curious homes, their odd customs and 

 habits, their strange enemies, and a 

 thousand other interesting features, 

 make the subject one of great interest, 

 and we cannot sufficiently honor the 

 memory of the blind naturalist, Huber, 

 who found out more things about bees 

 after he lost his sight than all the 

 world ever knew of them before his 

 time. 



BAD GERMS.— In our bodies is 

 constantly going on a great fight be- 

 tween germs of various sorts, if we are 

 to believe those who know most on 

 the subject. Microbes are all about 

 within us, some of them apparently 

 striving to do us good and others try- 

 ing kill us. In a few cases men of 

 science have been able to find one kind 

 of germ that will destroy another that 

 is hurtful to the human system. By cul- 

 tivating many sorts of germs together 

 and separately they have come to 

 know a great deal about what microbes 

 like and what they cannot bear. The 

 so-called poisons of diphtheria and 

 typhoid fever have been recognized as 

 having certain forms and characteris- 

 tics, and a way of killing them off at 

 wholesale has been found, and so we 

 are not so much afraid of these diseases 

 as we were before these discoveries 

 were made. The germs of cholera and 

 yellow fever are now well enough 

 known to be controlled by sanitary 

 measures, and the doctors are hot on 

 the track of the bacillus of consump- 

 tion. What relief the world will have 

 when these germs are killed before they 

 have had time to do their deadly work! 



A DESERT LIGHT.— In Arizona 

 there is an important well which stands 

 in the desert where its presence would 

 not readily be known, but for the fact 

 that a light now swings from a tall 

 cotton-wood pole so as to light travel- 

 ers who are within several miles of it 

 in the night. Before the lantern used 

 to be hung there many people died 

 when they might have reached its 

 waters if they had only known how 

 near and in which direction the well 

 really was. Some have died horrible 

 deaths of thirst when only a short dis- 

 tance from its refreshing waters. In 

 order to pass that point travelers have 



to carry large loads of water to quench 

 their thirst until the)- reach this well. 

 The number of gallons a company has 

 means either life or death to all. Some 

 time ago a German boy staggered up 

 to the tanks shortly after dark. He 

 had lain down expecting to die with 

 thirst in despair of getting to water, 

 when he saw the light of the cabin of 

 the keeper of the well. So Joe Drew 

 keeps his lantern up at night that 

 others may see the signal from afar and 

 come without delay to the waters. 



MINER'S LUCK.— One of the most 

 profitable mines in South America is 

 the Penny mine in Bolivia. Penny 

 was a run-away Scotchman from a 

 man-o'-war who had nothingand hoped 

 for nothing but to keep away from 

 service on the sea. He did odd jobs 

 about the country for awhile and was 

 brought low with fever. He was faith- 

 fully nursed through the disease by a 

 native woman who could not speak a 

 word of English. Out of gratitude he 

 married her and treated her well. She 

 rewarded him by taking him into the 

 mountains and showing him an old 

 Spanish mine that had been hidden 

 for years. He began working it and 

 became a millionaire. With a fellow- 

 workman by the name of Mackenzie he 

 brought the mine into a good state of 

 productiveness, and then left for the 

 old country. Mackenzie was made 

 superintendent of his mine, and Mac- 

 kenzie's son went with Mr. and Mrs. 

 Penny to Scotland. He arrayed his 

 Indian wife in the most costly attire, 

 and made his visit to Scotland memo- 

 rable by his many acts of generosity. 

 He adopted a nephew and insisted that 

 both young men should take his name 

 and become his heirs. He suddenly 

 died and left his wealth all to his wife, 

 with directions that the two sons 

 should be amply provided for. Com- 

 plications followed, and the Indian 

 mother died under suspicious circum- 

 stances, while the boys contended for 

 possession of the mines. With all the 

 good fortune and excellent intentions 

 of the father the two boys proved to 

 be bad Pennies. They sold out their 

 interests for ^500,000 each and are now 

 killing themselves with drmk. 



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