HomeMy WebLinkAboutZurich Herald, 1947-08-14, Page 6iftile
Beggar
By
Matthew Christopher
The knock sounded like the soft
click of a night latch. Naomi open-
ed the door, and he stood there ---a
tall, humble looking figure whose
sunken grey eyes peered unobtru-
sively from a sun -leathered face
If Philip had been here she would
lathe closed the door. She would say,
"I'm sorry, but -we have nothing
left," Or, just, "Pm sorry." But
Philip t;asn't herr. And she was
ready to place the: food on the table.
"Good morning, Ma'am?" he said.
He srn,icc!, a tender smile that
broke through his grey whiskers,
"Would you be kind enough to
give an old nhan a—a bite to eat?"
Then it was as if Philip was be-
hind her, staring over her shoulders •
glaring with those level brown eyes
of his, saying, "Tell him to go on
his way."
The sun flashed a welcoming sig-
nal on her bright smile, and touched
the high tones of her smoothly
planed face. "Come in," she said.
"You're just in time."
He had a cautious quality about
his step as he crossed the threshold
into the kitchen, She could almost
hear Philip say, "See how careful
he is? You got to watch that kind.
That characteristic quirk isn't
exactly human nature!"
Connie ran in from the dirtit g
room, her brown curls bobbing on
her head like soft coils of spring.
"Go back and get in your chair,
Connie," Naomi said. "We're going
to have company." She gave the beg-
gar a radiant smile, and pointed to
a chair in the dining room. "You
lasysstt� there ;,� Ile: ha t can go' on 'life
• bureau behind you."
Suddenly she saw her purse there,
She had placed it there after having
brought home the things front the
grocer's..But tt would look silly now
to remove it, she thought. Even if
he were one of Philip's characters,
there was only 60 cents, to the pen-
ny, in the purse.
It would have made no difference
in the world to Philip that he was
old. The older, the more experi-
enced; the more experienced, the
craftier, was Philip's philosophical
slant on it.
* * *
Naomi heard. the man chuckle as
she stood at the stove, mixing the
gravy with the potatoes. She brought
the food to the table, put sonic in
Connie's plate, and urged the man
to help himself. He did, unenibar-
rassingly, but he didn't take much
Just a little of each.
He pushed the plate away from
him when he was finished, patted
his skinny stomach with satisfac-
tion.
"You're not through?" Naomi
said. "There's lots more."
He shook his head. "No, Ma'am,
thanks. I'm through, It was delici-
ous, believe me, Ma'am. I'm cer-
tainly thankful to ye."
Philip would rave when he'd hear.
She'd tell him, of course, Why not?
She thought, if Philip.could be here,
now; if he could just sit in a corner
nicht Ve woylld cast Out of his
and a those ridiculous beliefs he
had about these unfortunate human
beings.
But she'd tell him, and she would
laugh when he'd rave.
Back in the dining room, she sat
down again and began finishing her
meal.
* * *
"Mamma?" "Yes, dear?" ,she
glanced up. Connie's black eyes were
staring peculiarly at her. "What is
it, darling?" "That man opened
your purse," Connie said,
Naomi stared incredulously at her
slaughter. "Connie," her voice was
sharp. "Arc you sure?" "Yes, Mam-
ma."
Immediately, she thought of Phil-
ip.
Quickly, she rose from the chair,
Swooped the parse off the toll of the
bureau. She flicked it open with
beg thumb, and sprawed into it visit
with trembling fingers. And, stud- to s
dente— num
"Connie!" Her tvxiec shrilled high. Be
Grrr-ri1,. "t`Ilt iii,, look!" Site was ventt
anririnrt radiantly.
The chile! stared blandly at the
vld, Wrieltied, one dollar bill Naomi
suit holding in her hand.
Ittii.stasassissteemseteestessi
eh
sts
New Oakville Home of Ontario's Lieut. -Gov. Ray Lawson is Ballymena, here, which he is
reported to have purchased. Buildings on the eight -anti -a -half acre estate were erected in
1922 by the late Col. William Eaton who died three years ago. The property then was ac-
quired by A. S. Auld.
