Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-05-01
THIS Is A GREAT COUNTRY.

An Old Traveller Finds We Have Every
thing Europe Has - Women Love
6nakes.-Edect of Chameleon In .
Bellies HSir-Fish stori-s by Kodak.
rFRoM STAFF CORRESPONDENCE
five been knocking around the world
good deal since I was boy,"- said vet
eran traveller just returned from winter In
Florida, "and Of late years have confined
my peregrinations to the limit of my own
country. I flnd you can get any kind OF o
climate in this country you want, winter or
summer. You can get it hot or you can get
1t cold-can get it moist or dry-of low or
high altitude-and you can get it intermedi-
aee-ali within reach Of the rail or boat or
postofice or telegraph. And you can get
with all this about all the means of sport
and entertainments you can find abroad:
There are healthful natural waters every
where that will compare favorably with like
waters abroad for medicinal purposes in al
leviating similar suffering. You can't name
q single disease that yields to foreign treat
ment that cannot be equally well treated at
home. You can't name o single spring at
any European watering place that we can
not produce its counterpart of the same pro-
perties, and we can produce more wonders
In the curative limo Of waters in single
State than can be found in any foreign
country.
$50 far as these magnificent gifts of nature
are concerned. therefore, our aown land ts
superior to any other. and there is no reason
why an American should 60 abroad at all.
The other features, the poetry of the past,
the historic interest," the society-all these
We have but in q very limited way. Com
pared with the older European countries in
these respects we have practically nothing.
Yet there is enough historic interest in the
United States to keep good many Of us
pretty busy. I believe in travel. believe
In travel abroad, but not to the neglect OF
our homo attractions. From what know
of the foreign migratory crowd nine-tenths
or them never saw anything and four-hfths
of them don't know anything about the at
fractions of their native land. Going abroad
is fad, largely-a fashionable fad"
Women Naturally Take to Snakes.
Why do women naturally take to snakes
and lizards and alligators and similar slimy
associationsf Does that old original serpent
still wriggle in the feminine bosomf If you
will pay visit to the Clyde pier when one
of the coasters from Florida comes in with
its human freight of returning winter visit
ors you will see a good many small boxes
cigar boxes with open tops covered with
fine wire netting, envelope boxes with holes
punched in them, and all kinds of packages
containing live serpents, small ali1gators,
chameleons, lizards. nasty bugs and things
of every description. I asked q learned New
England lady the other day what she was
going to do with them.
"Oh, keep them for souvenirs-and pets"
she replied. "You don't suppose I brought
The idea of having a pet snake did not
originate with the lovely Cleopatra, nor did
It die out with that famous beauty OF the
Nile. Here was a cultured specimen Of
modern taking n
horrible things to her New England home as
souvenirs and pets, to be fed and fondled
and exhibited to admiring female friends. :.
No man ever had such an assortment, e1-
cept with the delirium tremens, and he Is
never proud of that. He is scared to death
even with the idea, let.alone indulging in the
reality. A woman OF refinement will en-
broider dragons and scorpions and toads all
over her dainty boudoir. She just naturally
revels in snakes. So when she comes back
from Florida she can think of no more
pleasing souvenir than box Of choice
young alligators and lovely lizards and
dear little water serpents, and she brings
lot home for house petsi
Had a Lizard in Her Hair.
-'T was at ball at Fernandina a short
time ago." said the handsome purser OF the
Iroquois, land the belle of the occasion wore
a beautiful live chameleon on her coiffure.
1t was anchored with a gold cable-the
lizard, I mean, not the hair. The latter
belonged there and was as
luxuriant and fluffy as the moss that hangs
from the branches along the St. Johns.
q very lovely woman. That little critter on
her foretop must have been quite vain OF his
position in society for he showed all his
colors duringthe evening" running up red
and green and gold and silver alternately,
as If he was the flash light Off Hatteras. Tie
fine cable just abaft his forelegs gave him
enough swing to move his length and he
lr ant ci0 lint a tiroa q
lady was very much admired; 80 was the
chameleon.
"She had several swells from Boston and
New York after her. Two of the latter fell
lows came down on the boat with US and
they had taken good deal of champagne
on the voyage. They got introductions to
the clipper with the Shameleon; but 1
ton to her much. The first one snapped up
her card and leaned over her where she sat,
and was about to write his name down for q
him within six inches OF his face and slowly
wiggled its tail. He turned as white as a
stay sail, and dropping the card hurried out
OF the room. HIS friend, who had been
saw him go and made straight for
the pretty woman. He seemed to
be tickled to death to find an opening on her
card and his face was wreathed in smiles
when they swung out into the stream for a
waltz. As they came around past me he
seemed to have caught sight of the lizard
for the first time. 1t was showing red and
was straining at the cable to get over. into
his neck. He shut both eyes and blinked
hard-the lizard changed to green and
Topped its tail at him. He looked like a
on the bowsprit. His legs had kept flying to
the music, but he missed the step twice and
the lady chided him.
1.-THE lizard slgnaled blue, then green
reached out one foot for him. He slipped
and fell and got thumped in the neck by a
good stout boot from the rest couple.
He gave one yell and scrambled to his feet.
The music stopped and a lot of people gath
cred around him, supposing he was severely
hurt, but he got away and came out hastily,
me by the coat as he went by. i
went out with him, laughing,
,"'S-s-say" says he, trembling all over,
'd-d-do you-d--d-did you see
The lizard in her foretop?' says I. yes
".Is it's it a real the real live thing, you
know?' he asked, Frightening up.
II explained that it was, and I laughed
till both of us were red in the face. He was
rs mad as wet hen. I saw both fellows in
Jacksonville afterward. They were both
sober, and neither would speak to me-"
The Kodak as a Fish Liar.
Talk about all the lies told about fish
and fishing" said friend of mine who
knows what he is talking about, "the biggest
fish liar is the kodak. The kodak is silent
liar but 1t gets there as usual; he merely
rings in the kodak to swear to it. If you aet
A picture of the fisherman and his fish you've
got the combination. Just lie down with
your feet toward the camera and have a
taken of yourself and you'll un-
derstand. Your feet will appear bigger and
longer than your body.
When the fish liar wants corroboration-
and he always does want 1.-THE hangs up his
rsh q little to one side and in front of him,
Tho kodak does the rest I've seen a FIVE
pound fish look four feet long and like 1t
ought to weigh at least 80 pounds, all by the