The suburban citizen., 1901-06-15
BIC TOAD ANo eIo WORM.
The Former Won the Struggle Through
Truly Strange Move.

| ANuty eNfAhkN AAoNos
Some people out Pontiac way saw
very funny thing one evening last
summer. There had been a hard rain
for two or three days and the earth
worms had come up to the surface.
as they always do at such times.
Crawling along on the beaten path
was what might have been the grand
father of all angleworms. He was
old and tough and big and moreover.
as will appear later, he was brainy-
! for an anglewOrm. 1t seemed when
he stretched himself out to his full
length as though he must be a foot
long and as big around as ones little
finger
Just then the bright eyes Of a mon
ster toad caught sight Of the snake-like
worm, and their owner opened the at
tack with a good deal of confidence,
and an air that indicated that the ne
gOtiation of big aneleworms was the
one thing he understood. Never was
toad more sadly disappointed. He
apparently thought he could swallow
a foot of angleworm as easily as he
could a fly. He began at one end Of
the worm, and got a pretty fair start
before the worm appreciated his posi-
tion; then he began to squirm and
wiggle, and before the toad realized
It the worm was again on the ground
and crawling away. But he didn't get
far The big toad returned with a
''do or die air, and the performance
was repeated.
1t was evident that the angleworm
was too big q mouthful for the toad
that Is, it was evident TO every one but
the toad. Over and over he tried to
swallow his victim, but he couldn't
gulp the big worm all at once, and as
soon as he had an inch or two Of worm
safely stored away he had to let go
and get a fresh hold He couldn't do
this so quickly but that the worm
would squirm out. 1t was like the
frog in the well who climbed up one
foot and fell back two. The worm
seemed made Of India rubber and it
looked much to the bystanders as
though 1t would escape. Bets were
made on the result, and the worm was
hot favorite. But the bettors failed
to appreciate the resources of a hun
CRY toad. The struggle had been 90
ing on, nip and tuck, for some twenty
minutes Both combatants were as
fresh as when they started though the
worm showed the best staying quail
ties. The toad was getting impatient;
ana once or twice showed signs OF los
ing his head; but on the whole he
maintained an apparently hopeless
contest that gave his friends some
cheer. One sweet girl even went so
far as to bet chocolates to gloves that
the nasty toad would devour the hor.
rid worm. In the next round the
worm was an easy winner, and the
sweet girl tried to hedge.
Right here the toad tumbIed to him.
self and took time to plan the strategy
Of his next move. If toad ever
thinks that one did. The air with
which he returned to the attack en-.
couraged the chocolate girl, and she
was rash enough to offer to double the
bet. The toad didn't give away his
plan at first, but tackled his stunt in
the same old fool way he had been
trying all along, but this time he man.
aged to fairly get a hold on his vic
tim and swallow a bit Of him. The
worms friend called 1t a foul tackle.
Right here the toad showed what man.
ner Of toad he was. His difficulty all
along had been that Of the man who
held the bear by the tail-he didn't
dare to let SO to get a fresh hold.
Holding the section Of the worm he
had by his teeth or what answers for
a toad's teeth, he reached up with
his paw and grpped his own throat
and with it the end of the worm he
had begun to swallow. Holding 1t
fast he caught another grip with his
teeth and slowed away another half
inch or more Of struggling angleworm.
The worm fought well, but it was no
use. The superior brain and strategy
of the toad would surely win. The
worm still wiggled bravely and scored
some minor successes, but in the end
the last of that worm disappeared
within the jaws Of the toad, and the
spectators tried to decide whether the
sweet girl would have paid had she
Aost.-DetrOit Free Press.