The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-09-09
SAW SERPENT IN SEA
But 1t Was Only a Dead Boa
Stuffed With Cork.
ANIMAL DEALERS TRICK
TIE REAL SNAKES ALL DIED ON
HIS HANDS.
New York SUM-

Curves is goin, said the red-heSded
assistant
Fraid he is responded the propri-
etor. gloOmily.
The dark and crowded little animal
store buzzed with strange noises of beast
and bird. Through them all could be
heard the Sliding thud of the great boa s
body as he writhed in his cage. Brad.
the proprietor. rubbed a disheveled head
for ideas. and observed:
''Told you that medicine wouldn't be
any good, Jim. No use trying TO doctor
We'll. I guess that's right. too agreed
Jim. Lord knows he fought as hard
against it as if it was good for him. L
con I never want no contract to give a
Other folks seem kind O. nervous said
Brad He always referred to his animals
as folks. Hear that dummed parrot.
"Come-a-Seb' n; come-a-' leb-n!' Shrfeked
the parrot, uneasily. 1t had arrived on a
South African coaster, with negro
crew, and the rest of its talk was beyond
consideration.
of Nicaraguan hedgehog was patroling a
death watch. Two bushy squirrels chat
tered with shriIl mournfulness. small
wolf hcwled once chiiiingly. Life was ebb-
ing from the huge creature in the long
cage. and the sense of that passing had
reached the other captive folk Through
the coils of the monster passed a shiVer,
followed by quakings, convoluted and
jelly-lke, hideouS to- see The great bulk
room shook with the impact and the
animals covered or leaDed with the fear
of it. With a wild scream the parrot
fiUttered against its bars and tumbled
back, Shrieking terrified blasphemieS.
Once again the wolf threw back its head
and gave mouth, a wall for the dying.
The murderOus. bone-armored head of
the serpent lifted and sank as the pass
ing life Missed out from the wide mouth.
Hes gone" said the red-headed assist
ant.
inst His Luck
Just my cussed luck" mourned the
proprietor of the shop. shut up, you
green-topped devil. or I'll wing your
only got him two weeks ago. and what s
In good truth a dead boa is a dull ar
ticle in this market. Nor is it an inspir-
ing object to keep about the premises. 1t
is cbammy, excessively SO. MOreover, in
able attributes. Boards of health frown
upon il. It's skin stuffed may bring in
some slight return. but it requires the
touch of genius to render a boa, deceased
a really valuable article in any known
market.
Brad, the proprietor. conceived that he
possessed the requisite genius He con-
Structed a scheme, a grand and glorious
scheme, which he and his red headed as
sistant, seated beside the body of the de-
parted, discussed well into the afternoon
Then they took Curves and cut off his
to him so that he would have been a hor-
TOR and a DOrtent to his native jungle.
After that they took an elevated train
Along the swift reaches of the river OPP
poSite the lower end of BlackwelHS island
TideWater Jack plies an Industrious oar
Various are the cargoes he carries. and
not all lawful if rumor be true. 1t is
even said that his broad-bellied craft has
swallowed up and Kept hidden across the
sweeping current persons whose exit from
the island was accomplished with a GER
tain absence of legal formality; Be that
as u may, ever ready for u Job suitably
paid for was Tidewater Jack. Jim of the
roseate head numbered him among mis-
cellaneouS mountaineering That is now
the two men from the animal store came
to be looking for the boatman as a man
who could do a good job and preserve a
diserable silence about it. When they
found him he was thoughtfully casting
chips into the water that laps the I'M
poetic foot of East FIfty-seventh street,
and as he gazed he communed with him
self, and this was the burden of his song:
'Bloon1in' ooZy river never runs two
Never mind the river, Bill said Jim,
coming UP behind him. Want you to
Hires poor hel9.' grunted Tidewater
Jack, this being his idea of cheering rep
artee-
Jim. Are you out Of job?
"a I make a livin' drinkin' this river
water or wOrkin across it,?
"All right; you'll do It's up 10 you,
boss
Ever see a sea serpent, Jack?'' asked
Brad, the animal man.
Waugh" SnOrted the bOatman, scent
:7HoW YIN much will you take to catch
;.ora what?"
lone sea serpent, you NANCY dock rat"
''Ah-h-h-h. blazes.' said Jack, or words
to that effect.
Took Eleven Whistles.
They took Jack to neighboring place
of rest and refreshr1ent, where, at their
expense. he consumed eleven WHISTLES OF
world with emotiOn-Suffused eyes and saw
that il was good. Therefore he Wept up
on the neck of Bradley, having discovered
him TO be a long lost brother. and eN-
pressed an intention OF doing whatsoever
might be asked of him. At this point
they began all over again.
Jack. did you ever see sea Serpert2''
Ger My said Jack. beaming, Tsee
schools of EN-. That wha' you wammy TO
say2'
'.Whatn you take to catch one?''
''Wah,' said Jack Easy contract
WeZza serp? ShOme to me-.
Wen furnish the serpent
''WhoOpi Point our yer SCRIP Gimme
pinch salt. I'll put IL on serp's tail fore
he can wqr-.r-riggle' n pullim in like a
How much for the job. Jack?" asked
BizzSnizzizzb.zznizz.' Jack paused and
ran his tongue between his teeth expert
mentally, with look of surprise,
bieedin' hard to say straight Try it gain,
Bizz-niz-- -bizznizz- Un'stan' ZatZ T'wel-
ty dollars.
-'Twenty's a big lot of money! said the
animal man. Lets say
Say nothin' Ju ever catch sea serp?
Big job catch sea serp. Twenty r no
GO
They went into committee meeting on
ways and means, and when the two men
departed after one more drink Jack laid
himself out on three chairs and sonno-
lently preferred requests for a little sea
whisky with salt on its tail wherein to
drink to the health of a 800 Job
Had it been the body of a murdered man
that was removed from the animal store
that night very late there could hardly
/ have been more mystery about IT. At the
/ price of unimagined labor they got the
! long, ponderous bulk of the corpse into q
/ delivery wagon procured for the purpose
| and proceeded far up town until they
came TO a vacant lot. across which they
| drove To the river At the water side Z
/ boat was waiting; that had been arrange5
/ for by Tidewater Jack II was not his
boat; he had other uses for that at 9
/ point lower down the current. for this
was well uD above his usual haunts. and
/ he had reckOned that bread cast upon the
/ waters there would return to its owne,
or his representative al out opposite FIFTY
! seventh street by the kindly offices of the
] current Together Brad and Jim passed
/ a weariful night experimenting with rOpe.
/ and floats and other unfamiliar nautica
] matters The sun was pretty well advanc
! ed on his daily climb when they roved Ia
| boriouSly out into the river. towing be
| and reflected rays of light from its seal,
! surface
Cork to Make Him Float