The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-03-16

and was on hand at the depot when the
train pulled in.
Sure enough there was my friend, ar
rayed i'm a Pullman blanket and with one
eyesglass socket. He donned the suit and
clapped in the eye and soon l had him up
to the club throwing in revving agencies
in the shape of eatables and drinlSables.
He soon got around to explaining that
the train had encountered a burning tres
tie out on the line and two Pullmans
caught fire and were destroyed. The pass
engers barely escaped with their lives,
saving not a stitch of clothing. My friend
had had an eye taken out before leaving
home and was accustoming himself TO
wearing glass substitute. 1t was I'M
comfortable, and at night he was in the
habit of taking il out. Thus 1t was de-
stroyed with all the rest of his belong
ings Singular incident wasn't lt?" add
ed the Los Angeles man, as he took an
other swallow of apollinars.
but / don't know, after ALL" he short
IL resumed, If that was as remarkable
as a telegram that ! received once from
a friend in San Francisco. That telegram
read something like this:
"Pacifc Union Hotel. s. F.-Send two
live horned toads at once. Particulars
by mail
1.-THE particulars arrived in a day, and
were TO the effect that my friend had
formed the acquaintance of Bernhardt
who had just struck San Francisco on her
tour. II was the time when some notable
actresses and society leaders were In the
habit of wearing Brazilian lizards, tetn-
cred to their hats or corsages by god
chains. The divine Sara had heard of
horned toads, and had fancied that she
wanted one. My friend had taken IL upon
himself to supply one, and had bet the
big company that was present that he
would succeed before the sailing of the
steamer for Australia, on which the ia
nous actress was to take passage.
There were no toads of any kind about
that time, 1t being winter; nevertheless.
did my best. l hired a regiment OF boys,
secured Arizona with kilograms. and got
up a terrible sweat on the horned-toad
question all over the Southern country.
In two days l received another telegram.
1t ran thus:
"'Have you sent loads? II not, hurry.
Reputation at stake
THAT started me out on new lacks, but
with no better success. One day later
l received this by wire:
" Steamer sails Thursday For Gods
sake hurry up toads.'
II was at my wits end, and kept COM
munication open with all the reptile CEN
tiers of the country. But It was no go.
l ran down carload Of stuffed toads,
but not a single live one.
Tin despair l wrote telegram to my
friend announcing my failure and took it
to the telegraph office In the Hollenbeck
to be sent, handed II TO the girl, and be-
gan 10 count out the money FOR the toll.
The girl read it, and at once said:
"Why, I know where there Is a toad
down at the curio store on Spring street.
'Oh. they're stuffed said / Ia disgust.
hav no
cellar. l saw them the other day
II didn't believe ID, but thought / might
as well try once more. SO / went to the
curio store and sure enough, down in
the cellar they had live horned toads Not
only toads, but snakes, scorpions. lizards.
tarantulas and centipedes. 1t was the
greatest sight you ever saw-enough to
give a man who never drank drop IN
his life the jimjams i very soon struck
a bargain for the Two toads and thought
/ would atone for delays and apprehen-
sions 1 had caused by throwing in a CEN
tipede to boot. These ! had boxed and
sent by express. A day and a half later
1 received a wire that ran about thus:
"'Good boyl Toads and centipedes got
here just in time to catch the steamer.
Bernhard delighted Particularly stuck
on centipede. Says will give IL freedom of
stateroom. Come up to dinner"
Il went up" concluded the Los An
geles man, who had us all breathless with
interest over his two unusual tales, land
such another dinner / guess never was
celebrated In San Francisco"
The inquisitive little Chicago passenger
said he was going to find ouh the mans
name who was such capital sAQry teller,
and so he followed the Los Angeles man
out of the smoker. TO return In a moment
with the information that our entertainer
was none other than Dan Mcfarland, one
OF the best known clubmen and raconteurs
In California.