Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1894-08-30
Cock Robin como to life again and

Cock Robin como to life again-and
then, with a gay flourish of horselnan-
ship, he turned homeward. Ponce
picked up his ears and trotted down
the lane at a brisk pace. BY the time
he had reached the main road his gait
was lively lively, indeed!- but
horse going home to a good meal Of oats
was known to travel we'll. so John
wasn't surprised. Ponce, however,
was COMPOUNDED. He was accustomed
to the Tapping against his TANKS
of saddle-bags weighted with cleanli-
ness on one hand. and goodness on the
other that is to say, with fresh linen
and religious literature-but what
could be the meaning of these dread
full neclxbags? He stopped, shook his
head, and paved the ground. These
proceedings did not help matters-as
he evidently hoped they might-for
down the bridle-rein began to slide
the terminated and hapless pullets.
What were these monstrous things fly
ing across his vision and cackling un-
der his very nostrils? He tried to
jump seven-railed fence, while John,
chung to saddle and name like barna-
Gle to the hull of ship; he pulled like
leviathan-if anyone knows what
that is like; and then he dashed mad
ly down the country road. There were
no travellers on the highway, which
was fortunate circumstance, as Ponce
in his temporary insanity would have
been quite as regardless of human life
as the most despicable of steam
engines. Not soul was in sight to
watch the mad ride. Indian corn
stared tall and green from both sides of
the fence, and sparrows looked out from
the hedges these were the only living
things to see the weight carrying
race of my dear little John Gilpin. Off
few his hat, but no matter-he had a
better one at home! On went his
steed, the affrighted missionary
There was wild satisfaction in going
so fast-it was like flying, and he had
always wished to fly. Mr.. Wales farm
was passed. And could that vision Of
white and green be Mr.. Stron's-so
soon9 Really, this was going as fast
as he cared to go!-a pleasure from
which he had hitherto been debarred
by his parents and the parish. He felt
very much exilarated and somewhat
startled. I think if he had known
that, in addition to the linear flight
Ponce was treating him to- the earth
was whirling him around it's axis, and
sweeping him around the sun, and
carrying him around some wonderful
center, the compound multiplication
of motion would have seriously
alarmed him; but as he knew nothing
of the wheels within wheels, and
the sturdy spirit of the west was
in his veins he was not dis
mayed. That red blur must be Mrs.
Perkins barn! 'Only half mile,
Ponce! SO! s-o!' he said, soothing
ly. But Ponce would listen to no ca
jolement, even though friendly lit
tie voice poured it directly into his
ear. What! with those unheard-o
things Tapping into his very face? He
gave an indignant heave, and John,
realizing that his ride was over, loos-
ened his feet from the stirrups and
slipped deftly off-with the saddle
Onward plunged Ponce, and, in few
minutes the exhausted animal halted
at the parsonage gate to beg, with al
most human cries, for deliverence
from the unaccountable burden swing
ing under his dilated nostrils. AS
may be supposed, the arrival of the
riderless and frenzied horse plunged
the parsonage and its neighbors into
an agony of fright; but John was soon
met trudging buoyantly homeward,
and then came tears and laughter,
Gliding and thanksgiving. What an
excitement for everything and every
body-pullets, Ponce, parsonage and
parish-all because of an innocent ex-
pertinent in physics!
To this history one item alone re-
mains to be added. In the years that
have followed hard upon the sunny
morning of this story, my hero has
taken many merry gallop, but he has
never repeated the ride of John Gilpin,
Jr.-Interior.
An Insect Sounding Board.
Mans inventions are fequently but
limitations, more or less clumsy and
Intellectual, of natures own devices
1t would appear, for instance, that
even insects have sounding boards, al
though they may be supposed to know
nothing of the laws of acoustics. En-
tomologists have recently discovered
on the under side of the fore wings
OF two Japanese insects of the fam
lilies cidaria curious pit or hollow
closely connected with an organ be-
lieved to be used by the insect for
producing strident sounds. The pit
would evidently serve to concentrate
the sound as the shell-shaped orchestra
stands at some of our seaside resorts
reflect the melody of the instruments
to the ears of the auditors. In the
Khari hills in India another species of
the same insect has been found which
possesses similar set of organs. The
shrill, creaking sounds that insects
produce seldom fall pleasantly upon
our ears, but they must produce diff
ferent effect in the insect world, else
nature would hardly have provided
these little musicians with sounding
boards
Absent Minded.
People of great attachments are often
forgetful of small things, their minds,
doubtless, being absorbed in the con-
temptation Of future achievements;
this, however, is not always the case,
as there are many instances of genius
united with great power of memory,
and observant of the small details of
daily life.
Madame Sarah Grand, the novelist,