6B 
AMEllICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[Febrttart, 
Engraved fur ihe American Agriculturist. 
The story in this picture is very plainly told by the art 
1st. A “good for nothing,” truant boy, as some would 
call him, is lying in wait for his unsuspecting schoolmate 
who told the teacher about his “ playing hookey,” that 
IS, keeping away from school without leave. His heavy 
shoe is the only convenient weapon he could find, and 
with it he intends to make a sudden and severe attack. 
The faces of the two boys are especially worth studying. 
Which do you like best? Probably most would prefer 
that of the pleasant looking boy. His present expres¬ 
sion is certainly more agreeable, but his features indicate 
some things as unworthy those as shown in the hard lines 
of the other face. He looks like a deceitful boy, wdio 
would appear very good when his teacher was looking, 
and who would be likely to try and win favor by telling 
tales of others. The truant has some strong manly traits 
that all admire. He is firm, persevering, active and res¬ 
olute. He has more stuff in liim of which to make a 
man, than could be found in half a dozen of the other 
sort. His worst side is turned out, and he generally acts 
as he feels ; he is no hypocrite. Both these boys maybe 
educated to fill a useful place in society, but the truant, 
properly trained, will take the higher place. No boy is 
“good for nothing,’’ naturally, but many become so by 
neglect, or by being despised and maltreated. If you 
know any “ hard case ” among your companions, one 
who is often in disgrace at school, do not make him 
worse by harsh usage : find out the good in him and en¬ 
courage its growth; thus you may help to save him. 
Difficulties of Dawyers, —A testy lawyer in 
court found himself bothered with a knotty witness who 
wouldn’t explain, as lie desired, tlie difference between 
the “thick” and “long” kinds of whalebone.—“Why, 
man,” said he, “you don’t seem to know the distinction 
between thick and long.”—“Ya’as I dew.”—“Explain it, 
then.”-“ Wa'all you’r thick-headed, but you ain't long¬ 
headed, no how!” said he..Anollier one was non¬ 
plussed in tile following conversation. Lawyer.—T)'vX 
jlie defendant knock the witness down with malice pre¬ 
pense? Witness.—No, sir; he knocked him down with 
a flat-iron. L .—You misunderstand me, my friend ; I 
want to know whether he attacked him with any evil in¬ 
tent. W. —Oh I no, sir ; it was outside the tent. L. —No, 
no, I wish you to tell me whether the attack was at all 
a preconcerted affair ? W.—No, sir ; it was not a free 
concert affair, it was in a circus. 
Pharaoh’s Serpents. 
Passing along Broadway, some weeks ago, we saw the 
sign of “ Eggs of Pharaoh’s Serpents for sale here.” 
“ What kind of eggs could those be,” thought we, and 
went in to ascertain. Queer looking eggs they were, 
little bright cones, not much larger than the one shown 
in the figure, all nicely packed in a box with cotton. We 
purchased one box of eggs and took them home to hatch. 
It always requires heat to hatch eggs, and these, being 
serpents’ eggs, rather more than the usual amount of 
heat. The directions were to place the egg upon a plate 
and light the small end. Rather a strange way to hatch 
an egg, but we followed the directions 'and applied the 
match—a little blue blaze flickered for an instant and 
that was all. Perhaps there was not heat enough, so we 
tried again, and the serpent#vas this time fairly warmed 
into life. It poked out its head and looked about, writhed 
and coiled itself, and kept coming and coming as if it 
never would stop. The people all shouted with astonish¬ 
ment, and we who don’t often allow surprise to get the 
better of us, were iu as much wonderment as the rest. 
Out of that tiny cone came a snake-like body several 
feet long. The illustration gives but a poor idea of the 
size, as it has to be upon such a small scale. “ How 
could such a serpent be hidden in such a small egg?” 
our young readers will ask. It wasn’t hidden there at 
all, but was formed out of the material the egg or cone 
contained. The so-called egg, is a little case of tin foil 
filled with a powder whicii, on burning, leaves a remark¬ 
ably bulky substance. Upon lighting the cone, this 
powder gradually burns, and what is formed in Ihe burn¬ 
ing sticks together and makes a long slender body, which 
looks much like a serpent. “What is the powder?’ 
We have been expecting that question, and if we tell 
you that it is the Sulpho-cyanide of Mercury, perhaps you 
will not be much wiser. That it is a curious compound, 
consisting of Mercury or quicksilver, sulphur and cyan¬ 
ogen is about all that we can teach you about it. What 
eyanoyen is, or how the sulpho-cyanide of mercury is 
made, can only be understood by those who have more 
knowledge of chemistry than boys or girls are supposed 
to possess. No more amusing toys have been introduced, 
and they have but two faults, they are a little expensive 
and somewhat dangerous. The first we bought cost 50 
cents for three tin foil “ eggs.” As to tlie danger, the 
substance from which they are made is poisonous, and 
they ought never to be trusted in the hands of young cflil- 
drenwho might be tempted to taste them; and, when 
they are burned, it should be done either in the open air, 
or in front of an open fire place, where the draft will 
carry off tlie poisonous fumes.—The name, Pharaoh’s 
serpents, is given from the idea that tlie Egyptian magi¬ 
cians may have produced their snakes thus, but they 
could hardly have known enough of chemistry for that. 
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