Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1905-02-16

IN THE CONNECTION"
holes slammed it on the counter beside
the groceryman's legs and yelled:
wake up. Rip Van Wrinkle, the day
of judgment has come, and you are
still buried. You got to get move on
you or the procession will 60 on and
leave you. Say, are you afraid Of rat
tlesnakes, and the bad boy shook the
paper box when an ominous rattle
came from within. as though a snake
had shaken its tail good and plenty.
"Great Scott, boy, believe you have
got a rattlesnake In that box" and he
jumped OF the counter and grabbed
an iron fire poker, while the boy got
out his knife to cut the string on the
box. "Now, lookahere. am suffering
from nervous prostration and snake
turned loose in this store would settle
1t with me-"
"Well, wouldn't that skin you" said
the boy, as he sharpened his knife on
a piece Of old cheese, and felt of the
edge. Here you have been telling
me for years what brave man you
were and how you were not afraid OF
anything that wore hair. and now you
have fits because a little flve-foot rat
tlesnake. with only ten rattles on.
makes formal call on you. Gee, but
you are squaw."
"Now, let up until I wait on these
customers" said the old man. as he
went to the or and let In commit
tee of women who were to buy some
supplies for q church sociable. The
women lined up on each side Of the
store, looking at the canned things on
the shelves, and the old man was try
ing to be polite. when the bad boy
opened the box and laid on the floor
a stuffed rattlesnake that was as nat
ural as life, and touched a rattlebox
in his pocket, and the trouble began.
The women saw the snake curle6 up,
ready to spring. and they all went
through the door at once, tipping over
everything that was loose, and scream
ing, while the old man. when he saw
the snake, got into the front show win
dow and trembled and yelled for the
police. A policeman rushed into the
store, and when he saw the snake he
backed out of the door.
ARREST that boy with the snake.
said the groceryman.
Come out of that wild your menag-
erie" said the policeman, shaking his
his club.
"Come in and get the snake II you
want It," said the boy. II don't want
It any more, anyway" and he took the
stuffed snake up by the head and
laid 1t across his lap, and began to
shake the rattles, and laugh at the gro
ceryman and the policeman and the
crowd that had collected In front Of
the store. The policeman came In
laughing, and the old groceryman
.crawled out Of the show window, and
all breathed free again, and finally the
policeman went out and drove the
crowd away, and went on his beat
again, after shaking his club at the
boy, and the boy, the groceryman, the
snake and the cat remained in the
store. The groceryman took a swig
.,out OF a bottle Of whisky to settle his
roerve, and the boy took up his snake
and pushed 1t towards the cat, which
ran up a step ladder and yowled.
Put that COMPOUNDED old stuffed snake
in the ice box and sit down here and
and tell me something. I saw your
father on the street yesterday, and he
is a sight His stomach Is twice as big
as It was, and he looks troubled. What
has got into him."
well, I'll tell you; dad mas got what
they call a morbid appetite. Whatever