Lieut: t. -Governor and Mrs. Lawson hope to take- up residence
at Ballymena before the end of August. Here. Hon. Ray
Lawson is seen with one of his Angus steers.
Seabirds ,, f Gaspe Find Breeding-
Grounds
reeding.Grounds . Close t- oundingySurf._.
By James Montagn.es in the Christian Science Monitor.
While ocean liners pass close to
the little French-Canadian village
of Perce; no man-made booming, of
boat horns sound above the pound-
ing of the surf, the thunderous beat-
ing of countless wings, and the rau-
cous calling of tens of thousands of
birds. Though Perce is one of the
first sights of land an ocean captain
sees after his crossing, his whis-
tles keep still, his salutes after
a successful crossing wait until
he is further up the -Gaspe coast
of Canada, for the regulations call
for no man-made noise blasts off
the little village of Perce,
For off this little fishermen's
village, with its French-speaking
Scots and Irish, Are the two last
breeding places on this continent
of many- types of seabirds, which
flocked the coasts in countless
millions when the first explorers
discovered what is now the • Gulf
of St. Lawrence,
Today Perce Rock, off the little
village, and Bonaventure Island,
three miles out to sea thorn i'erce
,.i ,ho.. ,
are the' rei�tiiirg"ding.'places
of gannets, cormorants, puffins,
gulls, aulks, "inures and other sea -
fowl, Loud blasts from boats
would startle the birds; they would
upset their eggs in their haste
to take flight.
* * *
Bonaventure Island is about three
miles long and a mile and a half
wide. On its seaward side are
great cliffs of red sandstone, whose
broad ledges form secure nesting
places for throngs of seabirds. It
is like a huge 'apartment house for
birds, with a sea view on all sides.
Perce Rock is, an isolated limestone
mass about 1,500 feet long, 300
feet wide, and about as high above
the sea.
* *
Brightly colored, rugged with
steep cliffs which cannot be easily
climbed, these two nesting rocks
are secluded, according to the
instincts of breeding birds, which
pick -hidden places to lay their
eggs and hatch their young.
Perce Rock has no inhabitants
except birds; its- sides are too
steep for the best climbers. Bona -
venture Island has a few homes.
an old church, ruins on its top,
and can be climbed from one side,
the other sides slipping almost
straight down into the pounding
sea. Some 10 families live on Bon-
aventure Island, but back in 1600
it was widely known to fishermen.
The birds were so numerous they
were like a "fog" to quote the
early explorers.
Later Bonaventure became the
home of bauccaneers and priva-
teers who waged war on the ships
of France. Settlers came from
the British Channel Islands, and
while their names are still of
Scots and Irish descent, French
is spoken on the island, and the
customs of the Channel Islands
• prevail.
* *
When the birds on the two rocks
appeared to be losing the battle
of slaughter and pillaging of eggs
about 25 years ago, the Canadian
and Quebec governments declaredthe nesting places sanctuaries, and
forbade the blowing of boat
whistles and horns. Since then bird
life has made a major comeback,
anti annually a growing number of
ors come by high',vaht and boat
ec the birds in their increasing
tier swarm the cliff sides.
cause from the top of Bona-
ire 'Island the wheeling, cir-
cling birds can be studied at close
range, naturalists flock to the is-
land in Summer time. Aerodyna-
mic engineers have also been re-
ported on the island to study every
action of the birds with fast cameras
to aid the study -of aviation'..
The bird roosts are reached by
climbing the 'western beach along
a hardly visible trail through the
spruce woods. !Blueberries and
strawberries grow wild for the
picker on the narrow trail.
* * *
Glimpses of the • ocean far be-
low are seen between the thickly
grown bush, and here- and there in
the clearing near the lower part of
the island the ruins of old homes
are passed, while from a few ancient
houses smoke curls from the chim-
neys.
After a long climb an open spot
is reached from where can be
seen the rows of birds as they sit
in tiers on their rock ledges
watching the continuous play of
the waves in the sea below.
Most studied of the birds is the
gannet, known to ancient mariners
as solan geese, a bird as large as
-------goose, pure white with black
wing tits and a slight creamy
wash on the Crown and its hind
neck. Lines about its eyes re-
sembling spectacles give it a slight-
ly comic appearance.
