Harper's Young People, January 13, 1880 Part 10

THE EGG TOMBOLA.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 1.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 2.]

A very amusing toy can be made out of an egg, to resemble Fig. 1 in our picture. The one from which our drawing is copied was constructed in half an hour. The way to do it is this: Get a clean, well-shaped fresh egg. With a strong needle make a hole at each end about the size of a large shot, then suck out the contents of the egg. Now you have the hollow sh.e.l.l. Through one of the holes drop in about half a tea-spoonful of shot and the same quant.i.ty of pellets of bees-wax or tallow. Now take a small bit of bread and work it between the fingers till it becomes a paste; with this stop up the hole at the big end of the egg. Then procure a cup of boiling water, and hold the egg in it till the wax is melted, taking care to hold it quite upright, so that all the shot will settle in the big end. This will take about five minutes. Then hold the egg in very cold water till the wax has cooled. This will take about five minutes more. You will now find that the egg will stand upright on the table, no matter in what position you may lay it down. The next thing is to paint or draw on it the figure of an old gentleman like our picture, and you have the Tombola complete. If the figure be painted with oil-colors, the Tombola can be made to perform his pranks in a basin of water.

Fig. 2 shows the interior of the egg and the position of the shot and wax.

STORIES OF DOGS.

We are sure all young people will read with pleasure the following description of a very remarkable dog which belonged to the Hon.

Alexander H. Stephens. This dog, which is mentioned in the _Life of Mr.

Stephens_, was a very large and fine white poodle, named Rio, a dog of unusual intelligence and affection, to which Mr. Stephens became very strongly attached. While Mr. Stephens was in Was.h.i.+ngton, Rio staid with Linton Stephens, at Sparta, Georgia, until his master returned. Mr.

Stephens would usually come on during the session of Greene County court, where Linton would meet him, having Rio with him in his buggy, and the dog would then return with his master. When this had happened once or twice, the dog learned to expect him on these occasions. The cars usually arrived at about nine o'clock at night. During the evening, Rio would be extremely restless, and at the first sound of the approaching train he would rush from the hotel to the depot, and in a few seconds would know whether his master was on the train or not, for he would search for him through all the cars. He was well known to the conductors, and if the train happened to start before Rio had finished his search, they would stop to let him get out. But when his search was successful, his raptures of joy at seeing his master again were really affecting. His intelligence was so great that he seemed to understand whatever was said to him; at a word he would shut a door as gently as a careful servant might have done, or would bring a cane, hat, or umbrella. He always slept in his master's room, which he scarcely left during Mr. Stephens's attacks of illness. In a word, Mr. Stephens found in him a companion of almost human intelligence, and of unbounded affection and fidelity, and the tie between the man and the dog was strong and enduring.

"For nearly thirteen years he was," says Mr. Stephens, "my constant companion, when at home, day and night, and until he became blind, a few years ago, he always attended me wherever I went, except to Was.h.i.+ngton.

You may well imagine, then, how I miss him!--miss him in the yard, in the house, in my walks; for though blind, he used to follow me about the lot wherever I went. When I was reading or writing, he was always at my feet. At night, too, his bed was the foot of my own. His beautiful white thick coat of wool was soft as silk. Who that knew him as I did could refrain from shedding a tear for poor Rio?"

Of course he was properly interred, in a coffin, in the garden, and placed in the position in which he usually slept, with his face on his fore-feet.

The smartest Newfoundland dog yet discovered lives at Haverhill, Ma.s.sachusetts. He meets the newsboy at the gate every morning, and carries his master's paper into the house; that is, he did so till the other day, when his master stopped taking the paper. The next morning the dog noticing the boy pa.s.sing on the other side without leaving the newspaper, went over and took the whole bundle from him, and carried them into the house. That's the kind of dog _he_ is.

[Ill.u.s.tration]

Ike and Tommy know that Aunt Patty is awfully scared of Tramps, and so they rig up this figure, and knock at the door. Dreadful mean, wasn't it?