Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1885-11-20
A SAD FATE.
The Dreadful Thing That Happened I'm
der the Sea.

"
The Dreadful Thing That Happened I'm
der the Sea.
"Ah metz said the sponge. ..Dear!
dear! dear! well-a-day!!"
"What is the matter?" asked tine
bath-tub. "Have you been squeezed
too hard, or has the nurse rubbed soap
on you again? I know soap never
agrees with YOU" :.
81 am rather exhausted by the
squeezing, l confess, replied the
sponge; ''but it is not for that I sighed.
l am gradually getting used to these
daily tortures.
':But 1 was thinking about the past;
about my beautiful home, from which I
was SO cruelty torn, and about the
happy, happy life ! led there"
Tell me about it," said the bath
tub. "You have told me before, but l
always find it interesting. My home
was in a tin-shop, as you are aware.
The society was good, but it was rather
a dull place, on the whole. You lived,
you say
ION the coast of Syria" said the
sponge, with a sigh-..the coast of
beautiful Syria. There is a tiny bay,
where the shore is bold and rocky. The
rocks are above the water, but down
below they are covered with lovely
plants, and fringed with gay moses,
beautiful to behold. The bottom of the
sea is covered with silver sand. and
over it move.the crimson and gold-col-
ored %jelly-tish, the scarlet star-fish, and
q thousand other brilliant creatures,
making the neighborhood always at
tractive and deli ghtful. On a certain
ledge of rock, close by the bottom, 1
lived, as happy an animal as could be
found in the Mediterranean Sea-"
''Wha do you mean?" interrupted
the n~ail-brush, which was new, and
very ignorant. "You, an animal? I
don't believe it. If our back were
bone, and your hair pig-bristles, like
mine, you might at least call yourself
an animal product; but you have no
back that l can see, nor hair either"
"You are extremely rude" said the
sponge. '.But you know no better, and
ignorance should always be pitied rath-
err than blamed. l was an animal, my
young friend, though. now, alas. I am
only the skeleton OF one.
II lived, as l said, a very happy life
on my rocky ledge. l never moved
from it I had no occasion to do SO,
even if I had been provided with legs,
as many animals are. I never had any
fancy for a rowing life. To draw in the
warm delicious water through the thou
sand small holes and canals OF my
frame, and spout it out again through
my large holes, was my chief occupa-
ton, and one of which 1 was never
weary. The water was full of tiny
creatures of all kinds, and these formed
my food, and gave me plenty to eat.
In the spring l was always busy with
my maternal duties. 1 brought out
hundreds of lovely little young eggs,
rellow and white-the prettiest eggs
you ever saw In a short time they put
out their tiny feelers, a sort of fringe of
waving lashes, like those things on the
nurses eyes; as o 0 as they appeared
l knew my babies were ready to come
out, and, sure enough, they soon broke
through the empowering, and waving
their lashes, swan out into the sea.
"At first they staid near me, de-
lighting my heart with their pretty
tricks; but very soon they felt the need
Of homes of their own, and went off to
fix themselves on rocks, or coral-trees,
and become, in their turn. full-grown
spolges, like myself. I could not COM
plain, for l had left my W mother in
the same way. l never saw any OF them
again, except one dear child, who made
his home on the she'll of a large crab.
He grew finely; and became Il noble
sponge; but the crab never seemed to
mind him in the least, and carried him
about with him wherever he went. In
this way he often passed near my ledge,
and US the crab was q friendly and sen.
sible fellow we often had sxpleasant
chat together.
zone day, one dreadful, dreadful
day, 1 was talking thus with my son
and his landlord. when suddenly some
thing huge and dark was seen above us,
swimming slowly downward through
the clear water. At first l paid no at.
tention to it, supposingi it to be a shark,
Or some other large fish; but as it drew
nearer 1 saw that it was nc fish, but $
strange and horrible monster, the like
of which had never been seen under
the sea. 1t had four long arms, some.
thing like those of a cuttle-tish, only
much less graceful. and divided at tho
end into five claws, or feelers. q have
since learned that two of these arms
are called legs, and that the feelers are
fingers and toes.) 1t had cleaning
eyes, and in one claw it held some.
thing bright and shining. All! it make:
me cold TO think of il. To my horror
the monster fixed his shining eyes
on me, and swan directly toward my
ledge. The crab scuttled Off with my
son on his back, and 1 was left alone
and helpless. l saw one Of the long
arms extended; the five feelers clutcheo
me in their grasp. l shrank down, anc
chung with all my might to the rock
but insvain. The shining thing in the
monsters other claw was slipped I'm
der ne. 1t cut my delicate tibers;
felt them give way one by one; and a
last, with one terrible cut and a violen,
wrench, l was torn from my peaceful
] home; torn from it alas! forever!