* * *
It is a large and powerful bird,
measuring nearly three feet in
length, and has pointed wings
which spread to over six feet where
in flight, It can fly swiftly, climb
rapidly, or instantly check its flight
and nose dive front 200 feet with un-
erring accuracy on a ithackerel, its
chief food.
When its landing area is' not
too small, the gannet lands on the
edge of its nesting ledge, runs for
several feet,, sometimes falling on
its breast if the speed is great. In
limited space though the gannet is
awkward on its feet, it can make
a perfect spot landing.
Boatmen circle Bonaventure Is-
land each Summer with the grow-
ing number of visitors. From the
sea can be - seen every ledge and
shelf covered with white as,though
snow had been piled in drifts
on the cliffs, allowing only the dull
red color of the rock to show in a
few spots.
* * *
Perce Rock is mainly Inhabited
by double -crested cormorants. They
raise their young on its rocky roof,
the only place on the promontory
which allows any sort of foothold.
It is called Perce (French for
Pierce) Rock because of the unique
arch at one end of its base, through
which a boat can sail, and which
is passable at ebb tide on foot.
Perce Rock is considered one of .
the beauty spots. of the .Atlantic;
coast, and has drawn geologists
from all parts of the world to see
its natural arch and its riot of
color when a sunset plays on the
limestone formation.
The birds of Bonaventure Is-
land and Perce Rock are no friends
of the fishermen, and yet the peo ,7e
of the Perce coast would miss
the birds should they vanish
Verdict Satisfactory
A man bought a house on the
boundary separating Russia front
Rumania, but was uncertain which
country it was in,- especially as he
received demand ;rotes for rates
front the officials of both.
A surveyor employed to determine
the question had much difficulty in
doing so. However, six months later
he gave his verdict,
"The house," he said, "is definitely
in Rumania."
"Thank. Heaven!" ejaculated the
owner; "I couldn't possibly stand
another Russian winter."
Willing Helper
Jack: Let's give the bride a show -
Count me in—I'll bring the
soap;
The First Glass
Investigators seen to agree that
the first glass probably was Made
in Egypt, but the point never has
been satisfactorily settled.
According to Pliny's account,
Phoenician merchants carrying a
cargo of soda from Egypt, landed
in Syria on the River Belts, near
Mount Carmel, and made fires to
cook their meals. Resting the iron
pots on blocks of the (solidified)
soda, the heat caused fusion of the
alkali and sand, thus forming glass.
The legend of Josephus states
that glass was discovered when the
Israelites set fire to a wood and
that nitre became fused with sand.
it takes 3,250 ties to carry a
mile of C.N.R. track. 'There are
99,200,750 ties used in the 30,551
miles of C.N.R. track in Canada.
Natural State
--
The languid youth seated himself.
in the dentist's chair to have a tooth -
extracted. He wore a wonderful -
striped silk shirt, and an even more •
wonderful check suit. He also wore
the vacant stare that so often goes
with both.
"I'm afraid to give hint gas," said
the dentist to his assistant.
"il"hyP" asked the assistant. "Do
you think his heart is groggy!"
"No," replied the. dentist, "but just
look at him. How will I know when
he is unconscious!"
At , the "Ex."
Theme of Canada's national wo-
men's organization at the Canadian.
National Exhibition this year is "We
Build Canada". •
�l'/GGa�t'Lrt!C
ill'aiSt rlla.0./717.1 'agir
THE PRO SPECTOR
Hardy men, searching out the hidden
wealth of a nation; accepting privation, lone-
liness and the stern challenge of nature in
the hope of finding the elusive 'strike!'
The discovery of a nation's mineral wealth,
so essential to progress, lies in the strong
hands and willing heart of The Prospector.
Men like this, some of Canada's finest, are
in the service of the public --at your service.
DAWES BLACK HORSE BREWERY
:1T:(:>T.96811It:(4�
One of a series of advertisements in tribute to those Canadians in the service of the ,public
POP—Stagger System
Db IT *TAKE Von
1-0ME TO GET t -1p1 E
'PROM 'T'H, PARTY,
LI`..'r*cep i, 9h.. pntl 11 eafeato, r t.)
By J, MILLAR WATT
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