334: 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[Seftembek, 
C 031 ME 1ST CEMENT OF HOSTILITIES. 
[COPYRIGHT SECURED.] 
-FROM A PAINTING EY ZACHARIE NoTERMAH. — Engraved for the American Agriculturist. 
A BLiively Tisme Isa Prospect. 
An exciting "battle is about commencing, as anybody 
can see by one look at the picture. As usual, greediness 
and selfishness are the moving causes, and the innocent, 
as well as the guilty, must suffer. If anybody does not 
believe animals feel and think much like human beings, 
let. him study the expression of the enraged cat, whose 
motherly passion is aroused, and who is ready to meet 
any odds in repelling the invaders of her home. A few 
vigorous strokes from pussy's claws will send Fido 
yelping from his intended feast. He certainly counted 
without his host. No doubt he had often made the cat 
scamper at a lively rate, when she came near his premises 
at dinner time, and he foolishly thought she was a poor, 
cowardly animal, that would submit to anything. Prob- 
ably he felt encouraged to make this attempt by his 
rough play-fellow that be became acquainted with in the 
street ; bad company makes bad manners. That is very 
much like human nature. Perhaps it would be more 
correct to say, that human nature, left to itself, is, in 
many, respects very much like clog and cat nature. 
Xioolkimg tliaNmgBa ^wranwlpa's Spec- 
tacles., 
"Now, I'll be grandpa, 1 ' said little Charley Wright. 
He had climbed into his grandfather's easy chair near 
the window, wrapped himself in the old gentleman's 
dressing gown, and clapped on his spectacles, which had 
been left lying on the window sill. " What a funny little 
grandpa!" shouted his raster Kate, who was busy with 
her new building blocks on the floor. " Hush, child, you 
disturb me, 11 said Charley, looking over the spectacles, 
and trying to keep very sober and to speak in a heavy and 
slow voice, He was laughing all over inside his plump 
little body, and his eyes twinkled with the fun he was 
having. Kate enjoyed the sport, and "made believe" 
she was very sorry she had interrupted his meditations, 
and Charley settled himself back in the chair " to think 
of old times," he said. In a few minutes he was much 
surprised to see how different everything looked through 
the spectacles. His hands appeared large, bony and 
wrinkled; his feet seemed grown to four times their 
former size, and in place of his little buttoned gaiters, 
there were a pair of worked slippers, just such as he had 
often put on to his grandfather's feet. He started up and 
stared into the looking glass, where he saw a thin wrinkled 
face, with sunken cheeks and mouth, and a large head 
thinly covered with grey hair. " I am grandfather, sure 
enough," thought he, for his hand trembled as he passed 
it over his face, and as he walked a twinge of the rheu- 
matism in his limbs made him step very carefully. 
" Kate, my child, will you please bring some water," said 
he, turning to the little girl, who was still playing with 
her blocks. "Yes, pretty soon, grandpa; wait till 
I finish this church." " I would like it now, dear." 
"Well, TU go" said she, pettishly, and left the room. 
" I'm sorry Kate is so thoughtless and rude," said he, to 
himself, " she cannot know how such conduct pains me." 
Just then, a boy came bounding into the room, whom he 
at once recognized as his former self, little Charley. 
" O, grandpa, I want a ride on your back," shouted he. 
"Not this afternoon, Charley, my rheumatism hurts jne 
to-day." " Give me a penuy then to buy candy." "You 
have just had dinner, and should not eat anything more 
now." "Stingy grandpa," replied the boy. He would 
not have said it if he could have known how the words 
hurt. The old man sighed, but said nothing. Just then 
Kate came in with a glass of water in one hand and a 
large apple in the other. » Oh, I want an apple," cried 
Charley, trying to snatch it from her hand. " You can't 
have this," said Kate, holding it out of reach. " Go ask 
Susan, she will give you one." " I want that one," per- 
sisted Charley, struggling to get it. The old gentleman 
here interfered, but Charley turned upon him, and would 
have struck him, but his arm was firmly held, and he was 
led to the door, put out, and told to stay out until he 
could behave himself properly. "Why will children be 
so thoughtless and selfish," said the old man sadly, as he 
sank back in his chair. "They make themselves un- 
happy, and disturb all around them. If they could only 
feel for a little while as they will when they arc older, I 
am sure they would try to do better." "What did yon 
say ?" said Kate. Charley started up from the easy chair, 
the spectacles fell from his nose — he had been asleep, 
" Oh, Kate," said he, "sucfi a dream I've had. I'm never 
going to speak naughty to Grandpa again. You don't 
know how bad it makes him feel." Then he told all 
that had happened, and Kate could hardly help crying, 
for she remembered how she had often spoken crossly to 
her " dear grandfather," as she called him, and when the 
old gentleman did come in, it would have done you good, 
as it did him, to see how pleasantly they greeted him, 
and to hear them say how sorry they were that they had 
ever made him any trouble by their thoughtlessness. 
Charley's Question. — A correspondent writes to 
the American Agriculturist: "Our five-year-old Charley 
asked me the following question: 4 If at the icy north 
they have six months day and six months night — do they 
have any Sunday?'" How is this, boys and girls? 
Queries.— Docs aWalrussian go barefoot when he 
has snow-shoes on? Conld a bear-footed animal catch' 
him ? And when caught would he say " its snow joke ?" 
