Waterbury evening Democrat., 1894-01-01
TENACITY OF LIFE.
Two Stories Illustrating Some Remarkable
 Examples of It.

Examples of It.
 ''It is an astonishing thing how some species of animals will cling to life," said Longbow as he hesitated between the choice of coffee berry and clove. "I read ill an authentic work short time ago that an alligator will go on fighting for hours after the brain has been removed from it's body"
 "How long have you been studying natural history?" asked Whoppers, with a rapid but comprehensive survey of the free lunch table.
 Not long," answered Longbow. But was thinking of the extraordinary way lobster I saw yesterday held on to his time on earth. I went into the Arcadia and ordered broiled live lobster. After I had ordered it I told old Shufi1es, the head waiter, that the last one 1 had was evidently boiled several days before it was broiled. Come with me- he says, and took me into the kitchen. There stood the cook, with uplifted knife, over an enormous green bodied lobster that was frothing at the gills with passion. The knife came down, and MT. Lob spread himself out in two equal divi- sions, but was livelier than ever.
 ''Two more blows severed the claws from the body, but each claw continued to gnash it's teeth with rage. One caught hold of the knife and tried to get it away from the cook, but the blade was so sharp it had to let go. In another min ute it was writhing on the silver grill with a vigor that would have shamed any one of MT. FoXs most active mar tyrs. 1 thought the struggle would never end, but at last, with deep sigh, he gave up the ghost, and as he did so blushed rosy red with shame at what he thought his weakness"
 "Whatll y have" asked Whoppers tersely.
 Same" responded Longbow, gleam of triumph in his eye.
 'As you say," said Whoppers as he paid for the drinks, 'lobsters are very tenacious of life. But they're not in it with eels.'
 ''Is this another fish story" asked Long bow cynically, but with faint suspicion of approaching discontinue.
 Well, I suppose an eel is 8 fish as much as lobster," retorted Whoppers curtly. But I was going to give you a specimen of what the eel can do in the clinging to life line.
 'I was fishing for pike ill Sloppy creek couple of summers ago, and one day pulled out the largest eel ever saw in my life. won't tell you how large he was, because if did you might doubt the rest of it. He was not only big, he was athletic. He was the contortionist eel that ever sucked a bait off hook. One minute he'd be pirouetting on the end of his tail, then he'd stand on his neck and go through all the evolutions of skirt dancer with the rest of him. l had brought with me the biggest basket that I could find in Sloppyville, but, try as I would, l couldn't double that eel up and get him in the basket.
 Finally, when we'd both agreed on a breathing spell, picked up an ax while he was resting and, with one blow, cut him clean in two. Do you think that quieted him? Not a bit of it. The two ends looked up at me with mingled hatred and reproach and before could get the basket anywhere near them had 1 jumped back into the creek. Now comes the most curious part of it. What do you suppose the consequence was?"
 II haven't the remotest idea," replied Longbow uneasily.
 Well, I'll tell you," said Whoppers in that impressive way of his that always made his friends squirm.. Subsequent investigation proved that the two ends of that eel married each other and raised 8 whole colony of bifurcated eeletsr' Longbow looked at Whoppers long and earnestly without uttering word.
 "Mine's whisky" suggested the latter, as he returned the look with frank, in genuous smile.-Ernest Graham Dewey | in life