The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1894-03-16
eos of some gigantic grasshopper.

legs OF some glgantlc graSSnOpper. AT
rived at where the DyalS stood. he
would sit at the feet of his dusl1y Gam
aliel until the speech was over, when
with plunge of his hands and sky
ward kick of his fleet lie would whlrl
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 a 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 it as the Dyak agitator, but was
confdentially chattering to himself
like loquacious and weakened grand
"a monkey, which simian ancestor, by
the way, he strongly resembled.
"That's an Australian black fell
low" said the doctor, following my
eyes, land though he never heard Of
the telephone he is the possessor of one.
That sounds contradictory, doesn't it?
Yet it's the fact. He was found one
day out by Diamond head, but how he
got there nobody knows"
event mad on some passing vessel
and jumped overheard / suggested:
"those black fellows swim like fish"
Got put off in a 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 fsh-sharks l mean-which might
aid in making break for shore 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,
knees, placed one of them to his right
ear, and with the other scratched his
left side in another familiar apish ges
ture.
''Clk-clk-clk-c lk-clk-cll1, he cried
with great rapldity, repeating with his
lips the little scratching sound made
with his nails against his shirt.
''Dik dix dik-dilz, glg-glg glg-glg,"
then, with a burst, and replacing both
hands around his knees: Good chen
in, sab"
Had your supper, Uncle Billy?"
Both hands went back again, one
funnel shape at the right ear, ard the
other scratching away at the left side
Blk blk-bll1, clk-cll1-cll, dll1-dlk-
dix, glg-glgg-glg, mzz-mzz-mzz, nzz-
nzz-nzz No, sah.'
The old man went through it all as
seriously and simply as possible, with
no more apparent volition or interest
in the matter than if he had been q
1elin-the-slot machine.
Hes run through the consonants,"
said the doctor, until he reaches the
one on which his answer is pitched, so
to speak,"
''Or, going back to your telephone
idea," l said, "he calls up the initial
of 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
he 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 &, while at another.
time, although he again wishes to
reach G, he will only use d, and g.
bat he will never use C, f, 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 A. 3. c, mean, and he is
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 l 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, it is rather amusing to see
the race between his method and hi,
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
Biliy?'"
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 sibilant
'yzh'' he leaped.o his ''yes sah' and
the tobacco at the same time.
The asylum had evidently been a pr
vate residence at some time. for at
about a hundred PAGES from the house
stood 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 O.
crimson water-lilies. From the ponde
as we drew near. there came the sound
OF much blowing and splashing in it,
and as we came to the edge we saw a
big fat Chinaman wallowing and tuln-
bling about over and over again like a
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 tax
ing his bath with his clothes on, even
to his hat and boots. After disportlng
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."-N. Y Sun.
Great Britain has $50, coo miles of
roads, which cost 500. 900, 600 and 6. 900
miles of streets. which cost ECO. 600 O00.
Began in y Humble Way