Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-11-08


pigs knuckleS. He pre-
tended too to be too busly engaged in clean
ing his pipe with jack knife to look at any of us
squatting ounging about his hopeessly Uttered
The situation imperatvely required that all
appear to be uninterested Indifferent ncredulous
Otherwise well we knew Turks mystifying pro-
logue would also be the epogue, for it was his
habit. when his audience seemed overeager, to
in the air like Hindu magician's rope: could
he again be wheedled into following up his
preface with the story. Therefore, pretended
not to have heard him. but went with
nconsequentia chatter. Piqued, Turk repeated the
question, this time gancng at all of us somewhat
defantly Had any OF us ever awakened to find
a baby elephant tickling left with the mid
die toe of his right front foot?
Derision, all at once was the method
then. We'd all had far more weird, far more battling,
experiences than anything like that. all
promptly declared One of soemnly affirmed
that once he had come to, to find hump backed
dinosaurs standing its tail at the foot of the
bed and making faces at him Another averred.
with straight face, that certain memorable
occasion he had emerged into the dun hued world
of consciousness to perceive blue gurnmed ALI
gator gaily rocking back and forth in chair in
the room and reading aloud novel by Henry
James translated into Chinese. Still another grin
lessy declared that he had snapped himself
out of trance just in time to see tour pale green
porcupines, each weighing at least three hundred
pounds, squatted in the middle of the bed room
floor and playing pinochle for the quilts. which
mercilessly pulled out of the squeak1ng loser
at the wind-up of each round.
Set O. domino playing lubbers!" grunted Turk.
meaning all of us This | tell you,
enough live baby elephant
We knew then that we had Turk trapped for the
story, and So naturally broke into Jeers
"A sentient, living, breathing. thinking, kitten
ish baby elephant, by the blue moon of Mandaay!"
fumed Turk. "A baby elephant standing by
roadside hedge of mingled fox grapevine and honey
suckle in Kansas at dawn of summers morning
tickling my left with the middle toe of his right
front footi
We asked Turk in unison why he didn't abandon
his oriental habit of experimenting with hashish
or bhang or the scrapings of old bamboo.
A to my being in Kansas that time. went
Turk with a resentfulneSs of tone in which we
cretly exulted, there had to be ead-up to that
of course No man naturally, would Voluntarily
deposit himself in Kansas, if he could But I'm
guilty. | was in Kansas Kansas however, wasn't
meant 1t never appeared on my route book. The
take-oH for Kansas, then, that time Kansas
City Kansas City the spring board whence |
somersaulted into Kansas.
Now, know just about much about Kansas
City as do about the sky piercing towers of Cam
eliot, although | spent time in Kansas City
than ever l did in Camelot. Camelot and Kansas
City coupled in the betting with me, to put it
that way; for they're about equally vague and
misty dreams to me. While l never saw Camelot
except when smoking ground-up betel nut,
was in Kansas City for fortnight
Got into Kansas City straight from Chiapas
Old Mex. The man for whom I'd been starting
rubber ranch in Chiapas, Old Mex lived in Kansas
City When he crawfished RENTING funds for
the support of the infant rubber ranch, | jumped
Chlapas for Kansas City to ask him about it. When
L broke into Kansas City with list of leading ques
was touring Egypt in gas-gg. | was perturbed |
was chagrned. So there l was, high and dry
Oh WELL not SO dry. l have observed that when
found that my reneglng patron of the Chiapas rubber
ranch was not in Kansas City. but overseas, l be
came chagrined Being chagrined and dry at one
and the same time is kind of doubed-up human