The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1894-10-20
PROFIT IN GUINEA PIGS.
The R0W1rd OF Labor IN ProduO-
1ng Q Caudated Variety.
A Smart Alsek from Town Runs Up
Against Reuben at . Country Fair
Who Relieves Him Of Hb We'd
and His Conceit.


try, said the young man with the win
ter style derby, according to the Chi
cago Times, and I succeeded in making
a large and juicy fool of myself almost
every day while was there. stayed
with an uncle Of mine who has q farm
sixteen or seventeen miles from no
where, and the Reubens got the laugh
on me so many times that can't re-
member the number.
THE queerest experience that had,
though, was at one of their county
fairs They held the fair early
this year, for some reason or other, and
was on hand to take it in. l went out
to the grounds with q party of young
women who were visiting in the neigh
borhood, and, undismayed by the fail
ure of my former attempts to string the
rustics, started out to have fun with
them as soon as we struck the ground.
We walked around the grounds for q
couple of hours, and 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 variously-
bred chickens, I got particularly funny.
At the end of one of the rows of coops
was box with ave or six guinea pigs
in 1t. There were quite number OF
countrymen standing around looking
at the queer little animals
Eve walked over and looked at the
pigs. Then said loudly: DO you
know that II yo.a pick up guinea pig
by the tail its ewes will drop nnt?' The
countrymen stared. Fact l contin-
ued. Pick one of them up by the tail
and it's eyes will drop right out. Most
queerly constructed anatomically OF
any animal known to naturalists. II
these pigs were mine would soon
show YOU
IA big, strapping fellow who stood
beside the box said: Stranger, 1 don't
believe you.' I insisted that 1 was
right, but he stood and doggedly shook
his head, and the rest of the country
men sided with him. Now, guinea
pig has no tail, and there is where the
joke comes in. argued for some lit
tie time and then made grand bluff.
I pulled out little roll of bills and Of
fered to bet the Reuben twenty-five
dollars that just that thing would hap
pen. Imagine my surprise when the
Reuben hauled greasy old pocket
book out of his jeans and covered the
money. was sure had him, for the
bet was catch one anyhow, and as the
young women who were with me were
egging me on couldn't think Of funk
ing.
Understand said, I claim that
If you pick up that guinea pig by its
tail it's eyes will drop out
"I understand said the country
man, as he opened . little door in the
side Of the box and pulled out . guinea
pig. Now, pick this one up and let's
see its eyes drop out
'eThen began to laugh. 'Ha, my
I, iends,' l said, I have played q little
trick on you, that's all. AS guinea
pig has no tail, you can't. pick one up
by it. If you could, I do not doubt that
its eyes would drop out
Il reached out for my half Of the bet,
when the big countryman said: 'Hor
on, there, mister. You iist look an see
II this here guinea pig haint got q
tall I examined it, and may I be
switched il it didn't have tail an inch
long The countryman picked it up
by the little caudal appendage, and, ,.of
course, It's eyes didn't drop out. Then
he reached over and grabbed the wad
Of money and put 1t in his pocket, re-
marking, the while: Il didn't think
when developed that breed of Ruineas
that they would ever make that much
for me-
a1'n be blamed II he hadn't been
'working for three years to produce
guinea pi9a With tails! He had sue
ceeded, and I was chump enough to 60
up against the only cage Of that kind
of animals in the world with my chest
nut about their eyes dropping out"