Evening Star Newspaper, June 25, 1892, Page 7

A ATS OF THE PVE ———._______ ‘Freietie Corn Wa! Mawacine. & ARE APT TO BE- lieve that any crisis in our lives is led up to, as’ books and plays, and nounces iteelf as such to ourselves and others, As a.anatter of fact the events which affect us most generally happen quietly when we are engaged on our daily work and thinking least about them. So, atany A rato, it waswith Charlie Spriggs. There was nothing to mark this day frmeeny other day. Ho arose at his usual time, aed Wr Breokfast of bread and (what » gaan withent « ocoscience sold for)"batter, took Yds aaatks tn bis bat and set out for hisetudio. | _Chatte Sorigge?’s studio was large and sity ‘ad, exoapt on foggy days, well lighted. and he ; peed ae vent for it. He had tried two or three, all very similar, but he had n patistied with any as with his intest. ‘nF too-fashionable bborhood, ‘was s blank wail behind i, against which he could lean his back when he was tired of work, and the poving and, having beea ¢ quite smooth —a great je was particular about these | re never insignificant, fatied by the end which they help ring seemed to have come, | owas a fine day, the nipping east | i there was that | ich penetrates to | n the pavement, gave | tl ry Which is to the | rant and his slave. Charlie, if ho | > any special school, might beclaimed ssionists: he had an idea to convey | method satisfeetory to his own mind, it be a matter of indifference to {the result were unintelligible to others. A few strokes and some jad{cfous rubbing with orefinger of his righit hand, and lo! Hing several veins of green wool | taugled. But Charlie saw as it @grove of trees in full foliage, and the | Birds were singing in the branches and the leaves were lifted Uy the breeze, and the ground beneath was ficcked with sunlight and with shadow; then a liberal band of blae, rubbed ‘With the coat sleeve tosmoothness and equality, s of white, and in the middle afowl arge as the largest tree, with wings nad re} ith the | \ ich had earth, giving forth 2 flood of | s never poct knew. did not see all Charlie meant, he | t. as we all think when men are biind to | jentions, that their sight was darkened. | he drew for an hour, and when he bad pro- duced five al was eaved, and he | and ready to sit with his back He generally put a copy | qzotation from Scripture, occasionally incor- | rect, for the passengers’ spiritual and his own | Many of | ed alittle while to watch him, but in « merely desultory manner, and no | one thonght of paying for this private view. Indeed. Churlie’s profession was not particu- | . But then his expenses were Tigh! and many of his chslks had been given ist, who had discovered | wited to 2 sedentary life and jerefore, gone for = ich man. Put | settled himself, with | spec-al eare as to the greater prominence of the Tigh: leg. the trouser of which seemed designed | ator, when a hot halfpenny | into his. hand. and, looking up, he P gray, long-lached, friendly ¢3 which seemed to send a thrill to hfs very heart. | ‘The owner of the eves was a girl of about | seventcen, with a freckled, honest face, beautiful mouth that it would have had there beon less of it,as the by bt have desired, and a quantity of brown, untidy hair, which ‘the spology for a bonuet searcely served ina B 7 ok maxim or @ d | about Belinda. rown a yent of Pusler shawl Very few ,eople off the stage | i n such Common attire, but linda might have been coveted asa model by pater artist than Charlie Sprigget. lic, over uneasily, “‘ain’t you a robbin’ of Not at all,” replied Belinda, with dignity. “Seems to me them as looks ought to pay and r fond of picturs, I am.” sre vou, now?" said Charlie. Then, for- his elsborate preparation for arousing blic pity, he sprang up. “P'r' show you round the ain't got no eaterlogue, ver see. There was nothing in Mr. Sprigget's manner to waich to take exception and Belinda, who knew no law of etiquette but that which was dictated by the kindliness of her nature, fell in willingly with his suggestion. They nsccord- ingly stood together smiling, he small joke and because Belinda was smiling, the bi yy and the sun shone. said Mr. Sprigget, with a wave | right arm, “is uw scene representing the country; that there with the horns is a deer | browsin’ on the grass, and that other is a bull! auigh the fence, and them black things in the | Bair is birds flyin’, and them sort o’ stars in the | rasp is daisies.” T ain't never been in the country,” said Belinda, “bat it do seém as nat'ral as life. Mr . who was perhaps not a little of this criticism. he said. “*I like sto’ peaceful and you was casier than they is, ¢ to vou. purelike.” | * said Belinda. “And | scene, too, that is. im it as t other one. something, all trees close | ie like Kensington Gardings—I| You've bin there?” “Maybe. I don't recolleck. I ain't never! bin out o' Londou as 1 knows on. But I may | have been taken when I was little. | Charlie was amazed at her ignorance, and yet fit dirt not misbecome her. psington isin London,” he said; “but Lonrion is a big place, and it ain'tto be ex- | pected you'd know it all.” Wall, and there, you | See, above the forest is » bird ’a singin’. ” Oh, | they do «1 country somethin’ like. A pear y whistle ain't im i “And who's that gentleman?” inquired nda, indicating a study in black and white | of a being with legs far apart, both arms ex: | tended anda neck made specially long to ac-| commmodate a vast collar. "s pollytical,” said Cnarlie. . Gladstone—him as cuts trees with fret and makes the speeches in parliament and | “Yes, I think P've heerd bis name. There Dboys our court sings comic songs wonderf end [think that uame come in one. Do you ‘think if'd be the same party: nc (That inn wonderful like geen picturs of bim. y and at. They don't signify. cose uncemanon like another. And no two is ‘That it, and t’othe: “Where's the ship off that one?” “Gone down, don't yer see? There's a bit of ‘Mast stickin® up.” Belinda looked serious. “I'm sorry you put thetin,” she said. “The others is so peaceful. “Well, I ain't exactly seen it, so to speak: but | tears ineghee a bad Booties, ve seen cole ‘ewn't imagine a bit? ve seen kings in shops and all. “Seems to me you must be very clever.” M: assumed & x “It's my profeshun, Jou see.” There was « minnte’ssilence. | her of adifferent nature