Harper's Round Table, August 13, 1895
CHAPTER II.
As soon as Tommy recovered his self-possession--or as much of it as he could under these trying circumstances--he opened his eyes and looked about him. He could not see much, for they were apparently racing down a dark, narrow corridor, "like a telegram in a pneumatic tube," he thought. But his eyes gradually grew accustomed to the darkness, and he could see that there were pictures on the walls--battle pictures, and scenes representing all sorts of historical events. He caught a glimpse of Washington crossing the Delaware, and of the battle of Bunker Hill; he saw the taking of the Bastille, and the great London fire. Soon he saw the Spanish Armada and the Crusades, and, later, the burning of Rome, Julius Caesar crossing the Rubicon, the siege of Carthage, the building of the Parthenon, the destruction of Troy, the fall of Babylon, and afterwards many other things that he could not recognize. They all seemed to whiz past him in a sort of confused blur. He screwed up courage enough finally to call out to the ex-Pirate:
"Wh-wh-wh-at is th-this pl-pla-ce, and how l-long are we g-going to go l-like th-this?"
"Th-th-these are the halls of Time," the ex-Pirate shouted in reply. "We are going back through them as far as the Deluge."
This explanation was not very satisfactory to Tommy, and although up to the present moment he had not had a chance to think of getting scared, he now began to feel slightly alarmed at what had happened. He was about to question the ex-Pirate again, when suddenly there was a great burst of light, and they seemed to shoot out of the tunnel they had been travelling through. Tommy felt the grasp of Father Time's hand loosen, and the next thing he knew he was rolling head over heels on top of a big hay-stack in the middle of a broad sunny field. He pulled himself together as soon as he could, and found the ex-Pirate sitting in the hay beside him with a somewhat bewildered expression on his face.
"I don't think I like that sort of thing very much," remarked Tommy.
"I can't quite say that I do either," said the ex-Pirate, feeling to see if his pistols were still in his sash.
"Where is Father Time?" continued the little boy.
"I don't know. Perhaps he is going ahead now at his regular rate of sixty seconds to the minute."
Tommy scratched his head meditatively and looked about him. The field in which the hay-stack stood was surrounded by hills and forests, and here and there could be seen various kinds of animals travelling in pairs. Over the crests of the trees, directly in front of them, the little boy espied something that looked like the roof of an immense barn. He called the ex-Pirate's attention to it.
"That must be the Ark," said the latter, rising. "Let's go and find out."
They clambered down the hay-stack into the field, and started off in the direction of the woods. There was not any path for them to follow, and occasionally they had to wade through tall grass that reached almost up to their waists. In one of these clumps of herbage they heard voices.
"Oh dear! oh dear!" said one voice, "I am sure we shall be late. We are _always_ late. Oh dear! oh dear! I wonder what time it is!"
Tommy and the ex-Pirate stopped and looked about them; but they could not see any one, and were about to proceed on their way, when they heard the same plaint again. They parted the tall grasses and followed the direction whence the sounds appeared to come, until they found two Turtles plodding along as fast as they could over the rough ground. It was the larger of the two Turtles that was wailing over the probability of their being late in arriving wherever they were going.
"What's the matter?" asked the ex-Pirate.
The Turtles paused and looked up.
"The matter?" exclaimed the larger Turtle. "Look at this," and he pulled a newspaper clipping out from under his shell. "I am sure we shall be late."
The ex-Pirate took the piece of paper and looked at it. It was an advertisement:
DELUGE LINE: ......................
THE ARK
(_Captain Noah_)
Will sail at NOON precisely.
"I am sure we shall miss the boat," continued the Turtle, nervously. "What time is it, please?"
Tommy and the ex-Pirate looked at each other. Neither one had a watch.
"I can't tell you what time it is," answered the little boy. "I'm not big enough to have a watch; and the last time I saw the clock it was going so fast, I could not tell what time it was."
"Well," said the Turtle, "you are more polite than the Cuckoos, anyway. But I am sure we shall be late."
"I guess not," said the ex-Pirate, reassuringly. "Don't get nervous about it. There is always a delay. The Ark won't sail on time. And besides, they will have to wait for the mails."
"Oh no," persisted the Turtle. "They won't have to wait for the males, because we are going aboard in pairs."
"Can't we carry the poor things?" suggested Tommy. "It would be too bad if they got left."
The Turtle looked up at the little boy with an expression of overwhelming gratitude. This was all that was needed to persuade the ex-Pirate, and so he and Tommy leaned over and each picked up a Turtle and tucked it under his arm.
"This reminds me of a conversation I overheard once," said the ex-Pirate, as they started off again. "I made a classic out of it; and as the Sheep is not here to object now, I will recite it to you:
"'It is much to be regretted,' Said the Turtle to the Snail, 'That as rapid-transit creatures We so signally must fail.
"'But yet we should be thankful That Nature still allows us To carry on our weary backs The wherewithal to house us.'"
"Correct!" blurted out the Turtle from under the ex-Pirate's arm. "Is there any danger of these pistols going off?"
"No," replied the ex-Pirate; "they are loaded."
"That's all right, then," he said, with a sigh of relief; "I was afraid they were not loaded."
Tommy and the ex-Pirate, with the Turtles under their arms, picked their way through the trees toward the Ark. As they advanced they could hear sounds as of a vast congregation of creatures, and at last, when they came to the edge of the woods, they looked out upon a broad plain, in the centre of which rested the huge house-boat that Noah had constructed. Around it were gathered hundreds and hundreds of animals, and in the air above were flying countless birds.
"Why, that Ark is just like mine!" exclaimed Tommy, "only a million times larger." The ex-Pirate looked at him in a half-surprised way, but made no reply.
"I guess you can drop us here," then said Tommy's Turtle; "and we are ever so much obliged." As soon as the two creatures had been put down upon the ground again they scampered off in the direction of the Ark as fast as their legs would carry them.
"Now what shall _we_ do?" said Tommy.
"I guess we had better hold a council of war. When you don't know what to do, always hold a council of war," answered the ex-Pirate, and the two sat down in the shade of a big oak to consult.
[TO BE CONTINUED.]
Ware has turned the tables on Whitman. They met in the finals at Newcastle, but it was 6-4, 7-5, 4-6, and 5-7 before the interscholastic champion could make it 8-6 in the fifth set, and call the tournament his. There was good playing that day, and the schools can take pride in the fact that they are sending new material, and better, into the tennis ranks this season than has entered for many a year. These new-comers are putting up a careful, steady game too. The principal failing of young and promising players in former years has been their inclination to play more for the benefit of the spectators than for the points of the game. But to sacrifice points for applause is a very evident absurdity, and so I was glad to see at the Wentworth that most of the men aimed to put up a steady game.
