American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1875-07-17
AN EMPTY HOUSE ON THE SHELF.

AN EMPTY HOUSE ON THE SHELF
= On shelf in my room stands an empt,
house. 1t has no cards in the windOy
announcing that tits for rent. In fact
has no window, and the door stands Opel
from morning to night inviting any pass
| er-by to go in. 1t is built of bricks, an,
was made by the former owner for his owl
use. He lived in it all his life, and it wa
an elegant residence in those days, for b.
took the incest care of it, and kept it clear
and bright, though now it looks rathe
dusty and neglected.
1t is not large hOuse-not more thar
an inch long, from front to back door, anG
only little wider than the end of lead
pencil. 1t is rather an unusual shape
too, something like bit of the pencil
with the front end all open for a door, and
the back end closed excepting a small
opening for back door.
said it was built of bricks, and SO i
is, but they're very small-of course-nG
larger than fine grains of sand. And it i.
more beautiful than any house you evel
saw, for the tiny bricks are of different
colors, and are varied by minute bits o.
shell, the whole making an elegant mo-
sale work, SO fine and exquisite that We
need the aid of a microscope to see it. The
mosaic work you have seen on ladies
with it. 1t is as delicate and frail as it is
pretty, for the wall is not much thicker
than paper.
This most wonderful house was built at
the bottom of the sea, for his own use, by
a creature even more marvellous and beau
tiful than his residence. A little fellow he
was, too, as you may guess if he found
plenty of room to live in a house the size
of a lead pencil.
If you had found this domicilc when the
owner was at home, you would not have
seen the door left open in this careless
way. He was a modest and retiring per-
sonage, who usually kept his home tightly
closed and rarely showed his head outside
His door was white, and shaped much
like a cork. 1t fitted the end of his tube
shaped house, and he could move it up
and down, or push it entirely out when he
had fancy to look out. The cork shaped
door was in fact the little fellows head,
and on the top of it he wore one of the
most elegant ornaments you can imagine.
1t was nothing less than pair of wonder
full combs, each shaped exactly like q
lady's back comb, and fthe most brilliant
gold color. The teeth of the combs
curved in as ours are made, and one might
easily suppose they were copies of those
to be found in our shops. They had not
only the color of gold, but they had its
luster, and reflected the light as brilliant
ly as the most highly-polished metal.
Though they looked SO much like
ladies' combs, however, they had a very
different use during the life of the owner
Perhaps you'll be Disguised to hear that
he used them as shovels, for he was as fond
of digging in sand as any of you young
sters. I'll tell you how he managed it.
You must know that, although he had a
private sandstone residence, he was so
fond of solitude that he preferred to dig a
hole in the sand on the bottom of the ocean
and bury himsclf-hOusc and about of
sight Now the first thing TO do when
one of these little fellows takes a fancy to
retire to private life is to get his golden
combs-or shovels, suppose we ought to
call them--in the right position for use,
head edge to edge, there's only one way
TO use them. If he is not on the right
side he turns himself in his house till he
brings his shovels to the proper position,
when he pushes them out and thrusts
hem into the sand. Then lifting them
up he brings out load of sand, which he
throws over his head on to the edge of his
housed Again he plunges them into the
sand and throws out another load, and SO
ne goes on till the hole is large enough to
suit him.
The next puzzle TO you would be how
nc could get in, but it is no puzzle TO him. |
He merely hangs his droll little body out
IF the door till its weight tips the whole
house over tile edge of the hole. Then
he goes on with his digging, going deeper |
md deeper, and making his house stand |
'traighter and straighter, till it is entirely |
covered with sand.
Another curious thing about him is the |
way lie cats. He can't eat fish, you know, |
hey're too big, nor does he care for sea |
mud, but he grows fat on tiny bits of
ltoms in the sca-watcr which are too small
or us to see at all. All he has TO do then
S to keep current of water running into
lis mouth From this he takes his food,
md the air he needs to breathe, and the
water runs out again.
This getting into cave is all the travel
ny the odd little fellow does; for he's a
creature, and any nice, quiet
pot under the sun where there's plenty of
and is good enough for him. -
his interesting little worm, for he is
worm, and belongs to the family of Tube
Builders Back of his droll, cork-shapcd
lead he has pair of scarlet gills, shaped
ike those on fishes When he feels well
nd sticks his head out of his house he
,eeps these pretty gills in lively motion,
back and forth like pair of fans.
md that is not all. Down each side of
is little, soft body he has row of
nobs which look like warts as much
$ anything, fifteen on Il side.
When studied through micro
cope these curious knobs are found
, he the most wonderful things about
i'm. Each one is divided into two parts.
he back part swells out into soft sort OF
mop or spongy cushion, which is sup
osed to be used to scrub out and polish
ne inside of his beautiful house-though
lat's only guess, by the way, for he was
ever caught using them, and of course he ;
ont tell anything about it. But the front
art of the knob is the strangest. 1t con {
Tins "a bundle of spears, or lancets, that
IN be pushed out to great length
trough a hole in the top, or drawn in en-
rely out of sight There are about {
velve in each bundle, and they are long
nd slim and elastic, like bristles, but
aving sharp blades ut the ends. Some
re like knife or sword, and others have
its in the edge; but all are of great
eauty.
What he does " it'll SO many sharp instru-
tents is not positively known. He may use
lem to help build his house, and no
oubt he does push himselfout OF his door
18th them-slnce he has no feet. But l |