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Words: 20423 in 10 pages
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of berries this year."
IN THE SWING.
BY M. M.
Oh, swing me high, and swing me low, Under the linden-tree, Whose fragrant blossoms, like a shower, Fall down and cover me.
The sunshine flickers through the leaves As to and fro I swing; Gay butterflies go flashing by; Birds in the tree-top sing.
The brook tells stories to the flowers The livelong summer day; And everywhere the earth is bright, And all the world is gay.
So swing me high, and swing me low, Under the linden-tree, And let the blossoms, like a shower, Fall down and cover me.
PEARLS--REAL AND IMITATION.
FROM ADVANCE SHEETS OF "THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN THE FAR EAST." PART SECOND.
While on their way from Bangkok to Singapore, Frank and Fred were much interested in accounts of some of the wonders of the Eastern seas given them by Captain Johnson, a fellow-passenger. In answer to some of their inquiries about pearls, he gave them the following information:
"One of the favorite fishing grounds for pearls is at Bahrein, on the Persian Gulf. The divers bring in the oysters from the fishing banks in the Gulf, and pile them on the shore in great heaps. Here they lie till they are rotted; and the stench that arises is enough to turn any inexperienced stomach. When the substance of the oyster is quite decomposed, the shells are opened, and the mass of matter they contain is thrown into tubs, and washed with water. It is necessary to pass the pulp very carefully through the fingers, for fear that some of the pearls will be lost, and consequently the washing is very slow. When a pearl beyond a certain size is found, the washer receives a handsome present; but below the regulation figure he gets nothing but his daily wages. Large pearls are very rare, and consequently the chances that a pearl-washer will make a fortune by a lucky find are exceedingly small.
"There is a belief quite current through the East that the pearl is a drop of rain-water which has fallen into the shell of the oyster when he was at the surface, and been afterward hardened. This is a pretty bit of sentiment; but as the oyster never goes to the surface unless he is carried there, the story does not have much foundation to rest upon."
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