1896. 



THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. 



25 



A stalJK.n Icaus upon tlie pastures 

 a group ut from lU to Ji5 mares and 

 oolts. Tlio loader is on the constant 

 lookout for danger, and at his snort 

 his "whole polygamous family take 

 to their heels. The ponies are real- 

 ly far from wild, and one may easily 

 approach within 15 or 20 yards of a 

 group at pasture. The older stal- 

 lions become fierce and quarrelsome 

 and have to be removed from the 

 pastures from time to time lest they 

 should destroy one another or the 

 younger stallions. 



They are all excellent swimmers, 

 and -when the pastures become bare 

 on Chiucoteaguo they frequently 

 swim to the neighboring islets where 

 the salt grass is still green. It is 

 not uncommon to see from the top 

 of Assateague light a group of horses 

 bathing in the surf. The colts are 

 born and nurtured upon the open 

 pastures, and the annual pony pen- 

 ning is for the double purpose of 

 branding these colts and selling some 

 of the older horses. 



Ponny penning day is still a fete 

 day on CLiucoteague, The pen for 

 the horses is built near the center of 

 the village, and on the morning of 

 the pony penning men and boys 

 mounted on swift and well broken 

 ponies ride out to the pastures to 

 drive in the wild creatures. The 

 groups of ponies are slowly driven 

 together on the pasture and then 

 started town ward. As the pen is 

 neared the guards thicken, so that 

 the whole band is easily driven into 

 the inclosure. Branding irons are 

 heated ; men with rojje nooses on the 

 end of long poles leap into the pens. 

 The colts are thrown to the ground 

 and held there while the iron is ap- 

 plied. The branding done, the auc- 

 tion follows. Unbroken horses fetch 

 from %2o to §40 each. Others bro- 

 ken to harness fetch as high as $60. 

 Well matched pairs sometimes fetch 

 $150. The ponies have long been 

 the pets of children of well to do 

 families on the mainland and of late 



jrwars nave Deen soja over a large 

 part of the United States. They are 

 larger than Shetland ponies and 

 more beautiful. — Cor. New York 

 Press. 



No Courtship In Jerasalem. 



Of courtship as it is known in 

 America or England there is none 

 whatever in Jerusalem, writes Ed- 

 win S. Wallace in Ladies' Home 

 Journal. A young Mohammedan 

 never sees the face of the girl who 

 is to become his wife until after 

 marriage. His mother and sisters 

 may see her and report their impres- 

 sions, but if it is a case where the 

 union is by them considered a desir- 

 able one they are likely to accredit 

 her with charms she does not pos- 

 sess. Among Jews and ChristiMis 

 there is a greater latitude in this re- 

 spect, though the young people are 

 never permitted to see each other 

 without the presence of a third par- 

 ty. In every case the services of an 

 intermediary are necessary. Brides 

 at 14 are not uncommon and at 12 

 occasion little remark. I have known 

 of one bride 10 years of age. She 

 was a Moslem. 



Prejudice. 



"Why is it you have so violent an 

 antipathy to Righter's works? You 

 never read any of them?" 



"No, but I smoked one of the ci- 

 gars named after him once." — Indi- 

 anapolis Journal. 



A Misunderstanding. 



Suitor — Beg pardon for interrupt- 

 ing, buti— er — have just come — er — 

 that is, I have just been speaking to 

 your daughter, and she referred me 

 to you. 



Old Gentleman — Gee crickets 1 I 

 wonder if that girl thinks I am 

 made of money. You are about the 

 fortieth bill collector she has sent in 

 today. If she doesn't marry pretty 

 soon, 1*11 be bankrupt. — New York 

 Weekly. 