Ware and Whitman are so nearly even in their play that it is difficult to determine which is the better man. Ware no doubt has the greater powers of endurance, and I should count on him to win more tournaments in the long-run, but Whitman is certainly strong in emergencies and steady at critical moments. Ware's best strokes are his cross-court plays, which I have no doubt he will eventually develop to a standard of proficiency superior to that of any player in the country. He volleys well, too, and when in back court often puts in some good smashes. Whitman is clever at a drive, and puts speed into his strokes, but he has not the physical development to stand a long match. His game would no doubt be greatly improved if he should devote himself during the winter to general athletic exercise. He smashes well, and is excellent on volleying. The performance of Beals Wright at the Wentworth tournament was a surprise to many. For a fifteen-year-old lad he certainly can play tennis. Scudder was also on hand, and repeated some of his clever work at Longwood. He put up even a better game at Newcastle, defeating Budlong in the second round, but he succumbed to Ware in the semi-finals.
Whitman was apparently not in the best of condition when he stepped into court for the final match, but he warmed up to his work as the games piled up, and showed good form in the last three sets. The first offered no exhibition of particularly fine play. The score seesawed, until Whitman took the fifth and sixth games, and then Ware got the next four and the set. But in the second set there was pretty tennis. Whitman did some clever placing, and Ware's drives called forth considerable applause. In the eighth game there was an amusing lobbing contest, which finally turned to Ware's favor, and he followed up the advantage with some clean passes across that added the ninth to his score.
Poor play characterized the opening of the third set, not a point being earned in the first game. Whitman took it, and Ware got the second on his opponent's successive outs. Then Ware came up to the net and put in some good strokes; but Whitman was steadying down by this time, and with some clever passes and good volleying he got his first set. He took the next one, too, made lively by sharp work on both sides with many deuce games and plenty of fierce volleying. Then came the rubber. Ware was warmed up, and kept driving the ball at his opponent. Whitman set his hopes on placing, and played a careful steady game. Ware took the first two games, and Whitman got the following three, and then it was a seesaw until the twelfth. Deuce was called five times in the eleventh game before Whitman could win it. He was leading, then, 6-5. But Ware quickly brought the score to games all, and by beautiful placing earned the two following, the set and the match.
It is to be regretted that all the interscholastic cracks will not meet at Newport. Sheldon of Hotchkiss Academy, winner of the Yale interscholastic tourney, cannot be present because he is out West, where he must stand again to defend the championship of Ohio, which he won last year. For a similar reason McMahon, the Brooklyn interscholastic champion, will be absent. He has won the Leland House tournament at Schroon Lake for the past two years, and if he wins again this summer the Leland House cup is his. That tournament occurs about the same period as the Newport Interscholastic. But the schools will be well represented, nevertheless, and we may look forward to seeing even better tennis this year than at any previous interscholastic tournament.
Although it is now somewhat late in the season to recur to the spring championship series of baseball, it seems advisable to insert the result of the New England Interscholastic League contest, if only for the sake of the record which it will serve. The outcome of the series was not wholly satisfactory, because the Cambridge High and Latin School nine tied Hopkinson's for first place, and no deciding game was arranged. Had it been, the Cambridge men would doubtless have won. They were heavy hitters, and in the field gave excellent support to Stearns, who was one of the best pitchers in the association. The Hopkinson players were likewise strong at the bat, but prone to get rattled. The surprise of the season was English High's defeat of the Cambridge team--in a most exciting contest--after having lost to almost every other nine in the league. The scores follow:
_April_ 26.--Hop., 13; Som. H., 11. _May_ 1.--Hop., 6; B.L.S., 5 (12 innings). " 9.--B.L.S., 5; Som. H., 4. " 10.--Hop., 15; E.H.-S., 14. " 11.--C.H. and L., 24; R.L.S., 12. " 16.--E.H.-S., 14; Som. H., 1. " 17.--C.H. and L., 8; Hop., 5. " 21.--B.L.S., 8; R.L.S., 6. " 22.--C.H. and L., 7; Som. H., 0. " 24.--Hop., 19; R.L.S., 13. " 25.--C.H. and L., 17; B.L.S., 0. " 28.--R.L.S., 5; Som. H., 4. " 31.--B.L.S., 10; E.H.-S., 5. _June_ 4.--R.L.S., 15; E.H.-S., 10. " 7.--E.H.-S., 4; C.H. and L., 3.
Canoeing is about as good an out-door sport as any for the month of August, but it is a pastime largely restricted to inland waters. You can paddle and sail a canoe along the sea-shore, of course; but this is dangerous business for any but the most experienced canoeist, and thoroughly unadvisable. Canoes were not intended for rough water. But there is nothing more delightful than to paddle yourself along a winding stream through the quiet woods, or sail in your light craft across some beautiful lake in the mountains. To those who have never tasted this pleasure it can truly be recommended. One of the objections to indulging in it, many will say, is the expense involved in the purchase of a canoe. But this may be very easily overcome by any one gifted with even the slightest constructive ingenuity. If you can saw to a line and plane an edge, and drive a nail, you can build a canoe for yourself at very small cost.
The simplest kind of canoe is made of canvas, and for the purpose of a novice in the graceful art of paddling it is just as serviceable as a more expensive boat. Very little material is required to construct one, and the cost, including everything, will not exceed $12. First procure two strips of pine board 12-3/4 feet by 2 inches by 3/4 of an inch; a bunch of oak strips 1-1/4 by 1/2 inch, and about 4 feet long; a bunch of pine strips 12 feet long by 1-1/4 by 1/2 inch; and a piece of spruce 12 feet long by 2 inches by 1-1/8 inch. This last piece is to be used for the keel, to the ends of which are fastened the stem and stern posts. These are both alike, and should be sawed out of a pine plank in the curved shape displayed in Fig. A. Lay out your curve on the plank in pencil first, then saw to the line, and level the edge, so that the prow will slip through the water easily. Next, saw into both ends of your keel piece, insert the stem and stem pieces; then plane the keel piece so that it will come to a point both forward and aft. Fasten these uprights to the keel with copper nails or rivets. They are better than any other kind because they do not rust.
