Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1877-05-18

heVe IL never leeuS It's OVID young
The sea-eel laid itself by tho side Of tho
telegraph cable and stretched out as far as IL
could, "The thing is longer than | am" it
said "but it is not length that does anythiug
one must have skin, stomach, aud Reliability"
Tho whale dove down deeper than il ever
had been. "Art thou 6sa or art thou plant 2"
it asked, cor art thou only some piece Of
work made up above that cannot thrive down
here amongst us?"
The telegraph cable did not answer; il has
no power for that Y ct thoughts go through
it, mems thoughts, that rush in one second
miles upon miles from land to land
"Will you answer, or will you take
crack ?" asked the fierce shark, and all the
other great fishes asked the same thing.
The cable did not stir, but it had its pri-
vate thought, aud such one it had right
to have when it was full Of thoughts. "Let
them only give me crack then l shall be
hauled up aud be myself again; that has
happened to others Of my race in shallower
waters" So it gave no answer it had
something else to attend to; it telegraphed
and lay in its lawful place at the bottom of
the ocean.
Up above, tho sun now went down, as
men say. 1t became like flaming FIRE, and
all the clouds gowed with fiery color, each
more splendid than the other "Now we
shall get the red light" said the polyps,
"and can see the thing better, if need be-"
"At it at it !" shonted the shark. "At
it at it p said the sword-fsh and the whale
and the eel. They rushed forward, the
shark foremost But just as it was about to
grip the wire, the sword.fiah out of pure po.
likeness, ran his saw right into the back of
the shark. 1t was great mistake. aad the
shark lost all his strength for biting. There
was hubbub down in the mud Great
fishes aud small, sea-auemoues and suails
rushed at one another, ate each other, mashed
and squeezed in. Til, cable lay quietly and
attended to its affairs, and that one ought to
do.
The dark night brooded over them, but
the oceans millions upon millions of living
creatures lighted it craw-fsh, not so big as
pin-hcad, gave light. 1t certainly is won.
derful, but that's the way it is.
These sea creatures looked at the tele-
graph wire. "What is that thing?" they
asked, "and what isn't it2" Ay, that was
the question.
Then there came an old sea.oow Folks
on the earth call its kind mermaid, or else
a norman. This was she had tail and
two short arms to splash with hanging breasts,
and sea-weed and sponges on her head and
that was what she was proud of.
"Will you have the society of intelligent
people p said she. "rm the only one down
here that can give it. But ask in return
for it perfectly secure pasturagc on the bot
tom of the sea for me and mine. | am a
fish, as you see, and am also an amphibious
animal-with practice. | am tho wisest
COW iu the sea. | know about everything
that goes on down here, and all that goes on
above. That thing you are bordering over
is from above. and whatever pumps down
from up there is either dead or comes to be
dead and powerless let it lie there for what
it is it's ouly some invention of man."
"Now | think there is something more to
| it," said the little fish.
"IIold your tongue, mackerel!' said the
the great sea-cOw.
"Stickleback !" said the rest, and that
was even more insulting.
Had the sea.cow explained to them that
this terrible thing, which, to be sure, had moi
given out single mutter, was only some in
ventiou from the dry land. And it deliver.
ed little GRAFTON upon the rottenness OIL
men.
"They want to get hold of u.s." said she
That's all they live for. They stretch nets
for US, and come with bait on hook TO catch
u.s. That thing there is some kind of big
string which they think we are going to bite
at. They are such stupids We are not
Only do not touch it, and it will shrivel up
and all turn to dust and mud. Everything
that comes down from up there is full OF
cracks and breaks-it's good for nothing
Good for nothing !" said all the creatures
10 the sea, aud held fast to the sea-cow':
opinion, so as to have an opinion. The little
| fish had its own thoughts. THAT exceedingly
long, thin serpent is perhaps the most won.
derful fish in the ocean. | have a feeling
it is"
"The very most wonderful, say we human
folks, and say it with knowledge aud assur.
ancc. 1t is the great sea serpent, long age
the theme of song and story. 1t was borr
and nourished aud sprang forth from mems
cunning aud was laid upon the bottom of the
sea, stretching from the Eastern to the Vest
ern land bearing messages, quick as ligh
flashes to our earth. 1t grows in might and
in length grows year by year through all seas
round the world, beneath the stormy waveI
and the lucid waters, where the skipper look,
down as if he sailed through the Transparent
air, ami sees the swarming fish, brilliant fire
works Of color. Down, far down, stretches
I
the serpent Midgard's snake, that bites its
own tail as it encircles the earth. Fish and
shell beat upon it with their heads-.hey un.
derstand not the thing-it is from above,
Mems thoughts in all languages course
through it noiselessy. 1.-The serpent of sci
cnce for good and evil, Midgard's snake, the
most wonderful of all the oceans wonders,