Evening Star Newspaper, April 3, 1935, Page 29

Nature’s Children American Elk. BY LILLIAN COX ATHEY. OME day we may have these handsome creatures again roaming through our woods, as they did over a hundred years ago. At the time when Amer- (ca was young, it is said that over 10,000,000 elks were in North Amer- lca. In 1919, the number had dropped to less than 70,000, most of these be- Ing in national parks. Then we woke up and gave these harmless outdoor folks legal protection. Elks are not shy, and they reveal their presence by whistling. Besides, their range is not more than 10 miles In length, and when you know where the streams and rivers are along their route you can easily find them. In the Spring the fathers and bachelors retire to the hills, where they drop their old antlers and grow the new ones. Their wives and sis- ters are in the rich valley below. The crowning glory of the elk male is his antlers. When they drop off their bony base, which is about 1 inch sbove the skull, the spot is very sen- sitive, and in a few days is a pad of blood-filled skin. This experience be- gins about the middle of March. By April the bulbous place is a throbbing Bedtime 7Stories Just in Time. BY THORNTON W. BURGESS. Just in time. not just too late. Makes you master of your fate. —Old Mother Nature. VER near his old burrow Johnny Chuck had just seen a funny thing happen. What was it? Why, he had seen another Chuck pop up right out of the solid ground, or so it seemed. It would have looked very puzzling to any one who didn't know just what it meant, but Johnny did. “He did use that side passage of mine,” thought Johnny. “Yes, sir, he did. It must be that he didn't get the door closed in time or else Reddy somehow discovered where it is and started to dig. Then that fellow just continued digging that passage right on up to the surface and there he is. He didn't have far to dig because I had dug almost out. Now we shall see what we shall see.” He did. The other Chuck scrambled out, looked over to Johnny as if try- ing to make up his mind to try to get over there before Reddy Fox i v | ;:’!, [ should or could catch him, decided that there wasn't time, and instead Tan to the entrance to that same bur- | row and disappeared in it just as Reddy's head appeared above ground where the Chuck had dug out. It took Reddy a few minutes to make that hole big enough for him to get out. His nose told him exactly where the Chuck had gone, and Reddy went in again after him, “Now, what would I do if T were in that Chuck’s place?” said Johnny to himself. “Would I try the same old trick over again and pop out at that place, or would I try a digging match Norman with Reddy and dig out at a new place? I think that is what I would do. I would make Reddy work to catch me. That is what I would do.” Apparently that is what the other Chuck was doing, for Johnny saw nothing of him or of Reddy for some little time. Then Reddy kicked some sand out and backed out himself, took a hasty look around and went back in. It was just after this that Johnny saw a black-and-white form moving on the Green Meadows a long distance away. “It's that noisy nuisance of & little Dog who comes with Bowser the Hound sometimes,” he muttered. He | meant Flip the Terrier. “I do believe he is coming this way.” Johnny looked at the place where | the other Chuck and Reddy Fox had disappeared. He was just in tinp to see that Chuck pop out again at a different place, and he knew then that he had done just what he him- self would have done. The Chuck shook the sand from his coat, ran to the entrance and waited. He had time to rest a bit before Reddy Fox ap- peared, digging his way out. Mean- while, Flip the Terrier had been racing this way and that way, but all the time drawing nearer. As Reddy crawled out and shook himself, Flip saw him. For half a minute Flip stood motionless, looking. Then he started for Reddy as fast as his legs could take him. Reddy saw him. He hesitated only a moment. rapid pace. He didn't want trouble with that Dog. A fight with him would be to no purpose. He knew that Flip wouldn’t follow him with his nose as Bowser the Hound does, so the thing to do was to get out of sight as soon as possible. Flip came tearing along, with eyes only for Reddy Fox, but as he drew near the burrow he saw the Chuck that Reddy had been trying to catch. At the same time, Reddy reached some bushes and disappeared. FIlip stopped. He looked | uncertainly in the direction where | Reddy had disappeared, then turned to see the black heels of the Chuck disappearing down that burrow, which locked big enough, or almost big enough, to get into himself. He would try it, anyway, and forget about that Fox, whom he couldn't catch and knew he couldn’t catch. Johnny Chuck, looking on, gave a sigh of relief. That Chuck was no friend of his, but he was a Chuck, a | relative, and he had been just about | used up when Flip arrived. The latter had been just in time. (Copyright. 