from | hearts (red), and it was dissected transversely at his own | i them, and that humanity which in the un- enltuted poor is as real as, more real than, in | those capable of analytical introspection, as- serted itself unresisted. “Do yer now?” said Charlie = a but this time he li: on the w “I tell qe. what,” he added, with a burst of gallantry, “I shall draw pocket, you see the show gratis free, yer know. She nodded her thanks, smiled again, show. ing thé whitest of teeth, ‘und walked rapidly away. a -. Sprigget went back to his seat against the wee now he was reckless as to which troyser was most evident. He felt ver tented, very peaceful, with that peculiar o sciousness of completion which is only vouch- safed to those who meet their twin touf. A| quarter of an hour ago he was master of him- self, but now he was in love. Hoe was qui sure that he had been in love directly Beli: eyes had looked at him for the first time. That wae the beginning of a romance which glorified his life, and his art became to him more eacred than before because it had been the means of drawing Belinda to him. Not that he gave her st once to understand the nature of hig feelings; Charlie had had some acquaintance with the sex already and he knew the deceit- fulness of mere externals: only he found hiin- self constantly thinking of Beliuda, and when he set about his daily work it was always with the notion of doing tha: which should be pleas- ingin her sight. Never more than two or three days elapsed before she chanced to pass by, and she invariably stopped and had a con- verration with him, and as this conversation was all about himself and his pictures it is no wonder he found her more and more charming. At last one day he drew “‘something special” for subject hi ‘Tike the sce of eon- had hitherto attempied. It was by what was apparently a herring bono, bat ‘which "repettented” the wenpon of Cupid. When this artistic production was com- pleted he sat and watched it with sentimental sefininction, but, as il Juck would have it, no Belinda that morning, an: ternoon Emgpediny romon of her efienca Thet night it raimed, and the heart looked unpleasant next day. Charlie erased it altogether with the jece of rag with which he usually undid his diwork of an evening, but he had, contrary to his umal custom, left the symbol from a su- perstitious aversion to destroy it. He took a studio = few feet further up tho street and drew another ace, fatter ‘tho last, and pierced by a larger and flercer herring bone. He was still engaged in touching it up when a voice, the voice quite close to him, inquired: ‘And what might you be drawin’ this "Sir Bp a the dicular with Mr. Sprigget assume pen: wi promptitude and held outhis bend. Ho Blushed a little at the contact with hers, and perhaps because of the explanation which wns required of him. Things in anticipation ideal seem in consummation foolish. “Lor’,”” said Belinda, looking down at the ‘it’s like a volentine. Is that a rigget?” jctions ‘had taken place at the second ia,” said Charlie, whose own organ. was beating with violence at the present mo- ment. ‘And whose do you think, now?” Belinda shook her head; but she, too, became conscious of the existence of her own organ of cirenlation, which seemed to be mounting toward her throat. “Mine!” said Charlie quaveringly, as she did not come to his assistance, “and,” he : seeing from her rosy half-averted faco that she Was not as far from understanding him as her silence might have suggested, “‘you it is as have pierced it. Belinda, loves you.” Belinda might have taken exception to being rtrayed as a fish bone, bat she gave Mir. Sprigget credit for being slightly confused by reason of his emotions. At any rate she manifested no e, but being a practical little person, her hand on his arm and said: “And I don't dislike you, neither, Charlie.” Thus they becaine € Belinda took the somewhat hard seat to which nSperepriaget rapidly did three de- ir. Sprigget rapidly did two or three signs with =u iy hand. drew his inevita- ble circle, and after an inswani's thought wrote therein: “*Lav one annother,” and “It is more blessed to giv than to reseeve.” ‘Then he felt that he had earned the right to in his lady love, who had been watching his operations with approving eyes. ‘The harmony of the morning was unbroken. They spoke little, but each was happy in the presence of the other, and different people have ditferent ways of making love. License in this as in other things must be given to the play of human nature. Toward 12 o'clock, however, Belinda rose. “I must be goin’,” she said. “Have you got anything to do special?” in~ quired Mr. Sprigget. ‘The gentleman had always talked so much abont himself that he had found out-very’ little “Didn't yer know?” said the girl. “ now I comes to think of it, Lain't never mentioned it. I has a barrow.” “Do yer? I badn’ta notion you did anything wie % and another girl.’ “Yes, me, ‘ef “What do yer sell?” “Why, there ain't anything’d suit you but flowers,” said thé ertiet, fancy you sellin’ anything —— ‘ceptin’ p’r’aps oranges, or nuts may! No. Guess agai “I don’t seem to an he despised the practical side of life. To him wheiks lacked any element of romance. It somehow hurt him to think that his Belinda, his goddess, his inspiration, should be a vendor of whelks and satisfied with—apparently proud of—her association with that homely shellfish. Mr. Sprigget unfortunately had notions his station. “Whelks. I could ha’ swallowed a good deal, = don’t seem as if I —— whelks.” | them in the morning, | up. exalted conception of her that made him de- sirous of connecting with her merely the love- liest things. (ile was not the first unpractical poet.) And it was vety unkind of her to mis- ‘understand him, aud, above all, to go off in that manner, when she bad said—and how sweetly, too!