1896. 



THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. 



105 



"What is that for, Uncle Euzebio?" 

 inquired his frieud. 



"I will kill them !" said the old man, 

 in a trembling voice. "I will kill 

 them !" 



But as he crossed the threshold of his 

 house, gun iu hand, a volley rang out 

 from the foremost squad, and the old 

 man fell forward on his fuce, dead. 



The next morniug ib neighbor's boy 

 came running houio. white with fear, 

 sobbing and trembling, and told his 

 mother that a little briow tlio dam he 

 had seen the body of a woman, drifting 

 — drifting — 



****** 



In after years I revisited the scenes of 

 my childhood. It was a beautiful April 

 morning. I found Margarida's father 

 seated iu front of his mil], his chair by 

 the river's edge, enjoying the warmth of 

 returning sprmg. He told me of iSimon's 

 deatli and of the tragic fate of his 

 frieud Euzebio. but when he began to 

 speak of» his daughter, his Voice failed 

 him, and, turning his head away, he 

 ■whispered to himself: 



"Oh, my Margarida!" 



And silent, motionless, like a man in 

 a dream, he gazed with fixed eyes upon 

 the river that slid softly by his feet, as 

 though within its depths he beheld her 

 Gmiling face. — Chicago Inter Ocean. 



Couldn't Congratulate Her. 



M. Paul Deroulede, the French poet 

 and dramatist, was captain of a company 

 in the service of the Versailles govern- 

 ment of national defense in 1871. At 

 one time he had to lead his company 

 against a street barricade in Paris 

 raised by communists. 



Some signs of resistance had been ob- 

 served behind. As Deroulede marched 

 his men onward, a woman sprang to the 

 top of the barricade, aimed a chassepot 

 rifle at the leader and flred. 



The soldiers ducked their heads, but 

 no one was hit. They marched on, De- 

 roulede in advance. He smiled, eying 

 calmly the woman, who leveled her 

 gnn at him and tired again. Once more 

 no one was hit. On went the soldiers 

 steadily, their captain smiling, the 

 woman on the barricade continuing to 

 chaige her piece and to lire each time 

 as nearly as she could at Deroulede. 



Presently, however, the soldiers w«^''o 



on tne carncaae. The woman threw 

 away her gnn and stood with folded 

 arms. She was one of the petroleuses — 

 the furious fighting women of the com- 

 mune. Deroulede looked behind the 

 barricade to see who else was defending 

 it. No one was there; the woman was 

 alone. 



Then he took off his cap, bowed low 

 to the woman, and said very politely, 

 "Madam, I regret exceedingly that I 

 am unable 1o congratulate you, but real- 

 ly, iu view of your markmanship, I can- 

 not. " — Youth's Companion. 



Til*" Creajrent of the 3IoIiainmedan8* 



The crescent symbol of the Moham- 

 medans has nothing to do 'With their 

 peculiar religious opinions and cere- 

 monies. It was not oj .yiually a symbol 

 of the followers of Mohummed at all, but 

 was first used by the Byzantines. Thou- 

 sands of coins have been found in all 

 parts of Turkey which date back to the 

 time when Constantinople was known 

 as Byzantium, and on each of these the 

 symbol of the cresceui: appears, proving 

 conclusively that it was in use as an em- 

 blem among the people of that region 

 long before Byzantium was overthrown 

 and its name changed to Constantinople. 

 The story of the origin of the crescent 

 gymbol is as follows: When Philip of 

 Macedonia besieged Byzantium, he had 

 [danued to storm the city on a certain 

 cloudy night, but before his arrange- 

 aaent.«! were completed the moon shone 

 out and discovered his approach to the 

 besieged citizens, who accordingly 

 marclied out and repulsed his forces- 

 something wliich would have been im- 

 possible in the darkness. After that 

 event all Byzantine coins bore the sym 

 bol of the crescent moon, which was al- 

 ways alluded to as the "Savior of By- 

 zantium. " 



After many years the hordes under 

 Mohammed II captured Conslautinople. 

 At that time the crescent was used ev- 

 erywhere and upon everything. Suspect- 

 ing that there must be magical power 

 iu the emblem the Mohammedans ap- 

 propriated i;, and have since used it as 

 their only symbolic decoration. — St. 

 Louis Republic^ 



The first of the modern bank notes 

 were made in China about the year 1000 

 A, D. 