1935.) Invasion Crossing the Channel. BY UNCLE RAY. UKE WILLIAM was master of a section of Prance called Normandy. Men of the North (sea rovers known as Vikings or Norsemen) had settled there more than a century and a half before. They had taken on ways of the French, and had learned to speak the French lan- guage. People spoke of them as the Normans. England, at the time, contained Britons, Angles, Saxons and Danes. The Angles and Saxons were the ruling group—their ancestors had come from Germany six centuries before. The name “England” arose from “Angle-land.” The Britons were members of a race which had been on the island for thousands of years. They had married with the Angles and Saxons to a large extent. ‘The Danes, on the other hand, were newcomers. They were masters over some parts of England, but had not mixed very much with the other (people. They were of Norse stock, but they were not friendly with the Normans. Duke Willlam wanted to be King of England. He gathered an army which was large for those days, though it probably did not number more than 40,000 soldiers and knights. William’s army was made up of ‘Normans, Frenchmen and others. Their chief weapons wgre spears, swords, and bows and arrows. Many were almost covered with ‘“coats-of- mail.” It was in the year 1066 that the Norman army embarked in boats to cross the English Channel. Duke ‘William's vessel was the fastest in the fleet, and sailed so far ahead of the others that it had to be halted to give them time to catch up. ‘When the landing was made no English soldiers were there to bar the way. As he stepped from his boat, Duke ‘William tripped and almost fell. We are told that those around .him groaned as they saw him stumble, say- ing, “This is a bad omen.” \ Gaining his feet again, Willlam shouted, “No, it is a good omen! Do you see this soil in my hand? It is proof that I shall own all the | land of England.” As he spoke, he opened his hand to show sand which he had picked |up from the beach. There was a custom, at the time, of giving soil to a person who bought land. Duke William was not buying England, but he planned to take it. (For history section of your scrap book.) Seven Wonders of the World! Do you know what they are? Would you like to know more about them? If so, write to Uncle Ray to ask for is “Seven Wonder” leaflet, and in- close a 3c stamped envelope ad- dressed to yourself. UNCLE RAY. (Copyright, 1935.) Who Are You? . The Romance of Your Name. BY RUBY HASKINS ELLIS. Tl-lls surname is derived from ‘the office of a “summoner” which in ancient times existed for the purpose of apprehending delinquents aad bflflrfinz them into the ecclesiastical courts, The first of the name in America was Wiliam Sumner of Bicester, County Oxford, England. He came over in 1635 and settled in Dorchester, Mass. He was the ancestor of Ia- crease Sumner, one-time Governor of Massachusetts. The coat of arms here shown is accredited to Increase, the same arms as those of County Surrey and County Kent Sumners in England. Old portraits of the immi- grant Willlam are adorned with the same devices. The color description of the Sum- aer arms is: “Ermine, two chevronels gules. Crest, a lion's head erminois, ducally gorged or. Motto, In medio tutissimus ibis. (Copyright. 1935.) Then he started off at a | THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, mass of pain. In one month the antlers begin to sprout from the fuzzy bulb, and in a short time will reach a height of 12 inches. It takes four months for the antlers to become fully grown. Then the elk seeks low growth about him in order to rub off the “velvet.” During this time the strain has sapped him of strength and ambition. By Autumn the elk is in fine spirits and sends his love message on the alr. He has trumpetlike notes that end with grunts and that fairly shake the neighboring trees. Meeting a rival is challenge enough for battle. The victor strides forth to summon Try your hand as an rator” and PRIZE! tube of paste! his harem. As you know, elks are the most famous polygamists of the deer family. The young mother has her first baby when she is 2 years old. There is one young each year; twins are unusual. The mothers seek a protected place in May or June. The little spotted in- fants are most obedient and remain where their mothers place them while they go for a bath or food. For the first few days the fawns hide their