—so few hours back, “And I don't dislike you neither, Charlie. ection of this he necrly knocked inst “he wall. As a vent to his feelings he seized his chalks and sot to work to ovvow ito his art. Quite different pictures ‘he now drew from the airy ot the morn He dopicied an ¢ as his imagination dictated, then a battlefield, and the ground was strewn with dead and’ dy Fame comes to the broken hearted: geuins 1s the child of despair. So, in his little way, Charlie Sprigget, the pavement artist, learned that afternoon. ‘Never had he ned so much, uor attracted 90 much atten- but oh, hia beart was heavy as, leaving his pieces in the hope that Belinda would sce wended his way home- ward. But that night it rained again. so that the battlefield and the earthquake and the dead and dying wore all washed away or eo blurred as to be indistinct and unrecognigable, and all the next day it rained and the day after that; so that, but for iis unusual harvest, it would have have gone badly with Charlie, who had no balance in hand, and whose appetite was apt to be unpleasanily sclf-assertive. But the third day it cleared, and he went to his studio. and.once more hope reigned in bis heart. Tho morning passed and no Belinds came along, aud in the afternoon he knew, or guessed, she would be engaged. He could not Work, for though excitement is a stimulus, dreariness is the very reverse, No man yet Produced » masterpiece through depression, 10 e might throngh des So poor Sprigget only scratehod atmloanly on the pave- ment with his dullest gray chalk and cursed the day he was born. it afternoon, however, he did sec his lady love, though not’ in the manner he had ex- ed." Miss Belinda was quite as anxious to Kooi upon bis fage pe bq to look upon hers, and fully as repentant, though not quite so wretched, ss himself; but she was also desirous of prov- ing to him that she was not going to be trampled on, and that she was @ person of epirit. Ac- cotdingly she had persuaded her “pal”—a Young woman several years her renioz, and who wasin reality the head and manager of the firm—to try a fresh locality for their barrow. And now she walked triumphantly behind it aud helped to pitch it exactly opposite Mr. Sprigget’s studio, Charlio was thauderstruck when he beheld ber nud realized the signi: canoe of the action. ‘There she was, distract- ingly pretty, arrany the tiny platefals of whelks, quantities of which fish, garnished with parsely, were heaped on the barrow. She cast ‘@ look upon Mr. Sprigget, but took no further notice of him, and, whet his eyes met hers, turned and addressed a Inughing remark to het partner. Her audacity and her fascination— above all, her apparent indifference to himself — Teduced the onlooker to a state of utter misery. Ho knew not what to do; go he dared not, stay he must—zhe should not have the satisfaction of putting him to fight. But what he suffored! nd worse followed. For the whelks were largely patronized, and, as Belinda had sai they were “‘onoommon popilar with men,” and now several people stopped, and Belinda it was who handed them the little plates, shook on the Pepper, and suggested what would bea desir- able quantity of vinegar, and supplied thom with the bread and butter which she had cut with her own bands. And how she laughed, too, and made little jokes! Whenever he saw her white teeth gleaming he gnashed his own in impotent wrath and jealousy, poor Sprigget; for hehad not the satisfaction of knowing what aheavy heart that bright-faced Belinda had in her bosom. Whore a man sulks a woman laughs. He went away at last, unable to bear it any longer. And, perhaps, not the least bitter drop in his cup was this, that while he had earned not one penny by ‘his ert, ehe of the despised trade had accumulated quite a little pile of coppers. ‘The next day she came again and every day that week, and still it was his fate to sit and watch her and love her ever more deeply and never haye so mnch satisfaction as to touch her hand or hear her voice except when she ad- dresced another, and he would speculate how far otherwise it might have been by now but for his presumption, for it would have been his priviloge to kiss her and to tell her all his thoughts and claim her sympathy as a right. Oh, he was doubly lonely by contrast with what might have bee And he earned very, very little that week— Jess than he had ever ‘done since he had taken to the profession—so that when he encountered by chance his old friend and the latter told him of a sandwich man who had died that day and advited him to apply for the boards at once, he accepted the suggestion as a wise one, and driven by that stern master, hunger, spent three hours parading up and down the stteets between two advertisements of a sale of boots. He had time for meditation, and perhaps his geenpation tan.ted to foster the hmmility which Mr. Sprigget lacked. He resolved that as ad- versity had come to him and prosperity to Belinda he must give up all thoughts of her, and that it was no less than his duty to tell her ‘so and to apologize for having ed to dictate to her. “Yes. he saw now it might be very well to have high-flown ni zet people must live, and those were wise whe id that which remunerated them, provided it were only honest. After all, he was now little betterthan a beggaf, and there cotild be no work too menial for one who might otherwise have to face starvation. Providence, he thought, had deserted him to teach him o lesson; at any rate, his good luck (which was to Charlie a synonymous term) had done so, and the lesson being learned he thought it probable that if he protited by the teaching fortune would favor him again. Thus thinking he noticed little where they were going, but just followed the man in front of him, his own eyes cast down upon the pave- ment. ‘Suddenly the blood leaped to his face. ‘He saw upon the ground the faint mark of his work and be knew where ho was. He looked ‘There was the stall! And Belinda stood bebind it. Attracted by the row of sandwich men she watched them as they , and so it came about that poor, shamed Charlie met her gaze. Her oyes fell. “And he did not, there- fore, note the surprise and the pity which were in them. He felt that now, indeed, all was over with him. A sudden thought came to him. He dropped ont of rank, and drawing from his pocket a piece of chalk stooped and wrote in the usual printed characters, which were the ‘only ones he or Belinda could read with ease: ‘PRIDE MUST HAVE AFORL. WELKS ARE GOOD.” And he underlined “forl."