tneir hollon- heel, .
Though ltely shod, at niffht Co baref.iot linm,
Their -master musing wherp their shoes become.
Oh, Moonwort. tell m where tUou hld'it tL
smith.
Hammer and pinchera thou unshod'at them
with?
Again, the dog In ancient times is no
where mentioned as being especially Intel
ligent, but was considered a low and In
ferior animal, and the expression in the
Scriptures is well known, "Is thy servant
a. dog that he should do this thing?" while
in Egypt as early as the ninth dynasty
the horse, as is mentioned by .Herodotus,
was worshipped as a deity, as was also -the
cat. it being a capital offence to kill
one, and its body was mummified and laid
away In the tomb to await the resurrection
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