Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1886-05-07
POSTMASTER AND ALLIGATOR.
THE MISPLACED CONFIDENCE OF THE
REPTILE.
From the Chicago News.

hePI lie.
From the Chicago News
Inc Hon. ). Corning Judd. our able
non-partisan postmaster. has returned
from the South, where he has been tray
cling for several weeks. Although his
rheumatic pains have reduced his weight
somewhat. he is the picture of health
ana his soiourn in Florida appears to
nave been one continued round of excite
ment He tells Us of marvellous adven-
ture he had in Florida. He saws that
when he reached Thomasville. he fell in
with his old friend. Colonel j. II. Me
Wicker, who inveigled him into going
alllgator hunting one day. a negro
guide volunteered to conduct them to an
Ola bayou which had not been visited bv
white men for many years. and which
was actually alive with alligators. Col
onel McNicker was armed with a Louis
Shapes rifle. and Colonel Judd had the
reliable old pepper-box pistol with which
ne used to perform prodigies of valor in
southern Illinois during the civil war;
so the twain felt tolerably secure.
The darkey guide piloted them along
through a lone wood. over deserted rice
field and through a luXuriant orange
grove, until they came to slimv pool
that lay sequestered among the orange.
banana and palm trees. Myriads of alli-
gators swarmed upon the banks of this
pool, and the party paused to observe the
ingenious manner in which the monstrouS
reptiles secured their food. OF course.
so far away from the haunts of civilza-
ton. these alligatorS were not able to
ulet upon dogs. cats. sheep. calves. pick
aninnieS and other carnivorouS prey. but
were compelled to subsiSt wholly upon
vegetables and fruit. While Colonel Nc
Wicker and Colonel Judd watched them.
they saw the alligators poiSe themselves
ON their Scaly shouts. and. with marniti-
cent sweeps of their long tails. knock
down the red oranges and yellow banana,
from the tall trees O'crhead. 1t wa, OBJ
served that not less than a barrel of ba-
nanas and bu>hel of oranges satisfied
the average alligator. whereas in other
parts of the South the very largest alli-
gator has been known to be stated with a
moderately plump G-year-old negro child.
Eager for the combat. Colonel McVick-
er rested his old reliable Louis Sharpe's
rifle ON the stump of a hemlock. drew Il
bead on the biggest alligator in range.
and blazed away The unerring ball
sped like lightning toward its victim
and struck the alligator on his massive
forehead, but so far from wounding the
miserable reptile it rebounded again and
buried itself to the depth of eight inches
i'll the bark of a palm tree near by.
While Colonel McVicker was reloading.
Colonel Judd popped away at the alli-
gator with his relic of the civil war, and
the alligators seemed to regard this as
species of delightful humor. However
one old alligator bethought himself of
device whereby he might circumvent the
assailants: he cautiously circled around
through the orange grove and came up
behind the two Chicago sportsmen as
they lay in ambush. Then. all at once.
Colonel Judd felt himself nipped rudely
by the legs, and the next thing he knew
he was being scuttled off toward the
Shiny pool, between the remorseless Jaws
of the monster alligator. His struggles
were vain. and what increased his horror
of death was the hideous thought that he
was about to be cut of in the very flower
. IL 4 la.
Deaf to his piteous entreaties, the alli-
gator trundled his human prey down in
to the pool. and there the twain founder
ed about amid the green slime and mala-
rious ooze. Catching a fleeing glimpse
of his friend McNicker in the crotch of
an orange tree, Colonel Judd threw him
farewell kiss with his mud-stained hand.
Then the alligator rolled Colonel Judd
under his tongue and chewed on him
brief spell with his cruel fangS. But
presently the alligator stopped chewing.
MY friend" said the alligator. hesitat-
ingly, II hate to disappoint you, but
am afraid I'll have TO let you go ashore"
Colonel Judd listened; a new hope
dawned in his bosom.
'The truth is continued the alligator,
! 1--WE been raised on vegetable diet.
but for years | have heard a great deal
about that appetizing and palatable deli
cacy called human blood. hoped to
, get sample of this delicacy in YOU. but
| find that | misplaced my confidence.
Being somewhat of dyspeptic, hardly
think that skin and bones would sit well
on my stomach with the fruit have al
: ready eaten to day. So, if you are so
disposed, you may crawl out and go
ashore"