* ‘When he had done this he rejoined the others, but without glancing any more at Belinda, “I nmust see what that man has written,” said tio: maste thing against whelks,” mid Be- “They're wl and | the risk about ‘em there is | ‘re oncoramon | popilar with men,” and the vender of the des- pised article of consumption tossed her head. | She resented these airs on the part of Mr. Sprig- | get, for she had a spirit of her own. i “Oh, no doubt,” said Mr. Sprigget; “but they wouldn't be perfeshunal men—not artists nor that. Belin ou said you loved me. It ain't mach to ask yer to me.” ‘Of course I'd please you if there was any sense in it, but there ain't no — Be- linda, beginning to get angry. (More educated lovers have quarreled abouta matter quite as samall, espocigliy when, qs now, the question at issue is less the original cause of dissension than which fT im and which have his own way.) “If I earns my livin’ — it don’t seem to matter whether it’s flowers or fishes: and ifa thing pays, what’s the use of Whelks ry and it’s onl; Oke very wells said) Me. Sprigget with dig. very well,” * t = ty. “It don't matter—orly evidently you | don’t care for my opinions, though {t did seem in’ to_get on well. you all alike, obstinit.” of this speech Belinda for, a8 a matter of ley ware nak if t's a pity you Which, ev: , we've been making a mistake. Good morning!” she to her com} ion in as casual a tone as she could assume, and she ran round and looked, ling it ont carefully. Then her filled Ry ES EEE ich had never oocurred to him, that some of 1e peunies which might have gone to Sprigget had found thelr way fo her littl ti. But Oharlie had not completed bis bumilia- tion. He was too much of an artist not todo the thing thoroughly. And besides he was desir- ous of seeing what effect his words had bad upon her. Accordingly the next day he walked down to the old haunt and presented himself at the stall. Hix face was very red as he pushed pony. toward the other woman (he aired not look at Belinda and asked for a plate of whelks. Ef this was comic there was nt wanting an ele- ment of pathos. The Little plate was given him and Belinda handed him some bread and butter. He could not help looking at her, and she was mi that his heart bounded. “Mr. Sprigget,” «nid Belinda in a low voice, am atid bole interfered Witt your work, ine “Nothing to mention,” enid Charlic gruffy. “We are thinkin’ of ‘goin’ somewheres else,” said Belinda. “‘Ain't we, Nance?” “Well, you spoke of i finds this'a very payin’ place.” — “Have you got your chatks ‘about you?” asked Belinda then. “‘"Cos, if #0, I wish you'd draw somethin’ “What sort what you did the day—you before we quarreled. i i li it i [ § ll heart went out to Charlie, | shall | the more that there flashed across her tho idea, athim so kindly aud yet so wistfully CURIOS IN CEYLON. Wonders, Animal and Vegetable, in a Far-Of Island. MARVELS OF NATURE. s <a ‘Where Scenes of Arabian Nights Stories | Were Laid—Freaks in ths Shape of Beasts and Insects—Snakes and Snake Stones— Some Wonderful Trees. EYLON Is AN ISLAND of wonders, fabled and otherwise. Itisa land of Arabian Nights tales, many of which have their scenes laid there. In those amazing narra- tives it is called Seren- * dib, and its pearls an@ rubies, strange feuna and other natural mar- vels have afforded un- limited material for the imaginations of oriental romancers to work upon. Particularly in the animal and vegetable world Ceylon is filled with curiosities. Among the most remarkable of the inhabitants of the forests are rats that make their nests on the branches of trees. Frequently they visit the dwellings of the native people, where they are eagerly pursued and devoured by u kind of snake known as the “rat snake,” specimens of which.are commonly domesticated for the pur- Pose of destroying the rodents. So rapid are these ophidians in their movements that a rat, once spied, had small chance of escaping. There are rats of another kind on the island which nest among tree roots. Like the lem- mings of Norway, they migrate in vast num- bers on the occurrence of @ scarcity of food. They attack the coffeo plants and the Malabar cooltes are so fond of their flesh as to prefer to labor in those districts whore the coffee planta- tions are invaded by the animals. For cating the rate are fried in cocoanut oil or made into s curry. Crocodiles literally swarm in the lakes and in sluggish streams. One of the two common spe- cieé attains a length of eighteen fect and does not hesitate to assail human beings when pressed by hunger. During the wars between fhe natives and the Portuguese, who attempted centuries ago to conquer and christianize the island, the latter sometimes disposed of their prisoners by throwing them to the crocodiles. the only formidable representatives of the cat tribe are leopards, which are hunted for the sake of their extremely beautiful skins. ‘These animals are strongly attracted by the ig peculiar odor which accompanies smallpox. reluc- tance of the Singhalese to submit themselves or their children to vaceination exposes the coun- try to frightful devastations by this complaint, and in the villages of the interior it is usnal on such occasions to build huts in the jungle to serve as temporary hospitals. Toward these th rds are certain to be allured, and the med- officers are obliged to resort to special pre- cautions in consequence. CEYLON SNAKE STONES. The so-called “‘snake stones” of Ceylon are celebrated for the efficacy which they are sup- posed to have in curing the bites of venomons serpents. Secrecy is maintained as to the method of their manufacture, which is a lucra- tive business carried on by monks, the merchants of India with them. prices are demanded for them. They are em- ployed in the familiar manner by being placed on the wound, their absorbent material sucking up the blood and incidentally the venom, as ii chimed, There te plenty of authentic evidence | of remarkable cures performed by such snake | stones, though science is as yet reluctant to place any belief in them. Sir J. E. Tennent, to whose work on Cason the writer is indebted, tells of an occasion when he was riding along a jungle path on the island, and he saw one or two natives who were approaching suddenly dart off from the road | oo _—— ae ere ame | of all serpents, grasped by the head an: | tail, The msn tried to place the make in a | covered basket, but handled it so inexpertly that it setzed him by the finger and retained ite hold for a few seconds. Blood flowed and in- tense pain appeared to follow. As quickly as possible the other native undid his own waist cloth and took from it two snake stones, each the size of a small