The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1875-06-23

4 tVOAus
Papa" said q sweet voice, a few
moments sfterward, you were anx-
ioas, you know, to have Will Curtis
in the amily,-and-he is willing
"Whst do you mean, Maude. You
haven't commenced your affairs in
good earnest, have you ?"
EVA is settled and Mr.. Curtis
wants me TO marry him.
"Not for two years yet"
"He is willing TO wait" And
kissing her father dozen of times,
she also left him, to join her impa-
tient lover.
The Man-Easing Tree OF Madagascar.
IT you can imagine a pineapple,
eight feet high and thick in proper
ton, resting upon its base, and de-
nuded Of leaves, you win have q
good idea OF the trunk of the tree,
which, however, was not the color of
an bnana, but was q dark dingy
brown, and apparently as hard as
iron. From the apex Of this fustica-
ted cone (at least tive feet in diane
ter) eight huge leaves sheer to the
ground, like doors swinging back on
their hinges. These leaves. which
are joined at the top of the trees at
regular intervals, were about eleven
or twelve feet long, and shaped very
much like the leaves Of an American
agave or century plant. They are
two feet through in their thickest
part, and three feet wide, tapering
to sharp point that looked very
much like a cows horn, very convex
on the outer (but now under surface)
sRd on the under (now upper sur
face slightly concsve. This concave
surface was thiekly set with strong
thorny hooks like those upon the
head Of = teazle. These leaves,
hanging thus limp and lifeless, dead
green in color, had in appearance the
massive strength of oak fiber. The
apex of the cone was a round white
eoncave figure like smaller plate set
within larger one. This was not a
flower, but a receptacle, and there
exsded into it 8 clear treacly liquid
honey, sweet, and possessed of vio-
lent intoxicating and soporifc prop
critics. From underneath the rim,
so to speak, of the undermost plate,
a series Of long, hairy, green tendrils
stretched out in every direction to-
ward the horizon. These were seven
or eight feet long, and tapered from
four inches to half an inch in diane
ter, yet they stretched out stifRy as
iron rods. Above these (from be-
tween the upper and under cupD six
white almost transparent paipi rear
ing themselves toward the sky, twIrl-
ing and twisting with a marvellous
incessant motion, yet constantly
reaching upward. Thin as reeds and
frail as quilts, apparently, they were
yet Eve or six feet tall, and were SO
constantly and vigorously in motion.
with such a subtle, sinuous, silent
threbbing against the air, thet they
suggested Of serpents fayed, yet
dancing on their tails. My observa-
tioEs on this occasion were suddenly
interrupted by the natives who had
been shrieking around the tree with
their shrill voices, and chanting what
Heldriek told me were propitistory
hymns to the great tree devil. With
still wilder shrieks and chants they
now surrounded one Of the women,
and urged her with the points of their
javilins, until slowly, and with de-
spairing face, she climbed up the
stalk Of the tree, and stood on the
summit of the cone, the palpi swirl
ing all about her. "Tisk J Tisk
Drink drink y cried the men. Stoop-
ing, she drank of the viscid fluid in
the cup, rising instantly again, with
wild frenzy in her face and eonvul-
siye cords in her limbs. Bu. she
did not jump down as she seemed to
intend to do. On, no The strocious
canibal tree, that had been so inert
and dead, came to sudden savage
life. The slender, delicate palpi, with
the fury Of starved serpents, quiver-
ed moment over her head, then as
IL instinct with demoniae intelligence,
fastened upon her in sudden coils
round and round her neck and arms,
and while her awful screams and
vel more awful laughter rose wildly
to be instantly strangled down again
into gurgling moan, the tendrils
one after smother, like great green
with brutal energy and in
fernal rapidity, rose, protracted them
selves, and wrapped her about in
fold after fold, ever lightning with
the cruel swiftness and savage te-
nacity of anacondas fastening upon
their prev. 1t was the barbarity Of
The LAGOON without its beauty-this
strange, horrible murder. And now
he great leaves rose slowly and stiff
y like the arms Of derrick, erected
themselves in the air, approached
,ne another, and closed about the
lead and hampered victim with the
silent force Of q hydraulic press and
purpose ofa thumb screw.
A moment more, and while I could
zee the basis of these great levers
PRESSING nore tightly toword each |
,ther from their interstices, there
rickled down the stalk of the tree
yreat streams Of the viscid honey-like !
iuid. mingled horribly with the blood
md oozing viseera Of the victim. All
light Of this he savage hordes |
'rcund me, yelling madly. bound
ID forward, crowded to the tree,
,lssped it. and, with cups, leaves,
lands and tongues, each one obtain
d enough Of the liquid TO make him !
pad and frantic.