348 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[September, 
l.iULlJ. M.UKIiLi.j 
RURAL STRATEGY . — Dratrn and Engraved for the American Agriculturist. 
Bessie Bennett.— T never "get tired" of the chil- 
dren's letters. Bless their dear little hearts ! I am always 
glad to hear from them, even though they send me but 
one answer to one puzzle. Give my love to C. and lo 
his little mite of a " sweetheart, 11 " four years old." 
T. K. S.— The J. in the signature to number four * 
obviously a misprint ; it should have been an I. 
Thanks for puzzles, letters, etc., to Ernest N. L., 
G. F. S., Tommy Hawk, Frank A. M„ Jessie May 
Flower, Belle, and to all the " Mountain "-ecrs. 
Puzzlers will please specify whct'ier lliey wish to have 
their contributions published in Hearth and ITome or in 
the Agriculturist. 
Aunt Sue's address is P. O. Box 111, Brooklyn, N. Y. 
Mysterious Noises. 
I reached home quite late a few evenings ago. The 
blinds were closed, and as I entered the darkened room' 
I heard a " chip-chip-chip," faster than you can repeat it. 
The sound had a regular metallic ring, and I surely 
thought it was the lawn-mower. Why, is John mowing 
at this late hour? I thought, and opened the blinds to in- 
quire, but there was no man nor mower to be seen. As I 
closed the blinds, " chip-chip-chip " it went again. Here 
was something mysterious, and had to be looked after. 
I traced the sound to the chimney; the blower being up 
at the grate made the sound seem at a distance, but here 
was the sotircc of it. What do you think I found ? First 
some egg-shells, then a half-round basket of twigs, evi- 
dently a nest, and then two poor half-Hedged birds that 
in their distress made the chip-chip-chipping that 
sounded so like the lawn-mower. Here was the whole 
matter explained. Some chimney-swallows had built in 
the chimney, and the nest with its contents had fallen 
down from near the chimney-top to the lower floor. No 
wonder the poor little things were in trouble ! The twigs 
of which the basket-like nest was built were somewhat 
larger than a knitting-needle, and not mnch interwoven, 
but stuck together. Never having seen n nest of this 
kind before, I was puzzled to know what the twigs were 
stuck together with. Upon consulting Mr. Samnels's 
book, I found that the bird uses its saliva for the purpose 
of fastening the twigs to one another, and for fastening 
the whole to the side of the chimney-flue. The birds 
were quite well grown, so large that T wonder how they 
could have found room in the nest ; and a recent rain had 
so softened the glue, as we will call it, that it gave way, 
and birds, nest, and all came tumbling down. Poor 
things, they could not be put back in the chimney, to 
they were placed upon the roof in hope that the parent 
birds might find them ; but these probably left when the 
nest disappeared, and the little things were found dead 
in the morning. Isn't it strange that certain swallows 
should select such an out of th3 way and dangerous place 
as a chimney-flue to build in ? Toe Doctor. 
Rural Strategy. 
" Will ! William ! ! We-yll-yum ! ! !— Charlie ! Charles ! ! 
Chec-yarles ! ! ! "— The roguish boys heard Aunt Betsey 
calling, they knew that she wanted kindling-wood or 
some errand done, and so, as boys sometimes will, they 
pretended not to hear. They were haviug altogether too 
good a time in the barn, for Will had a new book which 
he was reading to Charlie, and just as he had got t* 
where the beautiful princess was in a dangerous place 
there c:ime the well-known call. They kept as still as 
possible, but Aunt Betsey knew where they were, and aa 
the boys had played that trick once too often she deter- 
mined to show them that she was in tamest this time. 
So catching up a strap she started for the bam. The 
boys saw through the cracks that she was coming, and in 
no very pleasant mood cither. Something must be done, 
and Will, the quicker-witted of the two, jerked off his 
boots, a movement that was followed by Charlie, and 
having placed them as you see in the picture they climbed 
to the top of the mow to watch. They had hardly done 
this when Aunt Betsey entered strap in hand, and in no 
very good humor. "Ah ha I you young shirks think to 
hide in that way, do you?"— and down came the strap 
with a whack upon * lot of empty boots. The picture 
only shows the approach upon the enemy's works. It 
would take a scries of pictures to show the whole. Just 
think of Annt Betsey's surprise when she found there 
were nothing but boots, her consternation when she 
heard a voice from above cry out "Sold this time, 
aunty !" and then how the good old lady had to langh, 
and the boys laughed, and having had their bit of fun 
they let the princess in the story take care of herself, and 
went, like good boys as they really were, and did all that 
the good old aunty wanted of them. The boys are now 
"young gentlemen, 11 and they don't quite like to have 
Aunt Betsey tell the story of this boyish prank of theirs. 
