Democratic Sentinel, Volume 18, Number 15, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 27 April 1894 — FOR THE YOUNG FOLKS. [ARTICLE]

FOR THE YOUNG FOLKS.

RED, WHITE, AND BLUB. An artist came out to Primrose farm With a great big sketch-book under his arm; He sat in the shade of an apple tree And painted a picture he there did 860 ■ - Two white moths on a head of clover And three tall blue-bells arching over: He hung it up for the world to view, As a “Study ir Red and White and Blue.” [Worthington’s Magazine. LEGEND OF THE SHAMROCK. When St. Patrick first preached in Ireland and stirred the fiery heart of its people with the strange truths of a new faith, standing once before a powerful chief and his followers, he unfolded to them the doctrine of the trinity. “How can one be three?” asked this heathen chief, as his soul stood trembling on the verge of the new belief. Looking down at his feet placed there, it seemed, by the hand of providence, St. Patrick saw growing the very symbol of the doctrine he preached. Stooping, he gathered and upheld before the chief a shamrock leaf. “There in this leaf,” he said, “three in one, canstthou behold the symbol of my faith, three Gods in one.” Gazing at the leaf, three parts in one, divisible yet indivisible, the simple heart of the chief comprehended and embraced a doctrine that has puzzled the wisest beads, and confessing his faith, he was at once baptized, and his people followed his example. Since then St. Patrick has been the patron saint of Ireland, and the shamrock or oxalis the national flower. Surely no other flower has ever borne such a part of theology.—[Detroit Free Press.

ADELE’S FLOWER. Just beyond the house where Adele lived was a field full of daisies and buttercups. So one day Adele asked her mother’s permission to go gather some. It was a lovely day, the sun shone brightly and the sky was beautifully blue, and the soft wind waved the daisies so they nodded pleasantly at one another. Adele ran out, with her hat tied under her chin, and gathered her hands nearly full, when she saw bobbing here and there what seemed to her a lovely flower. “Oh, how pretty!” thought she. “I will try to get that for mamma.” and she stretched out her little hand for it, but it seeing to move away from her. She tried again, but did not get it, so, dropping her daisies, she ran after it. It danced on and on, and Adele after it. It went over a stone wall, and Adele scrambled over after it. Thon it flew into a thicket. Adele eagerly pushed after, when her dress caught in the briars and held her so fast she could not get away, and the flower just beyond stood dancing and seeming to laugh at her. All at once it seemed as if the afternoon had become evening, for the trees hid the sunlight, and she began to feel afraid and to wonder what her mother would say, for she had told her not to go out of the daisy field. Then she heard a voice in a tree saying, “Whip-her-well, whip-her-well 1” Adele grew more frightened, and Culled very hard on her dress, and y tearing it badly loosened herself and ran home as fast as she could. She found her mother and told her all about It. “Mamma,” said she, “was it a flower or was it one of those little fairies that love flowers?” “I think,” said her mother, “it was a butterfly.” “But, mamma, who was it said, ‘Whip-her-well?” asked Adele, with a little shudder, as she thought of it. “That was a bird, my dear, that lives among the thick woods and sings as the sun goes down. It is called the whip-poor-will. You see, when a little girl disobeys her mother even the birds think she deserves to be punished.” “But,” said Adele, “I wanted to get the butterfly for you.” “Yes, but even for something that appears lovely you must not disobey mother. Now run back before the sun goes down and get some daisies, and do not let anything, however lovely, draw you into trouble again.” So Adele gathered some pretty flowers and arranged them on her mother’s table. That night, before closing her eyes, she looked at the daisies, and thought she would always take* the pretty flowers around her and not run after those that flew away.—[New York Recorder.

BEAVERS. • In many parts of the world these busy little creatures live, and are noted for their industry and skill in constructing their houses, which are always on the water’s edge and near some thickly-wooded region, for they need more than straw, leaves or twigs, which serve for little birds’ nests, in their buildings, which consist of several rooms under one roof. The Interior of the structure is about seven or eight feet in diameter and three feet high. Around this, but leaving a vacant space or court In the middle, several rooms or apartments are arranged. The walls are built of the branches of trees, chiefly those from which they have stripped the bark, and this bark is stored away for their winter food. The branches or logs are then laced together with twigs and the spaces plastered with mud, the walls inclining toward each other at the top. The roof is of branches and moss, all securely massed together, also, with mud. Thus the structure is both warm and strong, and the little builders are safely protected from the attacks of fierce animals. If the water is not sufficiently deep in front of their dwellings to Store their winter supply of food, which consists principally of the bark of trees —a depth of about ten feet is required to protect it from the ice—they will dig away the mud and build across the stream a dam to hold the water back, and thus give the depth they wish. Beavers have, besides their lodgings or apartments, what might be called dining-halls, for they do not eat in the same building in which they sleep, but make for themselves burrows or rooms where they take their food. The beaver is about two feet in length, has a broad, somewhat flattened tail, the two hind feet are long

and webbed, the fore feet are shoa* and not webbed. The hind feet as* used for swimming, while the fore feet are held closely to the side, bab when the beaver is building its lodge or dam the fore feet are used as arm* with which to carry the logs er branches. The strong teeth are the little workman's tools with which he cuts dow* the trees, and right skilfully th* work is done. The teeth have a hard yellow enamel on the outside, bob the under part is softer and mor# easily worn away. The tooth ia, therefore, kept with a chisel-like edge, well sharpened for cutting, and thus the beaver’s tools are ready far use at any time. In summer they love to eat benie* of various kinds and the roots of th* water lily, but in winter their diet consists of bark. They have always been noted for the dams which they build ovar streams, some of them measuring many feet in length. They ar* hunted and caught in nets or trap* for the sake of procuring their beautiful furs, which are of great value. —[Detroit Free Press.