1868.] 
AMERICAN AG-RICtjRTURIST 
67 
4 wiiMo 
What Little Folks Can. l>o. 
A great army with banners flying, drums heating, and 
guns brightly gleaming in the sunlight, marched to over¬ 
power the forces of a nation with which they were at 
war. They had been victorious in many a hard fought 
battle, and their present foes were already retreating be¬ 
fore them ; they were sure of another triumph. “ How 
can we withstand them ?” anxiously inquired the gener¬ 
als of the retreating force. “ If the little white warriors 
of the North would only come to our aid, then we need 
not fear,” they said among themselves. Still the army 
advanced like a torrent that nothing could hinder. “ See, 
here is a great city,” they exclaimed, as they drew near a 
famous place, where churches, towers, stores, and dwell¬ 
ings, spread out before them for miles. “ Here will we 
rest, and have merry times in the houses of our enemies;” 
and they thought of the gay revels they had enjoyed in 
other cities. “Let us get the red people to help us,” 
exclaimed the retreating force, as the invaders drew near. 
They had always kept the red people for servants. 
These were very savage in their disposition, and also very 
hungry, and had they not been carefully watched, would 
have eaten up or destroyed everything the city contained. 
“Yes, we will set the red people free,” said the desper¬ 
ate fugitives, “ and they shall fight our foes until the 
white warriors of the North come to our assistance.” 
SO every man turned his servants loose, giving them per¬ 
mission to hold a grand carnival. Away they flew as 
though mad with delight. They whirled through the 
houses, seized upon everything within their reach, 
climbed upon each other’s shoulders to get at the highest 
places, and soon were in a most furious frolic. “ Fire 1” 
“Fire 1” shouted the soldiers, for soon these imps had the 
whole city in a blaze. Houses, stores, churches, and 
towers, came crashing to the ground, and the red people 
danced about the ruins in frenzied glee. In vain the sol¬ 
diers fonght them ; not until the proud city was in ruins 
did the terrible carnival end, and the red people slink 
away and hide themselves in holes and corners. But now 
a more terrible foe appeared. The white warriors of the 
North came riding to the conflict, each on a snow white 
charger, and armed with a diamond pointed spear. Yet 
they did not seem so terrible, for they were so small that 
you might hold more than a hundred of them in your 
hand, and crush them all by closing it. But then there 
were such countless numbers of them, and they were so 
bold 1 As far as the eye could reach, they appeared troop¬ 
ing in sight, and day'after day, and night after night, they 
still came on. They would charge right into the midst 
of the fierce soldiers, smite them in the face, strive to 
pierce their heavy boots, entangle their feet, and with 
blow after blow they so kept up the contest that ere long 
the bravest men lost heart, the stoutest horses were over¬ 
come and sank exhausted upon the field. A retreat was 
commenced, but still the little white warriors come pour¬ 
ing on, and of the hundred thousands ot men who marched 
forth so confidently, but a straggling handful ever returned 
to tell of the horrible sufferings they had endured, and of 
the sad deaths of their companions in that terrible retreat 
from Moscow. There I now, you have discovered that 
the red people were the little sparks of fire, and the white 
warriors were only snow-flakes, and remember that by 
each little one doing his part, great things were accom¬ 
plished. So, little folks, do your part in this world well, 
and more wonderful things yet will follow. 
HBresid Cast on tlie Waters. 
A young man living in New York at the time of the 
discovery of gold in California, was led by the prevailing 
excitement to sell all he had heretand travel to that land 
of promise. He arrived safely, made his way to the 
mountains, and worked hard for months, but with little 
success. Soon his money was gone, his clothes nearly 
worn out, and he must either starve or find his way back 
to San Francisco, and get employment there. He started 
on foot, and slowly made his journey. One afternoon he 
came to the bank of a stream which must be crossed. A 
ferryman was ready with a row boat. “ What is your 
charge ?” asked the traveler. “ One dollar, sir.” “ Well, 
1 shall have to foot it up the stream until I can find a 
crossing place.” “ Are you hard up f" asked the ferry¬ 
man. “I’m dead broke," was the desponding reply. 
“Jump in, I’m not the man to send a fellow adrift”—and 
with a few vigorous strokes they were soon in the mid¬ 
dle of the stream. Here the boatman stopped rowing 
and, looking into his face, asked, “ Is your name Jones ?” 
“ Yes,” replied the other, with a start at finding himself 
recognized. “ Didn’t your father belong to the church 
in-street?” “Yes.” “I thought so,” and with that 
he drew from his pocket a bag and commenced counting 
out gold pieces. “I have made five hundred dollars by 
ferrying passengers ; hero are three hundred of them for 
you. You can pay me when yon are flush, or if that don’t 
happen, then all right. You think I’m crazy, perhaps,” 
continued he, observing the astonished looks of the trav¬ 
eler, n but I was never in better senses in my life. When 
I was a little boy and my mother was a poor widow, many 
a time has your father visited our home, and when he 
had gone, somewhere about the room we would find 
money for a barrel of flour, or to pay the rent, when we 
knew not before where it was to come from; and as long 
as I live, if I have only a crust, when I find one of his 
sons in want, he shall get the biggest half.” The loan 
■ was gratefully accepted, by its aid the traveler was able 
to reach San Francisco, earn enough to repay his bene¬ 
factor, and return safely to his home. This story, with 
the exception of the name, is a true one, related by the 
traveler himself, illustrating the precept, “ Cast thy bread 
upon the waters; for thou shalt find it after many days.” 
