The Strand Magazine, Vol. 17, February 1899, No. 98.Various
General
The Strand Magazine, Vol. 17, February 1899, No. 98.
Various
English literature -- Periodicals; Short stories, English -- Periodicals
Says the Rev. W. R. Thomas, of The Beeches, Ozmaston, Haverfordwest, who
forwarded the annexed photo.: "A number of books were put away in a box
in an attic, and forgotten. When the dog-days came, with their sultry
heat, the windows of the attic were kept wide open, with the result that
a swarm of wasps took possession of the box and built their combs out of
the books, boring right through many of the stout covers. The difficulty
of rescuing the remains of the books, and dislodging the wasps, was
considerable, and involved many painful stings." Our photo. shows the
combs after prolonged immersion in water, together with some pieces of
the books.
THE CATS' COTTAGE.
[Illustration]
The luxurious little mansion seen in the accompanying reproduction is
built of bricks cut to about one-fourth of their usual size, and the
windows are of glasses fitted into wooden frames in the usual manner.
There are four rooms--each with plastered walls and carpeted floor--and
a "practicable" stair-case leads to the first and second floors. The
house was built by Stanley Barlow, a son of the Moravian minister of
Leominster, as a residence for his two cats, who have lived in it for
more than a year, making good use of all the arrangements for their
comfort, and apparently quite proud of their unique little domicile. The
building is 4ft. 5in. high, and 4ft. broad, and boasts the name of
"Tunnicliffe Villa," the owner being an enthusiastic admirer of the
Yorkshire batsman. Photo. sent in by Mr. Alf. Death, of Fern Cottage,
Leominster.
[Illustration: _From a Photo. by W. Girling, Stradbroke._]
REMARKABLE WHEAT STACK.
The stack shown in the accompanying illustration has been standing upon
a farm at Stradbroke, in Suffolk, for over twenty-one years, and is
probably the oldest in England. It is the produce of a field of wheat
grown in 1877, when prices ruled somewhat high, and the owner declared
that he would not sell it for less than 30s. per coomb. As the market
value has never risen to this figure he has rigorously kept to his word,
and the stack remains unthrashed to this day. Externally, it presents
quite an antique appearance, and a glance at our illustration will show
what havoc the rats have made; and every few years, when the stack is
re-thatched, the blackened straw contrasts strangely with its new roof.
Photo. sent in by Mr. E. Bond, The Rookery, Eye, Suffolk.
A RUNAWAY COAL-TRUCK.
[Illustration]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account