Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1874-10-02
GOSSIP OF THE DAY,

Happy thought-That of the fashionable
school teacher, who, when asked BY a pupil
who Is the present King Of Switzerland? p
said, "This is not the hour. YOU know.
when talking is permitted. Ask me at the
next session and / will tell you''-and then
rushed for the bookcase.
There was man in Murray county, Wis,
who got mad when he found that grasshop-
pers had called for his wheat So he got
big roller and crushed wheat and grasshop-
pers together into the ground 1t killed the
insects, and succession of showers revived
the wheat, so that it was as good as new.
1t pays to get mad now and then.
The Big Sandy Banner tells how "Mr
Rim King, with Colts revolver. killed a
turkey, which weighed twenty-eight pounds
on the top of a tree one hundred and fifty
yards distant" y good-Sized turkey, GER
tainly but that Mr.. King should have
taken the trouble to weigh it on the top of
a tree at that particular distance is little
-COTier-JOurnG!.
\ clergyman, who owned farm, found
his ploughman sitting on his plough, resting
his horse. Quoth the clergyman ''John,
wouldn't it be a good plan for you to have
stub-scythe here and be cutting few
bushes along the fence while the horse Is
resting a short time ?'' Wouldn't it be
well, Sir, said John, .'for YOU to have
tub Of potatoes in the pulpit, and when they
are singing, peel 'em awhile to be ready for
the pot p
\ curious incident recently occurred on a
Western train. As the cars ere moving
away from the Terre Haute depot, a pretty
young woman came from the ladies car,
and, rushing into the smoking ear, franti-
cally appealed to everybody TO stop the train.
Catching sight Of the conductor, she ex-
claimed, piteously, "Mr Conductor, do
please stop the train I've left my baby :"
The train was stopped and baby recovered.
amidst the hearty cheers Of the people on
the platform and the passengers ; and while
the young mother laughed and cried and
huggcd her little one, she tried to explain
how the baby was such new one that she
hadn't got used to it.
The skull of the illastrious Italian painter
Leonardo Da Ninci has Just been the sub
jcct OF a curious controversy among French
antiquarians. Having been discovered ten
years ago by some workmen employed in
renoyating the chateau of Amboise, it has
now been discovered again in a very curious
way. The famous castle where the bones
were discovered has come into the possession
of the Count of Paris. who has determined
to restore it, although it must be an affair
OF millions, and sent Violet lie Due, the
architect, down to make the estimates.
hile there the Count discovered the same
skull again, and inquiries were set on foot
about the error Of ten years ago. 1t ap-
pears that the gardener who discovered it in
1874 showed it to his comrades in the wine
shop. 1t was passed around from hand to
hand and finally thrown down carelesSlr and
forgotten until an order came to send il 10
Paris As the gardener could not rcmem-
Der what he had done with the skull. he
took one from the lot which looked ike the
one lost, and it went on to Paris. The error
was discovered, but other things came to dis
tract the attention OF the sayants. and the
bones Of Leonardo Da Ninci were forgotten.
One day the gardener was taking hi glass OF
wine when the keeper asked him to help get
a cask into the cellar. lie did 50, and |
stumbled over the very skull he had taken !
from the chateau. lie carried it back and |
secretly placed it in the box which contain
ed the remains sent back from Paris This |
vault was opened, and the skull of Leonar- |
DO Da Nlnci found with the other bones |
The bones are now gathered together and |
the monument and bust viii be placed over
them. Verify, the skull Of Blenheim. the |
skull Of poor Yorick and the skull of Da |
Ninci, were treated just as our own skulls !
may be three hundred years hence
\ North Adams boy, being away from
home' recently, was questioned upon his re-
turn aS to where he had spent the day. He
replied he had been to the funeral of Mr..
-, and carried chairs, 50 they let him in
When the Arkansas census taker next |
goes around he will find Peter DAYTON miss
ing from earth. The old man found pack
age and threw it on to the fire TO see If it |
was powder OF sand. 1t wasn't sand.-D,-
troH Free Press.
Ben Cox. the pilot, has a big farm and
big lot Of fine hens The owls have been
going for Bcn's hens. Ben got pole.
split it at one end, and inserted a sharp
Scythe blade for the owls to light upon when
they came for hens. Ben put it up the
other night to try it. The owls never lit on
1t but once. The next morning he went out
and gathered up about a gallon OF owl toes,
and he doesn miss any more hens either
Courier-JourHql
Our new Supervisor has darkev, who.
the other day, was attending 10 some duty
on the lawn near the road, and six or eight
friends OF his own color were leaning on the
fence, evidently TO see that the thin, was
properly done. That witty contrlband,
Ike Delily, happened to pass at just this
time, and meeting DR. Mapes enquircd
a DR.. Mapes, who dead at Masscr Hastis -
'' No one, think. replied the doctor go,
yes persisted Ike, there must he some
body dead there, for sartin sure" why
| am positive not" said the doctor, "for |
should certainly have heard Of it if there had
been death in the family Then, cx-
claimed Ike, raising his voice. and pointing
to the long lazy row OF his sable brethren
hanging on the pickets, whats all dis yer
mounin' fer, strung along de fence !''-Fish-
skiH Standard.
\ man namel Daniel Sullivan. who was
appointed watchlnan Of graveyard in Al
bany, armed himself every night. cqp-a-pie.
with blunderbuSSes, revolyerS, and huge |
sabre, which the Journal says was ground |
to an edge keen enough to convert into a
ghost any hapless marauder who might be |
encountered. Daniel fired at a few peles-
trian> the other night, much to their alarm.
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