The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1885-09-11


Andjoining hands we laugh again,
And think no more about lleri
MR.. BARGER'S INSECTS.
There is quaint hamlet a few miles
inland from the Long Island sound
coast, known as Dumping Ponds,
which years ago afforded it's few in.
habitants q mysterious though per.
fectly honest living. Mysterious be.
cause no man who had not tried it
ever could understand h2w any one
in that place ever grubbed together
enough to keep soul within the body.
With such precarious means of food
getting Oscar Balger grew up to man.
hood, but though he CLAIMED all his
early days hewas not ofthe clammers.
and though he fished he was not ofthe
fishers.
When he was 81, though he had
never been to school in his life, Oscar
astonished the school committee a,
Peck's Patent by walking in one day
when they had met to decide upon the
teacher for the winters school.
"Areyougoing to examine the teach.
crs?" lie asked.
CHATS what brought us together"
"And will the one that has passed
the examination get the place?'
eff he is a respectable character he
WILL" said the minister.
"rhen I am a candidate" said Os.
car, as he SHE'D his big felt hat in the
CORNER.
"Where were you eddicated, Mr..
Barger?" was the first question put to
him.
wherever had the luck to get a
spare half-hour and the fortune to get
book"
mo, but what school have you been
to?"
"My own. I have been my own
teacher and scholar"
..Never been to SCHOOL,"
"Nevsr, sxcepr as 7 taught myself. ~
The school committee whispered
mongthemselves fol a while and tilci,
the chairman, a man OF Importance
who had been three times to the '.leg-
,s!ater," said: "Mr. Barger, it's the
custom TO i,ira only dedicated teach
ers. Ii you want a JOB oi work ! cali
late can give you one over to my
"But you don't know whether am
educated or not. You haven't tried
ME. Examine ms,"
every well, since you insist upon it, -
said the minister, opening a book.
"What Is the square root of 6,942?"
Quick as a flash Mr.. Barger gave the
correct answer. The committee was
astonished.
"You haven't got this arithmetic
hidden close by you, haveyou?" asked
che chairman.
Oscar stepped out in the middle OF
the room, right in front of the COM
mittee.
"If you think Pm cheating make up
q sum yourselves and ask me to dol -
Theai they took a turn at Geography,
and before many minutes the commit.
tee found that Mr.. Barger was telling
them things they never knew
about the geography of their own
country, and presenting the picture Of
the world beyond the confines of their
own town with such vividness as to
cause for the first time something like
: d concrete conception of the fact that
there did exist C land with millions of
acres without q rock nud hill, Of thou
! sands of miles of mountain ranges g..
900 to 5000 feet high, of rivers that
would bear bigger ships than ever came
up Miapns river 2,O01 miles inland. 90
Had Erasmus himself suddenly ap.
peared among them with all his learn,
ing the Peck's Landing school com.
mittee could not have been more
, dazed.
4i1. Barger taught the Peck's Land
ing school for three winters with great
success. AT the end Of that time lie
had $500, a fair supply Of books, and
u wife. He had married. one of his
,, scholars, p bright girl, who looked up
on him as o prodigy Of learning.
Fop some years Mr.: Barger support
ed his family by teaching and by Com:
pounding and vending q medicinal pill
which his knowledge OF botany had
enabled him to make with such sue.
cess that it's virtues were known far
and near. He called it Gall of the
Ground. But it was only when Ills
rapidly growing family needed money
Fiat Mr.. Barger turned his attention
TO pili:lnilaking, He became all entQm-
elogist, and So utterly absorbed was
he that he did net iietice that his
family were almost starving.
One day the oldest child, q girl,
whom heespecially loved, said to him:
"Father, we are not old enough to
earn A4ything yet, and mother works
SO hard that sils is sick most of the
time, though she dosen't tell you.
Now, think that man who knows
SO mich as you do could make u lot
of money all ct a time; then you
wouldn't be bothered about taking
care of us, and could have all your
time with your books, and money to
buy every book and everything else
you want"
Mr.. Bargcr looked at his child O
moment. Then he shut his book and
embraced her.
"You are right, Mary. will make
before the year hasgone money enougi,
to take care of us all. Call your mo.
ther."
The mother came.
"lennie," said he, lean yon get
made agre,.t discovery, and am going
to utilize it"
%Wk!at is it, oscqrs"' She had faith
in him. . = : .
"A discovery that will put an end to
prospecting; I have aiSs9vered that
ou ter 'la' soia there 81 May b laand
a microscopic insect that can bef04nd
nowhere else. 1 will 60 to Nevada and
search for these animalcule, mot to Learn
.their habits but to find gold. shall
find it," Helaughed heartily. "Then
| with ,1nnf,, al mummy xyn could 60 nj