Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1886-11-14
THE RRPTILEGERANIUM.
A Shiny Horror Of the Vegetable World
~--hideous, Repulsive, Yet Strange
~ Attractive.
a sin saiRr and Iserctofore UuNnown Plant
Pcsv-ssine the odor aud Charasterls.
ticsOfa snake.
Atlanta Constitution,


eyes, shat is what call g." said the
doctor.
| stooF I'd down TO examine che aower.
Hideous, gSpulsive, ana yet strangely at
iTactlye, the snake goranium seemed TO
hold me unior spell.
To describe this flower one would have
TO paint life and motion. Mere oolog IL
mot enough. As looked the evil thing
glared at me with sinister intellleence.
There was ncsning remarkable about the
stalk and the leaves Of the plant. The
blossom WAS what riveted my an
Black, sinuous, aud Shiny, IL looked more
ilhe snake than anything else. 40
changed my point OF view the thlug
changed Its aspect. Its scales : Gre H,paF-
plleh black, then a dirty brown, Two
little CLASSY beads in the monsters head
glittered with prismatlc hpe9i and looked
straight into my eyes. Was l mistakclR
Icould have sworn that this awesome
bloom turned and twisted with the un.
canny freakishness Of a reptile,
"Bou know something OF botany,n said
the doctor, show do you classify in"
"It is MOTTO be classified" answered,
''It is a monstrosity. There 10 nothing
like 10, Is II poisonous2"
"bthink So" was the reply, "the old
African who found IL called It 'p!zoa
plant, but renamed ltn
Ihad seen nearly everything worth sec.
ing in the Coral world, but this singu M
plant blooming unnoticed In an obscure
corner of a country DOCTORS garden
amazed nae beyond expression,
Eom the tirst the sickening odor OF the
f'Ower had been terribly oppressive. ln
fact, IL had prevented a close examine
hon. suddenly my brain seemed
benumbod, cold chill seized me, aud,
with,a face Of deathly pallor, treeied and
would have fallen to the ground but ior
tbs DOCTORS strong arm.
Twas hall sick, or rather In daze3 +,
hafsstnge led state, for days alter my re-
turn to town. One evening a negro called
at my house with note from my friend,
the,dooI0r, anu covered basket Tho
messenger was gone before could read
the note glanced at the payer and thsn
opened the basket, | did not know
wnrther TO laugh or be angry. Comforbs-
bly, liked IN big jar, the snHAe geraniam
gave dirty twist aud snapped It's wic.md
eyes IN my facet
To have this floral horror 10 my hosso
was out 81 the question, and yet Sas
proud of the monster. | made servant
carry. II TO a sunny nook IN The back YARD
She returned with chatteriDg teeth
De lawu hGb mussyln she exclni ned,
"dat ting's alive. Hun bite, sho's' yer
bownln
| did not contradict heF. In fact, /
agreed wi h her.
Sometimes carried my friends 10 see
my pct. Invariably had shc satisfaction
OF heariag them swear, and generally I
mad to send them home in carriage.
one Whit OF the snake gerapium was
enough 70 make totsFr-wreck Of the
strongest man.
Ashltle girl living ncEt door took won
derinh fancy TO the fleWer. Frequently
she came over wbeu I was Assent aud
spaat IN hour at tin3fondling tbs plant
aud looking at It. OF 81 the persons who
saw II she was the only one NOS affected
by It's peculiar odor. Sometimes | fell
into deep stu dy ovGs the mutual attach
Tnent existing between my monster and
the girl. | ca II IL mutual because II was
Impossible TO view my snake geranilm
Without giyir IL credit for life and ihtelr
llgence. The girl was queer little
creatnro, with midnight hair and volyety
e}es. She Had certain impish beauty
that made me Rhudder. Between the
girl and the geranlnm came near being
ydeViied 10 tleath,
( As the W eeks passed on the girl CON
uDueh her Vlsits- bhe grew thlnnof ana
pGlsf, anq. her eyes grew larger ana
blaeker' more phAn once noNerhthnd lhe
servants y'hlspsftng that the snake geran.
ium was X llinB the enid. This alarmed
me- ana one asV told my young neigh
DO. That the plant was poisonous ana mat
she must mol go near II. bhe ratner
shFank from me- ana WAN q somo"iui
look sped hdmeWard without eaylng q
word,
came home unexpectedly one day, and
found the girl paying u surreptious yisit
10 the flower ! went 10 hsr inil Of
wrath, but was disarmsd BY what saw,
ny PVNt s'i'"S nuu 49, =