Next, lay out a cross section of your canoe on a plank, and saw this out. Your section should be 2 ft. 6 in. across the top, which is the breadth of beam of your canoe; it should be 24 inches high, which is the depth of the craft; and the side lines of the section, which will determine the lines of your canoe, should be gracefully rounded, so that the boat when finished will appear as in Fig. B. Now, then, fasten your section upright on the keel, and with the bow, the stern, and the breadth of beam thus settled, all you have to do is to nail your two pine strips (12-3/4 ft. by 2 in. by 3/4 in.) to the bow and the stern. They will get their spread from the mid-section. The skeleton of the canoe is now complete, and the inside ribs may be bent on.
In order to make the oak strips pliable, boil them in water until you can twist them into any shape you choose. Then nail them to the keel at their middle point and to the gunwale boards above, sawing off the protruding ends. These strips form the ribs, and when they dry out they will keep the form they assumed when nailed on. All the nails should be of copper, and clinched when driven in; this is done by holding a flat iron against the points as they come through. There should be six inches of space between each rib. Next take your thin pine strips, which are of about the same length as your sheer planks, and plane them on one side only. These are now fastened to the ribs lengthwise, the unplaned side out, parallel to the gunwales, about two inches apart. This brings all the planking on the outside of the ribs. Be sure to have the protruding lines (after the canvas is put on) run fore and aft, and do not forget that the planking is brought down to a fine point at the stem and stern, and is securely clinched.
The canoe is now ready to be decked. Fig. C shows about where the deck pieces should be fixed to form the cock-pit. They ought to be inserted about a quarter length of the boat from each end. The deck beams should be of one-inch square spruce, and as soon as they are clinched in you can saw out your mid-section, which is now of no further use except as lumber. As such it will come in handy for braces, etc. On top of your deck beams lay the cock-pit combing of 2 in. by 3/8 in. pine, putting in braces of triangular-shaped pine underneath as a support to and from the ribs. After all the ribs are thus securely fastened, turn your boat bottom upward and lay on the canvas.
This is by no means an easy matter, as you will soon find out, but patience and care will do much toward making the undertaking less difficult. Medium-weight sail duck is a good kind of canvas to get, and second-hand material will do, provided it is firm; in fact, weather-beaten canvas is preferable, as it has a smoother and more pliable surface. To insure its setting firmly and smoothly make four gores along the upper edge on each side and sew them firmly. Sponge the canvas off on both sides with water, and while damp tack it along the gunwale, allowing the stem and stern-posts to protrude half an inch. Use galvanized iron or copper tacks, and do not be afraid of putting them too near together. If you don't use plenty of tacks there will be danger of a leak. Now turn your boat right side up again, and as the canvas dries it will tighten and set with a firm surface. Have the canoe dry in the sun if possible.
Before tacking on the deck canvas, give the inside and outside of the hull a liberal coat of a mixture composed of three-quarters boiled oil to one-quarter raw oil, with some patent drier. This acts as a filler for the canvas, and makes it water-tight. When this has become perfectly dry, apply two coats of brown ready-mixed paint for the inside, and two of dark green for the outside. These are serviceable colors. But before applying the last coat of paint, put on a gunwale-waring strip of 1-in. spruce, and a spruce keel of 1 in. by 5/8 in. As the keel and waring strips are put on after the canvas has been painted, they ought to receive two coats of filler and one of spar varnish. This adds greatly to the appearance of the canoe. It is not advisable for the novice to attempt to manufacture his own paddle. It is cheaper in the end to buy one, and a good paddle is to be had for $3.
The two scholastic representatives at the Metropolitan championships of the A.A.U. held in Syracuse were Syme of Barnard School and Baltazzi of Harvard School. Syme entered as a member of the New Jersey Athletic Club, while Baltazzi wore the winged foot. The latter did not jump to his usual mark, dropping out at 5 ft. 9 in. Some excuse for this may be that he wrenched his ankle at that period of the contest, and could not do better afterwards. But Syme was in better fortune. He contested the low hurdles with Sheldon and Chase, and won. To be sure, Sheldon fell on the eighth obstacle, but Syme breasted the tape nevertheless in 28-4/5 secs. It is encouraging for all lovers of sport to see how the school athletes--the real representatives of the younger generation--are getting in everywhere, and getting in with credit to themselves.
THE GRADUATE.
This Department is conducted in the interest of stamp and coin collectors, and the Editor will be pleased to answer any question on these subjects so far as possible. Correspondents should address Editor Stamp Department.
The rise in value of many scarce stamps during the past two years has been phenomenal. For instance, the L1 brown, 1878 issue, with anchor water-mark, in unused condition. Two years ago this stamp could be bought for $15, whereas the last copy sold of which I have any record brought $250. The one shilling 1862, with white line across the corners of it, unused, was catalogued at $50, a little more than a year ago, but to-day would probably bring $300 at auction. The curious thing about this stamp is that hitherto not a single copy has been found in used condition. Without the white line this stamp used is worth fifteen cents, and hundreds of thousands were sent to this country every month for three years (1862-65).
The finest and most complete catalogue of U.S. stamps from 1853 to 1870 has just been published in England at ten shillings. The work is illustrated by numerous plates and fac-similes, and it takes note of the most minute varieties. It was written by Gilbert Harrison, who possessed at the time of his death the finest collection of U.S. envelopes ever made.
Active steps have been taken to form a list of those philatelic pests, "speculative" issues which threaten to bring stamp-collecting into disrepute. Quite properly the initial steps have been taken in London, as some of the earliest as well as latest offenders in this respect have been some of the colonies of Great Britain. All the so-called Chinese local stamps, the San Marino Jubilee, St. Anthony Jubilee of Portugal, as well as many of the surcharged colonial stamps, should be avoided by every collector. The money spent on them is simply thrown away.
C. A. S.--The 1834 dime is catalogued at 40c., in fine condition; 20c., in fair.
M. S. S.--Fifty cents a thousand.
H. F. COOPER.--The Paris and London prints are much finer than the Belgium and Athens prints. The same plates being used in both places.
W. T. BLACKWELL.--"Re-engraved" stamps mean those stamps of which the original die having been somewhat worn by the many transfers, has its lines deepened. The result is always a commoner-looking stamp than the original, and if the same ink is used, the re-engraved looks much darker and heavier. An article on the different kinds of paper will probably be printed soon.
J. HARING.--Probably no $1 U.S. coin was issued in 1904. The die was prepared but not used. About fifty years ago the die disappeared from the Mint, but was returned after an interval of some months. Ever since that time, at long intervals, one of the coins comes upon the market. The first one brought $1000, the last one about $500.
