The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-12-18
COLD ANGERS HE ALLIGATOR BULLY Old Tom Feels a Draught and
 Gets TeSty PLAYS VERY MEAN TRICK With Swish of His Tail He Knocks Young "eator" Across the Pool.
 Squirrel Has Narrow Es-
 cape From Death.
PLAYS VERY MEAN TRICK

From the New York World.
 Old Tom. the giant bully of the alli- gator pool in the reptile house of the 1 New York geological park is prona- bly, getting Rheumatism. It is a natural consequence of his age and environment. He displays this ailment through his crossness. He feels the least chLnge of temperature outside the building, though 1 the inside is kept at tropical heat, and the water in which he wallows some times steams when the doors are opened overmuch to admit a crowd.
 And the falling of the temperature out side the building has peculiar effect upon him. It gives him the unlaudable desire to annihilate everyone within his reach.
 Yesterday he was lying asleep on the miniature beach that has been constructed for the resting place of the gators Be side him slept half-grown alligator smuggling Up to the big one as a puppy smuggles up to his mamma.
 Suddenly Old Tom felt a draught, or imagined that he did. He opened one eye caught sight of the youngster at his side, and-swish went his big tail.
 It flew like the blade of a steamship propeller, and struck the kid on the side with a resounding whaek that made the 1 sleepy old rock python fifty feet away l behind q glass window open its eyes and raise its head.
 1 The youngster had been fast asleep. second later he was lying at the other side of the pool, the wind knocked out of l him, and his mouth wide open and eyes l cta In, But Old Tom had closed lis eye again, | and was snoozlng by the time the young ] ster righted himself and sank to the bot tom of the pool where he could safely | size up his antagonist. Then 1t was an hour before either of | them stirred.
 What youngster will remember that | when he is grown Up and Old Tom is de- crepitr' said keeper wisely. And then | if Tom doesn't lose another chunk out of his tail miss my guess
 Gnu With White Beard.
 Hey kids; see the old guy with the | white beardi" called one street arab to his companions as he stopped in front of | the yard of the white-bearded gnu in the | antelope house.
 | A near sighted old gentleman, with an 1 Alexander Dowie facial berbage, who had been trying in vain to read the signs over the cages, turned purple and | raised his cane.
 | "Ain't he a freakY said another lad, | looking at the gnu.
 "Huhl" came an indignant snort at his elbow, and whack went the cane | across his shoulders.
 Look out he's after yerl" called one , of the gang from across the room and the boy who had made the remark and | got the blow ducked his head without larIxf fn xtFha iniI from, and scurried ou- of the building
 One of the gray squirrels in the park has been perniciously active all of the fall in creeping into the den of the black bear and carrying off the cread crusts that the old fellow leaves for his after | noon lunch.
 Generally the bear has been too lazy to interfere Some times he has watched the little rascal from the corner of his eye with a malignant snarl. Bruin de- termined yesterday to put a stop to the thieving He ate his dinner leaving the bread crusts and stretched himself out to sleep beside the unfinished meal.
 The squirrel. from his high perch in the old oak, watched him snooze off and | then crept down into the cage, stopping | every now and then to make certain his | victim was asleep.
 Then he crept up to the crumbs. The bear lay with half-shut eyes, breathing | heavily.
 Nearer and nearer crept the thief. The biggest crust lay almost at the | bears nose As the intruder seized it one of his feet hit the bears whiskers and | "Whouffr
 A Narrow Escape.
 The great jaws opened like a yawning | chasm and closed like steel trap. The ! robber jumped, but not soon enough. As l he a1 fo iy1 ha ttxrin1y of an | eye the white teeth came together upon the tip of his fluffy tail The squirrel | pulled himself free, held on to the crust and made good his escape. | Probably there Is no one in the park so glad of the coming winter as the ] little wild Texas pig whose yard is close HzDEEEUuE zzzzgzzzzzz EHzM