Year: 1879



 Not a castle that had been suddenly swallowed by hungry earthquake, neither had it been buried for years and years beneath the stones and ashes or an active volcano.

 It was indeed curious affair, this castle about which 1 am going to tell you, for it was planned and built under the ground. The only visible part of it was a queer little turret in which could be discovered not the least trace of loop holes, windows or doors. The fortress itself contained number of mysterious winding passages and graduated galler- les, and though the walls were smooth and most perfectly hard-tinished, they were bare and gloomy enough, and no old paintings from the master artists were suspended there. There was many 8 niche and alcove too, alike undecO- rated by hower-vase or statue. Not ray of light was ever permitted to enter it's cheerless apartments or dispel it's melancholy gloom.

 As for the master of this hidden cas- tie, he seemed only intent upon enlarg- ing his suhterranean domains. With wonderful skill and ever-fagging ener- gy, he continued to construct neY pas sages and apartments, adding a chamber here and a hall there, with apparently no other purpose than that of making his hermetical stronghold unmistakably complicated and secure.

 This castle was located in the midst of a forest, and for many days 1 climbed a tall beech tree that Overshadowed it's visible tower, and strange to say, every day at precisely twelve o'clock, l was rewarded with sight of the princely architect himself. As he never varied in his time of coming to the surface, l at first inferred that he doubtless obtained his luncheon outside, and came up at the proper dinner hour to secure it. But I afterward decided differently as you will see.

 Earnestly desiring an intimate ac- quaintance with this interesting stranger I one day descended from my observatory in the tree, and with shovel in my hand awaited his monday ap- pearance Suddenly he came to the sur face, and in a twinkling l placed my spade under the base of the tower, and tossed this haI,rllot lord into a deep bucket, which 1 had placed at q conve- nient distance. The movement was too sudden to allow him any hope of escape, and | carried my prisoner home in tri- umph, but soon made the discovery that l had no beggarly straggl"r in charge on the contrary, he appeared to be a right royal recluse. He was richly clad in very soft velvety fur suit, of dark lead color, the tips of the coat-tail. pants, and wristbands being trimmed with st band of pure white. The cleanliness of his fur was simply marvellous. Buried in the mud and earth as it had been in its little underground dwelling, still its coat was beautifully fresh and free from spot or dust. Although he evinced great strength, he was diminutive in size, the length of his body being no 1l1ita fiua in1hnc thn11nh hic narrow coat-tail dragged about an inch on the ground, and I wondered how h e kept the white pointed tip so glossy and and unsettled! He was decidedly stout and "thick-set," aud his pretty oval head was joined diI ectly to his sleek body without any visible neck. For some days l believed him to be blind mute, and therefore did not wonder at his indifference to the gloom of his sub- terranean quarters, but after bringing my good microscope into requisition. I discovered that his eyes were not only very minute, but that they were almost hidden by his soft fur robe But they were there, two very bright, twinkling eyes, actually smaller than a grain of mustard seed, and evidently adapted to nocturnal explorations. His sense of hearing, too, appeared 10 be very acute, though I could discover no appearance of an external ear. He struggled while I held his fat, broad palms in one hand, and his curiously webbed-feet in the other. After time I succeeded in fore ing his unwilling jaws apart, and to my astonishment, there were thirty-six sharp little teeth, and all his own too. It seemed rather unfair, thus to treat a helpless prisoner. but I excused myself on the ground that l was only seeking for information.

 Then united his hands and feet, and threw hiu into tub of water, where l was delighted to see him swim like a fish. ''Where could he have learned to do this?" I exclaimed; and then tried to imagine that his castle-grounds might be beautified with fountain sprays and silver lakes of his own construction l took him out of his bath, smoothed and dried his fur robe, and placed a rich repast before him, which was made up of earth-worms and ground nuts This he devoured very greedily, even exhibiting degree of ferocity as he hunched his round back, and ravenously pushed the food into his mouth with his fat, chubby hands.

 And now allow me to introduce you to Ethis curious little king -architect of the Underground Castle. His family name is Ialpid9, but he is generally known as ScalOps Gqatdticus. And SO, after all, he is only the common blind mole,n whose little hillocks here and there are familiar to every one. And yet, by patient and careful observation, we find that he is most interesting little animal His small body is combina- ton of mechanical implements. His long snout serves as a crow bar, pick axe and spade, and his whole frame is an ingeniously complicated machine, : each part ofwhich is well adapted to it's purpose. By the constant rubbing of his sides against the walls of his dwell ing they become smooth and hard, so that he scarcely carries any dust upon