The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1905-08-03
The Farm
The Cabbage Snakel
sILAs cHRRvKR MASON. RditOr


So the cabbage snake story has
broken out again. Well, to be sure!
We were looking for it, but 1t is lit
lie ahead Of the season this year.
Probably the unusual amount Of
rain had something TO do with il,
Or may be the cabbage snake in
the story has grown to such size as
TO become mixed up with the sea
serpent
Now sea serpent stories are usually
due about the last Of June or, il the
season is cold aud backward, early in
July, when the see shore hotels and
cottages are well filed up and there
are plenty OF people along the shore
to take an interest.
II would appear from this that the
sea serpent (of the stories) is sociable
creature or at any rate fond OF a
large audience.
Now the cabbage snake (of the
stories) is Of solitary aud retiring
disposition, lurking, one here, another
there. in the lonesome truck patches
at the back of the house, coming in
at the back door instead of walking
boldly up the front steps and ring
ing the bell.
The original Of this cabbage snake
story was a fake get up Of young
news paper reporter 10 fiji up space
on dull day for items. Somebody
family had been sick, as is not un-
common In days of hot weather and
green apples and garden truck.
Somebody said he thought i was
cabbage they had eaten hurt them.
The news hunter had his pencil good
and sharp and il was a dull day for
news 10 he thought TO try bit Of
fiction. To say that Old Man
Blanks three children and the hired
girl had cholera morbus would be
only small item aud common place.
To blame boiled cabbage for il
would not add much, but here the
genius Of the fellow came TO the sur
face; the power OF invention. The
Cabbage Snake was the product Of
his own invention. He did his work
we'll One part Of real sickness,
nine parts Of invention and the Cab
bage Snake Story was on its way.
II flew from paper 10 paper and from
mouth 10 mouth.
Honest, open faced Flat Dutch
Cabbages that had gaineda standing
aud reputation IN the community by
their services in behalf Of humanity
became. all at once, objects Of sus-
picion aud the we'll filed circuit bar
rel that had been the pride and con.
ISOLATION OF the thrifty housewife was
no more trusted than the noisome
pool where fever and ague are sup
posed to lurk. Cabbage patches in
which the owner had toiled at early
morn and dewy eve, and whose solid.
yea bursting heads had been viewed
with the pride that comes TO honest
labor rewarded, were now like the
perishing apples of Sodom. The
garden gate was even thrown open,
the dog tied up, aud word sent out
that il there remained any who dar.
ed eat cabbage that they might come
and carry these OF at their pleasure,
aud Of course at their own risk.
Uncle Sans Department OF Agri-
culture, alert when any fell disease
or insect threatens the farmers crop,
took the matter up, speedily got to
the bottom OF she fake story, and
published the correction.
But the fake cabbage snake proved
to belong to the racer family. Like
most other lies il could travel faster
thar the truth cbuld oyertake it, and
30 il arrived in Berea a week ago.
a. | said, little ahead Of the season.
This time a very excellent lady found
what she thought to be one Of the
dead cabbage snakes in the form of
slender white thread between the
cabbage leaves and a careful examin-
alton with microscope proved it to
be only stray grass or sedge root
that had grown IN there.
OF course the story of the cabbage
snake dies hard, like Paddy's snake
that he kept on beating because its
tail continued to wigg!e, declaring
that he was going to kill the cray
thur till il was dead and sinsible av
it," Let us hope that this Berea
discovery is the last wiggle of the
Cabbage Snakes tail.
A very interesting continued story