A. R. KETCHAM.--Always send a 2c. stamp if you wish an answer, or, still better, a self-addressed stamped envelope.
PHILATUS.
BOUGHT HIS OWN FURNITURE.
An amusing story is told of a gentleman living in London. As the anecdote goes, it seems that he had a passion for the purchase of second-hand furniture at auctions, and that in making "good bargains" he had filled his house with antiquated and almost useless articles. Upon one occasion his wife took the responsibility, without consulting her husband, to have a portion of the least useful of the pieces removed to an auction-room to be sold. Great was her dismay when, on the evening of the day of the sale, the majority of the articles came back to the house. The husband had stumbled into the auction-room, and, not knowing his own furniture, had purchased it at a better bargain than at first.
INDIA-RUBBER BAIT.
According to a Troy fisherman, the latest triumph of Yankee inventive genius is an India-rubber fish-worm. It is said to be a remarkably good imitation of the common earthworm, is indestructible, and in actual use proves as alluring to the fishes as the genuine article. The old fisherman will be quick to see its advantages. One can equip himself for a day's sport without digging over a whole garden in his search for bait. A handful of India-rubber worms will last him a whole season, and there will be no necessity for pulling up the line every few minutes to see if the small-fry nibblers have left the hook bare. It is possibly hardly necessary to add here that the fisherman who tells of this invention may be like other fishermen, in which case the reader need not believe the story unless he wants to.
QUICK WIT.
A comedian in a French theatre once made a great hit out of a painful accident. One day, while indulging in a bit of horse-play on the stage, he hit his head violently, entirely an accident, against one of the pillars of the scene on the stage. On hearing the thud everybody uttered a cry. "No great harm done," said the comedian, "Just hand me a napkin, a glass of water, and a salt-cellar." These were brought, and he sat down, folded the napkin in the form of a bandage, dipped it in the glass, and emptied the salt-cellar on the wet part. Having thus prepared a compress according to prescription, and when every one expected he would apply it to his forehead, he gravely rose and tied it round the pillar. The effect of his action was such that every one set him down as the readiest and wittiest man in his profession.
THE FIRST TELEPHONE.
The Sheffield _Telegraph_ gives the following interesting account of the first telephone of which there is record:
The first telephone that was ever used was not electrical, nor was it a scientific instrument in any sense of the term. A little more than fifty years ago the employees of a large manufactory beguiled their leisure hours by kite flying. Kites large and small went up daily, and the strife was to see who could get the largest. The twine that held them was the thread spun and twisted by the ladies of the village.
One day to the tail of the largest kite was attached a kitten, sewed in a canvas bag, with a netting over the mouth to give it air. When the kite was at its greatest height, some two hundred feet or more, the mewing of the kitten could be distinctly heard by those holding the string. To the clearness of the atmosphere was attributed the hearing of the kitten's voice. This is the first account we remember of speaking along a line.
ADVERTISEMENTS.
Highest of all in Leavening Power.--Latest U. S. Gov't Report.
HARPER'S NEW CATALOG.
Thoroughly revised, classified, and indexed, will be sent by mail to any address on receipt of ten cents.
This Department is conducted in the interest of Bicyclers, and the Editor will be pleased to answer any question on the subject. Our maps and tours contain much valuable data kindly supplied from the official maps and road-books of the League of American Wheelmen. Recognizing the value of the work being done by the L. A. W., the Editor will be pleased to furnish subscribers with membership blanks and information so far as possible.
In No. 822, on the map of the city of Philadelphia, the reader of this Department will notice Woodland Avenue, running out from Market Street, across the Schuylkill River, southwest. This is the beginning of the route to West Chester, a run of about twenty-seven miles. The run itself may be made both ways, in which case the rider will have covered fifty-three or fifty-four miles, or it may be only covered in one direction, and the train from there taken back to Philadelphia. Starting from the public buildings, and running westward on Market Street across the ferry, and thence by a turn to the left down Woodland Avenue, the rider will find asphalt pavement until he reaches Baltimore Avenue. Woodland Avenue from here for a short distance down towards Darby is paved with Belgian pavement, but it is very rideable, and for the six and a half miles to Darby is as good a road as it is possible to find. Running out of Darby, passing the car stables, the route, a mile and a half, is direct to Lansdowne, where the rider crosses the railroad, and makes direct for Haverford. The roads are here macadamized, in the best of condition, and moderately level. On reaching Haverford, the rider should turn to the left into the West Chester turnpike. There is a sign here designating that it is four miles to Darby. Passing through Manoa, hardly a mile further on, you continue always on the West Chester turnpike through Broomall, two miles; Newtown Square, two miles and a half; Edgemont, Willistown, and Milltown, to West Chester, eleven miles. The road from Manoa to West Chester is macadamized as far as Newtown Square. From this point on to West Chester it is more sandy and more hilly, and the road is in a much poorer condition; but by making a judicious selection of side paths, excepting when passing through the villages, you will find the road very rideable. From Newtown Square to West Chester there are a number of capital coasting hills. The road is straight, you see the foot of the hill before starting to coast, and the grade in most cases is long and gradual. In fact, this West Chester route is famous for its good coasting. On the whole distance there is but one doubtful turn, and that is about a mile out of Newtown Square going towards West Chester, where the rider should take the left fork in the road. The right fork, as will be noticed on the map, also runs into West Chester, but the road is much more hilly, and not in such good condition.
In giving these different trips in the vicinity of Philadelphia, or of any other city, it must not be understood that they are not by any means the only ones, or that the route really ends at the point designated on the map. The road beyond West Chester is quite as good riding as between West Chester and Newtown Square, but this particular ride is a very pleasant one, through a pleasant country, and ends up in an attractive village, where the rider may put up without discomfort at a good road house--the Green Tree. This same trip, for example, can be extended from West Chester to Wilmington. Delaware, which is about twenty miles further on. The stop is arbitrarily made at West Chester because that makes a pleasant day's run for the average rider. Next week we shall give the first half of a two-day's run, and then, before treating of more trips in the vicinity of Philadelphia, we shall move from New York towards Boston, and give a series of trips in the vicinity of Boston itself.
