The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-07-31
THE TALE OF A GREEN FROG.
Emerald Hued Hunter Who Lives in
Drug store and Scares Customers.

n Drug store and Scares Customers.
There is a little green tree frog, that
makes its headquarters on the mirror,
near the soda fountain, in Solomons'
Bull street pharmacy, whose antic skill In
trapping the flies upon which ii subsists
is a constant source of admiration to the
late frequenters or casual visitors 10 the
store.
His frogship is rarely to be seen during
the day or the early hours of Inc even
ing, hiding until about midnight behind
the jars of drugs or chemicals that rest
upon brackets fixed to the mirror. After
midnight and in the early hours of the
morning is his time for hunting the
wary fly, and he conducts these predatory
expeditions with much cunning, skill ana
success. Happy and thrice lucky is the
fly that comes anywhere near him and es-
capes the sweep of his long tongue and
misses his devOuring jaws.
The little creature stalks across the
face of the mirror with all the ease to
which the flies themselves can lay claim.
Fixed on the ends of his legs are a system
of little elastic air bags, which when
f1attenod produce a partial vacuum, hold
him to the glass and illustrate with beau
tiful eXactitude some of the laws of pneu-
matics SO far as the frog is concerned,
it is also a beautiful illustration of the
law Of design in the universe, but it is
somewhat hard on the flies.
For thus he catches them. Perched i'm
movable on the face of the mirror he
awaits the coming of his prey. The pros
peclive victim is at first a tritie afraid of
the green monster, but at length, overcome
by curiosity and gathering courage, APP
proaches within striking disiance-some
two or three inches-of the apparently
sleeping hunter There is a sudden swoOp
he of n =
taching themselves to the glass with eX-
ira tenacity, while they uncoil 10 length
that seems preternatural, a flourish of a
forked tongue that is rapier-like in its
slender swiftness, and the unfortunate fly
is dragged n and swallowed. His nile
green majesty permits himself momen-
tary leer and smirk of satisfaction, re
lapses into his old state of impassivity
and outward unconsciousness and awaits
another victim. The next unfortuna te
soon arrives and the operation is repeated
until the frog has satisfied his hunger.
Then he reires behind the jars to enjoy
what he evidently considers a well earn
ed repOSe.
The clerks in The store say that the frog
has been there leading his present life,
for above two years, when he was brought
in concealed in the fronds of some palms
that were intended for interior decoration.
ne seems perfectly cOntented with him
self and his habitat, he is not disturbed
or molested and therefore has no desire
to effect a change of residence. He passes
the day sleeping and the night in catch
ing flies and is as happy as both are long.
His presence on the mirror hos proven
once or twice a source of annoyance 10
the late wayfarer, who stopped in for a
glass of some cooling beverage or rene
dy for that tired feeling. Under such
circumstances 1t can perhaps be under
4I,a riff al a
frog, stuck in an apparently miraculous
| fashion on the smooth face of plate
g.ass mirror, is a matter likely to excite
| trepidation and some uueasiness. Indeed
there have been unfortunates, who had
to be held by their friends while they
were convinced that what they beheld was
the real thing and not Pigment OF their
overweight imaginations.
One genial old gentleman, who, like the
friend of the Idiot. "occas ionally imbibes,
stopped by the drug store a few nights
ago, after partaking at downtown res
taurant of a supper consisting of "a large,
cold bottle and a small hot bird" or what
| passes for the same thing at this season
of the year He wanted a brOmo settler
| and he wanted it quick and bad. While
| the cooling drink was in process of prep
! grafton, the genial gentleman happened 70
| glance over at the mirror and caught s ght
of the frog, just then on the verge of max
| ing one OF his lightning swift SWOopS upon
| a fly, and started suddenly.
He looked at the frog for a moment out
of the corner of each eye IN turn, muttered
something to himself about having them
| again." took a close grip on his nerves
and moved over to the mirror where he
| closely inspected the fly and satisfied him
| self that it was a living and brea thinE
reality. He heaved sigh of profound re-
! lief drank his bromo, got another grin
on his nerves and blandly said, "Well, ]
am ALFRED CAD I didn't have two bot
| ties" and took his uncertain departure.