Richmond Palladium (Daily), Volume 33, Number 98, 23 May 1908 — Page 6

THE IlICHMONrKPLADIUM AND SUN-TELEGRAM, I

-trajraari ... r, .-.a 3,t -- v. ,r, - ... - - wilier- - , , i ' ' fiiM-""---

3

M

PLING'S

By

WONDERFUL

E. BOYD SMITH.

VOYAGE.

ZAM ft ft

at l!'.

he IV. ii

U! a balloun," cried Dumpling suddenly, came interested in the different p,aces which he as the bovs of the little town of Bon-passed over. "How tiny the houses are in that heur, in France, were getting ready for town!" he thought; "and how small the trees arc. a game of marbles one afternoon. And. oh, there's the sea!" True enough; for DunipAnd, true enongh." there was a bal-ling's cloud was rapidly carrying him out over the ' loon sailimr over the wood and comingocean. Suddenly he became Irightened. Uli. I

toward tie village. At once all was excitement, forshall be drowned!' he cried. Uh, I want to go a balloon, was a rare sight 'to the bovs. As it ap-back! I must go back!" broached," the occupants of the basket dropped a He was very much frightened at the idea of stayifong rDpc'ishouting to themtto catch hold and makeing out aTj merit, and on a cloud too it was baa . Z.iKi J- rt,.,, ..;.-!.. An-n Th.n,-nh :n t '-r- davtime. when lie could at least see

'boy rain ea'gerlyi for the rope? but the balloon waswhere he v.;..- z'jin out now going to fist, 'and they wet- unable to hold it. .Take a turn around that posj," called one of the men from above. But before the eager boys, tugting with all their might, coidd do as they were

(asked, a auaaen gust nttea me anoon, ana iney. carried off' their feet, were dragged.along, their toes ibarely touching the ground. "Let go, Jet go!" shouted the nirn, alarmed lest 'the boys should be .hurt. The boys, now somewhat ifrightened. lAt the rope slide through their hands, end tumbled mid mlled on the gnound, unable to stop-tthemselves. Hut Dumpling, as always, was too slow;, the Last to. take hold, he was now the last to (let go In facr, he did n't let go atf all; for just as 'he was'making' up his mind to do so, the balloon. jfreed from the weight of the otherboys. rose with 'a jump, carrying; him high up from the ground. "Stop, hotfd oi, stop! I want to get down," crie 1 poor Dumplling, now very anxious to let go. But , the men above cried out to him to hojd on for dear life, for they'sav that should he fall from such n height lie would surely be hurt, and perhaps seriously. So Dtcmfp-ling set his teeth and held on. At last, .quite jrrtv down, he found himself drawing across Mere Seigle'9 garden. The linen was hanging out' on t!he lines to dry. Now lyas Dumpling's chance-: he decided to drop; but jutsfi as he had come to this conclusion, a sheet flapped,around his ,

Dumpling thought they looked very funny with their smooth-shaved heads, ar.d long pigtails of ha:r hanging down their backs. And their eyes, too. were cueor, running up at the corners. And they wore strange shoes and strange clothe. It a!', looked very funny to J:im. W hen lie smiled at them the people shouted in their joy: for they thought it a sign of his great favor, and that he would bring them much happiness and glory. For the first few days lie enjoyed himself, seeing the strange thing--, the beautiful palaces, ar.d the flowery gardens. A guard of soldiers a!uas carried him about; and since they could n't understand

The Chinese boys were very fond of flying kite, and as so-n as there was any breeze tbcv were out

me:!-e k :es ,- uMfced t at peo sw-icd. hv ; t iivt; , big ki:e u . r

lichred to

I

f v t L ,. . "11-,. v ti

ded much more wind, a strong breeze; the

. imMmmPwmmF' B PP

AWAY BE WENT, WITH. SEVERAL OFUMEKE SEIGEI.ES BFST SHEETS AND TABLE-CLOTHS HANGING ABOUT HIS NECK.

