The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-12-10

i
Inc Fellows claim us now.
We're led,
We WOO.
| We wed;
At leisure we repent.
| We work.
We sigh.
And soon
| We die;
So many a life Is spent.
Muskrats Cause of Pearls.
| Muskrats cause pearls, according to
Charles B. Wilson. an investigator of
Without muskrats. he says, there
would be no baroque pearls. Wilson
asserts pearls are merely cysts in
shellfish which have formed around a
microscopic larva or worm that is in
digenous to the muskrat. The curious
life cycle seem to be that from the
muskrat in which there are adult dis
tomid worms. The eggs are discharged
In such manner as to reach the wa
ter, where they get lodgment in the
shellfish. Matching into larvae. they
pass through the substance Of the
mollusk and find themselves new
home in the muscle at the back.
Here some of them produce the ir-
ritation of the disease of which cysts
are the symptom, and some of these
What the shellfish does in covering the
cysts Is purely mechanical, its ordi-
nary act when any substance gets into
position hurtful or annoying to the
creature. Little fish that swim into
the shelves Of bivalves or bits Of dirt
that get between the soft body of the
animal and its shell, or articles In
troduced Intentionally by men, are
covered with pearly shell, but all such
objects are usually attached to the
ChnII ffcnIf not valuable
The round pearls, which are more
comm rcially valuable than the ba-
roques, Wilson says, are caused by
second species of the same family of
worms that, in their larval form,
make their home in the mantel of the
mollusk-the thin part of the she'll
fish that surrounds the body, and in
the case of the oyster frills so nicely
when the moIlusk is cooked in q stew.
The round pearls are made IN the
midst of the mantel. where there is
softness on every side and an organ
capable of secreting pearls in its every
part. With the worm cyst establ1shed,
the protecting material is built around
ing in the pearl. The pearl larvae
spend only their childhood in the
clam. In their adult form they live IN
some species of duck, but whether the
domestic or wild duck has not yet
been decided by the government in
vestigators. They feel sure, though.
that ducks cause the valuable pearls
Springfield (Mass.) dispatch to New
York World.
Audacious SwindIers.
B. F. Yoakum, at the convention OF
the Farmers Union at shawnee. SAID
of a swindler of farmers:
"He swindlcd Then he covered up
his swindle with some piece OF ire
mendous audacity that silenced his
d,,Do Ho xvae like the two mig rafflerS
Of Plymouth.
'"rwo Plymouth loafers, being hard
I'D, decided on a pig rattle. So they
had a pig poster printed. It said;
boar, recently imported with the Gould
stock. Drawings. 25 cents each.
"sSMALL AND GREENWOOD'
1.-THE rattle went well. The two loaf
ers made a lot of money. Then came
'"rhe loafers read over their list of
victims and selected the man they
thought the most gullible and meek.
To him they wrote:
sir: we are happy to inform you
that the rattle of the magnificent
Berkshire boar was held last evening,
and you are the fortunate winner. We
hold the animal at your disposal, ana
receipt of your notification SO to do.
we beg to congratulate you on the
ACQUISITION of this valuable boar.
SMALL AND GREENWOOD.
"But the winner had hardly received
this letter and the first thrill of joy
had hardly warmed his breast before
he received another missive:
Sir: We regret to inform you that
the Berkshire boar died very suddenly
last night at 1880 O'Clock. We do
not know me exact cause of death,
but Judging from the symptoms would
impute same to hog cholera, now so
prevalent. Owing to the existing sani-
tary arrangements, the animal had to
be buried without delay. We shall be
glad to receive your check for $3.50,
being amount of interment expenses
incurred.
".SMALL AND GREENWOOD
1.-The winner, it is true, did not remit
unsafe to investigate the loss of the
charlottesville Times.
Sailing Babies.
The strange custom of sailing new
born babies is still practiced in GER
tain regions of Europe and Asia The
method varies with the differing ma
tionalities of the peoples employing 1t.
The Armenians of Russia cover the
entire skin of the infant with very
fine salt. This is left on the baby for
three hours or more, when It is
washed off with warm water. A noun
tain tribe of Asia Minor are even
more peculiar in this regard than the
Armenians for they are alleged to
with salt for period of "a hours
The modern Greeks also sprinkle
their babies with salt; and even in
certain portions of Germany salt is
still used on a child at birth. The
mothers imagine that this practice