, 1889-08-22
KATIE's AMBER BEADS.

KATIE's AMBER BEADS.
Katies mother had gone to europe
This fact, which meant so little TO the
world in general, was q very serious al
iair to Katie and her little brother Her
bert, because their pleasant home in the
city was broken up for several months,
ana the children were sent TO grand
mainmas. Next to home, grandmam.
ma was the most delightful place in
the world, so they were quite happy al-
ter the first grief OF. parting was over.
Every foreign mail brought sweet little
letters to the children, ana Katie wrote
the very best ones she could in reply.
She recorded all the pleasant doings and
sayings, and she told her father and
mother how earnestly they prayed every
morning and evening for their safe re-
turn.
kate's mother had told her, that she
should send her little package the
very first opportunity that offered. Not
many weeks passed before IL came.
Every one IN the house was remembered.
The amber necklace is Tor Katie,
wrote her mamma. II purchased II in
Dresden, at store where | found guam
titles made of amber, such as brooches,
earrings, bracelets, sleeve buttons and
many other things. | connot tell her
all ABOUT the wonderful substance of
MHNh my are Ulllt, buI SIe must ASK
Aunt Edith, who probably knows more
about 1t than | do" Katie took the
necklace in her hands; her loving heart
flew 10 mamma, and she kissed IL jtist be-
cause she did not know what else To- do
Presently her thoughts came home
again, and she saw in her hands IA row
OF pale yellow beads, separated in the
middle by little cross. Katie at once
determined she would learn all about
amber and her auntie promised to tell
her as much as she knew on the subject.
Tho next morning, as soon as she had
finished her little tasks, she went to
Aunt Ediths sitting-room. Her aunt
was reading, but she laid aside her book,
and, taking her knitting, said; Now,
Katie, dear shall we talk. about those
beads? Take the map of Europe first,
aud we will find the city Of Dresden.
There 1t is ON the river Elbe. Now look
for the Baltic sea- Katie soon found
that too, about 200 miles north of Dres-
den,
at is on this sea that more amber is
found than anywhere else in the world,
although il has been obtained in small
quantities IN our own little state of New
jersey" said her aunt. "lts being SO
often discovered in beds OF coal makes ii
quite certain that it Is the fossil gum OF
4 tree long ago changed into coal, You
knowthe coal we burn was once living,
growing trees.
You have noticed the gum oozing
from cherry trees, have you not? IL Is
all shades of yellowish brown, and |
have thought that amber must, have
been formed in the same way. The
lighter the color of the amber and the
more transparent, the more valuable it
Is, We do not see it ottener used for
ornaments because il Is very easily
scratched and broken. However, in
oldcn times, when precious stones were
not so plenty as they are now, amber
was highly priced.
Then Aunt Edith, taking key,
opened pretty cabinet and took from
one of the drawers several specimens of
amber. One piece was in its rough state,
just as it hud beed found, only the sand
had been cleaned Oft. Then she told
Katie that the largest piece ever known
weighs eighteen pounds, aid is now in
the Royal Museum of Berlin. Is size
may be imagined by comparing it with
the size OF II child's head, and weighs
only two and II half pounds.
Then there was large bead of dark
amber, said to have belonged to queen
of Holland. Katie thoaght by its
scratched appearance that it had been
worn great deal.
The most interesting specimens re-
HiulHeu lot MUG 10 see, ana tne tellgnt
and wonder she expressed quite equaled
her aunts expectations.
These specimens were very light-col
orcd and beautifully polished, besides
being so clear that she could see through
them from side to side. In the middle
of one was q spider with its bag of eggs
attached to its body; in another. fly
in its struggles had folded one poor wing
close to its side, and the other was
spread in its last efforts to free itself,
while portions of its legs We're scattered
about
"Oh auntie how did these insects get
fastened herc?" said Katie. "Oh, how
cruel that they should tear them
selves to pieces trying to fly awayl"
Then Aunt Edith explained to her
that they had crept upon the gum when
1t was very soft, and In their efforts TO
free themselves they were thus multi
ated. Gradually the gum hardened, and
they were forever imprisoned.
"We can not tell, Katie, how many
hundreds of years they have been there,
and yet they are just the same now as at
the moment they died. think" she
added, Tho more we study tho Won
derful things God makes, The more we
will be astonished to find how much we
can learn about objects that at first seem
so very small and uninteresting.'