NOTE.--Map of New York city asphalted streets in No. 809. Map of route from New York to Tarrytown in No. 810. New York to Stamford, Connecticut in No. 811. New York to Staten Island in No. 812. New Jersey from Hoboken to Pine Brook in No. 813. Brooklyn in No. 814. Brooklyn to Babylon in No. 815. Brooklyn to Northport in No. 816. Tarrytown to Poughkeepsie in No. 817. Poughkeepsie to Hudson in No 818. Hudson to Albany in No. 819. Tottenville to Trenton in 820. Trenton to Philadelphia in 821. Philadelphia in No. 821. Philadelphia-Wissahickon Route in No. 822.
THE DEPTH OF THE SEA.
Small boys often ask their parents, "How deep is the sea?" The answer depends entirely upon the sea. The following table, compiled by one who has investigated, may help one to the solution of one of the small boy's problems. Average depth in yards: Pacific, 4252; Atlantic, 4026; Indian, 3658; Antarctic, 3000; Arctic, 1690; Mediterranean, 1476; Irish, 240; English Channel, 110; Adriatic, 45; Baltic, 43.
A SUBMARINE DINNER PARTY.
Some time ago the labor of deepening the harbor of Ciotat was completed. To celebrate the completion of his labor, and to make the occasion memorable, the contractor gave to the members of his staff and the representatives of the press a banquet unprecedented for its originality. The table was set eight metres below the level of the sea, at the very bottom of the harbor, inside the "caisson" in which the excavators had been at work, and only the narrow walls of this caisson separated the guests from the enormous mass of water around and above their heads. The new-fashioned banqueting-hall was splendidly decorated and lighted, and but for a certain buzzing in the ears, caused by the pressure of air kept up in the chamber in order to prevent the inrush of water, nobody would have suspected that the slightest interruption in the working of the air-pump would have sufficed to asphyxiate the whole party. After the banquet an improvised concert prolonged the festivity for several hours, after which the guests reascended into the open air.
A Visit to a Famous Furnace.
Some time ago when I was staying at Lebanon, Pa., I had the pleasure of visiting the Colebrook furnace. This is what is called a "blast furnace," because the draught for the fires is made artificially by the forcing in of a strong current of air. Much iron is smelted in that region, the ore coming from the famous Cornwall ore hills near by. The Colebrook produces about 175 tons of iron daily.
It was on a hazy June morning that our party took a new trolley-car that had been running only a few days, and after riding a short distance into the country, alighted quite near the furnace, which seemed to be composed of a few gray stone buildings, and several high red stacks. After passing over some waste land and a little brook we came to the office, where we inquired whether we had better have a guide to show us around, or go by ourselves. A young gentleman who belonged to the establishment offered to go with us. He was very kind, explaining everything, and was never tired of answering questions.
They cast twice a day; there are two furnaces, one used for the casting in the morning, and the other in the afternoon. We began our tour of inspection by visiting one of the furnaces. Of course we found it quite warm near it. When they wished to see whether the fire was burning all right, they used to have to open large doors, but now there are pipes with holes and some kind of glass in them that they can look into and see the fire. The gas that is thrown off by the burning of the coke and ore is returned to the furnace and used as fuel, hence there is a great saving of coke.
Next we went to see the "roasters." The ore has to be roasted before it is put into the furnace, to get as much sulphur out of it as possible. After it comes out of a "roaster," instead of it being of a gray color, most of it has a reddish tint. After being roasted and before being put into the furnace limestone is added. There are over twenty roasters. The next place we visited was called the "tunnel head"--in plain language, the top of furnace number two. We went up in an open elevator that quite took one's breath away. At the top of the furnace is the "bell and hopper," which is a circular opening with a bell-shaped cover which keeps in the gas. In the opening the ore and coke are put in, then the bell is let down, and the fuel and ore is dropped into the furnace.
After we came down from the tunnel head it was suggested that we should visit the "drawing room." I wondered whether a furnace's drawing-room was like one in a private house, but when we arrived there I found that it was quite different. Instead of tables and chairs it contained four engines, each having two fly-wheels about twenty-two feet in diameter. These engines made the draught to "draw" the fires, so the place they were in was called the drawing-room.
To see the "casting" we had some time to wait after we had completed our tour, having been almost everywhere, except on top of the roasters. A railroad comes right to the furnace, and while we were waiting a train of eight cars containing coke passed by.
At last it was almost ten o'clock, so we drew near the building where they were to cast. We could hear and see them opening the furnace-door to let out the ore and cinders. A locomotive and several "cinder-tubs," the tubs looking like large iron pots, were on a track beside the building, the front tub being under a trough where the cinders came out. When one tub was full, a man would hold the cinders back, and the engine would go forward until another tub was under the trough.
Afterward the contents of the tubs were dumped on the bank of the stream near the furnace. The iron and the cinders can easily be separated, as the iron is heavier and goes to the bottom.
The moulds for the iron are made on the floor of the building with sand. The pig-iron is made in small troughs. In order to keep the metal flowing in the large troughs, men have to loosen it constantly with long poles. The iron as it comes from the furnace looks like melted gold.
GRANT KNAUFF. FLUSHING.
Questions and Answers.
Frank Dubois: The ROUND TABLE is to publish, about August 15th, a handy book which will contain just the information you ask for. Besides memorandum pages, it will contain lists of words often misspelled, cost of college courses, values of the rare stamps, a calendar, and about 1000 other facts worth knowing. It will be sent free to all who ask for it. Indeed, copies will be sent for all members of a Chapter, a class, a school. The book is 2-1/2 by 4 inches, and has thirty-six pages.
Elizabeth A. Hyde, 1458 Euclid Place, N. W. Washington, D. C., desires to hear from Washington members. Will you send her your name and address? Her purpose is to arrange an entertainment in aid of the School Fund.
* * * * *
THE SECOND SUMMER,
many mothers believe, is the most precarious in a child's life; generally it may be true, but you will find that mothers and physicians familiar with the value of the Gail Borden Eagle Brand Condensed Milk do not so regard it.--[_Adv._]
ADVERTISEMENTS.
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The Largest Manufacturers of
PURE, HIGH GRADE
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On this Continent, have received
HIGHEST AWARDS
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SOLD BY GROCERS EVERYWHERE.
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Reduced from $2.75.
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Mr. Kirk Munroe to the Round Table Order.
_My Dear Fellow-members of the Round Table:_
I have just returned from a visit that I wish every one of you might have made with me. It was to the GOOD WILL FARM away down in the State of Maine. There I spent two happy days, and from there I have come away filled with enthusiasm for the most splendid charity of which I have any knowledge. If you could only see what I have seen, and hear what I have heard, that manual training-school that we are proposing to build for the Good Will boys _some time_ would long since have been built and in active operation. As you can't see it, and probably know just as little about it as I did before going there, which was practically nothing at all, I am going to try and give you a slight idea of what the Good Will Farm is, and what it is doing.
