The Somerset reporter., 1895-05-02

we should scarcely be able to distin-
guish the difference. You must admit
yourself that one must possess good eye
sight To tell a man from woman 30.
200 miles away.
"Oh, but answered the old man,
with touch Of family pride, "she Is d
fine woman! Not bent and bowed with
ago like me- Indeed she is really g. 600,
GOO years younger than am /. Then, Of
course, she dresses him
''The habiliments suitable to her
sex, | yentufed to say.
Precisely, and, like all tho women
here, is fond of dress. Why. whom last
visited her some 81, 600 years ago, al
most her first question was, How do the
women dress how ON the earth? of
course there wasn't much to tell her be
cause-well, the women of that day
didn't trouble themselves much about
DRESS but am thinking of paying her
another visit soon, and then | shall have
q different budget of news for hor -
But tell me. y | interrupted, for |
was not much interested in the old fell
earth. You must have seen almost a.
great changes in the earth as III the
moon
Almost, " was the answer, "but no,
quite. My world is cold and dead
Yours is still alive, as was mine once,
but your turn will come some day, and
then We shall both 90 cireling through
g
that, he continued, will be many
millions of years from now, almost as
many millions as it is since | first set
eyes on your planet. Then, as l said be-
fore, 1t was a mere mass of molten mat
ter--a vast white hot ball whirlng
round the sun and carrying me with it.
remember rs though it We're yesterday
the first beginning of earthly life At
first the seas covered everything, and
beautiful specimens of marine flora
hoated everywhere upon the surface of
the water, while in its translucent
depths fishes of strange form and glo-
rious coloring disported themselves.
Then the dry land began to appear, and
by slow degrees the great forests that
not covered by the waters. For millions
of years what you are pleased to call
the lower animals were the only deni-
zens of their somber depths, and even
after man came it was hundreds of
thousands Of years before he even par
italy dominated the face of nature. 3"
But was there not, F." | asked, IAN
ice age?"
"a WHAT" he exclaimed, with puz-
zled expression of countenanee.
IAN ice age, = l repeated. "A period
of time when the ice, which. as you are
aware, is always present at the poles,
spread northward and southwark until
it enveloped almost the entire globe "
'Oh, yes. " responded mine host
with the air of man trying to recall
some long forgotten and altogether triv.
ial incident. Il believe something of
the kind did happen, and not more than
100, 600 or $50, 600 years ago either
But it only lasted about 90, 600 years,
and | had quite forgotten all about it
until you mentioned it. -
This concluded the interview, for
although would have liked to have
pursued my inquiries further the old
chap suddenly snatched up his bundle,
bent his back and resumed his orthodox
position, at the same time indicating by
gesture that he was not inclined for
any further conversation. I'VE are hight
over Greenwich observatory, " he ex-
planned in answer to my look of snr-
prise, land | don't want the astronG-
mers there 20 SEQ me without my bum
die and talking to a stranger too. 1t ism t
respectable. London Amusing Jour
nal.