TO PASS THE TIME AWAY.

Lake Wakatip Mail, Issue 2660, 19 May 1908, Page 2

TO PASS THE TIME AWAY.

A merchant tells an interesting little anecdote of a mouse and a mouse trap. Some years ago his warehouse was overrun with mice, and he endeavoured to exterminate them by means of a number of the common mouse traps so familiar tm all of our readers. One morning ht attention was called by an omployeffo a'parti-' cular trap, in had been captured, "arid" to the spot hf found, to his surprise, riot only the oki mouse in the trap, but also a number of young ones which had been. born tin captivity. The little mites lay in a circular nest —not unlike a bird's—which ths mother had formed •in the narrow trap, but the, strange..thing was the fact that this same of bits of straw, paper, string, etc., which had been picked up- in the warehouse. The mouse could not get out of the trap to reach these articles, nor would she be likely to carry them about on her person however provident usual ~ habits might be ; consequently they must have been introduced into the trap after her capture. In order to up the mystery n watch was set and it was then discovered that another mouse ran to and fro with bits of string, etc., in its mouth and these were evidently drawn through the bars of the little prison by the captive who had somehow managed to inform its mate of The necessity of providing the rifaterials which she herself was unable to procure- This is a sample of greater intelligence than is usually accredited to tfye little chcese-nibbler..i.., .... IN A TROPICAL FOREST. 5 Two or three years ago an Austrian civil engineer was travelling in

Ceylon. Near Pased<ma', J ' one of'the large citioS, was a botanical garden, which is considered one of the finest in the wrorld. ~l t

One afternoon the engineer strolled around the gardens admiring the tropical plants and examining the curious forms of vegetable life with which the gardens abounded. At length he became very tired, and. the day being warm, even for- Ceylon, 'lfe lay down and was soon fast asleep. What happened is best told in his own words.

"I must have slept an hour," he says, "when 1 was awakened suddenly by an uncanny feeling, and opened my eyes. Judge of my surprise when perched upon my feet, body, and even upon my shoulders, a lot of little monkeys ; while all about me and beaming down upon me from the trees" were monkeys of all sizes and 'ages. It seemed to me there were myriads of them.. I was frightened, for I knew these monkeys were wild and in their wild state, f did what know what so many of them would do. ; • *

"I gave one leg a twitch, then the other, and bounded tr> my feet, throwing off all that were gambolling over ~ and" about me. In a second the monkeys vanished and only lie re and there peering down from the tops of the tall trees,' could I see any of them.

"I was .m'lch alarmed, for the appearance of so many of th'em was entirely unexpected.. ' It was a week before I got over my fright. It. appeared, however, that the monkpys had meant no harm to me. The congress had been called, and their examination of me as I lay upon the ground was merely out, of curiosity to divine what kind of an object I really was.- . " "Nevertheless. I vowed never to go to sleep again in a wild tropical forest, even if it happened to be called a botanical garden." ''( ! . XT » :Aill If '' A GRUESOME PRACTICAL JOKE, Many years ago a harum-scarum young officer in a provincial town was drinking in the smoke-room of an hotel, v A local tradesman sat doubled up in a chair in a state of drunken stupor. The officer saw a fine joke. With the assistance of some more' gay sparks he painted a broad red mark across the senseless man's throat. Then the jokers got the wheel-barrow, put the man in it, and wheeled him to his front door. It was past midnight when they rang the bell. The wife who was always nervous about her husband, answered the ring. When she opened the door the ringleader in t'lie "lark" exclaimed, "We've brought your husband back—he's cut his throat." The poor woman gazed at the supposed suicide, uttered a wild, cry and fell dead on the spot. The voung officer was dismissed from Her Majesty's Service, and from that day was a marked man. In his old age he haunted 1 he/Criterion bar. and there, hardened and careless men of. the world would point to him, and, with openly-expressed disgust at the deed, tell strangers the-story of his ghastly practical joke.

A STOIIY OF TWO SWEETHEARTS

They had to conceal their love. The parents were against the match, and' so they had to carry on the usual secret love making. They selected unwonted hours and extraordinary places in which to walk and talk. One afternoon they had met by a prearranged accident, and they were going for a walk in ihe suburbs. They came up a ,-quiet street ahd found a whole row of carriages waiting apparently for a. funeral. Till' procession was just starting and as they armed a cabman inost. politely took off his hat and waved (belli into a cab. They did not, hesitate. They stepped in, the door was closed, and a way t hey went. They had a blissful time. "The ceremonies over.'they were shown into the cab again, and the polite cabman asked where he should drive them. He was fold, and they were taken back into town. * "Whose funeral wa.s if ? " • tisked the young lady's friend,,. ,to,whom the story had been told. -J "We didn't' know, we don't know now ; but it was just perfectly lovely" I