The man who conceived the idea of GOOD WILL FARM, and has made it his life-work, is the Rev. G. W. Hinckley, a splendid, manly, whole-souled Christian, who when he was a boy had as a playmate the son of a very poor widow. This woman went away from home every day to work after giving her boy his breakfast. Then she locked the house, and left the boy to shift for himself _outside_ until she came home at night and prepared the second and only other meal of the day. Between those two meals the boy used to get awfully hungry, and one day he was caught with his hand in a workman's dinner pail. For this he was sent to a State reform school, from which he emerged three years later a thorough-going young criminal, ruined for life in body and mind. Distressed at the sad fate of his young playmate, Mr. Hinckley then and there declared his intention of devoting all the energies of his life to the saving of destitute boys from reform schools. By years of hard work he laid up $2000, with which, less than six years ago, he purchased a farm of 240 acres on the upper Kennebec River in Maine, about midway between the cities of Waterville and Skowhegan. Here, in an old farm-house, he began his work with three boys. He had no source of income, and the work is carried on entirely by voluntary subscriptions. These come from everywhere, and generally from strangers, of whom Mr. Hinckley has had no previous knowledge.
To-day GOOD WILL FARM owns, besides the original farm-house, which has been wholly rebuilt, five handsome cottages, each in charge of a matron, and in each of which fifteen boys between eight and sixteen years of age find a comfortable, happy home. There are now seventy-six boys, most of them orphans, many without a relative in the world, and nearly all of them of American parentage, living, working, and growing up to a useful manhood amid the splendid influences of this farm. Each of the cottages in which these boys live has cost $3000, and has been presented as a free gift to the farm either by individuals or by societies, such as the Christian Endeavor Society of Maine, who presented the one that is named after it, and in which I was lodged.
Beside these cottages there is a splendid brick school building that cost $20,000, which was presented by two Maine ladies as a memorial to their brother.
The farm needs more cottages, many more of them, for Mr. Hinckley has been obliged to refuse nearly 700 applications for admission to GOOD WILL this year for lack of accommodations. It also needs a manual training-school, and needs it very much indeed. We, the Knights and Ladies of the Round Table, promised, more than two years ago, to build that school for them; but we haven't done it yet, and when visitors to the farm ask to be shown the Round Table building they are led to a most beautiful site, on which rest two great piles of stone, hauled there for the foundations. They are told that here is where the school will stand whenever the young Knights and Ladies get ready to build it; and Mr. Hinckley always adds, "They are certain to do it, for they have promised, and I have never yet been disappointed in any promise made in connection with this work."
It made me feel awfully ashamed to think that we made that promise two years ago and had not fulfilled it yet. How do you feel about it?
All the work of the farm is done by the boys themselves. They chop wood, and fetch water, and plough, and make hay, and bake all the bread, and wait on table, and sweep, and do a thousand other things, besides having regular study hours and drills. In addition to all this they somehow find time to attend to their own little private gardens--the produce of which, is bought by the Farm at the regular market price--to play ball, go in swimming, build "Cubbies" or cubby houses down by the river out of bits of refuse lumber, and do almost everything else that hearty, happy boys find to do in the country.
The most striking features of the farm are the utter absence of profanity or even vulgar language, for I did not hear a word while there that could not have been uttered with perfect propriety in a Sunday-school; the prompt obedience to orders; the happy, homelike air pervading the whole farm, and Mr. Hinckley's infinite patience in dealing with the boys. He is always ready to listen to them, always ready to advise them, and is always interested in their most trivial affairs. As he says, "If I encourage them to come to me freely with their little perplexities, they will come to me for advice concerning their greater affairs later on."
One boy is kept at the farm by an Odd Fellows Association, of which his father was a member, and who have pledged $100 per year for his support until he is fitted to care for himself. The head waiter of the dining-room, a merry-faced, curly-headed, sixteen-year-old chap, is to be sent through Bowdoin by this year's graduating class of that college; while this year's class of Colby has promised to send another Good Will boy through that university.
Many of the boys don't want to go to college, but are very anxious to learn trades. The present facilities for teaching them are two carpenter benches and a few tools, all huddled into one little room in the old farm-house. Now don't you think this is a splendid charity, and that those boys need that manual training-school, and that it is a fine thing for us to work for? I do; though I must confess that I wasn't very greatly interested before I went there. But that was because I didn't know about it, and the reason the school building that we promised isn't occupying the lovely site set apart for it is because you haven't really known about it. But now you know about it, for I have been there and have told you something of what I saw; and I feel certain that you will believe that all I have said is true. So now we will go to work and build that school, won't we? Do you know that even five cents apiece from each Knight and Lady of the Round Table would do it? Who will follow me if I head a--let me say, ten-cent subscription list for the GOOD WILL FARM INDUSTRIAL SCHOOL? I am sure every member of all the "K. M." chapters will, and I am almost certain that every member of our splendid order of modern chivalry will. At any rate, I am going to try it, and shall enclose a dime in this very letter to Messrs. Harper & Bros. Next summer I want to go again to GOOD WILL FARM; but I shall not unless that school building is ready for dedication. In the mean time, I remain to all the Knights and Ladies of the Round Table, their loving friend and fellow-member,
KIRK MUNROE.
The "Do-Without" Society.
Should one ask which has been the most heroic age of the world we believe that the right answer would be "the nineteenth century." In past centuries a few were imbued with the spirit of self-sacrifice. To-day this spirit is manifest in nearly every life. Everybody seems to be trying to help somebody else--to lift those just below them to a higher plane of living and of thinking. It is said that the oldest book in existence is one devoted to a harangue on the evils of the time, and a longing for the good old times. Doubtless the last book that will ever be written will be in the same vein. But for all that the world is growing better.
During the last dozen years there have been many efforts made to urge people to indulge in certain little self-sacrifices of their own choosing in order to save money for charity. Special societies have been formed with this end in view. Large societies have inaugurated annual self-denial weeks, and have sent out envelopes in which the self-denial money was placed. The returns from the small collections have massed enormous sums.
A story issued in the interest of this feature of charity tells how a little girl, because of her poverty, had nothing to give up for the sake of another, so she decided to sell her pet dog, that she might have an offering. The ways in which "do-without money" is obtained are many. Some go without certain articles of food. Others walk instead of ride in the street cars. Entertainments and excursions are given up and their cost duly noted.
