Evening star., 1893-12-16
PROFIT IN GUINEA PIGS.
Reward of Three Years Labor In
Producing a Caudnted Variety.

From the Buffalo Press.
"I have Just come in from the country"
said the young man with the fall style der
b. "and l succeeded in making q large and
Juicy fool Of myself almost every day / was
there. I stayed with an uncle of mine who
has a farm sixteen or seventeen miles from
nowhere, and the Reubens got the laugh on
me so many times that i can't remember
the number.
THE queerest experience that L had.
though was at one of their country fairs
They held the fair early this year. for some
reason or other. and 1 was on hand to take
it in. 1 went out to the grounds with a
party OF women who were visiting in the
neighborhood, and. undismayed by the fail
ure of my former efforts to string the rus
tics, 1 started out to have some fun with
them as soon as We struck the grounds
We walked around for a couple of hours.
and 1 was poking all manner of fun at the
people We met. Finally. We came to the
shed where the poultry was on exhibition,
and. as We went along looking at the var
iously bred chickens, 1 got particularly fun
ny. At the end of one OF the rows of coops
was box with five or SIX guinea pigs In it.
There were quite number of countrymen
standing around looking at the queer little
animals.
I'VE walked over and looked at the pigs
Then L said loudly: DO you know that If
you pick up guinea pig by the tail its eyes
will drop out? The countrymen stared
Fact L continued. Pick one of them up
by the tail and its eyes Will drop right out.
Most queerly constructed anatomically of
any animal known to natrralists If these
pigs were mine l would soon show YOU
"A big, strapping fellow who stood beside
the box said: Stranger. i don't believe you
/ insisted that was right, but ne stood and
doggedly shook his head, and the rest of
the countrymen sided with him. Now. a
guinea pig has no tail, and there is where
the joke comes in. l argued for some little
time and then made a grand bluff. 1 pulled
out little roll of bills and offered to bet the
Reuben SO that just that thing would hap
pen. Imagine my surprise when the Reuben
hauled a greasy old pOcketbook out of his
leans and covered the money. | was sure
had him, for the bet was catch one any
how, and, as the young women who were
with me were egging me on, couldn't
think of iunkinS.
Understand said, 4 claim that If you
pick up that guinea pig by its tail its eyes
~ understand said the countryman. as
he opened the little door in the side Of the
box and pulled out a guinea pig. Now,
pick this one UP and let's see its eyes drop
out
Then began to laugh. 'Ha, my friends
j said, i have played a little trick on you,
that's all. AS a guinea pig has no tail, you
can't pick one up BY it. If you could. 1 do
not doubt that its eyes would drop out
reached out for my half of the bet,
when the big countryman said: 'Hop on
there. mister. You jist look an see If this
mere guinea pig hain't got a tall 1 examin
ed II, and may l be switched If 1t didn't
nave tail an inch long. The countryman
picked IT up by the little caudal appendage,
and, OF course. it's eyes didn't drop out.
Ihen he reached over, grabbed the wad Of
money anu put it in his pocket, remarking
Tie WhHe: i didn't think when l developed
that breed of guineas that they would ever
make that much for me-
I'll be blamed if he hadn't been working
for three years to produce guinea pigs with
taiis. he mad succeeded, and 1 was chump
enough TO go against the only cage of that
KIND OF animals in the world with my chest
nut ABOUT their eyes dropping out"