Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1874-11-12
Franks Pass.

Franks Pass.
Frank was q bright little FIVE year
old fellow, full of Jun, and anxious to
make himself of consequence. Armed
with stick, he would feel as brave as
lion among the hens and chickens ;
and, as they scudded away from this
dreadful creature, to take shelter wher-
ever they could find it, he would say to
himself, CT guess they think I'm
giant /; only he pronounced the word
Infant. He would even attack the
old cock, and walk right up to the big
turkey-gobbler.
But there was one animal which
caused Master Frank to quail with ter
ror, especially when alone and after
dark Do you want to know what it
was? will tell you. 1t was a mouse
Yes; little brown mouse, with his
bright eyes, and pretty, tapering tail,
would make our bold little boy tremble
and scream !; and, if he CHANGED to light
on several of these pretty creatures
playing together, you would have sup
posed that he had run against herd OF
Duffaioes. Very silly, wasn't it !?
Now, every night, on his way to bed.
Frank had to pass through a lonely
room, where mice and rats would some
times peep out of their holes, and scam
per over the floor, frightening him
sadly, and causing him to clasp
mammals hand more tightly, and hurry
along as fast as possible.
But one night, when it came bed
time, mamma was sick up stairs, and
nurse away, and no one with Frank in
the sitting-room bu. papa, who was
busy reading his newspapers. So the
little boy was told to march up stairs
to bed alone.
90 papap said he, "I'm afraid
to-"
"Afraid of what?" said papa.
=" Afraid of the rats and mice, papa,
IN the big lumber-room."
"Oh, nonsense !" said papa If
that's all, I'll soon fix you out"
So papa took his writing materials,
and wrote this:
To all the Rats and Mice in this House, greeting:
You are hereby ordered to let my little boy
Frank pass safe through the lumber-room,
and all other rooms. at all times. This order
will stand good till countermanded. Any
rat or mouse disobeying will be dealt with
according to law, Witness my hand and
seal
Then papa signed the paper, and
sealed it with big red seal, and gave
it to Frank, who thanked papa, kissed
him good night, and trudged up stairs
without another word for he had often
seen papa give passes to people who
wanted to go somewhere, or do some
thing, and he had high opinion of his
fathers "passes.
So, when he came to the door of the
lumber-room. he flung it wide open, and
called out Ho Misses rats and mice,
you can't touch me /; here's my pass"
And every night, when he went up to
bed, he held out his pass to the rats and
mice and none of them ever did him
any harm.-NurSery.
Ants I'm Central America.
The thrfftiest people in Central Amer
lea are the smallest-the ants. Some
of them are wonderful workers. There
is one kind, sort of wee, wee truffle-
growers, who live together in immense
swarms. and do such deal of cutting
up, that it is almost as much as the for
ests can do to stand against them. They
are called leaf cutters for the reason
that they send out armies of thousands
and thousands to bring in leaves, which
they cut from the trees in such quaint
ties that whole plantations of mango,
orange and lemon trees are sometimes
stripped and killed.
Do they eat the leaves? Not at all.
They live on funny little trufHes, or
fungi, of their own raising. They use
the leaves only to make hot-beds for
their dainty plants, in chambers under
ground. One colony of leaf-cutters will
have great many of these cellar cham
bers, all united by tunnels for quick
transit, and we'll supplied with what
builders call ventilating shafts for the
ants are very particular about having
plenty of fresh air. These shafts reach
to the surface of the ground. Each
chamber is about as large as a mans
head, and is kept little more than half
full of cut leaves, overgrown with small
white fungus which the ants cultivate
for food.
There are three kinds of ants in each
colony the workers, who go off to the
woods for leaves, and have all the out
side work to do some very small ants,
who stay at home and spend their time
cutting up the leaves that are brought
in, and taking care of the baby ants and
few gigantic fellows, who manage
things, and do all the fighting in time
of war. Let any enemy disturb the
workers going out for leaves or bring
ing them home, and instantly the sol.
diers will run out in force, with their big
jaws wide open, and settle things in
order. The little nurses come out
sometimes, too, but only for fun or ex
ercise. When they haven't anything tc
do, and the weather is fine, they like to
take a run out with the workers, but
they do not bring any loads back
When one of them gets tired, he just
climb up on a leaf that worker il
bringing in-as you might climb up OF
a load of hay, and so enjoys a nice rid,
home.-S. Nicholas.
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