The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1882-11-08
An Alligator Story.

A rowboat, containing a party OF
merry picnickers, came idly floating
down the placid Schuylkill about
dusk one evening this week. The
girls were laughing and chattering-
as only girls can laugh and chatter
and a maiden, of uncertain age,
wearing wig of voluptuous curls,
was sitting in the bow wrapped IN
meditation and an aesthetic shawl,
adorned with sunhowers, when sud
denly there was a shock and the
boat came to dead stop. The old
maid gave a shrill scream like a
locomotive whistle, and tainted, with
her head hanging over the bow OF
the boat and her curls trailing in the
water. As one of the gentlemen was
about to raise her he started back
Mortified, for he beheld whatappear-
ed to be the end of a log in the wa.
ter open, seize the eurls and disap'
pear. "Heveans, she is scalpsdw he
exclaimed. The lady was quickly
lifted into the boat amid the greatest
excitement, and the light vessel was
hurriedly propelled to the shore.
The old maid, when she recovered
said she had seen an awful monster
with eyes as big as saucers and al
immense mouth which had two
rows OF glistening teeth. The gen
tlemen who had also seen the mon
ster was more calm, and stated thai
it was an alligator F; probably the
one that escaped from the Zoo some
time ago.
A party of men, under the impres
sion that there was reward Of S5U
offered for the capture of the am
phibian, Immediately hired couple
of botes, and procuring ropes, started
out on an expedition to earn the re
ward. After rowing along the bank
for about an hour without discover
ing its whereabouts they were about
to give up the hunt, when there wa:
a loud splash, and the alligator wa:
seen taking to the water from a los
near one of the boat houses. Upon
arriving on the spot, however, 1t was
nowhere to be seen, but ripple or
the water showed that il was making
It's wa TO the dam. The men roweC
after it, and by the CLEAN of the
stars it was in few moments seer
resting against the dam crest.
One of the boats was cautiously
rowed to one side of the alligator
and the other to the opposite side
the men, now sure of its capture
prepared their ropes, and Just as
the animal was about to sink into
the water again, they succeeded in
getting the moose of the rope around
its neck. They then fastened the
other end of the rope to the stern OF
one of the boats and started to row
up the stream. The alligator was SO
much surprised at this kind of treat
ment that it offered no resistance
but followed in the wake of the boat
The men were ubilant and began to
talk about the $500 reward. The
man who threw the moose over the
alligator's head claimed that he
should have half the reward, saying
that had it not been for him it would
not have been caught The Others
loudly demurred to this, aud said
the money should be divided evenly.
BY the time they had nearly arrived
at the Geological Garden, the quarrel
almost terminated in fight. A
red headed man with a wart on his
nose was Just about to introduce his
clenched fist 10 the eye of the man
who wanted half the reward, when
the boat came To a sudden standstill,
and the rowers could make no more
headway. The alligator had at last
come TO the conclusion that he had
something 10 say about the matter
and began TO pull in the opposite
direction. The men pulled one way
and the alligator the othe. Sud.
denly the rope snapped, and the men
found themselves in the bottom of
the boat, while the alligator, with a
quiet grin, sank to the bottom OF
tie river. The men sadly rowed to
the east bank and departed for home
vowing to never more go on an alli-
gator hunt.-Phila change. Er