Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-01-20
The Curious Crocodile Who
Went to the Mountains.
BY EDITH TOWNSEND.


One winter when the tourists in Florida
were summing themselves under blue skies.
while their unfortunate northern relatives
were struggling with blizzard, baby
crocodile crawled up on the beach where
two boys were enjoying themselves building
forts in the sand. He was such wee little
chap that they didn't feel the least bit
afraid and scooped him up in a net they
had brought along for butterflies. Then,
naming him was ceremony attended with
much discussion, but finally he was called
Snapper" and his boy owners took him
north where he grew, and when summer
came again he was able to bark and had
shown on several occasions decided fond
ness for wandering away from his own
ireside. Then it was, after one of these
excursions that the boys and their parents
went to the mountains for the summer. AT
one hotel the tramp-lke propensities of
Snapper" had brought about a notice to
leave. Consequently, when they went to the
next place the boy owners resolved to con-
ceat not only his identity but his very be-
ing;
the little crocodile snugly concealed in a
basket carried carefully by the boys until
their room was reached, nor did any one
dream that Mister Crocodile was allowed
to wander in unrestraned liberty from bed
to bureau, and from trunk to toilet table
in one of the rooms of this hotel, deep in
the heart of the mountains.
AS fate would have II, however, one even
ing a young man was going up to bed
when he was stopped by very frightened
looking girl who rushed out into the. hall
and implored him to come into her room
and catch something.
Bears were not unusual in this section,
and he was ready to believe that large game
had intruded upon the slumbers of the
startled little girl. He was not a coward,
but the idea of tacklingsa grizzly at close
quarters was not the most attractive prop
osition in the world. Still, he was chival-
rcus, so he said Lead on!' and in they
went.
The dark room i, was iliumined only by
the rays of the moon. 1t was a typical
girls room, with white bureau and bed
stead, and in the white display of the
moons rays it was plain to be seen that
some moving object was making its way
up the sides of the white bureau
There it goes" whispered the girl grasp
ing the sleeve of her defenders coat.
yes, l see it." said the youth, trembling
violently as Snapper" for he it was,
crawled piayfully up the footboard and
gave a cheerful bark of triumph as he set
tied on the white bed.
Just then the moon sent a broad ray into
the room and the young man said: IT'S an
alligator.
The httle girl retreated to the door, It
was bad enough to be frightened almost to
crazy young man making weird state
ments in ones room after 8 O'Clock.
AN alligator in the Catskills," she
breathed, perhaps a bear, but never an
alligator-never!'
Look said the young man. and she
looked and sure enough Snapper" with
great dignity, promenaded about the room
and then made a dart for the bed. At this
point both the distressed maiden and the
knight who had rescued her flew. 1t is not
nice to record this, but there was a great
scrambHng down stairs, and later the Office
of the hotel was RECALLED with full account
of the doings of one Snapper and again
his owners were requested to leave, no
hotel could afford to risk its reputation for
comfort while his lordship the alligator was
about and allowed to wander.
Later 1T was learned that In town he In
sisted on making his bed in the coal bin and
was one day inadvertently swept into the
furnace, thus ending the career of a curious
crocodile who went to the mountains when
he belonged IN the sea