The sun., 1901-04-13
FATE OF "COLLERAN."


old breakwater by half dozen Woodlawp
boys who have read of the exploits of gold
seekers in the frozen regions of Alaska and
desire to emulate them on the park-fringed
but now desolate shores OF Lake Michigan.
For four weeks the wooded island, the
long reaches of the golf links, the she'll
strewn beaches and the wooden breakwa-
tiers have been piled with small mountains
OF drifted snow or streaked and incrusted
with sheets and projections of hard ice.
The piling north and south of the old con
vent of La Rabida is no longer bulwark
of graybrown wood, but is covered with
fantastic frozen spray from the storm-beat.
en- lake. Now it looks like long wall of
carved white stone, overrun with crystal
fligree. Few pedestrians venture into that
section of the park. Even on the wooded
island, that haven of summer lovers, the
benches are buried beneath the snow, the
paths are barred by wind-tangled shrubs,
the waters groan under burdens OF ice and
the deserted cottages look like the aban-
doned cabins of Siberian waste.
The Woodlawn boys have been long init
mate with the haunts and habits OF the
score or more of cotton-tas that make their
| homes in the south end Of Jackson park.
| The park policemen no longer stand like
| statues breasting the cold breezes that
sweep across the frozen landscape. They
have their hands full looking after the
skaters on the lagoon about the Field mu,
| scum where there is a snug shelter, a blaz-
! ing fire and many. things doing" So the
! Stony Island klondikers and the rabbits
| have full sway upon the fields of ice. There
| IS not even an audacious golfer left to threat
en- them with bombardment or to send
them scurrying with his cry of "Fore!"
/ 4 Al =. I,,y. too,
confined to washing out" shells, geodes
and bits of petrifed wood from the frozen
diggings of the shore sands. The process is
carried on with strict regard to the meth
DDS Of the Yukon gold seekers, and the lads
are equipped with homemade sluice boxes,
sieves, picks and shovels. The prizes gained
after much toll and hardship could be picked
up in profusion during the warm days OF
spring. summer and autumn, but the boys
are after adventures, and when they can't
find them ready to hand they manufacture
them Great fires are built upon the ice
near the shore, and when the heat has dis
sipated the first obstacle and thawed the
underlying sand, the miners go to work
taking out what they call pay dirt" This
is nothing more than shell-bearing sand,
but they sift it with infinite care and labor,
md then it is ready for washing.
Washing consists in dumping the CON
tents of sieve-pebbles, shells and other
lake treasures--nto bucket of water.
where the sound shells, which float, are
quickly separated from the small stones and
form the first yield" of the juvenile mining
operations. Driftwood picked up along the
stone levees near the old convent wreckage
from dismantled buildings, weeds and park
litter constitute the fuel supply, and some
times even after the winter sun has set and
the pink glow has faded from the glaciers
which surround them, the glow of the min
ers' fires can be seen upon the clouds which
drift across the margins of that low shore.
A boy named skinny" because he is so
fat, is the latest argonaut to join the Stony
Island Klondikers. He was admitted chief
ly on account of his ownership Of an indus
trious ferret, which has long since made an
enviable record as the champion rat catcher
of Woodawn. The ferret's name is Col
leran"--a compliment to the citys chief OF
detectives, "Skinny's" father being an ap-
plicant for place on "the force"
'Well let him belong" suggested "Nut-
ty" McTavish, the leader of the Klondikers,
to his associates, when they met in the lean
to last Saturday. "We'll let him belong be-
cause he's got pull wit tn police, and if
'Colleran's' any good he kiH ketch rabbits
fur tn camp"
So skinny" was initiated, and after that
,, he tried to reciprocate by poking ''Colleran'
into every crevice in the park where a cot
, ton-tail might be supposed to lurk. Nc
, Tavish's dog Fido hitherto has been looked
upon as the best folager in the camp, for
he cornered rabbit about two weeks ago
and brought ii to his master in great tri
rmph. The supper which followed was the
: most realistic thing that has happened since
the argonauts crossed the Stony Island ave
. nue. Chilkat and began to burn holes i'll the
/ ice along the beach.
I But since the advent of Skinny and his
ferret the miners have shown disposition
to shirls work and go hunting. Instead oi
sitting and planning, they have been prowl
| ing around with Fido and "Colleran," try
ing to find rabbit holes The dog has never
appreciated the induction of the ferret, but
Il as Skinnys pocket is both refuge and q
II home for the little creature Fido has beer
5 obliged to tolerate his presence in the
camp.
Monday evening the boys actually saw 8
5 rabbit, and with wild whoops and flourish
. of clubs started in pursuit, skinny ferre,
Il and McTavish's dog being members of the
d hunting party. The rabbit seemed to van
e ish under an old concrete pavement neal
Q the peristyle bridge, and thither the hunters
i charged in bold array. "Colleran' was lift
1 ed out of fSkinny's pocket and thrust into th'
i crevice, while Fido, wildly excited, leaped
barked and whined for his prey.
You fellers scatter out!' yelled Skinny
i. taking command by virtue of his owner
!, ship of the ferret. "Take Fido over ther,
: and hold him! The rabbits apt to come ou
u at the other end OF the hole. If he come
:. out here I'll catch him myself
= The six or seven boys formed wide
circle, and Skinny, with his mouth at th
hole, yelled: $50 it, Colleran." and Rat
le Rats Colleran!"
p Suddenly there was slight comnotiol
y under the snow about ten yards from wher
Is "Colleran" had disappeared.
)f "Here comes the rabbit" chorused tn
N boys.
n 'Sick i'm! Sick 'im" yelled McTavsll
leading Fido to the moleike uplifting in tn
snow. Fido tugged at his collar, and, refus
s. ing to be restrained, plunged headlong int
er the drift and began to burrow for the rat
"a bit Soon only his tufted tail was to be seel
waving energetically above the snow, and
moment later he backed out with
,d Not the rabbit, but poor "Colleran,
ut helpless, strangled and already in his deaf
IS. struggles.
Mt Skinny still belongs to the Stony ISLAM
~ Klondikers, but he sticks to mining prope
and has nothing but evil glances for Fidc
McTavish gives him all his pay dirt" an