IBabits of S3beej»—A Mam im a Lmli- 
crons 
An exchange publishes the following: “ Sheep por- 
severingly follow their leader wherever he goes; but, if 
in case of sudden alarm, anyone of the flock runs forward 
to escape, and thus takes the lead, the rest generally fol¬ 
low him, regardless of any obstructions. Of this singular 
disposition wc once witnessed an instance in Cleveland, 
Ohio. A butcher’s boy was driving about twenty fat 
sheep through the city ; but they ran down a street along 
which he did not want them to go. He observed a scav¬ 
enger at work with his broom a little way before them, 
and called out loudly for him to stop the sheep. The man 
accordingly did what he could to turn them back, running 
from side to side, always opposing himself to their pas¬ 
sage, and brandishing his broom with great dexterity; 
but the sheep, much agitated, pressed forward, and at last 
one of them came right up to the man, who, fearing it 
was about to jump over his head while he was stooping, 
grasped the short broomstick in both hands, and held it 
over his head. He stood for a few seconds in this posi¬ 
tion, when the sheep made a spring, and jumped fairly 
over him, without touching the broom. The first had no 
sooner cleared this impediment than another followed, 
and another, in such quick succession that the man, per¬ 
fectly confounded, seemed to lose all recollection, and 
stood in the same attitude till the whole had jumped over 
him, not one attempting to pass on either side, though 
the street was quite clear. As this took place during wet 
weather, as may be easily imagined, the man was entirely 
bespattered with dirt before they had all passed; and 
it is impossible to conceive a more ludicrous ap¬ 
pearance than the poor fellow made on the occasion. 
Tumble BBteg-s. 
I suppose all little people who have ever lived in the 
country are acquainted with the dusty, awkward, black 
beetle, which often goes by the name of tumble bug. 
The name was probably given to it because it is always 
rolling about a great ball of manure twice as large as 
itself, and tumbling over it in a very ungraceful manner. 
This seems rather hard ball playing to be kept up all the 
long summer days, and, in fact, it is no play at all, but 
real work—the daily work of this beetle, just as all other 
beetles, bugs, and flies, have their work, each in its own 
way, while they seem to be humming and buzzing so 
lazily in the sun. 
It is easy to see that this rusty, tumble bug beetle is a 
plebeian among insects, quite coarse and dirty—or, as 
some people might say,—disgusting. While the wealthy, 
respectable bee is making beautiful little cells of wax 
for her future young, and laying up great stores of rich, 
sweet honey for them, the mother tumble bug is just as 
busy providing for her children according to her means 
and understanding. Not knowing how to make wax- 
cells, and having no suitable wings to fly among the 
flowers for honey, she lays her eggs on a bit of soft, barn¬ 
yard manure, and then rolls it over and over with great 
patience, until the ball is largo enough to supply her 
young ones with food as long as they are unable to help 
themselves. In time, little maggots come out of the eggs, 
—for the infant tumble bugs are not at all like their 
mother,—and it is only after they have eaten their way 
out of the balls that they gradually change from their 
grub or larva state into dusty, hard working beetles. 
A Rail wuy Imeideiat. 
The Duke of Argyle and the Duke of Northumberland 
were traveling together in a railway car in England, when 
a traveling salesman entered the apartment with them. 
All were very sociable and the conversation was unre¬ 
strained, the clerk not knowing who were his compan¬ 
ions. At one of the stations the Duke of Northumber¬ 
land got out and was received by a large number of ser¬ 
vants, who conducted him to his splendid carriage that 
stood waiting. “ That must be some great ‘ sivell,' ” said 
the salesman to the remaining Duke. “ That is the Duke 
of Northumberland,” was the reply. “Is it possible,” 
replied the salesman, much astonished, “and only to 
think how free he was with two little snobs like us ! ” 
New l’uzzlcs to be Answered. 
No. 206. Puzzle Picture .—The Old Man of the Woods 
will be found somewhere in company with the baboon ; 
the latter is much the better looking of the two. 
No. 297. Illustrated Rebus— Well worth remembering. 
The following are answers to the puzzles in the Janu¬ 
ary number, page 27. No. 201.—“ Plow deep while slug¬ 
gards sleep, And you will have com to use and to keep.” 
_No. 292.—“Waste not, want not.”....No. 293.—Co¬ 
lumbus in chains_No. 294.—Be backward in nought, 
but be ever on time... No. 295.—A Roman knows no 
fear. The following have sent correct answers to some 
of the puzzles previously published. W. F. Gale, L. L. 
Ford, Alfred Boibic, L. M. Wright, II. Augusta Worces¬ 
ter, R. M. Swan, .1. Milton Snyder, W. T. Fuller, E. II. 
Field, II. L. Hoynet, Jr., Sanford Horton, N. E. Melick, 
“F.,”D. II. Noon, M. A. Ilarnish, J. Milton Snyder, Geo. 
0. Pfontz. S. W. Smith, Jas. W. Foster, C. Sumner War- 
basse, Willie W. Stockton, Ray Billingsley, John Austin, 
Richard H. Wilson. Madeline Burt, C. J. Thomas, 
“Time-piece,” J. H. Gray, Wm. H. Heath, Isaac 
Tull Lain, Isabella Lucy Stewart, Geo. M. Buck, J. H. 
Gray, Mollie Kerr, Knickerbocker, Martin H. Horning. 
