The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1894-06-29
What a pcadler Discovered.

The magnificent Lardarel palace at
Lcghorn has singular work Of art In
one of its numerous galleries. This is
a huge coronet made of boraX, and
mounted on high gilt pedestal, and
the story attached to it is q very In
teresting one.
It begins n long way back, and the
principal figure in 1t is very ordinary
!. oking pcddlcr. Wearied with lis
tramp. he took of his pack one lay
under the trees in the Ma.Hmeh't
weeds, and spread out his humble din
ner Of bread and meat. He was hun
g1y enough, but ev n more tired tlinn
hungry, and while he was eating he
Went fast asleep. Down rolled the
bread and meat on the ground, which
certainly did not improve It; but the
weary peddler would not have ex-
hanged that delicious. restful sleep
for the choicest vlaRds rn the grand
dnke's table.
Finally, however, he awake and ,e-
menbered that he was hungry. He
CT u'd not afford to be squcanisll, and
Picking up his neglected food, he :,egan
to eat it. Perhaps lie had been dream
ing of delicate turbot and macaleni,
or turkey stuffed with chestnuts, for
his bread and meat no longer tasted
good, and he was unable to swallow
the monthful he had taken. Some
queer change had passed over 1t while
he was asleep, for it was ac. mlly Bit
ter, and the poor man wondered who
could have played him so shabby a
trick.
But presently light began to dawn
upon him. He was quite Intelligent for
q peddler, and his f;lvo"ite study vas
chemistry. So he reused himself up
and tasted little of the earth on which
his dinner had fallen. 1t was just rs
he anticipated, bitter, and scraping up
small quantity of it, he slowed It
away In his pack. Then back he tramp
ed to Leghorn as fast as his feet would
carry him, without ever thinking of
the journey he had already taken; and
once In the city again, he went straight
to a crony Of his who was quite a
learned chemist, AMI who had taught
him all he knew Of that interesting
science.
Like other chemists, this one was
quite accustomed to putting unpleasant
sAoSAa6 tuAuSS uuU n0
seemed to enjoy a pill of the peddler's
Garth as though it had been a choice
bonbOn. He knew at once that It would
buy all the bonbons in Le,horn and
q few other things besides. Yes, his
humble friend was right in his suspI-
ciOn. Soda and borax was there in
great force, and the peddlcr co lid not
do better than to buy up all that his
savings would cover of the cheap land
where his bread and butter had fallen
Perhaps he had the money tied up
in an old stocking that was kept in the
corner cupboard, or perhaps he had
buried 1t in some secret spot from
prying eyes; but wherever 1t was, he
speedily dislodged it, and bought the
waste land ut very low price. He
lost no time, either, In starting his
manufactures, and, thanks to his
knowledge Of chemistry, he made q
princely fortune. His descendants In.
termarried with the noblest families Of
Italy; and 1t was chiefly to borax that
they owed their coronets, the honored
this product of the earth In one of
their finest palaces.
The moral Of this subject ia that a
knowledge Of chemistry sometimes
leads to great discoveries; and il all
students do not find soda and borax
IN unsupported regions, they cannot
TAIL to find much that it interesting
and well worth the study.