A Suggestion and a Promise.
P. E. Hawkins writing from Taunton, Mass., tells how to cure skins--information we have printed from other sources, but we had not done so when he wrote--and adds:
"A pretty mat for a lamp or ash-receiver can be made by cutting the skin its entire length on the lower side of the animal. Then cut felt or cloth after the shape of the skin but larger, and sew the skin to it. The mat will be prettier if the felt or cloth be scalloped or 'pinked.' Any bright color will do. May write again describing the method of catching herring in the Taunton River, and the way the fish get above the East Taunton dam."
Let us have the herring morsel. Thanks.
The Fun of the Amateur Editor.
In answer to your request in your issue of June 11th, I write to tell you that I do not hire my paper printed as the other correspondent does. The name of my paper is _Our Young People_, and the printing on each of its four pages measures five by six, slightly larger than the _Amateur Collector_. _Our Young People_ is eleven by eight when open. As we print it ourselves it does not cost much actual money, but it does cost quite a good deal of work.
Our press has a five by eight chase--that is, it can print about five by seven. Our outfit cost sixty dollars in the first place; but this once bought, it does not cost much money to keep the paper running. At first it may be harder work to print one's own paper than to hire it printed, but in the course of a few months one gets used to the work, and it is easy to get out an edition. You save the money you would have had to pay the printer if you hired it done. But of course there are many difficulties where one prints his own paper.
I find that I am much hampered for type. Although there is plenty of body type, I do not have enough _varieties_ to print advertisements, small hand-bills, etc., very well. Many a time I have spilled, or "pied" the printers say, something after I have had it all set up. But nowadays this does not happen as often as it used to. These are samples of our difficulties, but I have said nothing about the pleasures and fun which far outnumber the difficulties. So I am not sorry for having tried to become an editor in a small way. I would be glad to exchange _Our Young People_ with other amateur papers, and to send a sample copy to any one who wants it.
CLEMENT F. ROBINSON, Editor of _Our Young People_. BRUNSWICK, ME.
Sir Clement wants to belong to the New England Amateur Press Association. Will the secretary of that association kindly send him particulars?
Childish Wisdom.
A boy of three was in the garden. Going up to a rose-bush he exclaimed, "Oh, grandma, these flowers have teeth!"
L. L. V. NEW HAVEN.
GOOD WILL MITE
* * * * *
HARPER'S ROUND TABLE
INDUSTRIAL SCHOOL FUND
_Amount_, $........................
............................. _Contributor._
_This money is contributed, not because it is asked for, but because I want to give it._
* * * * *
If you use this Good Will Mite, simply pin it to your letter, in order that it may be detached for filing. If the amount is given by more than one contributor, add blanks for their names, but attach the added sheet firmly to the Mite, that it may not become detached and lost. Include a given name in each case, and write plainly, to avoid errors on the Honor Roll.
More About Von Buelow.
Von Buelow had a continual headache, and that was sufficient excuse for his irritability. After his death, in accordance with his wishes, an autopsy was made, and it was found that a displaced bone pressed against his brain, and this was the cause of his trouble. But Von Buelow as a conductor was supremely great. His stronghold was as a Beethoven conductor, and he considered Beethoven the greatest composer. He said that the Ninth Symphony could not be appreciated in one hearing, so he played it twice at a certain concert. Needless to say the hall was almost empty during the repetition.
He did a similar thing once at another time with a composition of Brahms. His great mentality made him an ardent admirer of Brahms; and on this occasion the people were not all enthusiastic, upon which Von Buelow turned to the audience and said, sharply, "What! you do not like it? I shall make you like it!" And he immediately had the whole piece repeated, to the dismay of the audience. After that lesson the people applauded loudly whenever a Brahms piece was played. I wonder if Dr. Holmes would not have classed Von Buelow among the men who have "squinting brains," as he calls them?
Von Buelow could not endure having any one present at his rehearsals, though it is said that people would be willing to risk a good deal for that enjoyment. A very good story is told on this subject about a few ladies who once gained access to the hall just before the rehearsal was to begin. Von Buelow saw them, of course--for he wanted to see everything that was to be seen, and also what was not to be seen--and he determined to get them away without speaking to them. So he said to the orchestra, "We will commence to-day by practising the bassoons." Thirty-two bars rest to begin with, during which Von Buelow beat time unflinchingly--then a snort here, and a snort there, for a little while--then sixty-four bars rest--then a repeat--but the would-be auditors of the rehearsal had made their exit!
At a certain concert the audience was very enthusiastic over a Meyerbeer March, I think it was, which his orchestra had just played, and which Von Halson, director for the opera, had also recently played. Seeing the immense excitement, he turned and said, "No wonder you like it after hearing it at the circus which Von Halson runs." Some time after came the memorial concert for Von Halson. The conductor, fearing that there might be some trouble, said he would not have Von Buelow in the house. So he gave all the ushers portraits of Von Buelow, and told them to turn him out of the hall. It was done; but Von Buelow knew well his own favoritism, and the next day took a clever revenge, which rather turned the tables. He was to play the piano at a concert, and for one of his selections he chose a popular air of Mozart, the words of which happened to fit the occasion, and played variations to it. The house of course saw the joke, and there was an immense round of laughter and applause.
Von Buelow was once playing an accompaniment for a certain singer. She had sung but a few phrases, when Von Buelow's admiration and emotion were excited to their fullest extent; and he was then prompted to do a strange thing. Rising from his seat, he pushed the stool aside, and kneeling down before the instrument, he finished the accompaniment in that position, saying that he could not accompany such a voice except on his knees.
Do we not love Von Buelow the better for this?
MARIE THERESE BERGE. NEW YORK CITY.
Did You Find that Verse?
Did you find the verse by Alice Cary in that travel story by Miss Denton? Here it is:
"True worth is in being, not seeming, In doing each day that goes by Some little good, not in dreaming Of great things to do by-and-by."
The capitals in the story, arranged in regular order, spell it.
Keep the refrigerator clean. Use hot water, a cake of Ivory Soap (it leaves no odor) and a clean scrubbing brush; scrub the sides, corners, racks, outlet pipe and drip cup; rinse with cold water and wipe dry.
THE PROCTER & GAMBLE CO., CIN'TI.
OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT of the award on
=GILLOTT'S PENS= at the CHICAGO EXPOSITION.
=AWARD:= "For excellence of steel used in their manufacture, it being fine grained and elastic; superior workmanship, especially shown by the careful grinding which leaves the pens free from defects. The tempering is excellent and the action of the finished pens perfect."
