The Van Buren press., 1896-03-14

/ HE44 dltti hafit&s narrow NlAl4 came n
signs the eolonei's SIDE partner jumped
/ up and shouted.
sfFfeaB Scott, I'm not in this Stop
the earl" lie as gone.
I The other passenge showed signs of
interest, bat were not thoroughly
aroused untii the bicycle girl screamed,
mounted the seat and screamed again.
sMyl what's that awful things Take
It away. quick, somebody Helpi
Helpg7
The gator had Slipped 10 the floor,
surveyed hts surroundings and stretched
I his length ONCE. 4 moment later the
conductor had assisted the new woman
"a the sidewalk The other passengers
bolaed for the door nearest them, and
only one paased in the fight. That one
As the elderly matFon. She fingered
&C the door just long enough to ex.
claim.
@Gghl yoa brute. You ought to be
locked up.
/ 9tg Tins ffme the alligator had
turned, afebed its back into a bump.
ana was slowly inehing along to the
rear door. The conductor jumped off
ran around, and with the gripman
oasned the 'front.' door and shsntet.
eIiere. yoag Take that thing and pet
aat Of TINS ear. Get move on, will
saq9 Step lively, too"
.Ehe proeIact of swamp life at that
particular 5uneture waved his over
sized head. turned around and gave that
7 @histle.of hiss which in a fi4fl-er0vQn
gator means business. Then he start
ed very slowly toward the front door.
The colonel laughed and shook and
asie9i.
Certainly. we both want 70 get off
Give fiaa to Htes viii qoH7''
Then he aade = ele3 eefoas 4 f6sf7 w ard
movement eraspea his charge around
fha neck. slipped the reptile under his
caHaei9us great coat. and left con-
daetof and gripmaa swearing fenge-
amee fgOnl a safe distance.
Tor an hour after the coIonel's ar
rival at the club nothing extraordinary
happened. lie could not induce Joe to
accept the Florida visitor as boarder
or u gift So the colonel nIoistene6I three
Or four times and then aid the gator
under a big lounge IN the smoking.
re6Ga. AS luck would have it. the crea-
ture remained quiet until an especially
nervous member seated himself on thag
aofa Then the alligator timidlg ad-
/ aReed. placed its f0fefeet on the mem.
5e4sa right foot, and began an upward
saaFeh Of investigation.
~fioiy Mosesl What3 Take IT of.
boy and the nervous member had
I fed.
We'll. I'm IN for IT, sighed the
colonel, and. Bummoning the discreet
Joe. he brilyed him to secrecy and se-
cured pasteboard box. In that box
lse placed the cause Of the trouble;
theR he lightly bound the package with
twiTe. and Ysith his knife made few
airholes in the cover.
vow for some fun. and more Of It.
too und he stepped INTO cab and
was whiried uptown. At cafe near
Central park the colonel WINS effusi' g
1 y greeted by Dan. the white-coated
wine clerk.
You're quite stranger. colonel, IS
said the dapper little fellow. sWhat'll
ii be- Certainly, I'll mix one for you
that'li he Just right. By She way,
colonel, two friends Of yours are In the
back room"
Down went that Misunderstanding
package upon the bar, and in q moment
the colonel and his two friends had
! lined up. while Dan was mixing drinks
and conversation. The package at
traeted the attention Of the colonel's
fat friend, who inquired, glass in hand
"Nhatcher got in the boxY'
by Jovel nearly forgot IT," ex-
claimed the colonel. "6ay, Dan, before
you FIJI EN- up again, take that out OF
the box and put It on the ice until I
so, will your
Dan. willing TO obligc. and trife
curious himself, struggled with the
Isnottetl string around the box, and
Familiarity kept up running fire OF
comment thus:
"a surprise party for one Of the
colonel's friends. Ginger, but you've
rot enough twine on her to make II
clothgsliue," and 40 on.
Meanwhile barkeeper and box were
directly iu front Of the dit.nified trio.
enc of whom offered to hurry up mat
tefs by cutting the string
Go ~. Fred" said the colonel, with
q merry twinkle in his eye.
Snap went the string, off came the
cover. md the uncanny head Of Mur-
phys gift gator protruded over the
edge. IN lees than ten seconds the
colonel and his surprise party had the
fooIn 10 themselves. The fat man
dropped his glass, yelled:
Don't put that on me or III" and
the front door slammed behind him.
Tho third member Of the party took a
second look. lie saw the two feet Of al
lgator Vide kerplunlI upon the polished
bar. the slender tail wrigglc, aud the
Jaws open and shut lazily. That let him
out, too. His views were voiced tcrbely:
'fye got 'cm, by ali that's great"
And Dan, the cool-headed little man.
" no for 20 years had mixed cocktails
aud sours without ever tasting liquor.
where was hc2 Pallid and trembling,
he stood mt the end Of the bar, with an
iccpicls in one hand and an empty bottle
- the other
liehse, pie-a-s-e, colonel, take that
ont Of my place. Quick, won't you
Grab him. Kill himl Look outl" Dan
never moved more quickly in his life.
Inc innocent cause of the stampede
Il