The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1894-04-10
SHARKS N GIRLS.
Bill Arp Discusses Maneaters in and Out
of Water.

was SHINING bright upon the dancing
waters, when old man Braem, the old
soldier who followed Colonel Frazer all
through the war, and follows him still,
was heard to cry for helpl help helpl
away down at the long dock that leads
from the cOlonel's home on the
beach. And so they an-ra down
tne olutf and on the gangway, one and
all, armed with pistols and guns and
thresh poles. But youth and blood and
beauty will tell and so Miss Phebe
Frazer outran the rest and with her
pistol In hand, got to the channel just
as the old man was about to give up
the contest. He had hooked a large
shark and had struggled with him hard
and long before he cried for help, but
help came just in the nick of time, for
Miss Phebe, who is a sure shot, fired
from the dock as the malicious beast
lifted himself from the water to make
another plunge for freedom.
The shot was fatal. 1t struck the
fish in a vital part and he sank limp
and languid In the foaming water just
as the old man had tainted upon the
floor. They seized the line from his
grasp and pulled the shark into the
shadows and tied him to the railing.
He was dead and when all hands raised
him to a perpendicular he looked to be
about seven feet long and as big and
white as a Christmas hog in killing
time. His back was a dove color, but
three-tourths of his body was as white
and velvety as a bridal glove. Even
his big, yawning mouth was white in
side and outside and his thousand teeth
shone like pearls cut into triangles. l
said a thousand teeth, for besides the
front row that line a curve of two and
a half feet, there are four rows more
that lie fiat behind them and are only
elevated when needed for crushing it's
animal food and making mince pies for
dinner. These four rows lap on each
other like layers of saw teeth and look
about as venOmOus.
And yet they say that this species
OF shark are not man eaters and will
shy away from a boy in the water.
Miss Phebe is a mighty pretty girl and
deser es a medal, and so like a good
newspaper man, I modostly addressed
her with pencil and pad in my hand
and said:
"Your name, pleased"
"Phebe Frazer" she said with a look
of surprise.
Your age, please" said L. She did
not reply, but her look said, 1T is none
of your business" Instinct that is
feminine instinct. A girlish girl who
is yet in her teens begins to be shy of
her age because-because possibly she
may not be wanted until her age be-
comes uncertain, and so to keep it an
unknown quantity she begins early. l
wonder if a woman eve gets so old
that she is willing for her age to be
known. l never heard my wife tell
any body how old she was, but l know.
Ten years before we were married l
was twice as old as she was and now
we have just passed our forty fifth
wedding day. What lad or lassie can
tell Our ages?
But sharks are lot all the horrible
things hat navigate these waters. The
other day some fishermen harpOoned a
monster that carried the boat five
miles out IN the gulf and got away st
last. 1t is a species of devil fish that
will gulp down a keg of nails as quick
as if IL was a Niger baby-thats what
the fishermen say. To day l was shown
the sung bone of a large stingaree that
vas killed yesterday. Il was four
inches long and was awful to look at
and awfulier to feel of its poisonous
barbs. When it strikes you the bone
breaks off, and if you don't have it cut
out instantly you will die of lockjaw
n fifteen minutes by the ~clock-stand-
ard time. That Is what a fisherman
told me.
1 saw a young octopus yesterday
with it's hooks and grabbers and
manacles and tentacles squirming
around like a fish bait and It's google
eyes and jelly mouth. 1 wonder what
all these horrible creatures were made
for. Old Uncle Sam says the debl
made 'em. The Lord made everything
that is purity and goud and He look at
it and say it was ali very good, and so
de Lord He was tired by Saturday
night and went TO sleep and slep all
day Sunday and shore enuf de Dc debll
cum along Sunday morning and make
up a lot of snakes and spiders and