The Clarksburg telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1874-1926, 1902-01-10
EASY "suRE THINGS"
Some Proposition. That 1t l. Safe to
Bet Against.

There are many things which Mt tirst
thought appear to be easy enough of
accomplishment that it is pretty safe
10 bet man he cannot do. Most people
know that the human hands are not
strong enough to break a new laid egg
If tie hands are clasped and the egg
laid endwise between the palms. II Is
said that the pressure required to break
an egg in this manner amounts 10 IONS.
Among other safe bets is wager
that man cannot rise from n chair
without bending forward or putting his
feet under the chair or outside of it.
Many man will back himself to give
another u start of 30 yards in Il dash
OF 100. provided the man having the
start hops all the way. But no runner,
however swift, can give that amount OF
start 10 an ordinary man. For the first
i've yards they so at practically the
same pace. Therefore the runner, TO so
% yards while the hopper goes 40,
would have to run more than twice US
fast and it would he u weak man who
could not hop II yards ut pace equal
TO 20 seconds for 100 yards.sand that
would mean that the runner In, order TO
win would have to beat all previous
records.
III a ,nan BOASTS that his penknife is
particularly sharp, ask him to cut with
one stroke of the blade one Of those
yellow ribbons. mostly OF silk, which
come around bundles of cigars. In $50
cases out of 1000 the knife Is not sharp
enough to do this. 1t will cut through
all the ribbon but the last strand. and
that will pull out long. and the more
he tries to cut 1t the longer 1t VIII pun
out.
IT In safe to bet any one except
blind man that he cannot stand with
ont support Of any kind for atve MIL
utes Mt "A stretch IL he Is thoroughly
blindfolded without moving his feet.
II he does not move his feet he is pretty
sure to topple over in about u minute.
A man prefers temper TO sulks.
storm of tears to u fit OF melancholy.
He is tiattcred by touch OF jealousy
occasionally III woman's attitude to-
ward him. but he Is weaned and alien
ated from her IL 1t becomes quality
of her nature.
John oliver Hobbies. the critic and
epigrammatic writer, swears by the
tiny image OF hideous Hindoo god
that she wears us charm.
Ants as Miners.
Ants commonly are regarded as null
sances. yet they have their uses. II
YOU dig up nest of common brown
ants. YOU will notice by putting your
face close to the hill pungent odor
arising. This IS the vapor of formic
acid. the principle of ant poison. Now.
formic acid has the property of max
ing plants grow as hardly anything
els. will. Therefore the mold of which
the ant nests are composed makes n
valuable dressing for the market gar
den when spread on while 1t is fresh.
Another little known benefit to be de-
rived from ants is the collection OF
their eggs for fish food. In tue late
summer a good many people make o
living by gathering ant eggs in the
pine woods OF Surrey and Berkshire.
England and selling them to the Lon
| don fish dealers.
In the west ants are sometimes used
MS miners. There is large species OF
Rocky mountain ant which builds us
nest neither of wood nor earth. but oL
stone, and 1t prefers stones brilliant ~
color for this purpose. Miners are saM
to transport whole nests of these u,
scots to places where garnets abound
and when the ants have'built their new
homes all the best crystals within q VI
dius OF many yards will be found lnf!'s
! and sppropFl ~