.head and so bewildered himWhat hef forgot to let go. "Get out of that! Get away from that clean linen," angrily cried Mere Seigle. ! Poor Dumpling wished to: he had n't come there 1 of his own free will. And he did get away; for the I balloon suddenly rose again, dragging him across I the clothes-lines. They broke, ami away he went, J with several of Mere Seigle's best sheets and tablecloth9 hanging about his wck. j "Come back, come back, you thief!" she shouted. i Dumpling would have Hkrd only too well to come back, but the balloon was in too much of a hurry, i Another strong gust of wind, and away they ! sailed, this time high above the houses. Dumpling shut his eyes in terror; but he held on. Far down below, the other boys, in open-mouthed horror, ) watched him sail away. Tha men in the balloon were having trouble them- ! selves to keep from falling out, as the basket rocked dangerously, shaken by every squall. And they could not pull Dumpling in as they had intended, t When Dumpling, nearly out of breath, again opened his eyes, he saw. beneath him. the village, looking like a collection of tiny toy ' - --. The boys were only little black specks. ' Ohj dear," he though:, - '.,- shall I ever get cwn? ' Rut higher ar.d still higher flew the balloon. Soon they were among the clouds. These looked temptingly soft to Dumpling. "I think I 'd rather be on a cloud than dragging along like a tail to a kite," he said. Ar.d the more he thought about the clouds, the more he liked the idea of trying one. At last a big round cloud ju-.t below seemed to invite him. "I 've a mind to drop down on it," he said to himself; for he was getting very tired of holding on to the rope, and it hurt his hands. The temptation was too great to resist. Dumpling let go. Wh-r-r-r-r! he shot down through the air, while the sheets were released and whirled up nnd away. He alighted in the middle of the soft c'.cud without a shock; it felt like a featherbed. He was delighted: it was so much more comfortable than the ev.d of a rope. The balloon soon disappeared, still going up, up, and he found himself elone. "Now this is very well so far," said Dumnling; "but how shall I get home in time for supper?" He crawled over to the edge to look down: but a':! he couM see at first was more clouds. And, i his surprise, they all seemed to be goinrr n oirTrrcnt direction?. At last, between fhetn. Vie saw the earth far down below. "Oh. I "1 never t b.-rk in time." he thcv.sht. As e looked the "ir.d stewed o slide away frotn her.ith him. For t while he could nt understand this: but h soon discovered the reason his cloud ft At. a: ovine .long aU ths rime. And pow he lc-

sai away to some distant, savage country, he knew not where, and in the morning be so far from home that he could never get back. He might even go to China, he thought, away to the other end of the world. And his heart sank as he thought of it. Poor lost Dumpling tried hard to keep awake; but he was tired from so much excitement and such unusual exercise, and his eyes closed in spite of all he could do to keep them open. The cloud was soft and comfortable, so at lan he fell asleep. The sun was shining brightly when he awoke. He looked down from his cloud to see where he was. All below him was a great desert of rocky plains, burnt and dry from the heat of the sun. Here and there he saw droves of sheep and oxen, and occasionally a man or two; but they looked very foreign to him. And now Dumpling discovered that he was hungry. And the sun became hotter and hotter. He crawled down into a shadowy nook of his cloud to try to keep cool. While he sat there, reflecting over his mishap and wondering where he could get a breakfast, he discovered that his cloud had grown smaller while he was sleeping. And even now, as he looked, it Feemed to be breaking up. It also became thinner and mere transparent, and he was surprised to find that he could almost see through it. The hot sun was drying it up. In the course of a few hours, though to Dumpling it seemed a much shorter time, the larger part of his cloud had melted awav before his eves. Here

was a new danger. W

would become of him

alarming manner.

e i .il.ice Ihimp'n.g saw some miodd shape, bigger than men. Ht

l'. by s:gi:, to fly

. that they re:..

i.c day there was

.-re t.ken our. and Dumpling was dere great clouds hii-h up :n the sky. c.'uM o:-iy et up to them1" he thought, sent up the b-.g kites. One of them

at :t took two nien to hold it. As ; a long way in the sky, a!mot

I to Dumpimg, tuey tied it

THEY .PROSTRATED THEMSELVES AT HIS FEET.

of cloud, but it vanished in his arm. lie shut his eyes, for lie knew that now he was lost. Down, down he rushed through the air. .Thud! He had .-truck something. Crack! crash!; It gave way. Splash! Dumpling had landed. For a moment he was dazed; butt a great clamor and sdiouting matde him open his rye.s. He looked ap. Above him was a hole which he had made ,: the bamboo roof. He looked down. He was sit- '.:: in the middle of a big fountain.. Xow he under--'od why he was not hurt. He locked about him. Strange people were shouting and waving their hands. Some were on their knees, as though worshipping before him. "It is the Child of the Sun," they cried. "He has come to us from the sky!" At omce they helped Dumpling out ofthe water. They toodc off his wet clothes and put a rich robe around hsm; then they sat him on fine cushions and brought him all sorts of strange food and drink, which they placed before him Then they prostrated thetnelve9 at his feet, while musicians beat gongs and sang what seemed tuneless songs. Dumpling was so bewildered that he forgot to be frightened. But when the food was presented to him he remembered that he had had no dinner the day before, nor breakfast that morning lie forgot everybody in his hunger, and ate until he could eat no more, for Dumpling always had a gyod appetite. And those who watched him said to one another that he must be a god, for no mere human being could eat so much. Next he looked about him. What strange men these were! He had never seen any such before. He would have been afraid, but he saw that they seemed to fear him. This gave him courage. "I wonder if I 'm in China," he tlvought. He asked where he was, but of course they could not understand him. "They are Chinamen," he thotrght. "He is a god," they thought. "Ide speaks a celestial language which we do not know." And again they bowed down before him. Dumpling had fallen through the roof of the prince's palace. To every one of course it was evident that he had come straight from heaven; they knew well that no ordinary person lived in the clouds. The prince gave up Iris best throne to him: so overcome was he by this great honor that the gods had done him. Messengers were sent runrring through the city to announce the wonderful event; and soon the people came in multitudes to see the Child of the Sun. Dumpling was carried to the temple on a golden throne, while all the populace of the city fell down on their faces as he was borne before them.

him, he made signs when he wanted anything, and everybody ran to wa-.t upon him. But after a while

he grew very homesick and could think of no way

to get back t

be very tar

Ins own village, for he knew it must

.ff.