almond, intensely black and ighty polished, though extremely light. ‘These he applicd one to each wound inflicted by the teeth of the cobra. They attached them- selves, closely, the blood that, oozed from i rapidly yy the porous substance. After three or four minutes they dropped off and the suffering of the man seemed to have subsided. He twisted his fin- gers until cracked and. weat on his ‘way without concern. ‘It has been ascertained with certainty that these enake stones are usu- ally nothing more than pieces of burned bone. The Mexican recipe for making a snake stone is, to take a fragment of deer's horn of any conve- nient size and shape, cover it with grasa, inclose doth in a thin piece of sheet copper and place the parcel ina charcoal fire untit the bone is well charred. When cold remove the calcined horn from ita envelope, when it will be found to be asolid black fibrous substance. It will then be ready for immediate use. DIGGING FOR FISHES. In some parts of Ceylon the natives are ac- customed to dig in the mud during the hot sea- son for fishes, which are found duried in the soft clay at a depth of two feet or more. It is thus that these curious animals hide themselves during a period of torpidity. More than one species indigenous to the island have this re- markable habit, which accounts for the appear- ance of full-grown fishes in ponds which have shortly before been entirely dried up. This phenomenon was for a long fime regarded as an inexplitable mystery. ‘he creatures as they find their accustomed element disappearing by evaporation during the dry time of the year bury themselves in the mud, sinking to a depth at which they find sufficient moisture to pre- serve life for months, while the bed of the pond above them may porhaps become a lsned crust, dried and cracked by the heat of the sun, As soon as the water comes again they emerge and people take advantage of the opportunity while thoy are still floundering about in the lows to effect their capture in large num- bers. ‘lon is a great place for site the ee hirneag a found there are the “golden = in cares of which are used to enrich on silken threads, forming necklaces jets of singular brillinnoy. ‘Most re- markable in respect to form aro the “walking leaves,” which exhibit the queerest of all nature’s dovioes for the preserva Solana f hue, rte popes 7 varictles 0} 1m yellow Of an opening bud to the rich green of the | grown leaf and the withered tint of decay. | perfectly do they countertett leaves in structure hat when at rest they are of insects Of the wasps found on the island one sp is co formidable that it is regarded with tho ut- 5 ‘dragon t ” asked Mr. of thing? asked Mr. Wi dav had Ye for| “Oh, Mr. § — “wow't you draw the HF ul ! Hi | oI i t | | & BE fi rE # i F i i i fi Ht i i f é E % Geppear, , who supply Very bigh | 2 a within a few hours. evento the innermost otherwise inacceesible whorls. ~ + UNPLEASANT iNsEcrs. ‘The most unpleasant insects on the island are scorpions, which grow to gigantic size, attain- ing a length of nearly afoot. They are active | end carnfvorous, living in holes in old walls and other gloomy dens. ‘They are of dark purple color, with y Mlowish legs ee it aspect is repulsive and fri ey are strong and evince. an eager disposition 10 Aight when molested. Being sifted by mature tha hard and tough armor, which will not yield to a moderate blow, they often escape the ‘most well-deserved and well~directed attempts to destroy them. There are also giant centi: pedes ia Ceylon, which grow to be nearly {a foot long. Equally objectionable are the Jund leeches, which infest the grass in mo! parts of the country, particularly during the Tainy season. They are about an inch long and jas thick asacommon knitting needle. Their | structure is vo flexible that they can insinuate themselves through the meshes of the finest | stockings, not only seizing on the fect and ankles, but ascending t@ the beck and throat. In moving thoy have the power to plant one | extremity on the earth and the other per- pendiculerly to watch for a Victim. | Sucp i ir vigilance that, on proach passer-by to a spot which they infest, they may seen among the grass along the cdge of the path poised erect and rearing for their attack on man and horse. perceiving their prey they advance rapidly after the manner of a measuring worm until they can lay hold of the traveler's foot. Often they are seen banging like bunches of grapes around the naked legs of palanquin bearers, whose hands are too much engaged to remove them. THE FOREST TREES. The trees in the forests of Ceylon are tor- mented by enormous climbing plants. Some | of them exceed in diamoter three feet, and such gigantic appendages are to be seen _surmount- | ing the tallest monarchs of the woods, sraaping | their stems in firm convolutions, and then fling- ing their monstrons tendrils over the limbs until they reach e top, whence they de- scend toward the ground in huge festoons. After including another and another tree in their toils successively, they wind the whole into maze of living ne-work. | When, by and by, the trees on which this singular fabric has become suspen: ive way under its wi suspended gi der ite y eir own decay the fullen while the convotutions of limbers oe ue to grow on, forming vast hopeless confusion.” One of these creeping plante has pods five feet long, which are h beautiful brown beans solarge that the natives hellow them out and carry them for tinder boxes. Another climber beara pods can- taining seeds which are 90 coated with silex that they strike fire like flint. There are remarkable found ereepers also, some species of the rattan Kind having stoma that reach » length of 250 feet out a irregularity no appearance of foliage other than the bunch of feathery leaves at the extremity. So strong are these plants that the natives employ them for bridges over water courses and ravings. In the forests are found certain extraordinary kinds of y trees, which bear such formidable spines, sometimes in branching clusters with each point a spike as sharp as a lancet, that tions of the woods where the pascablo even to elephants, In native ware of a few centuries so armies intrenched them- selves behind ditches filled with such thorns. THE COCOANUT PALM. Ceylon is famous for its palms, most remark- able of which is the cocoannt