A MARVELOUS MANUFACTURER 
“ No doubt you folks all remember our talk 
about the spiders some days ago,” Uncle John 
observed, as he rose from the table one Sunday, 
after lunch. “As soon as the dishes are washed, 
there will be an expedition down to the brook in 
the west marsh to pay our respects to a certain 
marvelous trap-maker and manufacturer that has 
taken lip her abode there; every one who has no 
previous engagement is invited to attend.” 
There was a chorus of delighted exclamations 
and the dishes began to disappear kitchenward 
with such alacrity that in an incredibly short 
time Uncle John, Alice, Tommy and Max, and 
little Ruth were off upon the two-mile hike. 
“ It is the banded spider we are going to see,” 
Uncle John informed them, as the party drew 
near the end of their journey. “ She is one of 
the handsomest members of the spider clan. Her 
fat little body is as large as a hazelnut, and she is 
adorned with alternate sashes or bands of yellow, 
black, and silver. Even her legs carry out the 
band idea, with their dark brown and pale brown 
rings. There! What do you think of that for a 
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