The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1876-12-21
THE UNDERGROUND CAS-.
TIE.

LISTEN, and | will tell you of Il
creature who builds his castle under
ground, who scoops passages, hollows
out tunnels. and digs trenches beneath
our very feet.
You have no need to be afraid of
him. happily he is very small, and
though he will fight tercely enough
with his own kind, he will not molest
you if you do not interfere with him.
Neither does he often appear above the
surface of the earth his life of fiery
energy and unceasing toll is almost EN-
tirely spent in his own underground
fortress. Would YOU like a sight of
him? You must get up very early
some summer morning, that is his
feeding time, and he is very punctual.
You must creep along through the
dewy fields on tiptoe Chs ears are so
so quick), till you notice little hillock
of freshly-turned soil; and there,
making his early breakfast off the
worms, you will see the object of your
search, the lord of the subterranean
castle, the mole.
One of the entrances to it is sure to
be close at hand, and he is down the
hole in an instant. At first sight he
looked dull and stupid, yet you had
time to notice the fierce eagerneSS with
which he threw himself or his prey,
50 that you could not help thinking
what savage beast he would be if he
were only bigger. And You saw, too,
upon it (thcrc ncrvI Isl, though he has
been boring all night in the damp soil
| And you thought how peculiarly his
fore feet and nose were formed for
that boring which is the business of
his life, and the work he has to do.
| And you wondered where his eyes
were, being 50 buried in the fur us to
be hardly visible.
Indeed, whether he sees at all is
doubtful what use is sight to a Crea-
turc that spends its life in darkness :
Do not pity him, however, as though
that life We're dull and cheerlesS.
When the mole is seen above ground
he looks indeed as if he had little to
| live for; but replace him in his native
soil, and you would not know him t.
be the same. lie digs out the earth
with untiring energy, though he has
no spade to dig with, nothing but his
teeth and claws. He sCamperS through
his long passages with life and an
activity which tell of enjoyment as
much as the fish finds in the water, OF
the summer swallow on its wing
Could you follow him, you would he
lstonlshed at the complicated nature
of his castle. He does not DurrOW al
random, as many people suppose, but
has plan in his head, and works ouj
that plan with regularity and exact
ness, coverisg a large space of Srounc
with his roads and tunnels.
First of all, the mole scoops himsel
out large hall or chamber, which i!
to be the center as it We're of hi
fortress. Next he digs out two circu
lar galleries all around, one above tn
other, and opening into it. Then h
makes seven or eight high roads lead
ing off in different directions, 50 tha
, if danger arises in one quarter, he cal
| easily escape by another. And theS
roads are always made in stralSh
= line, though how he manages to d
: this is marvel, for you must remen
Der it is quite dark. If you will Onl
shut your eyes, and try to walk IN
straight line, you will find how muc
l smarter the mole is than you.
A But when he has done all this he ha
not finished, for he wants another rOOl
I for a nursery. So little way off h
e makes commodious apartment, an
then lines it most carefully wit
: blades of grass and young wheat,
n as TO form a nice soft. cradle for tE
l little ones.
1t is not known for certain why IL
mole should give himself the heav
{ labor of boring out these numerol
passages. Probably they help in h
pursuit of worms, and, also, they glN
. him additional security when he +
poses in his fortress-hall, the WorI
u man, and yet the master of it all.
But, at any rate, if you chance to ST
- him, ask you to look upon him vii
y respect, for the sake of his perseveran
- and his activity, and the work he ge
W through. And ask you likewise
;, admire the wisdom of that God WI
, has fitted the humble mole for t
:, darkness just as carefully as he II
httedyou and me for the light and Il
sunshine.-Yo1tng Reaper.