The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1896-09-05
HIS NERVE WAS THERE.
b Sort OF CentiPsde Was
But He Didn't Know 1t.

But He Didn't Know 1t.
The Hawaiian islands are almost as
well off as Ireland. St. Patrick drove all
h insects and reptiles out
OF the green isle, bus the Hawaiians
claim that the reptiles and insects left
on Mr.. Dole's domain are in no sense of
the word poisonous.
People who have particular dealings
with venomous insects imported from
the islands make the same claim. a
local fruit importer said recently:
Very frequently we receive consion-
nents OF bananas and ~Dineapples packed
in dry grass and leaves. In taking the
fruit from the boxes it IS not
to find Il big centipede crawling along
the stalk between the bananas, doing
his best to get used TO the California
climate.
The other afternoon I was openings
box of bananas and pushed my hand
through the straw TO get at the stalk.
l felt around for a few seconds and
thought | could feel something moving
around en- the back o. my hand. 1 had
often heard of the presence of cent?
pedes in fruit shipments, so I carefully
withdrew my hand, so as to make as
little commotion as possible. Imagine
my surprise and alarm to see a fiye-inch
centipede slowly crawling up my arm.
! was about to strike it when a fruit
packer, standing near by, warned me TO
make no attempt TO get rid of it, but to
let it crawl off at its leisure. l had for
gotten the fact that they were not poi
sonous. and / know | got as white As a
sheet, believing every moment that it
wonld sink its claws into me and send
its powerful poison TIN oUgh my blood.
q looked at it with fear and treLn-
bling, but did not dare to move Il muscle.
1t lifted its head and seemed perfectly
satisfied to remain where it was. [
could hardly restrain myself from max
ing a quick motion and shaking it of,
but my companion warned me again
and again to keep quiet. All / could
feel was n tickling sensation. The
tickling increased. and | was almost
ready TO faint with suppressed excite
ment. Finally the centipedc looked up
at my sleeve and slowly made for it,
moving all the legs in unison. The sen
sation by this time was ~unbeara5lc and
[ feared that | would be unable to 1P-
main calm until the thing got entirely
off. Ny flesh seemed 20 shrink away
as the horrible creature proceeded, hut
n q few more seconds, every one of
which seemed an hour. ii had settled it.
sell comfortably on the fabric of C,y
clothing. and with a motion quicker
than l was ever known to make before
I routed il with a stick and sat down,
perspiring from head Il foot. 1t was
the most thrilling experience ever fig
ured in, and il made NE sick the rest of
the day.
MY companion began to laugh az
though he would die of merriment. but
| saw nothing particularly humorous
in the situation.
"'You are crazy he said, to get
frightened over a little thing like that.
Do YOU not l:now thai Hawaiian cent?
pedes arc not poisonous? told you 10
keep quiet just to see how long E-our
nerves would last. If the thing had
sunk every claw into your flesh it would
have caused only a little swelling and
nothing more. [ have had several of
them strike me. and l apply a little am
monia or salt water, and cure it up If
half an bour.'"-San Francisco Call.