The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1880-06-11

She would have two legs, and more than one
am sure that papa did not mean any harm.
"Pray what would they all say If I asked
To 90 out and buy me nice new papa,
Because father dear is old, bald and gray?
should like very much to hear what nsd
-Harper's Young People.
THE STORY OF LIZBETH AND THE
BABY.
ONE Monday morning last June l
drew the chair up to my office desk, and
prepared to begin my weeks work.
First, I opened and read the letters-one,
two, three, four, five, six, seven-O!
too many to count; then cut open all
the newspapers-there were enough to
paper the front of the building; and at
last came to strange round parcel,
and wondering what could be in that. l
took off the pink string and wrappings
that surrounded it, when out rolled a
tin mustard box, with four holes
punched in the lid. What to make of
this didn't know. I tried to twist of
the cover, but it would not stir. Then
raped it gently with a ruler, when,
all of sudden-pop! off came the lid.
and out sprang a wad IF cotton wool,
and a queer little drab and yellow
thing, three or four inches long, that
squatted down among the papers.
Four small legs, a big tail, a head
with six horns, and coat OF many
cOlors: that seemed to be all OF it.
waited for it to move, but it kept
still, so very still. that I thought it
must be dead, so gave it poke with
nv pen handle, when "Pxsch"' away
it ran, like a mouse, over papers and
letters, down to the carpet, across the
floor, and into a dark corner behind
the safe.
Thus was introduced to ''Lizbeth, :"
the horned lizard, or horned toad,
which my friend, the Professor, had
sent me from Colorado.
I carried her home with me that
night, and in few days she came to be
looked upon as one of the family. She
took possession of one of the broad
window-seats in the library, where she
had cigar-box for her house and a
hickory twig for furniture. Here she
spent most of her time. In the morn
ING she lay in the sunshine, or chung to
the window-sill to look out at the allan
tus-tree opposite. She showed only
one bad trait-she would not eat, and
for five weeks she was never known to
take any food or drink. But this didn't
trouble her as much as it did the rest
of us. She continued to look plump,
and the Professor tells me that she
could have tasted for six months with
out starving. One night l put four
beetles in the cigar-box with her, fast
ening down the cover; in the morning
they were gone, and from that time she
had a good appetite, and devoted most
of her waking hours to appeasing II
with such flies, ants or beetles. as came
within reach of her. l once counted
fifty flies that went into her mouth with
IN as many minutes.
And she always was ready for contri
buttons of insects, but they must bt
alive. If you took fly by one wing
!! and held it. buzzing, two or three
inches from her mouth, suddenly on
flashed small stubby tongue, with .
! sort of mucilage on the end of it. ant
before you knew just what had hap
pened, the fly was swallowed.
Lizbeth soon learned to recognize tn
, members of the family, and would oft
en- follow us from room to room. Sh
3 showed intelligence in many ways; W
I taught her several tricks, such as ~
: inc on her back as if dead, and sittin'
< on her launches with back against a
inkstand, and demurely holding
tooth-pick in one of her small hands
and when hungry for meal, she woul
come to us with open mouth, as sig
- of readiness. She was always please
Z to have her neck scratched, or to b
: held in ones hand, when she woul
= snuggle down into the warm palm an
: = 90 to sleep.
. . One day in September, three month
after Lizbeth's arrival, a very impor
ant event happened. There came al
q other tin mustard-b box from the Profe
:, sor, who was then with the Wheele
i Exploring Expedition in California, an
:, in it was baby companion for Lizbet
- according to the Professors standaI
e of beauty, the prettiest creature aliv'
- 1t was three inches long, and had fiy
\ gold bands across its back. black sha'
~ ing just before each, and a beautif
70 white stomacher.
y So now there were two heads tn
i peeped out from the library window
Is the ailantus-tree, and two hung
H. mouths to fill with flies and beetle
o. Baby soon became the favorite. II
r. color of her coat was prettier, Al
!, she had no horns on her head. II
i, may wonder what Lizbeth's hor
: were for. I hardly know, unless as
substitute for shovel in digging