The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1900-08-29


write to know Why it is that geese will
not eat corn when it is strewn around
the circumference Of q circle. They
say that their presiding elder couldent
tell, and advised them to ask me. I
supposed it was conundrum, or that
there was some catch in the question
"a catch like the one: Why will 9
guinea pigs eyes fall out if you hold
il up by the tail? AS the guinea pig
has no tail, of course, his eyes are in
no danger. But lady friend who
raises geese assures me that .she has
often seen them tempted with corn or
other grain strown thickly round a cir
Gle, and they will not venture near it;
but if scattered, they will, after care
full inspection, approach and eat.
What the circle has 70 do with it is
past my ken, though we do know that
geese march in straight lines and the
wild geese fly in straight angles. A
goose is very suspicious fowl, and is
always on the lookout for danger. A
goose hasent much sense. In fact, q
goose is goose; but their devotion to
each other when mated is beautiful.
How faithfully the. gander will stand
by his mate whiie she sits on he-
nest. She pluoks the down. from his
breast and covers her eggs. How gal
lantly he escorts her to the grass and
escorts her back when she leaves them
for food. How tenderly they care for
the brood when it comes, and never
leave them until feathered and grown.
There are no divorces nor grass widows
in the Anserian family-what pity
we are not all geese.
But, speaking Of conundrums re-
minds me Of how lady caught me
yesterday when she asked me how the
water got into the watermelon, and as
proceeded to expound the chemical
processes that ell fruits and vegets-
bles had to 60 through. she stopped
me and said: cob, sazs;;ooTT, major inc wafer
gets into the watermelon because it is
planted in the spring" I got even
with her, though, by ssking her Why
was an elephant like o lads belt.
When she gave it up,I said, .Be-
cause there 10 b. in both" 'sWhy,"st
che said, 'sthere 10 no 81 in sele.
phant.'" ''There is as6' in both, 80
said I. "'B-o-t-h'-you can't epell
both without 81" Ie taxes liz.
tie time to see that. And there is an
other conundrum that was classic
when ! was young
Charge, Chester, charge-On, Stanley,
We're the Last words Of Narmlcn.
Had but been In Htanley's place
Tears would have moistened Chester's
face.' e.
The smell Of an onion would have
brought tear or two. I reckon. Now,
let those sweet school girls strain their
minds over that, and then let them
search the scriptures and tell me this.
There is reference made in the old and
new testaments to person who died
as no other person ever died; whose
body never saw corruption, whose
name is never spoken and the material
of whose shrond is found in every
household. There is no catch in that
it is a fact. Ask the presiding
elder.
am indulging in these thoughts to
please the children, for that is the
biggest and best part Of parental life,
aud is what the world is working for.
Sometimes I cannot help ruminating
upon what pleased me when I was
young and my mind was expanding in
to knowledge day by day now / did
strain over the. problem % che. fox and
tho goose and the bag Of corn. And
'nere was the elephant puzzle: where
an old man died leaving eighteen ele-
phants'to his three sons TO have
half Of them, another one.third oi
them and the othsr one.ninth. But
before the division one elephant died,
and seventeen wouldn't divide even al
all. So they consulted q wise old
nelghbor who had but one elephant.
tie generously drove his one into the
herd of seventeen and then divided
them, giving to lone Of the boys nine,
to another ak and to the other two,
This took but seventeen, and so be
drove his own elephant back home
again. How IS that2 Wasent he 1
smart old fellow TO satisfy the boys
and save his elephant2 #.s
Bat ty and by these school nhi1dear
advance into their teens and begin Il
choose sWeethearks and tha Inv,