Ellsworth American., 1911-05-10
"a. G." WAS A LADY.
Louis the Chef Was Mistaken in
Naming His Pet.


Louis, the night chef In the Gregorian
hotel, New York, woke up the house at 4
O'Clock one morning by dancing around
the kitchen and yelling like South Sea
Islander. The night clerk ran into the
kitchen to see what had happened, and
found Louis shouting and laughing and
hugging himself and shaking hands in
Chinese fashion.
| "Oh! Ohl Oh!v he screamed. '.she is
her father-no! mean he is her mother /
No! Ze beast is wonderful Wonderful!
Zsy are dancing in re sandl Zounds! See
them! See themi"
The night clerk became frightened and
sent for the hotel detective, and when he
arrived he grabbed the chef by the throat
and pinioned his arms behind his back.
"What you do?" cried Louis. 81 drink
not tonight! Let go! Let gol zay are
in re sand by ze stove. See See!
"Bellevue for yours" said the detective,
Tightening his grip on the cook.
Ward thirty-seven's yawning for you,'
added the clerk.
"Zay novel" yelled the chef. "Zay
are alive! Alivel"
By this time all OF the servants in the
hotel had rushed into the kitchen. Many
| OF the patrons came down stairs, and great
excitement prevailed in the hotel office.
"What is the trouble?'' asked Topps,
the day chef, who had been routed out Of
bed.
''Louis has got 'em," explained Dick,
the porter.
"Got what?" asked Topps.
"The radiums," explained Dick. "He's
taking light drinks again, aud believes
that pan Of sand near the stove is RADIO
active"
"Why," explained Topps, '.that's our
incubator"
"Ze inscubatoir; re eggs has hatched!"
shouted Louis when he spied Topps. "Zay
are moving in re sand. Mon Dieu, he is
iadyv"
"Who is lady?" inquired Dick.
"Let him CO." said Topps. ''Iwill ex-
plain. He crazy not. He is simply joyed
himself over. lam helping, too, the in
cubator on. Let Louis CO."
The detective released his hold. Louis
pointed to the pan Of sand near the stove,
and sinking back in chair gasped:
"He is lady"
Explanations quickly followed. Topps,
the day chef, explained that it was all due
to the mascot of the hotel, the pet terra
pin, which has been wandering about the
house since November last, when, with sew
eral other members Of the family malaco-
clemmys paustris, "Grover Cleveland"
came from the South to be made into
terrapin stew. It was recalled that at the
time the batch of terrapins arrived this
particular one was saved from losing his
head because the letters "G. c." and the
date 1888" had been found carved in his
shell back. Louis, the chief, who is Q
Cleveland admirer, had figured that the
ex-President probably had carved his
initials in the terrapin's she'll some time
in the course OF Q duck-shooting expedi-
tion in Virginia.
Consequently Louis was not anxious to
see "G. C." in the soup, and spared him to
wander about the hotel, where he became
pet with the children and the admira-
tion OF the women folk, who fed him bon
bons and caramels. In fact, Cleveland, as
they called him, learned to drink soda
through q straw, and felt proud when
some Of the women in the hotel added Q
new decoration of pink ribbon or blue silk
cord to his long, creased neck.
However, it was Topps who discovered
two terrapin eggs on the kitchen floor,
and who suggested to Louis, the night
chef, that the terrspin should have her
name changed.
''He is a lady," explained Topps, and
the news quickly spread through the
hotel.
"vhy not incoobation dem eggs4" sug-
gested Fritz, the kitchen boy. "Vhen
dey are incoobationed into life terrapins
We don't have to buy more life terrapins
down South. We can make for it q sign by
der restaurant. Home made terrapin
soup to order from cur own farm"
"Zat is the idea good, remarked Louis,
and he proceeded to collect books on ter
rapin habits.
With the aid of Topps, the day chef,
Louis prepared a terrapin Incubator, con-
sisting of tin pan filled with sand, into
which they placed the terrapin eggs,
maintaining temperature in the sand OF
from seventy-eight to eighty degrees.
Every few minutes, night and day, the
hotel chefs watched the work OF the in
cubator until o'clock that morning
when Louis discovered two little terrapins
moving in the sand. 1t was the discovery
of these terrapins that caused him to
| shout with Joy over the success OF the i'm
provised incubator.
That night one Of the terrapin twins
died and there was much sorrow in the
hotel kitchen. The other was alive at
midnight, and Louis, the night chef, was
trying to hnd some one to tell him what
sort of food kept baby terrapins from
CRYING in the middle OF the night.