Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1892-02-11
A PEr SPIDER.


-" -
bottle Of fnh.
We named him Belshazzar on the occa
sion Of his first visit 10 MS. though
have forgotten what suggested the
name. He was big black spider, with
shiny, fat body, suggestive Of an
abundance Of fiies, but for all this mp.
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 q scream tina,
made me jump, and even the boys
looked up startled There was big
black spider calmly seated on 4 latin
dictionary regarding us intently.
nappc1 a paper At him, but he only
drew In his legs with a slightly con-
temptuous air and did not stir
LET him alone, sister," said Tom.
I've been studying about spiders, and
here is good opportunity for observ-
ing their habits"
As II encouraged by this champion
ship Belshazxar descended from the die
tionary and crawled slowly oyer the
open page Of an algebra, as II trying to
make out what II was From this he
went over all the books, inspecting
them all with the same critical air, and
At last settled on physical geography
As most worthy Of his attention. Every
now and then he would refresh himself
with drink out Of Alecls's 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. lie had,
and was fioundering helplessly about in
the black pool He was rescued and
placed In scrap OF waste paper with
lnjunctions TO remain there until dry,
but this he had no intention OF doing.
On the contrary he showed a fixed de-
termination TO walk over Toms neatly
written Latin exercise. "You shan't,
sir" said Tom, gently hosting him with
the feathered end Of quill pen on TO
his scrap Of papen
And then, for the next few minutes,
we forgot all about him, ill Toms cry
Of dismay called attention to his exer-
else. II was lined and refined and lined
again with BelshazEar's tracks He had
not left an inch unmarked, and was
even looking very eomplacent over his
nice black tracings when our exclamA-
lions OF sorrow and anger seemed TO
arouse him TO . sense of shame, and he
scrambled down the table and was gone
in the twinkling 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
for II 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
that he was drowned, but he gradually
revived, and beyond appearing rather
was little the worse for the
adventure But whenever he had been
in the ink after that first night nothing
:ould induce him to stir of the paper
IN which he was placed TO dry, though
he would run over that aud seemed to
lake pride In the designs with which he
ornamented IL
What became Of our queer pet we
never knew, but one night he failed to
make his appearance, and we were sur
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 duller
and not TO be looked forward to-Phil-
ldelphia TimeA