tree, said to have 100 uses. The leaves are utilized for mate, baskets, torches, brooms, fodder for cattle and fuel; the stems of the leaves for fences, fishing | rods and domestic utensils; the “cabbage” or cluster of unexpanded leaves for pickles and preserves; the’ eap for “‘toddy,” a mildly alco- jolie. beverage, and _ for vinegar and sugar; the nut for its milk, for eating and for its green husk preserved; the oil for soap, can- les and light; the shell of the nut for drinking cups, epoons, bottles and knife handles; the fiber that envelops the shell for mattresses, cordage, canvas, fishing nets and oakum, and the trunk for all purposes that wood is for. It is said that a native can bitild his honso entirely froma palm, and from the same tree may obtain his wine, make his oil, kindle his fire, got his food and cook his’ repast. | im Ceylon. A single treo will sometimes farnish the support of a whole farnil ‘The Singhaleso have a superstition that the | cocoanut will not grow “out of sound of the | human voice” and will die if the village where | it hus previously thriven becomes deserted. A | frequent tree in the forests bears the poisonous seeds from which strychnine is extracted. ‘The fruit which contains ‘the seeds is the size and color of a small orange. It is believed by the Malabar coolies that these seeds are a prophy- lactic against the venom of the cobra, and they are accustomed to cat @ single one per day in order to acquire the desired protection from thé effects of the serpent’s bite. OT eee ASPHALT FOR PAVEMENTS. What the Substance is and How It is Ob- tained. Serpots STUFF CALLED ASPHALT WITH which the streets of Washington are }paved “is very curious,” said a scientist to a Sra reporter) “It was used in very ancient times. Egyptian Buildings more than thirty centurfes old are cemented qith it, and it has been asserted that it was employed in the con- struction of the tower of Babel. Ono ingenious crank named D'Eyrinis wrote an elaborate essay 150 years ago attempting to prove that Noah's Atk was coated with asphalt to make it waterproof. “The asphalt which covers the avenues of this city today was formed millions of years ago by the decomposition of vegetable matter beneath the surface of the earth. In the car- boniferous epoch there were conditions of warmth and moisture which produced a mar- velous Inxuriance of vegetation. Plants, gigantic ferns being most common, grew at an astonishing rate, their decay being followed by generation after generation of their successors. ‘Thus were form vast beds of decomposed material, which became variously metamor- hosed by chemical processes. According to conditions governing they were transformed into deposits of coal, pretroleum or bitumen, the last being what we call asphialt. “Probably the vegetable beds which were into bitumen were laid down in the bottoms of rivers and lakes, where they were covered up by sand or clay and underwent the process of decomposition whiie moistened by water, but without contact with air. One spot where this occurred was in the neighborhood of the Dead sea, whence formerly great quantities of asphalt were obtained, Very lithe from there now, the most important source of supply in tho world ‘being wonderful Inke in Trini ‘This “tar lake,” ns it is filled with bitumen instead of water, In fact. multitudes of people do so_ live | all MYTHS OF INDIANS. Curious Customs and Beliefs of the Cherokees, TRADITIONS IN THE TRIBE When Animals and Men Lived Together in Peace—The Remedies and Charms Against Disease and Danger—Their Religious Be- |), lief—The Formulas. ‘Written for The Evening Star. COLLECTION * 0 F Cherokee medicinal plants has been newly secured by the bureau | The of ethnology, illusteat- ing the strange and cal curious beliefs held by that tribe of Indians yearsago respecting the . products and phenom- /--> enn of nature. In the old days, they say, quadrupeds, birds, SESS fishes and insects could all talk, and they and the human race lived to- gether in peace and friendship. But, as time went on, the people increased so rapidly that their settlements sproad over the whole earth and tho poor snimals found themselves cramped for room. To add to their misfortunes men invented bows, knives, blow guns, and hooks and be- gan to kill the larger oreatures for thelr flech or skins, while the smaller ones, like the frogs and worms, were crushed and trodden upon without mercy. In this state of affairs the ani- mals resolved to consult on measures for their common safet? THE BEARS WAGE WAR. The beans were the first to meet in council. After each individual in turn had made com- Pluint of the way im which men killed their Telatives, devoured their flesh and used their sins for purposes of adornment, it was decided to begin war at “once the human race. }Some one asked what weapons they could use, and it was decided to make « bow and arrows. ‘Bo ome bear prooured a piece of locust wood and another sacrificed himself for the good of the rest in order to furnish a i trails for the string. When the first bear step up to try a shot his long claws caught in the string and spoiled the aftas ‘This was annoying, but another sugested that he could overcome the difficulty by cutting his claws, which was dono, andon a.sccond trial the agrow went straight to the mark. But here the chief, the old. white bear, inte: ‘and said it was necessary that they should have long claws in order to climb trees. “One of us has died to furnish the bow string,” he de- clared, “‘and if we now cut off our claws we shall all have to starve together.” Noone could suggest ny better plan, #o the bears dis persed to their forest haunts without having means for destroying result of the council been dif- pardon when he kills one. THE DEERS’ REVENGE. " The deer next held acouncil under their chief, Little Deer, and after some deliberation re- solved to inflict rheumatism upon every hunter who should kill one of their number, unless he took care to ask their pardon for the offense. They sent notice of thie decision to the Indians. Now, whenever the hunter brings down a deer, the Little Deer, who is as swift as the wind and cannot be wounded, rans quickly to the spot and bending over the blood stains asks spirit of the deer if it has heard the the hunter for pardon. If the rep! is well, but if it isa negative, the