Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1907-09-05
whales, you couldn't tell me any

| name of whale is Physeter macroce-
phalus2 Do you know that he some
times reaches the length of seventy OF
eighty feet2 You stand there with a
mean look on your face, and yet Jet
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 twenty-five
to thirty on each side. The eyes are
small and placed far back in the
head"
well 2" grunted the hired man.
"Well, the cachelot feeds upon fishes
and cephalopodous mollusks. You
probably thought he fed upon tur-
nips. The whale is gregarious. Five
hundred or more have been seen in a
single herd. Terrible conflicts often
take place among the males, and it is
not unusual to find the lower jaw
deformed. The left eye is said to be
smaller than the right, and the whale
cannot see behind him"
call from the professor r. 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 discoyered sew
en- spot bumblebee. As all of us
know, bumblebee is of dark color,
with yellow 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 pasteboard box, and when
the house was reached the box was
placed on a window sill of the veran-
da. The professor had told the widow
all about whales. As soon as he had
a little spare time be meant to tell
her all about bumblebees. Two days
had gone by when the moment came.
The bone digging labors 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 day, and he set out to
first explain about that. Hiram steb-
bins was greasing his boots and chew
ing the rag in the kitchen and could
hear every word. BE also knew all
about that box of bumblebees on the
window sill.
According to Professor Sweetzer,
turtles had hearts and lungs, hopes
and aspirations. he would even 90
so far as to say that turtles loved and
were loved in return. They did not
sing like bird nor below like
frog, but they were supposed to have
musical ears for all that. In his
earnestness the man got hold of the
widoy's hand. 1t was only his way.
If he had got hold Of her ear it 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 Hpam Steb.
bins could restrain himself no longer.
he saw red. he thirsted for gore.
He rose up to do murder, but checked
his onslaught and walked softly into
the sitting room. The window was
up and the bee box before him, while
the backs of the sitters were toward
him. he lifted the cover and stood
back,
The dozen BUNDLES had been hop.
ping mad and calling each other
names for the two days. The cover
was no sooner off than they swarmed
to get room to square off. As they
caught sight of the professor and the
widow, however, the hatchet was in
stantly buried. There was a wild
swoop, followed by wilder yella. Old
seven spot led in the fray. He it
was who lifted the professor over the
veranda rail and let him drop down
among the hollyhocks while the rest
were paying the widow attentions.
The professor ran and was followed,
the widow shrieked and was stung
again and again. 1t was not until
Hiram rushed out with smoke and
fame that she was rescued, and a
neighbor woman sent for to treat the
Jumps and 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
night wore on, and Hiram wondered,
but next morning the widow received
note reading:
"My dear child. please send my
satchel by bearer. I'm off after more
a..