The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1881-08-23
Tie Wonderful Bridge.

oHe DflSnC morning Ill June, grandma
was standing by the south window of
the sitting room, looking at the great
apple trees in neighbor Evans garden.
| The green leaves were rustling in the
morning breeze, but it was not the
leaves ut which she was looking Just
then. The children wanted to know what
it was that she saw, and sho pointed to
a slender thread that stretched from the
ground up, through the golden sunshine
to one of the leafy boughs far up on the
big tree. and glistcned like line Of sill
vcr as it waved in tho breeze.
"What is it % cried the children in a
chorus.
"Such long, long spiders web, said
grandma.
"a wonderful bridge" said papa.
| "Little Madam Araohnid was up in
tho tree there, and wanted to get down
to the ground. so instead of jumping
down and getting bruised, and going
way round and climbing down the trunk
of the tree, she made that pretty
bridge"
elbow could she make it." asked tho
children.
"Well," said papa, 'shc always car
ries with her Il little factory-ever so
many little spinner close togcther-and
when sho wants n .igc, little thread,
30 fine you could see it starts from each
spinner. She puts perhaps n thousand
of the gossamer threads together, and
they make the beginning of rope,
like that You see yondcr. Then she
CLUES the end of the rope to the limb of
the tree, and jumps off into the air and
swings down toward the ground, the
splnners working as fast rs they can, and
the shining rope growing longer and
longer, md the breeze blowing her gent
| " away from the tree. Which she reaches
the ground, she breaks off the rope
close to the little factory, and fastens it
to some stick or spear of grass. All this
| she docs as quick rs we can tell of it.
When she wants to go into the tree
| again, she runs up the ropes as easily rs
you go up the stairs; and if she wants to
prevent any other spider from using her
| bridge, she untastcns the lower end and
carries it with her, folding up the bridge
as she goes over it!
Sometimes, when the wind is blow
ing, Madam Arachnid will fnsten m end
of her rope to twig, and jumping off
into the mir will let tho wind blow her
like kite across to another tree, and
then she will have bridge more won-
derful than any suspension bridge that
man ever made. Mrs. Spider and Mr.
Spider, md MI the little spiders, can run
backward and forward on this bridge rs
easily as you can run from one tree to
another on the garden walk; but if M
unfortunate little fly should try to walk
on that same bridge, his feet would
stick to it; he could not walk on it ut all,
and he would have lots of trouble in get
ting away, and perhaps would stick there
till the spiders came out and ate him
up"
"Do they make anything besides
bridges out Of those bright threads ?"
asked Willie.
eyes, " said papa. "thcy make great
variety of traps and snarcs to catch flies
and bugs and other little creatures. Did
you never SEQ cobwebs on tho bushes or
i'll the corner Of room ?"
"Willie; eyes. sir. Arc they mndo
the same way this is, and arc all wobs
traps?"
Papa: eyes, my boy they arc made of
tho same silky threads as this bridge
tied together 80 as to mako snare or
trap, for tho spiders are great hunters
and trappers. In hot countries, whero
tho very large, poisonous spiders live,
they sometimes build their webs strong
enough to catch birds and small snakes.
Sometimes you will see thick web
made in the shape of n round. tube. Thon
it is not trap, but is tho spiders
house.
Willie: "Do people use spider webs
for anything?"
Papa: "a hundred years ago n French
man made pair of gloves and pair of
stockings of tho silk from spider; and
the silk is sometimes used in cvory deli
cate scientific instrument, such as sur
veyor's telescopes. Cobwebs made by
house spiders are sometimes used :"
medicine, and arc useful to STOP bl.
ing from cuts, etc."
Indications of tho Weather.
The color of the sky at particular