The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1894-02-23

~" ~ NtN ocbiiNi VI lAlt Ibti tlGSt iAfplil
he would turn his feet, and his hands
too, toward the sound, and the yellow
athlete would soon be seen trundIin2
himself Dyallwards, his tireless spollcs
flashing in the sun like the vaulting
legs OF some gigantic grasshopper. Ar
rived at where the Dyak stood. he
would sit at the feet of hIs duslly Gam
aliel until the speech was over, when
with plunge of his hands ard a sky
ward kick of his fleet he would whirl
himself off until the next call for rest
and audience
Among the dozen or so of men men
toned as being loungers and not list
eners was little old colored man who
squatted under d tree with his knees
drawn up to his chin, was. indeed, car
rying on very lively little address of
his own. Only he was not SO noisy
about IL as the DyalH agitator, but was
contidentially chattering to himself
like loquaciouS and weaZened grand
pa monkey, which simian ancestor, by
the way, he strongly resembled.
That's an Australian black fell
low" said the doctor, following NV
eyes, and though he never heard of
the telephone he is the possessor of one
That sounds contradictory, doesn't it?
Yet its the fact He was found one
day out by Diamond head, but how he
got there nobody knows"
Nv ent mad on some passing vessel
and jumped overheard" | suggested;
those black fellows swim like fish"
Got put off in d dingy, most likely"
said the doctor Il don't mean to say
he didn't, or couldn't swim, only there
are certain other creatures that swim
like tish--sharks | mean-which might
aid in making Il break for shore a good
deal like an obstacle race But come
and hear the telephone. The owner
and patentee speaks very little Eng
lish. but good enough for the purpose
Good evening, Uncle Billy"
Uncle Billy stopped his chattering,
unlocked his hands from around his
knees, placed one of them to his right
ear, and with the other scratched his
left side in another familiar apish ges
ture.
'Clll-clk-clk- he cried
with great rapldity, repeating with his
lips the little scratching sound made
with his nails against his shirt
Dix dix dik-dix, glg-glg-gIr-nlr.
then, with burst, and replacing both
'''aA'N'' A4AS hhCCS-
in, sab"
Had your supper, Uncle Bnly?"
Both hands went back again, one
funnel shape at the right ear, ard the
other scratching away at the left side.
"Blk-bll-blk, clk-clk-clk, dlk-dlk-
dix, glg-glg-glg, mzz-mzz-mzz, nzz-
nzz-nzz No, sab"
The old man went through il all as
seriously and simply as possible, with
no more apparent volition or interest
in the matter than if he had been a
machine.
He's run through the consonants,"
said the doctor, until he reaches the
one on which his answer is pitched, SO
10 speak"
or, going back to your telephone
idea" | said, he calls up the initial
If his phrase and then gets the mes
sage"
That's just it," said the doctor.
What is particularly curious about
the matter Is" he added, that though
ne doesn't always give the same num-
Der Of cOnsOnant sounds, he never va
ries the order of those he makes use
of. For example, he may at one time
say b, c, d, ( and z, while at another
time, although he again wishes To
reach 9, he will only use d, ( and q.
bat he will never use c. T, b and g, or
any other mis-sequence. This is all the
more curious because he persists in
saying that he has never learned the
alphabet, our \, Ii, c, mean, and he is
a truthful old fellow, according to his
lights Another curious thing about
his method is that never yet in my
hearing, or in that of those / have
asked To observe, has he made use of
a vowel sound in these calls, and has
never begun a sentence with a vowel
BY the way, ii is rather amusing to see
the race between his method and his
desires if he is in hurry to get at
the reply. I'll ask him, for instance.
something to which he's bound to an
swer Yes: Want some 'baccy, Uncle
BiIly?"
The hands flew back to their places
and the scratching and calling went on
at lightning rate, the dix" falling
over the ''mzz," and that stumbling
over the ''rrrr'' until with a sibilant
''yzh' he leaped on his yes, sab" and
the tobacco at the same time
The asylum had evidently been a pri
vate residence at some time, for at
about a hundred PAGES from the house
stood a small grove of shade trees, in
the midst of which was a deep, cool
bathing pond, grass-grown To the very
edge and with one corner blaze of
crimson watcr-lilies- From the pond.
as we drew near. there came the sound
of much blowing and splashing in it,
and as we came to the edge we saw
big fat Chinaman wallowing and tum-
bling about over and over again like d
sea pig. There was nothing remark
able about this, of course, because talk.
ing your bath is one of the necessities
of the climate, but this fellow was talk
ing his bath with his clothes on, even
to his hat and boots. After disportIng
himself for some few minutes longer,
until he and the water were alike thick
with yellow mud, he clambered out
with much commotion and Immediate
ly proceeded TO strip himself His wet
and filthy clothes he laid very careful
ly out on the grass, where the low sun
had last chance at them, and then
laid himself down beside them.
''As soon as they are moderately
dry" said the doctor. ''he will put his
clothes on again and take another
plunge into the tank IN. v Sun
He Had the Proof.
"Uncle Eben," said young man who
was disposed to be jocular, do you be-
lieve that there is luck in a rabbits
foot?"
The old mans eyes twinkled. Put
ting his hand in his vest pocket he
drew forth a velvety rabbits paw, and
said gravely, as he held it at arms