(Signed) FRANZ VOGT, _Individual Judge_.
Approved: { H. I. KIMBALL, _Pres't Departmental Committee_. { JOHN BOYD THACHER, _Chairman Exec. Com. on Awards_.
=SEND for Catalogue of= the =Musical Instrument= you think of buying. =Violins repaired= by the Cremona System. C. STORY, 26 Central St., Boston, Mass.
EARN A TRICYCLE!
We wish to introduce our Teas, Spices, and Baking Powder. Sell 30 lbs. and we will give you a Fairy Tricycle; sell 25 lbs. for a Solid Silver Watch and Chain; 50 lb. for a Gold Watch and Chain; 75 lbs. for a Bicycle; 10 lbs. for a Beautiful Gold Ring. Express prepaid if cash is sent for goods. Write for catalog and order sheet.
W. G. BAKER,
SPRINGFIELD, MASS.
WONDER CABINET =FREE=. Missing Link Puzzle, Devil's Bottle, Pocket Camera, Latest Wire Puzzle, Spook Photos, Book of Sleight of Hand, Total Value 60c. Sent free with Immense catalogue of 1000 Bargains for 10c. for postage.
INGERSOLL & BRO., 65 Cortlandt Street, N. Y.
Harper's Young People Series
_Illustrated. Post 8vo, Cloth, Ornamental, $1.25 each:_
=The Mystery of Abel Forefinger.= By WILLIAM DRYSDALE.
=Raftmates.--Canoemates.--Campmates.= By KIRK MUNROE.
=Young Lucretia, and Other Stories.= By MARY E. WILKINS.
=A Boy's Town.= By W. D. HOWELLS.
=Diego Pinzon.= By J. R. CORYELL.
=The Moon Prince, and Other Nabobs.= By R. K. MUNKITTRICK.
=The Midnight Warning, and Other Stories.= By E. H. HOUSE.
=Phil and the Baby, and False Witness.= By LUCY C. LILLIE.
=Flying Hill Farm.--The Mate of the "Mary Anne".= By SOPHIE SWETT.
_Illustrated. Square 16mo, Cloth, Ornamental, $1.00 each:_
=Wakulla.--The Flamingo Feather.--Derrick Sterling.--Chrystal, Jack & Co., and Delta Bixby.--Dorymates.= By KIRK MUNROE.
=The Talking Leaves.--Two Arrows.--The Red Mustang.= By W. O. STODDARD.
=Prince Lazybones, and Other Stories.= By Mrs. W. J. HAYS.
=The Ice Queen.= By ERNEST INGERSOLL.
=Uncle Peter's Trust.= By GEORGE B. PERRY.
=The Adventures of Jimmy Brown.--The Cruise of the Canoe Club.--The Cruise of the "Ghost."--The Moral Pirates.--The New Robinson Crusoe.= By W. L. ALDEN.
=Toby Tyler.--Mr. Stubbs's Brother.--Tim and Tip.--Left Behind.--Raising the "Pearl."--Silent Pete.= By JAMES OTIS.
=The Four Macnicols.= By WILLIAM BLACK.
=The Lost City.--Into Unknown Seas.= By DAVID KER.
=The Story of Music and Musicians.--Jo's Opportunity.--Rolf House--Mildred's Bargain, and Other Stories.--Nan.--The Colonel's Money.--The Household of Glen Holly.= By LUCY C. LILLIE.
=Who Was Paul Grayson?= By JOHN HABBERTON.
=Captain Polly.= By SOPHIE SWETT.
=Strange Stories from History.= By GEORGE CARY EGGLESTON.
* * * * *
Published by HARPER & BROTHERS, New York
_The above works are for sale by all booksellers, or will be mailed by the publishers, postage prepaid, on receipt of the price._
WISE CHILD.
"Papa, I know why Napoleon needed to sleep only four hours every night."
"Why, my son?"
"Because he took a _Nap_ everywhere he went."
A district school teacher in New Hampshire has had great difficulty in explaining adverbs to a class of children. After toiling faithfully with them, he said: "Bring in a list of adverbs to-morrow. Remember that a great many adverbs ends in ly."
The next day one boy's list began: Slowly, fastly, lily, emily!
Mamma labelled her jars of sweets, "Put up by Mrs. Kay"; Later it read upon those meats, "Put down by Tommy Jay."
A PUZZLER.
MRS. TEECHUM. "That small engine pounding away in the corner, Toby, is called a donkey-engine."
TOBY. "And yet the engineer says it works with a four-horse-power. That's funny, isn't it?"
AT THE ZOO.
BERTIE. "You say that is the bird of freedom, mamma?"
MAMMA. "Yes, Bertie."
BERTIE. "Then why is it in a cage?"
"Mamma, where do eggs come from?"
"Chickens, my dear."
"Well, that's funny. Papa says that chickens come from eggs."
Charles Mathews, the celebrated English comedian, was probably one of the best mimics the world ever produced. Born June 28, 1776, after a successful career he died on the same date, 1835, fifty-nine years later.
One of his favorite amusements was that of mimicking children. One day in Suffolk, England, he walked up to a group of boys all about eight years of age, who were playing marbles, and adopting their actions and tone of voice, he asked permission to join in the game. They were, of course, rather startled at this big lad, and stared at him in silence. However, everything he did was so like themselves that a little fellow in the party cried out, "I say, fellows, what's the harm; let him play;" and then turning to Mathews asked him, "Have you got any marbles?"
"No," said Mathews, "but I've got a penny."
"Well, then, you can buy some of ours," which he did, and then knuckled down and proceeded to play.
The boys by this time had ceased to regard him as other than one of themselves, never entertaining the slightest suspicion that it was the celebrated comedian they had among them.
In a short time he squabbled with the boys, and the talk was something like the following:
"You, Bill Atkins! I say you've no right to that."
"I have," said Bill.
"I say you haven't!"
"I say I have."
"Ah! you cheat! I won't play with you no more."
This shortly led to a quarrel, and taking off his coat Mathews offered to fight any of the boys. One of the little fellows immediately threw his coat and hat on the ground, and squaring up to the big fellow, urged him to come on. Mathews got out of the row by giving his adversary the marbles he had won, thus restoring good humor, and he left the scene, delighted with the amusement he had received from it, although retaining his mimicry to the end by calling out as he quitted them, "I must go to my ma."
End of Project Gutenberg's Harper's Round Table, August 13, 1895, by Various