Manchester Democrat., 1910-02-02

0uC-l-OW.
Where did you find Aunt Mary's
cat? She will be so glad!" cried
mother.
Isis that her cat?" painted Rob.
bic.
"of course it is. There isn't an
otheS cat like him in Maine See
what beautiful yellow coat he has,
He is the largest pussy l ever saw,
said mother, as she took q basket
to put him in.
Il think he is big" answered Rob-
bic, truthfully, "'but never knew
cats were that COLOR
His voice was beginning to be
steady again.
Then he walked slowly back to find
the new red bowgun, and he sat on
a fallen log while to think about
marguerite Anderson, in the Bos.
ton Herald.
eMONGOOSE vs. COBRA.
l had the good fortune this eve
ming to witness fight between
four-foot cobra di capello and a
mengoose.
On first catching sight of the cobra
rikM tik Gas Rudyard Kipling calls
the Indian mongoose) quietly smelled
Its tail and then hung around await.
ing events with curiosity; but he
had not long to wait, for. the cobra.
spread its hood, hissed out its death
sentence and prepared to dart from
its coil at its natural and hatred en-
envy.
Now commenced a most interest
ing and deadly battle-of feint and
counter feint by the mongoosa and
strike and lightning-like recovery by
his advs 'sary. which was also ON
the defd sive, all the time watching,
for the opportunity to get in Its
properly aimed bite.
Time after time rikki tik squirmed
slowly up to within reach of those
terrible fangs-belly on ground-with
every gray hair of his body erect
with anger and excitement, his eyes
glaring from his head, which, by the
way, he Invariably held sideways,
during the approach and attack; but
the moment the cobra struck. in a
flash back sprang master mongoose,
and although often it appeared as II
impossible that he could have escap-
ed the dreaded fangs, ne'er a scratch
harmed him, and there he would be
again wearing the cobra out and
pressing his advantage inch by inch.
AT last with a growl and sharp rikky
cry the plucky little beast flew in,
avoided the strike and seized the
snake behind the head, never for a
moment getting under his mouth, but
right at the nape of the neck and
head, which he scrunched with a
loud cracking sound despite the
struggles and twisting and turning OF
the cobra. Again and again rikki re-
turned to the now wrtthing reptile
and bit Its head and body until 1t
lay dying.
Finally he ate three or four inches
of his mortal foe, but carefully
avoided eating the fangs and poison
glands. which picked up by stick
and found them broken but with the
venom SACKS attached. 81
Contrary to popular belief, I am
of opinion the mongoose is not Inn
mune from snake poison; else why
should he so particularly and care
fully avoid being bitten? It is only
by his marvellous activity that he es-
capes the spring and darting strike
of his deadly enemy, the cobra di
capello.-Ceylon Times.
TABLES WORTH A MILLION.
The following is a true story told
to me by friend who was sergeant
in an American artillery company
during the Boxer rebellion: The COM
pany had been stationed on the north
ern end of Luzon for nearly year
without any work, when they were
ordered to join an infantry brigade
at Manila. After reaching 1t they
were put on transports and hurried
to tho camp of the allied armies
around Pekin. which they reached in
a week. Arriving there, they were
stationed as an outpost to guard a
Chinese temple and a large stream.
When they had been there for few
days an English foraging party left
several large boxes for them to take
care of. These boxes made fine mess
tables and beds for the men until
they were claimed by the officer who
had left them.
Several days later they found that
the boxes had contained small Chin
ese coins. worth about a dollar
apiece, of which there were over
To say that the men were
mad not to have shared in the booty
is to put 1T mildly. My friend said.
I'VE all felt like kicking ourselves
out of camp."-Lee H. Clarke. in the
New York Tribune.
TANNING A WILD MOUSE.
was waiting at the drumming log
OF the ruffed grouse for the bird to
come and perform before me. MY
place of concealment was in the
branches of a fallen dead spruce.
had not been waiting long before a
white footed mouse appeared among
the branches on the ground almost