Chatterbox, 1905 Part 54

The end came a few months later, and on August 4th, 1875, Hans Christian Andersen died, regretted by all who had come in contact with him, and most of all by the band of children whom he had so loved to gather round him.

HEROES AND HEROINES OF FAMOUS BOOKS.

II.--THE DEERSLAYER.[2]

Hurry Harry, Deerslayer, Judith, and Hetty are the four princ.i.p.al characters in Cooper's famous book, which has delighted many thousands of readers.

Hurry Harry, as he was nicknamed, his real name being Harry March, had a das.h.i.+ng, reckless, off-hand manner, and a restlessness that kept him constantly moving about from place to place. He was six feet four in height, well proportioned, with a good-humoured, handsome face.

Deerslayer was a very different man from Hurry Harry, both, in appearance and character. He, too, was tall, being six feet high, but with a comparatively light and slender frame. His face was not handsome, but his expression invited confidence, for it had a look of truth and sincerity.

Hurry was twenty-eight years of age and Deerslayer several years younger. Their dress was composed of deer-skins, and they were armed with rifles, powder-horns, and hunting-knives. The two men were guided by very different principles, those of Hurry Harry being entirely selfish, while Deerslayer sought, backwoodsman though he was, to live up to what he called 'white-man's nature.'

Judith and Hetty were supposed to be the daughters of a man known as 'Floating Tom,' otherwise Thomas Hutter, a man who had been a noted pirate in his younger days, but in his later years had settled down--as he hoped, beyond the reach of the King's cruisers--to enjoy his plunder.

At the time at which the story is laid Britain and France were at war, fighting in Canada, and it is said that neither side had refrained from offering payment for scalps. Whatever excuse there may have been for tribes of Indians taking the scalps of their enemies, there can have been none for Christian white men, and so Deerslayer held, but not so Hurry Harry and Thomas Hutter, both of whom, as we shall notice, suffered for their cruel practices.

If Hurry and Deerslayer were unlike in appearance, character, and principle, so, too, were Judith and Hetty. Judith was very handsome, quick-witted, fond of admiration and fine clothes, while Hetty was not beautiful to look at. Hetty was possessed of a weak mind, and cared little for the admiration of others, although she was of an affectionate nature. Her principles were good, and she ever sought to follow the good she knew, her constant companion being her Bible, for which she had the deepest reverence, while the good counsels of her mother, whose body rested beneath the waters of the lake beside which the family dwelt, were put in daily practice by the devoted child.

Two other characters of the story deserve more than a pa.s.sing word. One was Chingachgook the hunter, the other 'Hist,' a lovable maiden, both of whom were great friends of Deerslayer; they were Delaware Indians by nationality.

(_Concluded on page 171._)

FOOTNOTE:

[2] _The Deerslayer_, by J. Fenimore Cooper. There are several cheap editions published which can be easily obtained.

PUZZLERS FOR WISE HEADS.

8.--RHYMED METAGRAM.

1. Now thin and plain, now rich and sweet, But nearly always good to eat.

2. A pigment painters use when they The lovely blus.h.i.+ng rose portray.

3. A garden tool we sometimes need When smoothing soil and sowing seed.

4. Our true regard for any friend; The purpose, final cause, or end.

5. To seize, to choose, to get, to hold, Sometimes to catch, as we catch cold.

6. Active, alive, to cease from sleep; A noisy Irish feast to keep.

C. J. B.

[_Answers on page 195._]

ANSWERS TO PUZZLES ON PAGE 130.

6.--1. Cat. 2. Yes. 3. Will. 4. Pony. 5. Dry.

Rat. Yet. Pill. Pond. Day.

Rag. Pet. Pile. Bond. Way.

Hag. Pot. Pine. Band. Pay.

Hog. Not. Pint. Bard. Pat.

Dog. No. Pent. Bare. Pet.

Went. Care. Wet.

Won't. Cart.

7.--_Never despair._

1. Paris.

2. Pear.

3. Rasp.

4. Veer.

5. Rip.

6. Near.

7. Nerves.

8. Spain.

9. Span.

10. Drip.

THE TWO PUPILS.

A Hindu Fable.

An old philosopher who had two pupils one day gave each a sum of money, and told them to purchase something with it, which should fill the room where they did their studies. One pupil went out into the market and bought a large quant.i.ty of hay and straw, and the next morning he invited his master to see his room, which he had almost filled with the results of his purchase.

'Ah! very good, very good!' exclaimed the philosopher; and now turning to the other pupil, he said, 'Well, friend, and what have you bought?'

'A small lamp and some oil, which will fill the room with light in the dark evening hours. This will enable us to continue our studies by night as well as by day, if we should so wish,' replied the pupil.

'You have made the best purchase,' said the philosopher.

A wise pupil, who profits by instruction, is the delight of the master.