Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1893-01-22
- GRrrrY ALLIGATOR.

He was a good-slaed creature when /
bought him from little Goscon boy nc
Spanish Fort. New Orleans ! took him
home in great gleo. for | had always
wanted an alligator for a PET
Immediately had a tank built Tor
him IN my summer kitchen, putting in
u mud.bnns and hoard across the side
whore he could climb up and sun him
self. Everything being fixed, ! put him
ia. with the requisite food -ontmcul
sprmkled on the water-And then left
him to himself all night When ! visit
ed him the next morning be WIS there,
but showed no signs of sociability what
ever. He had evidently eaten nothing,
for everything was just as | had left II
the night before. He was In exactly the
same position on tile mud-bank. and.
but for his eyes being open and moving
from side to side as ] stood watching
him. | should have thought him dead,
for not a muscle Of his body moved.
For three days / made the regular
inspection, but he was always on the
mud-bank aud IN the same position. al
ways presented the same inyulnerable
front, said nothing, and did nothing.
The water was changed regularly In
the tank. and for a variety in food--if
food he took-l gave q few leaves OF
lettuce, but there they remained until
like lettuce any better than oatmeal.
by this time / thought IL advisable 10
consult someone about the care of ALI
gators so / found man who was SIP
posed 10 be- authority upon all such sub
jects, as he had large experience, aud !
laid the case before him. He told me |
was doing the proper thing, aud that hc
simply had the. "sulks which he would
come ont Of all right In time, and that
all could do was to wait. So / waited.
But the sulks continued for three
weeks, in which time he did not eat one
mursel OF food then thought he
might be hihern1tlng, but Il was in the
month of May, ana everything else In
.he shape of alligators and snakes were
lively enough. 30 made mp my mind
that was not the trouble Perhnps he
needed exercise In the open air gave
instructions TO my maid that she was To
exercise the alligator every afternoon.
lt required some ingenuity 10 get him
out of the tank for his afternoon walk,
Tor neither | or the maid cared to
handle him. But after spending nm
hour or more deyisng plan 10 get
him Out-fOr | was afraid III 1 tried to
| SCOOP him ont with shovel | might
| lnlurc him In some way-l finally got a
long stick and by dent Of prodding him
| IN the sides | made him angry. aud hie
| lnws closed upon the stick Ike n vice.
and by this | lifted him out on the floor
Then the trouble was 10 make him let
20 the stick, which | found. To be an
imposSihillty. So | let him have the
stick. and decided that the best way I'd
get him ont OF the room was TO "touch
hun up from behind But he was per.
| fecty ohlivious 20 all prods and pokes
| ana lay Ike q stone on the floor with
] the stick tight between his inws. then
got q rope and attached it TO either cnd
| Of The stick, aud this worked no /,
| charm Tor he could now be hauled intu
me olr; ana with. sigh of relief / saw
| tle mnld START on with him III Is mood.
| less 10 say she had many SPECTATORS h
| worked all right. as far rs the stick md
! rope business went for he did not lni
! 60 Whether he enjoyed Il or not /
| can say, but it was repeated every
| day for a week.
SIN he didn't eat; he never ate n
| ulou'hlni Nli the time ! had him. and Il
was evidently not the want az flnsh al,
and exercise that was The irnrlJe
Was now mt my wits end ana almost
allgatOr crazy, for everything saw
| looked like nm alligator Tho figures
ln my carpets assumed the form of alli
| SUtorS ana II 4 beard a sound AZ night
would Imagine him on my bed So
ne9Hyi TO get md Of him. feeling that
| hWu gwen nm q fair trial ana n pood
chance 20 make himself q model BET 81.
! lgator. Now | was done with him
| ordered him thrown on the wharf int
| noon. "iS't
| 4 little later TINT day rs ms husband
ana ! sat on the piazza discussinr XIV
merits al pets in general we saw 4 sol
dler coming through the s0llv.n,r,
holdmg something by the tail. n N,os
700 thick aud short for a snake NJ,
husband strolled ont Ia interview HIM
anu found II was an alligator INV min
sA'or which had been ia the water No,
more Than half m hour when the soidie,
VINO was netting for Init had scoonei
mn Ia and brought him into tho oarr;
son rs great prize. lie looked !.
Rflly and sulky as ever. shovel =,
siens OF recognition. and i turned M,
mack on him. He was sent North I ~
nee 70 the soldiers relatives,
lil-TWo GARRISON DOGS
i used 10 be question With 49,
whstnrr the sound of the trn,npet =,
9ngie was painful TO animals, esiecall,
While in q frontier garrison o,.not
hAlulsome pointer. Ills patna 49,
count His kennel. was m ths bs,i
yard and every mo&ing rs ~ "e ~
custom, The trumpetef would snnnA ~
nfst 'ah Tor reveille at daybreat IN
~ itont Of the barracks. 'N'
- the lrst note OF the trumpet