The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1872-01-25

water so as to get an idea about il
from all sides. The star-fsh, that
always bores down into the mud and
can keep its eyes outside, lay and
stared to see what was to come of all
this hustle.
The telegraph cable lay without
stirring, but life and thought were in
1t. Human thought went through
1t. 1.-THE thing is crafty" said the
whale; d" it is able to strike me in the
stomach, and that is my weak point "
LET US grope along" said the
pOlyps. 81 have long arms and linn
ber fingers; L have been moving by
the side of 1t; now lll 60 little fas-
ter" and 40 it stretched its most nexi-
BILE, longest arms down to the cable
and round about it. at has no
scales!" said the polyps; "it has no
skin at all. | do believe it never
feeds its own young"
The sea-eel laid.itself by the side
of the telegraph cable and stretched
out so far as it could. "The thing Ia
longer than | am," 1t said "but it Ia
not length that does anything; one
must have skin, stomach and flexi-
bility.n
The whale dove down deeper than
1t ever had been. "Art thou fish or
art thou plant" It asked, "or art
thou only some piece of work made
up above that cannot thrive down
here amongst us?'
The telegraph cable did not an
swer; 1t has no power for that. Yet
thoughts go through it, mems
thoughts, that rush in one second
miles upon miles from land to land.
"Will you answer, or will you take
n crack?" asked the fierce shark, and
all the other great fishes asked the
same thing.
The cable did not stir, but it had
its private thought, and such a one
it had a right to have when it was
full of thoughts. "I4et them only
give me crack then | shall bc haul
cd up and be myself again; that has
happened to others Of my race in
shallower waters" 50 it gave no
answer it had something else to at
tend to it tclegraphed and lay in its
lawful place at the bottom OF the
ocean.
Up above, the sun now went down,
az men say. 1t becam, like flaming
llrc, and all the cloud. gIowcd with
fiery color, each more splendid than
the other. Now we shall get the
red light,n said the polyps, "and can
see the thing better, If need bc.'
II ~ Oh IL
"At it at itn' said the sword-nsh,
the whale and the eel. They rushed
forward, the shark foremost. But
ust as 1t was about to grip the wire,
the sword-fsh out Of pure politenes-,
ran his saw right into the back Of
the shark. 1t was a great mistake,
and the shark lost his strength for
biting. There was a hubhub down in
the mud. Great fishes and small,
sea-anemones and snaiIs rushed at
one another, mashed and squeezed in.
The cable lay quietly and attended to
its affairs, and that one ought to do.
The dark night brooded over them,
but the oceans millions upon mil
lions OF living creatures lighted it;
craw-lish, not so large az a pin-head
gave out light. Some were so small
that 1t took thousand to make one
pin-head, and yet they gave light. 1t
certainly is wonderful, but that's the
way it is.
These sea creatures looked at the
telegraph wire. "What is that thing??"
they asked, "and what isn't it?" Aye,
that was the question.
Then there came an old sca-cow.
Folks on the earth call It's kind mer-
maid, or else norman. This was n
she, had tail and two short arms to
splash with, hanging breasts, and
soawoed sponge on her head, and that
was what she was proud OF.
"Will you have the society Of intel
ligent people p said she, 81 nm the
only one down here that can give it.
But ] ask III return for it perfectly Sc
cure pastorage on the bottom of the
sea for me and mine. lam n fish, as
you ace, and am also al amphibious
animal-with practice. ] am the wis
est COW in the sea. | know about ov-
crything that goes on down here, and
all that goes ON above. That thing
you are pondering over is from above,
and whatever plumps down from up
there is dead or comes to be dead and
powerless lot it lie there for what it
is it's only some invention Of men
"Now ( think there is something
more to it, i" said the little fish.
"Hold your tongue, mackcrcl" said
the great sea cow.
"Sticklcback !" said the rest, and
that was even more insulting.
And the sea-cow explained to them
that this terrible thing, which Lo be
sure, had not given a single mutter,
was only some invention from dry land.
and it delivered little oraton upon
the rottcnncss of men.
"They want to get hold of us. said
she. "That is all they live for. They
stretch nets for us, and come with a
bait on hook to catchus. That thing
there is some kind of big string which
they think we are going to bite at
They are such stupids. W. are not
Only do not touch it, and it will shriv-
cl up and turn to dust and mud.
Everything that comes down from up
there is full OF cracks and breaks-it ia
good for nothing
"Good for nothing" said all the
creatures in tho sen, and held fast to
the sea-cow's opinion, so IA to have an
opinion. The little fish had its own
thoughts. "That exceedingly long,
thin serpent is perhaps the most won
lerful fish in the ocean. L have feel
ing it is.
"The very most wonderful, "say we
human folks, and say il with knowl-
edge and assurance. 1t is the great |
sea- serpent, long ago the theme OF
song and story. 1t was born, and
and sprang forth from
mems cunning, and was laid upon
the bottom of the sen, stretching from
The eastern to the western land, bear
ing messages, quick as light flashes
10 our earth. 1t grows in might and
in length, grows yearly year. through
all seas, round the world, beneath the
waves and lucid waters, where the |
skipper looks down as il nc sailed
through the transparent air, and sees
the transparent fish, brilliant fire.
works OF color. Down far down,
stretches the serpent, Midgard's snake
that bites its own tail M 1t encircles
the eerth. Fish and shell beat upon
It with their heads-they understood