Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-08-06
COL. oHorrANk.s VISITOR.
He Relates the Horrible Experience
of Old Bill Henshaw, His Guest

He Relates the Horrible Experience
of Old Bill Henshaw, His Guest.
You know them brazen sea sarpints. al
ligators and sich-like in the fountain in
front of the new Congressional Library ?'
said Col. Choptank to The Star man today
He was assured that the appreciation of
art and the aesthetic which lurked in the
bosom of his auditor had made him ia
miliar with the specimens in question
We'll, call 'em works of art, if you will
but they sho'ly caused me a heap of
trouble last night. You remember, there's
a pond of real water there and some deni-
zens of the great deep, the same being cast In
brass, and very natural-lke, risin' from the
water and disportin themselves around on
the brass rocks promiscuous- like. 1 re-
calls great long snake, big around as
my leg, with open mouth and horrid fangs,
who rears his head from the middle of the
pond. Well, it's these same leviathans and
others that figures in the trouble I'm re-
latin of.
Now, there's a fellow in town from the
Eastern Sho', mutual friend of Jedge
Cherrystone's and mine, old Bill Henshaw
Old Bill, who's been on spree down home
for about three weeks, has come here to
sober up. He's dreadfully afraid of the
jim-jams, having had two or three memoir
able experiences in that line and not hank
erin for another. He knows he can't sober
up down home so he just heads for WASH
'nton, 'lowin' he'd find me and the jedge,
and divest his mind some and stave off
them jim-jams
Hes stopping with cousin of his up
by the Capitol, and for two or three days
the jedge and l have been showing him
around. Last night he seemed kinder
tremulous-like, we took him out for
trolley ride, givin' him a drink now and
then, jest to keep steam up
WELL got off the green cars about 10
o'clock last night at 1st and streets, by
the Library building. Old Bill said he felt
was only three or four blocks away, he
reckoned we needn't go any further. So
he went on up 1st street, in front of the
new Library building, and the jedge and
started back to get night-cap
I'VE hadn't gone far before we heard
succession of blood-curdlin shrieks and
whoops from old Bill He's got 'em
again sez the jedge. I've been with old
Bill in his tantrumS and l know en-.
We ran back up 1st street and there
was old Bill lyin' on the pavement in fit.
He was havin' one convulsion after an
other, and between fits emittin whoops
that would have shamed Comanche 1t
was the worst case of jim-jams l ever see.
That's what did it, seq the jedge,
pointing to them brazen sea sarpints in the
fountain. We had clean forgot all about
trusted old Bill to go past em of a moon
light night. Well, we took him home, and
worked with him all night, and this morn
ing he was able to explain things.
After you fellows left fne last night
he seq, L was walkin' along peaceable and
quiet, when, first thing L know, this ag
gregation of snakes an things bursts upon
my somewhat overstrung and supersensi-
tive gaze. The moon was shinin' right on
that biggest sarpint, an l sho'ly thought
he goin' to jump right out'n the pond
after me. By a superhuman effort l col
lected myself for moment and tried to
fight em off. When l reached my hand
into that pond however, and felt the wet
water, it was no use. l knew there wasn't
a creek nor a pond anywhere around that
part of town, and that sho'ly had EN-; so
l just lets loose and goes into fit. L tell
you, boys, it was awful, with all them
things startin' out'n the pond after you 1T
once
Il am a-goin' to speak to the library
people about them sarpints," concluded
Col. Choptank. "They ought to cover EN-
up at night, and not leave EN- lynn around
loose to frighten unwary people, who. like
not, have got all they can do to keep
even keel without runnin' up against
such unWholeSOme SURPRISES