The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-04-15

that way. If was to ask you about whales, you couldn't tell me anything"
 But tho professor could?"
 "Yes, sir: he could. Hiram Stebbins. do you know that the Latin name of whale Is physeter macrocephalus? Do ambergris from it's bodyf Do you know that he sometimes reaches the length of seventy or eighty feet? You stand there with . mean look on your face, and yet let me tell you that the sperm whale can swallow man at a gulp. There are no teeth in the upper jaw, but the lower one has from The eyes arc small and placed far back in the head"
 .'well?' grunted the hired man.
 "WeIi, the cacheiot feeds upon fishes and cephalopodous nollusks. You probably thought he fed upon turnips. The whale is gregarious Five hun dred or more have been seen in a sim gle herd. Terrible conflicts often take place among the males, and 1t Is not unusual to find the lower jaws deformed. The left eye Is said to be smaller than the right, and the whale cannot see behind him.
 "All from the professorr' sneered Hiram as he bowed and walked out to fasten the hencoop for the night.
 When the professor wasn't assisting his man to dig for bones he was hunt ing bugs and bees and butterflies. To his great joy he discovered seven- spot bumblebee. As all of us know, a bumblebee Is of dark color with yell low spots on his back. There are often from five to six spots. and only rarely a seven-spotter. This bee, along with a dozen others, was placed in a paste board box, and when the house was
 k1- Ava n window sill of the veranda. The professor had told the widow all about whales. As soon as he had little spare time he meant to tell her all about bumblebees. Two days had gone by when the moment came. The bone digging fabors of the day were over and supper disposed of when the professor and the widow took chairs on the veranda. He had found the shell of small turtle in the gravel that and he set out to first explain about that Hiram Stebbins was greasing his boots and chewing the rag In the kitchen and could hear every word. He also knew all about that box of bumblebees on the window sill.
 According to Prof. Sweetzer turtles had hearts and lungs, hopes and as- pira -ons He would even go so far as to say that turtles loved and were loved in return. They did not sing like a bird nor below like a frog, but they were supposed to have musi- cal ears for all that. In his earnest ness the man got hold of the widows hand It W: }. only his way. If he had got hold of her ear 1t would have been the same. He had called her his dear woman and his dear child half dozen times. and in his lecture he had got as far back as the turtles markings when Hiram Stebbins could restrail. himself no longer. He saw red. He thirsted for gore. He rose up to do murder, but checked his on- siaught and walked softly into the sit- ting room. The window was up ana the bee box before him, while the backs of the sitters were toward him. He lifted tie cover and stepped back.
 The dozen bumbles Id been hop ping mad and calling each other names for tl TWO days. The cover was no sooner off than out they swarmed to get room to square off. As they caught sight of the professor and the widow, .owever, the hatchet was in- stantly buried. There was a wild swoop, followed by wilder yells. Old seven-sp led in the fray. He it was who lifted the professor over the veranda rail and let him drop among the hollyhocks while the rest were paying the widow atte tions. The professor ran and was folloWeo; the widow shriek.d and was stung again again. It was not until Hiram rushed out with smoke and flame .nat she was rescued, and a neighbor woman sent for to treat the bumps and put her to bed The professor returned not. old seven-spot wouldn't let him. No news came from him as the hours of nis, tt wore on. and Hiram wondered. but next morning the widow received a note reading:
 My dear child. please send my satchei by bearer. I'm off after more bones. The turtle, as meant to have told you. Is utterly without ambition"
 "Wai," said Hiram to himself as he worked in the cornfield that day. '.there was the professor and me ana the widder and the whale and the humble bees, and If haint come out top O the heap, who hasf'