Democratic Sentinel, Volume 20, Number 21, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 29 May 1896 — THE YOUNG FOLKS. [ARTICLE]

THE YOUNG FOLKS.

KPTMK or THS PKKSIDKNTV First stands General George Washington, “Father benign.” Selected the leader in seventeen eightynine— To John Adams' name “president!’ they affix By his election in seventeen ninety-six. And Thomas Jefferson by feelings kindred, Promoted from vice-president in eighteen hundred. As fourth, James Madison, the secretary of state, Carried to the front in eighteen hundred and eight. In compliment for service to his country, keen, Monroe, so honor’d in eighteen hundred sixteen. “Like father like son,” as was done seven terms before, John Quincy Adams the choice of eighteen' twenty-four. The seventh was Andrew Jackson, of Tennessee state, Made president in fall of eighteen twentyeight. Martin Van Buren, eighth on the line we fix By the people’s voice i'* N eighteen thirtysix. William Henry Harrison number nine has won By the electoral of eighteen forty-one. John Tyler by the death of Harrison did beeome As president number ten, in eighteen fortyone. James K. Polk (Jackson’s admirer who has beeu before) Electe i to the office in eighteen forty-four. For Mexican victories the people elevate Geu’ral Zachary Taylor in eighteen fortyeight. At death of Taylor, in 1850, the nation Promotes Millard Fillmore to the exalted station. Then comes Franklin Pierce, the fifteenth, into view In the fall ’lection eighteen fifty-two. The year eighteen fifty-six brings James Buchanan. The Demo’ candidate, a Pennsylvanian. “Abram” Lincoln to the nation’s help did come For eight years, beginning eighteen sixtyone, And by an assassin’s crimes remaiued but four, When Johnson succeeds in eighteen sixtyfour. Next, General Grant assumes the honor great, Called from the army in eighteen sixtyeight. \ The centennial year, that second seventysix, Selects R. Birchard Hayes in eighteen seventy-six. Garfield, in eighteen eighty, gains ascendancy, “From the tow-path to the presidency.” Again the assassin fells her country’s son, And Arthur advanced in eighteen eightyone. The twenty-fifth administration bore Cleveland to the front in 1884. After four years interim the Republican ■ candidate, Benjamin Harrison, elected in eightyeight Then Cleveland come 3 again in view, For a second term in eighteen ninety-two.

THE STRANGE STORY OP # A RING. It is stated upon what appears to be good authority that in one of the parks in the Spanish capital city of Madrid a magnificent ring liaugs by a silken cord about the neck of the statue of the Maid of Almodma, the patron saint of Madrid. This ring, though set with diurnonds and pearls, is nevertheless entirely unguarded. The police pay no attention to it, nor is tiwre any provision made for watching it by special officers, because it is not believed that any thief, however daring, would venture to appropriate it to his own use; and when the history of the ring is considered, it is hardly to be wonderod at tiiat a superstitious people prefer to give it a wide berth. According to the story that is told of it, the ring was made for King Alfonso XII., the father of the present boy King of Spain. Alfonso presented it to his cousin Mercedes on jhe day of their betrothal. How short her married life was ali know; and on her death the King presented the ring to bis grandmother, Queen Christina. Shortly afterwards Queen Christina died, and the King gave the ring to his sister, the Infanta del Pilar, who died within the month following. The ring was then given to the youngest daughter of the Due de Montpensier. In less than three months she died, and Alfonso, by this time fearing that there was some unlucky omen connected w ; th the bauble, put it away in his own treasure-box. In less than a year the King himself died, and it was deemed best; to put the ring away from all the living. Hence it was hung about i lie neck of the bronze effigy of the Maid of Almodma, where it appears to be as safe as thougli surrounded by a cordon of police.

ADVENTURE WITH A MOUNTAIN UION. A party of hun ers were sitting around a campfire telling stories of adventures. And it came my time at last to tell one. “Well, boys, I will try to amuse you. The story which I am going to relate happened five j ears ago. 1 wa3 then working on a sheep ranch attending a flock of sheep. One night I was awakened by aloud commotion in the sheep kennel. I hurriedly put on my clothing. Going out into the yard I was just in time to see a shaggy form carrying off one of the sheep. I started in pursuit. Itjinade so: the mountain at a rapid gait, but I managed to keep on the trail of the beast by the continuous bleating of the sheep. I followed it up the mountainside about a quarter of a mile Suddenly the bleating of the sheep stopped, but I went on till I came to a dark hole in the side of the mountain. I heard a faint moaning issuing from the hole. I knew at once that the animal had gone in there, and taking my knife out of my sheath I crawled in, no thought of danger coming over me. “As I looked around me, I saw two gleaming eyes looking at me from the darkness. 1 heard a low growl aud for the first time a feeling of fear crept over me. I grasped my knife firmly in my right hand and lay perfectly still. “I saw the animal coming toward me. What happened in the next five minu es was more like a dream. I was conscious of striking a few blows with my knife and then all was a blank. When I regained my consciousness I was lying in a bed at the ranch owner’s house. I learned afterwards that becoming alarmed at my absence, they seut some meu to find me. They found me with my ciotliing torn to shreds and my body covered witli blood. By my side they found a mountain lion dead, with my knife sticking in his side. 1 had the beast skinned as a memento of my narrow escape.” SAGACIOUS RI.ACXBIRDS. General Lew Wallace yesterday related an incident which shows to a remarkable extent the wonderful sagacity and memory of blackbirds. “At my home over in Crawfordsville,” ■aid the General, “we have a large number

of tell trees on thelewn, sod In Ike count of tine these trees became the roostingplace at certain times of the year for hundreds of thousands of blackbirds. They came in great black clouds, and in spite of all I could do, they refused to leave. Of course they were a great nuisance, and I was in despair as to some means of getting clear of them. I stood for days with my gun firing into them, of an evening, and killing hundreds of them, but the rest did not seem to be sufficiently struck by fear or grief to want to part company with ms and my hospitality. I then devised a new scheme. * 'Procuring a number of Roman candles one evening, 1 lighted them one by one after dark, when the bows of the trees were bent low with the weight of the croaking birds, and I poured the balls into the tops of the trees at a great rate. The sudden innovation startled the birds as nothing had ever done before, and they became panic-stricken. That night I was free of them. “The habit of returning there to roost was stronger than fear, and they began coming in by thousands as '.he next evening approached. After dark I began with another volley of candles, and the birds began to realize that there was a determined bombardment In progress. They fled precipitately, and the third evening only a few returned. A few last shots put them to flight, and I was troubled no more. “But what do you think those birds did? My dividing-fence runs between the trees on my property and the trees on the property of my neighbor, which are equally high and equally suitable for a home of the blackbirds. When the birds were driven from my lot they flew over across the dividing fence to the trees of my neighbor and settled. There was no bombardment over there, and they have stayed there ever since “This was a long time ago, but never since the last Roman candle was fired Into them has oue of these birds settled on one of my trees. They are ‘tabooed’ as effectually as though they were on fire. The great clouds of birds each morning and evening fly directly over my trees going and coming, but not a bird settles upon a tree that is on my side of the dividingfence. “Another strange thing is that if any one of an evening stands on my lawn and makes a slight noise, as slapping his hands, there will be the wildest commotion, among the birds in the neighboring trees. They become restless and almost panic-stricken. If, however, the same person crosses the fence and stands directly under them, and makes twice as much noise, they pay no attention whatever to him. He can even shoot up into them without driving them from their perches.”