Tl.e me i

ptiocl m i:.cil a it wa

t tae c.ouds, H eeme

i:rmlv to a post. Then thev came how ins to Dumo-

'":. the (. hild of the Sun, : -how him that they had : ::n:'cd !:. cmm.T.d Thev invited him to feel how : troj-.gly l! I u.u-d. Dumpling was surprised to fin i t ': t he cou! '. not move the great kite, though he i'-ed all hi strength. Suddenly he thought, "A kite may do as n ell as a balloon to carry me up t the clouds." The moe he thought of this, the tuore he was rominced that the idea would work. He was .r-rv h'-me-iek and very des; erate. "I will try it. at ;.: rate." he said at last; i want to go i: n:c." So. while !u unsuspe.-ting attendant watched him adoring'y. he suddenly cut the line which held the kite, and, holding on to it firmly, "a ,iy he sailed. prince and hi guards, when they saw him tell down on their lace, crying, "The Child of the Sun i vexed with us, and he has gone back to lu.i hou-.e in the sky" The kite soon carried Dumpling up among the 'ouds; anil as he was now so ued to traveling it this ay, he eai'y dropped off upon a soft, thick one, and soon was speeding away toward home. As he had made an early start, he reached hi own part of the world just before dark. He skilfully dropped frorn one cloud to another, until quite near the earth. When he approached his home his cloud, swayed by a gust of wind and his weight, pas-ed close ov-r the teps of the forest trees. Dumpling managed to drop in the branches, and, after some trouble, succeeded in climbing down to the ground, once again safely at home "Hehy! Dumpling! I say, Dumpling! Where ar you ':" Dumpling rubbed his eyes and looked out. There lie saw the other boys with lanterns in their hands. It was quite dark. They were looking for him. "Indeed, but you do "sleep well!" said Victor. "Did n't you hear the supper bell?" "We thought you were lost, and have been hunting for you for the last hour," added George. "What have you been dreaming about this time. Dumpling?" asked Howard, laughing. But Dumpling would n't tell. In fact, he is n't sure yet whether it was a dream or not.

iys

ABOVE HIM WAS A HOLE WHICE HE HAD MADE IN THE BAMBOO 11007.

it it disappeared entirely r He no longer could move about on it with safety, for steadily big pieces would break off and float sway. And now he noticed that the remnant of the cloud was also getting nearer to the earth all the time. "If it only holds together til! I get there!" he thought to himself. But he very much feared that it could not last long enough to let him down in safety. Now he saw houses, plenty of them. He was jt'st over a great city: he could see it stretching away in every direction. And what strange houses! He had never seen the like before. They were cf such odd shapes, like great wooden tents, and a'? bright !v colored. "Perhaps it 's China." he thought. Here the cloud began breaking up in a mo;-t

THE LIGHT OF THE FIREFLY. What a pleasure it is to watch the brilliant, inter mittent sparking of the fireflies over the lawn a;: in the shrubbery 1 On some warm evenings in su;,. mer the vanishing and reappearing of these innumerable little lights is verv beautiful. These so-called "fireflies" are not flies at all. bu. beetles that have soft-shelled flexible wing-covci -. instead of those that are hard and shell- or metallike, as is usually the case in the beetle family. There are several kinds of the "lightning-beetles" in different parts of the country. In our common firefly, the two end joints at the rear of the body are of a sulphur-yellow color. From these rhstrange, bright, phosphorescent light is given out. It is produced by the action of the nervous system, at the wi'd erf the insect, upon a peculiar formatio:i of microscopic cells at this part of the body. A famous firefly of Brazil is called the cucuju. In some tropical countries there is a large firefly called the Pyrophorus, that gives a steady light, not flashing like our firefly, and is brought alive to the United States and sold as an ornament.

a

zwim a srumf oaio nea

Pi-rce after piece broke off and

rrehed away into the air. Dumpling scramb:ed from each shifting piece to another, and held on for d-ar life. But they kept rrowing thinner and thinrcr. To his horror, he found that his feet went through and left holes. He felt that he must soon fn'l v.tvess tViiritrs cfcang.jd at once. But the an grew hotter and hotter, and the cloud still melted aciv before it. Dumpline felt himself rapidly sinking, is Uic4 to hold to tbe last iurcp

PONE-BREAD. By GRACE MACGOVAN COOKE. Little Bobby Black. He's a-singin' for a snack. An' what shall we make him from de meal in de sack ? Go chunk w? de fire wid a piece o hick'ry wood, Mix up de dough, Pat it on de hoe An', sinner, did y' ever taste hoe-cake? Oh. sinner, did v' ever eat ash-cake? Ef y3 didn't, jr doa' know wkat's good.

MrWasWbirak'wm

they.xoere all cvfof dread

Si e puckered his lips E - anaredllecf wilR a frown.

ORen mntfmesome toasl

CI?'

"1 HARl(m-(ari