Little follows the hunter to his lodge and strikes him with rheumatism, so that he is rendered on the instant a helpless cripple. Next came the fishes and reptiles, who had their own grievances against humanity. ‘They held a joint council aud determined to make their oppressors dream of snakes twining about them in slimy folds or eating raw and decaying fish, so that they would lose appetite, sicken ad die. Thus it is that snake and fish dreams are accounted for. Finally the birds, insects and smaller animals came together for a like purpose, and the grub worm presided over the leliberations. Votes were taken as to the guilt of man, the ground squirrel alone venturing to cast a ballot in his favor. This so enraged the thers that they fell upon the ground squirrel nd tore him with their teeth and claws. The. stripes remain on his back to y then be- nkind, and at the end of the list it was docided thst childbirth should sometimes prove fatal to women. The grub worm was so overjoyed at this clever idea that he fell over backward and could not get on his feet again, but had to wriggle off on his beck, as the grub worm has dos ever since. PLANTS TO HELP HUMANITY. Now, when the plants, who were friendly to maa, heard what had been done by the animals, they determined to defeat their evil designs. Every tree. shrub and herb, down even to the grasses and mosses, agreéd to furnish a remedy for some one, of the newly invented diseases, and each said: “I shall come to help human beings when they call upon me in their need.” ‘Thus medicine originated, and the plants, every one of which has its use ‘if it was only known, farnish antidotes to counteract the evils wrought | & by the revengeful animals. When the doctor is in doubt what treatment to apply for the relief ofa patient the spirit of the plant suggesta to i proper remedy. THE CHEROKEE REMEDIES. Like most primitive peoples the Cherokees believed that discase and death are not natural, but are dué to the evil influences of animal spirits, ghosts and witches. Their theory of medicine is a development of the fetich idea. For a complaint caused by the rabbit the anti- dote must be “rabbit's tail;” for enake dreams the plant used is “snake's tooth;” for worms a plant resen- ped | dwells in a bend of the human | | mead called “rabbit's ear” or | ati a = | é. Hi i Lie i a s £ i : i i it 3 t voked in the hunti gs is pecrents Scbening sees S| t mountains of the Blue Ridge, | There is aleo a diminutive «prite whi the place of our Pack, addressed to ‘When the rabbit ehich ceemrtc be | ‘© great mischief maker in the folk-lore of most races, is identified by the aboriginal phy- sician as the cause of a disease — the “Rabbit Hawk” fs summoned to drive the wicked animal out of the patient. Some- times, after the intruder bas been thus ex- pelied, “a small portion still remains,” in the words of the formula, and accordingly the *hirlwind is summoned from the tree tops to carry the remnant to the and there scatter it-so that it shall never reappear. NUMEROUS INVOCATIONS, ‘The hunter prays to the fire from which he draws his omens, to the reed from which he makes his arrows, to “‘Slanting Byes,” the great Jord of the game, and finally to the very ani- tior is about to set ont a dangerous expe- dition he asks the cl: 1 to him and conceal him from his enemies. i spirit of to ‘on the hillside, the fish ‘he river under the pendant hemlock resides in the mals which he intends to kill. When the'war- | ‘Written for The Evening Star. CANARY BIRD INDUSTRY, How the Little Songsters Are Bred for the Market in Germany. ‘THE POOR PEASANTS INCREASE THEIR SCART RARNING! HY RAISING RIRDS—IN HANOVER AND THE HARE MOUNTAIN®—2OW THE CAMA- IES ARE IMYORTED—A BIO DEALER ER UNITED STATES AFFORD THE Most profitable market for canary binds Propagate] in Germony. In that country the business of raising thone frathered songsters fot ‘export is a very important one, as is shown by A report ep the subject newly received by the Department of State. For more than a century it has rendered bare existence « possibility to Many poor people. Fifty years ago it had «l- Teady grown to such dimensions that it became necesmary to seok # foreign outlet for the trade, About 1850 the German dealers began shipments to New York, and finally they turned their attention chiefly to the United States, the demand from this side of the water having become very great, During the last yar camaty birds were third in money value among the | articles exported to the United States fram Hanover. THE BREEDING OF CANARY BIRDS in Germany is mainly’a house indastry of peor and needy people. Their profit is, of course, smull; but to the poor whocan hardly earn daily bread their bird cages are like little seving® banks, from which they can draw et reguar intervals a trifle that, added to their other earnings, enables them to make ends mest, The need of sach assistance and the usefulness of the industry to the poor cannot be appre ciated fully b rg. in the Uznover, works from house to house gvives for his services 1.40 marks per diem, This eum is equivalent to about 334s cents. Ef, therefore, be works three hundred days in the year he earns €100. From this amo must be deducted for rent. This le s h which to support pasistin cents per diem f n ‘The canary-bird + Without making any serious claims upon the peasant’s time or care, cheers hts ho: riage him a modest prest. Having im the summer raised « brood of young Dirds he awaits w w the visitof the dealer in the aatumn which will place in Mid money to belp him through the winter, IN THE MARZ MOUNTAINS. The principal seat of the industry was far- merly the Harz mountains, where the poor a great need. Almost every great pond in the westand in the leafy tree tops. when driven away from its prey by some more powerful creature, endeavors to find shelter in its accustomed haunt. It must be understood that the animals of the formulas are not the ordinary every-day animals, but their mi progenitors, who live in the upper world the arch of the firmament. Until recently the formulas of the Cherokees | were kept very secret by the pries ‘ians | or “medicine men,” the most important | part of their stock in le. They ere doubt- | less of great antiquity and were handed down orally from generation to generation until the famous syllabary was. invented about