The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-07-28
THE BURSTING OF A SAND BOX.
Danger Lurked IN an Innocent Pod
W hich Wrought Much Damage.

Danger Lurked IN an Innocent Pod
Which Wrought Much Damage.
From the Ne$o York Tribune.
Bolten had spent the winter wandering
among the West India Islands, and when
he got back had a medley OF curiosities
which he had picked up in his travels
Among them were all sorts of beans and
pods of tropical trees, and of the former
were John Crow beans, the wary the horse
eye, Jobs tears and many others. There
were the long scabbard-like pods of the
crimson-flowered acassia cocoa pods, which
ratified With the dried chocolate seeds inside
them, and he also had two pods of the sand
box tree, curious circular store houses for
the seeds, deeply ribbed. each rib running
from top to bottom of the pod. These two
latter received places Of honor in lacquer
trays, the smaller beans finding room
around them, Bolten is natty man and
on his mantel shelf in his bedroom were ar
ranged these treasures, presided over by
statuettes of nude goddesses.
The vegetable ornaments of the shelf
were the most innocent looking things
imaginable and he never dreamed for u
moment that nature was still busy bring
ing to perfection those sand boxes. He had
had gone to bed after hard days work
and was sleeping the sleep of the just when
he was Hakened by what be thought was
pistol shot in his room. At the same time
missiles were flying all around, AS he
jumped out of bed to light the
gas, there was second explosion and
this time he was peppsred when
all sorts OF missiles. The carpet was strewn
with objects that were not pleasant to tread
on, and in his anxiety 10 escape them and
get at the jet, he nearly broke the small toe
of his right foot. by jamming it against a
chair-leg. He nursed it additionally, but
sadly for some time, swearing in undertones
but afraid to give loud expression To his
pent-up feelings, lest there should be
another fusillads.
At last, like a cat walking over hot
bricks, he reached the jet and lighted the
gas. The treasures OF the mAntelpfsos
were scattered about the room. Tho god
desses had been hurled from their high
places, and looked the Roman remains,
headless and armless. The lacquer trays
were in small pieces, while the pods and
beans were scattered ell over the room. The
goblet had even been broken, and the water
was standing in puddles about the carpet.
The sand boxes had vanished. He searched
around carefully. There was no tra:e, 80
| far as he could see, of the cause Of the ex-
ploslons. He gathered up his broken and
scattered treasures, finding among the seq
ments of the sand boxes, and then, leaving
the gas alight, tried to sleep. OF the strange
Occurances, Nc saio nOO WoEo 10 us
friends.
The other day friend was in his rooms
and looking over the collected remnants, re-
marked, "Hulloh! here are the pieces Of a
sand box"
"What is thatg'
swell, it's the fruit Of a tree that grows
in the West Indies, and got its name owing
to the planters using In the days before
blotting-paper was invented, for sand
boxes. The seeds were cut out Of the center,
and the pod was then filed with saud. 1t
was rather an unsatisfactory box, however.
as it often exploded"
Exploded What do you meanp
This is the fruit of Hura crepitans, q
large tree something like the tulip tree Of
this country. As soon as the seed is ripe It
explodes with report like gun, the seeds
and other she'll Of the pod being scattered in
all directions. So great is the force of the
explosion that the broken pieces are thrown
forty and fifty feet. Fowls. as soon as they
hear an explosion run toward the tree and
are soon busy looking for the seeds who
they greedily swallow
THAT explains iJ," said the other, aud he
then told the story Of his shattered works Of
art.