St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-08-30
SAW SOME SNAKES.
Why the Passengers on a FIorld;
Train TOokt0 Their Heels.

Why the Passengers on a Florida
Train TOOktO Their Heels.
Florida Times Union.
AS the afternoon train on the Florida
Transit railway slowed up to water tank,
where a creek flows out of dreary cypress
swamp and crosses the way, hunter IN
high boots and corduroy coat, with huge
bag swung to his broad shoulders, climbed
out of the tall grass and boarded the prin-
cipal passenger car. 1t was Prof. James
Bell. the Smithsonian institution agent
The train was full of people, who for three
hours had endured the innocent babble of
two guileless land agents. They had
learned from these truthful real estate
missionaries that alligators were as harm
less as geese. and there were fewer snakes
/! in Florida than in New York city or Phila-
delphla. The professor found the one va
cant seat and flung himself into it.
Good afternoon, professor" an acquaint-
ance at the further end of the car cried out
to him; do you have any luck catching
| snakes these dayS?"
And within five minutes Mr. Bell was
answering questions from nearly every oc-
cupant of the car. Were there really any
snakes in Florida? Was it safe to go
through the woods? How big did the
snakes grow in this state? What sort of
snakes are common here? etc. Very gra-
ciously the professor answered them all and
soon had betrayed himself into a disSerta-
ton upon reptiles generally, till, in an
absent way just to illustrate
point he was calculating he unbut-
toned a capacious pocket in the skirt
of his coat and drew out an enormous and
newly caught 'coach-whip," which he ex-
hibited to throng CT staring and excited
people. Its habits and peculiarites were
described and he laid his subject ON the seat
and from another pocked drew out num-
Der of chicken snakes and water snakes of
various kinds. Would they bite? No, in
deed; they were harmless. They look kind
of ''crawley." they are so small.
He replaced them and unstrapped his
game bag. Here we have" he said, "a
beautiful snake, naturally tame and per-
fectly harmless. which anybody can play
with" And he drew out what is probably
the biggest king snake ever caught in Flor
! ida-nearly eight feet long,.
There was chorus of screams, and
women and children, men even, fled to the
further end of the car. During the rest of
the trip the disconnected professor sat alone,
and when at Gainesville he arose to leave
the train little girls hid themselves behind
their mammas and screamed with fright.
ONE OF NATUR E'S NOBLEMEN.
A Generous Husband Divides His
DeIicacies With a Grateful Wife.
Detroit Free Press.
A man and woman who were evidently
man and wife, and probably journeying to
some point on foot, sat on the steps of the
Mechanics block with their bundles the
other noon to eat their luncheon. The
man spread handkerchief on his knees and
pulled out hunk of bread, piece of meat,
two bananas and two onions, and began eat
ing.
The wife made no attempt to help her
self, nor was anything offered her. The
man got away with the bread and meat
and one banana, and he was peeling the
other when lawyers clerk who had been
interested in the affair remarked:
Aren't you going to share with your
wife?"
'.Allus have" replied the man, as he
bit the banana in two. land allus shall.
Here, Bets"
He selected the smallest of the two
onions and handed it out to her, and she
smiled her gratitude at the clerk as she Wig
orously munched away.
The Sporting Times of London announces
that Mr.. Leopold Rothschild mas engaged. o =
behalf of Hon. August Belmont, the we'll
known Jockey, Harry Luke who will come to
this country at once and don the maroon
and red