white-dotted coats, making them so inconspicuous you almost step on them before you know of their pres- ence. They have their new coats by October, and resemble their parents. “interior deco- see if you can win a Get out your scissors and a Cut out the pictures of furniture shown below—arrange them in the empty living room shown —paste them down—and bring or mail your solution to our store! That’s all there is to it! D. C, WEDNESDAY, Snow is their dreaded enemy, for it is difficult to find food or to travel in. The elk is not a fast traveler, but he has always managed to outwit all of his enemies with the exception of man. Many have thought the leader to be a giant elk, with towering antlers. L Far from it. The “high-cock o’lorum” is a venerable great-grandmother, who knows where the best swimming holes, feeding grounds and hiding places are. She has proven her right to lead by her ability and trustworthi- ness and is held in the highest respect by her followers. (Copyright. 1935.) Contest Closes at noon Saturday, April 13th, 1935, and all entries must be in our possession by that time. APRIL 3, 1935. Psychology BY DR. JESSE W. SPROWLS. EGEND says that Mithridates, King of Pontus, mastered 22 lan- guages; that Themistocles knew all of the 2,000 citizens of Athens by name; that Caesar knew the names of all his soldiers; that Cardinal Mezzofanti (who died about 100 years ago) could converse perfectly in 36 languages and imperfectly in 66; that Scaliger, 2 French scholar of the 16th century, learned the whole of Homer by heart in 31 days. Less legendary are such mental marvels as Zacharias Dase, who learned 188 figures in a few moments and could them repeat them back- ward as well as forward. Pericles Diamandi learned 2,000 figures ar- ranged in & square and was sble to give the position of any one called for. Rapid calculators such as Dase and Diamandi have given the psycholo- gists something to think about. 1t seems that such persons possess pho- tographic minds. When they want to recall something they see it stand- ing out like a photograph before their B—13 eyes. In other words, they are “eye- minded.” Thousands of persons are mentally so constructed, though not so0 well, of course, Some persons do their remembering and recalling through their tongues and vocal cords. Jacques Inandi, a shepherd boy, was unable to read un- til he was 20 years old. Yet he was a rapid calculator at the age of 6. All he needed was to hear the figures. Then he would repeat them to him- self, perform the calculation required, and announce the result. The secret of his mind was the tension in the muscles of his tongue and vocal cords. He was ear and tongue-minded, (Copyright. 1935., 1st Prize $50.00 in Cash! To the entry which the judges consider the best. a cash prize of $50.00 will be given. Manner of presentation will be considered by the judges. 2nd Prize $40.00 in Cash! the entry which the judges consider second best. a cash prize of $40.00 will be given. Neatness and skill as well as originality will be considered. 3rd Prize $30.00 in Cash! To the entry which the judges consider third best. a cash nrize of $30.00 will be given. Winning entries will be on exhibit in our windows after contest closes. 4th Prizes 100 Credit Checks To the next 100 best entries Credit Checks in the amount of $25.00 each will be given, redeemable on purchases totaling $200 or over. 5th Prizes 150 Credit Checks To the next 150 best entries Credit Checks in the amount of $20.00 each will be given. redeemable on purchases totaling $150 or over. 6th Prizes 200 Credit Checks To the next 200 best entries Credit Checks in the amount of $15.00 each will be given. redeemable on purchases totaling $100 or over. 7th Prizes 300 Credit Checks To the next 300 best entries Credit Checks in the amount of $10.00 each will be given, redeemable on a purchase of $75.00 or over. HERE ARE THE RULES: 1 2 3 4 5 Your Name ... by mail. No one in any way connected with our store, or their relatives or friends, will be permitted to participate in the contest. Originality, neatness and cleverness of arrangement will be considered by the judges when awarding the prizes. Contest closes at noon Saturday, April 13, 1935, and all entries must be in our possession by that time. Winners will be notified Send in the following with your entry. We reserve the right to award extra prizes should the contributions warrant it. ‘We reserve the right to award duplicate prizes in case of tie. Address ...cocoetcttttccsttitnrsttsttttttssesssnsne Answer this Question: What is the next article of furniture, rugs, etc., you expect to purchase for your home? Answer 99sssse sesssesesstettsttttttasstsesatnanns