St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-10-13
BEAUTY'S LITTLE BEASTS.
The Very Queer Pets OF Our Society
Bellies.
Alligators, Snakes, Chameleons and
Turtles "A Frogs Feats.

TurtIes--A Frogs Feats.
''Youe don't call dogs, parrots and cats
queer pets, do you?" asked fashionable
young man of a Journal reporter why,
almost every girl l know in town-and
know good many-has some atrOciouS
little beast for pet that it would make you
sick to look at. declare it would And
yet they kiss them and hug them and call
them all the sweet names they would call a
lover if they had one. It's rather hard for
fellow to be classed with dogs. cats and
BIRDS so far as endearing terms go, but
when it comes down to mice and snakes
and all that sort of thing it's little too
bad!' and he sank back in his chair ex-
hausted and indignant.
''Snakes!" said the reporter in a Mortified
exclamation. ''why, didn't suppose any
one outside of the circus would touch one."
''You didn't!'' said the young man; ''well,
l could show you young lady that just
loves snake, if | hadn't quarrelled with
her about that same horrid beast You
know she went down to Florida last
spring, and she came back with an alli-
gator-a live one. 1t was seven inches
long, and she had it trained to sleep
in her hand. Every time L went to
see her that nasty thing sat in her
lap, and would roll its eyes at me in
leering fashion. She called it
willie darling and Willie precious, until |
was ready to kill it. One day it crawled IN
my back and got on my neck, then L pitch. d
it to the other end of the room. What do
you think she did? She called me mean,
disagreeable man. said | had no heart
because was not 'simpatica with the lower
animals, and actually flung me over for the
sake of that alligator. She used to keep it
in little tank of water and mud, with
sandalwood log to rest on. I was awfully
fond of that girl, too" he ended with
sigh, but the alligator was too much
for me-"
The young lady is not the only one who
has an alligator for pet. 1t was the fash
ion last winter for every one who went
South to bring home an alligator and many
were sent by express. Very few stood the
journey, but those that did proved very
hardy once acclimated.. and would go two
or three days without food or water. A
lady who had one sent her went away for a
few days and returned to find that one of
her servants had thrown the poor little
thing out in the back yard to freeze to
brought into the kitchen and it was placed
was discovered climbing up the stove for
heat. 1t is alive yet. and it's pluck in not
dying has endeared it to all the servants of
the house.
1.-The lady who brought her three white
mice to the opera last winter claimed more
attention than the music" said an attache
of the Metropolitan opera house. ''She
occupied one of the boxes of the second
tier and was always handsomely dressed.
She used to bring the mice hid in her dress
bodice and up her sleeves, and they would
trot out, run all over the chairs and railing,
perch on her head Or shoulders, and she
would smile, hold them in her palm and
rub them against her cheek. She used to
make me shudder.
lone night between the scenes one of
the mice got out in the corridor and Mrs.
LivingstOn's tiny rat terrier, that only
weighed two pounds, must have smelled it.
He got out too, and all the men had great
fun seeing the chase. A dozen times they
thought Clipper had caught the white tail,
but he hadn't, and the mouse saved itself
by running up curtain cord, which was
more than the dog could accomplish. The
mouse was afterward found by its mistress,
DuJ SD6 QlQnG DTlDS LldG luteIcStluS 6IlO W
the.Opera again."
SIN old maid who lives far uptown has a
pet that is rather unique. 1t is q trained
frog and seems as full of wisdom as an
owl. She rescued it from some naughty,
bad boys when it was of tender age and
brought it up in ways of virtue. 1t will
eat bread and butter, drink tea without
cream, and is very fond of pickles. Its
name is Constance and will answer to it.
81 think l have the prettiest OF pets"
said Madison avenue beauty. "YOu see
| got so tired of dogs, and never could
endure cats, and the pair of love birds
had sent me from South America only
lived few months. so L sighed for some
thing new. Last winter my uncle sent me
this from Southern Georgia.
She opened little circular perforated
box and disclosed to view what seemed to
be tiny snake about four inches long.
Isn't it lovelyp she exclaimed. The re-
porter looked intently at the squirming
thing to see if he could find any semblance
of beauty in it. All at once its scaly coat
began to turn hundred brilliant tints as it
crawled out of the box and into the white
hand Of its mistress.
s.Its a chameleonw she said, in answer
to an inquiring look, ''and it is very intel
llgent, too. Iney are great IaWily petS Ill
Georgia and Florida. have grown to be
very fond of mine and l hope it will live to
good old age"
Turtles, both ground turtles and the little
black and red striped fellows. are among
the newest pets, and two or three of them
are seen in many boudoirs. The former
| kind crawl into work basket and toilet
boxes and are decorated with bright rib
| bonS.
The most fashionable dogs are very tiny.
! A Brooklyn belle has a black and tan, full
grown. 1t weighs less than half pound
and can get inside an ordinary coffee cup.
It has to be assisted to mount a tiny foot
stool and can be folded up in a sheet of
note paper. This pet is the envy of all the
young lady's feminine friends. 1t IS carried
about in a small blue plush bag. and can
stand on it's hind feet and beg and do many
| other wonderful tricks.