sixty ago by a genius of the tribe. This whirlwind abides disease animal, in ite the language after a f: study. Theformules ware eritten ut in the hae acters of the syl of the bureau | several books much difficulty because of the of | the native doctors. the latter sold | the formulas at high prices to those who wished | to use them for charms or otherwise, As much es times paid for single yunting | na @5 was sometimes paid for a sing | the | song, because without suck prarer of impossible to kill any game. THE FORMULAS. In many of the formulas, especially those re- lating to love and to life destroying, the priest- doctor mentions the name and clan of his client, of the intended victim or of the girl whose affections it is desired to win. The Indian re- gards his name not as a mere label, but as a dis- tinct part of his personality, just as much as his result as surely from the malicious handling of it as from a wound inflicted on any part of | his body. This belief is found among various tribes from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and has occasioned a number of curious tions in regard to tho concealment and change of names. It is supposed to have been on this account that both Powhatan and Poca- | hontas are known in history under aswumed ap- peliations, their true names having been con- cealed from the whites until the psendonyms were too firmly established to be supp! Cherokee tle dwarf, who lives in a eave, will come and get them. This usually quiets the youngster, but the owl and the dwarf take offense at being spoken of an this way and visit their displeasure i bora to the mother after- is they do by sending an animal into the body of the child to gnaw its vitals. The rattlesnake is regarded as a su ral bet + pail it Ac- pS Fe a person has been bitten by a snake, but that he has been “seratched by a brier.” way, when an exgle has been shot, it ix nounced that ‘‘a snowbird has been killed,” cares, being actuated by motives of revenge,be- cause they are constantly beit the human race. They establish communities under the skin of their victims, thus producing an irritation which results in fevers, scrofula. This idea is to Cherokee physicians what the microbe theory is to modern scientists. THE MEDICINE MAN'S POWER. ‘When the “medicine man” wishes to destroy the life of a person either for his own purposes or for hire he conceals himself near the trail | along which the victim is likely to pass. He follows the latter a a chances to rom iy og rahe ‘he: appearance | "4 ofa stick f “‘decr's eye” is a specific. A yol- low root must be good when the patignt vomits yellow bile. Asacure for forgetfuliiess is got | ing i i i : g 3 fe i i Hj i é | B if i | i 5 [ i i E ft bFs H eke E Rit i Hi f s eres or his teeth, and. believes, that injury will | ly being erushed or otherwise destroyed through the carelessness of | well family had in the wittiug room. in the bed rowm or in the garret a breeding place for birds. In the summer the food necossury for the birds was easily obtainable and before the winter came the dealer had purchased them. After the Harz mountains became frequented by view itors desirous of improving their health in the vare air, the: vof the moantaineers was mast pay a high p ‘The industry was then transferred to Fichsfelde, in the province of Hanover, where there are u ers. Nearly all of these are breeding of the cheaper varie’ The industry exits also in the poorer both | Of Hesse, in the rent Luncburg Moor, in parte of Westphalia and among the Sudetic moun- tains in Saxony. In recent years large num- bers have been raised in the cities, chiefly a» @ pastime, by thoughtiess persons who do not conalder t such {combetition means to the a) pasant. About 250.000 canary birds are talsed very year in Germany. THE BIRD MARKETS. First in importance is the market of the United States, which takes in rousid numbers 100,000 birds per annum. Next is the English market, which takes about 50,000 per annum. comes Brazil, Chile, the Argentine Ite- public and Ausiralfa! ‘To these countries «ales men are sent with canary birds every year. The rest, especially the finer Harz birds, are sold im Germany, where more weight is given to fine- ness of song and where Righer prices can be | goes chiefly into the hands Of the poorest class, | The growth of this industry is due to two causes, The German bird dealers have always been very enterprising und the canary birds raised in Germany are said to sing better than any others. While very berutiful birds wae raised in England, in song they are by the German canaries, German dealers claim that canary birds bred ‘from imported paronts in the United States are poor singers owing te the warmth of our climate, 4 BIO BIRD DEALER. About two-thirds of tho 100,000 canary binds exported annually from Germany to the United States are imported by a German resident of New York. At Brounlage, in the Harz, this man has a factory which is capable of tarning out every day the material for 1,090 bird cages. The msicrial is given out to peasants, who make the cages at he ‘The birds are shipped to Now York via Bremen, accompanied by at tendunts. Each atvendant has under his ewre about 1,000 birds, each in its wooden cage. As tach bird must be fed and cared for regularly the attendent® are kept busily employed. One |of these attendants has alread: | ocean more than a hundred time birds ndreasber ger , Churlestum, in cities, as ver, buyers are seat throughout the United States to obtain Amert- | can birds and animals, and also xico und Cubs for parrots, ‘Ths aght to Gur many by the canary attendants upon their turn. Toa this manner wame go nally imports into Germany from the United States about 5.000 Virginia cardinal birds, 3,000 nonpareils, 2,000 indigo birds and 500 mocking | birds. He alco imports from San Prancisee many sea lious for zoological gardens in Europe, - ooo - KE TO SING. Some of Them Have « Taste for Music aué STARTED IN WITH “Annie Rooney” half a block away and the big St. Bernard dog which had been lying ‘on the steps jumped up and started for it om the run. His intention was not to assail the musician. On the contrary, he no sooner reached him than he sat up on the curb within three fect of the instrament, and, elevating his nose in the air, proceeded to howl most dim mall, thags dem re code eden geras Spee