The Kinsley graphic. [volume] (Kinsley, Kan.) 1890-1940, 1892-02-12
A pr sPIDER.


re HAD Lots or Fun EumbIIuE Euto
Bottle o. EaIz.
We named him Belshazzar on the occa-
sion of his first visit to Us, though ]
have forgotten what suggested the
name. He was a big black spider, with
a shiny fat body suggestive Of an
abundance OF dies. but for all this up-
probation OF the good things of Life he
was OF a scholarly turn of mind. We
were all seated around the study table,
preparing the next days lessons and
tasks, when Minnie gave a scream that
made me jump, aud even the boys
looked Up startled There was q big
black spider calmly seated on a latin
dictionary regarding us intenty.
dapped a paper at him. but he only
drew in his legs with a slightly CON
LemptuOus air aud did not stir.
Let him alone. sister" said Tom
I've been studying about spiders. and
here is a good opportunity for observ-
ing their habits"
As & encouraged by this champion
ship Belshazzar descended from the die
tionury and crawled slowly over the
open page OF an algebra as If trying to
make out what it was From this be
went over all the books, inspecting
them all with the same critical air, aud
at last settled on a physical geography
as most worthy of his attention. Every
now and then ne would refresh himself
with drink out of Alexis ink bottle
All at once we missed him, and as he
had last been seen drinking from the
edge of the bottle suspicion immediately
arose that he had fallen in. He had,
and was houudering helplessly about in
the black pool he was rescued and
placed ia q scrap Of waste paper with
injunctious to remain there until dry,
but this he had no intention of doing.
On the contrary he showed a HEed de
termination to walk over Toms neatly
written Latin exercise lyon shau't,
sir said Tom, gently hosting him with
the feathered end Of a quill pen on 70
his scrap OF paper.
And then, for the next few minutes,
we forgot all about him, till Toms cry
Of dismsy called attention to his eNer-
else. 1t was lined and refined and lined
again with Belshazzar's tracks, He had
not left an inch unmarked and was
even looking very compliment over his
uice black traciugs when our e&clama-
. lions of sorrow and anger seemed to
arouse him TO a sense of shame, aud he
. 5cram bled down the table and was gone
IN the tyyiukling of an eye,
We thought we had seen the last Of
him, but the next night he came again,
and again, until we looked for him as a
regular visitor and placed the physical
geography open for him, for his fancy
Tor It seemed TO last The accident OF
his fall into the ink bottle was repeated
several times, for he would drink the ink,
and once for several minutes we feared
-hat he was drowned, but he gradually
revived, and beyond appearing rather
subdued was little the worse for the
adventure But whenever he had been
In the ink after that first night nothing
could induce him to stir of the paper
On which he was placed to dry, though
he would run over that and seemed to
[ take pride in the designs with which he
I 1ruameuted it.
/ What became OF our queer pet we
I never knew, but one night he failed to
make his appearance, and we were s2lr-
/ prised to find now much we missed
/ him. We hoped, however, that he
[ would come the next evening but he
never did, and somehow the study hour
after that seemed longer and dulIer
! and not to be looked forward tO.-Fhil-
/ adelphiu Times.