The Devils Lake world. (Devils Lake, N.D.) 1911-1911, 1911-03-03
Salt on the Birds / all
Story d a Mardi Gras
Masquerade
By SAMUEL E. BRANT
Copyright by American Press Asso-
citation. 1911.

metz
Man or wOman:"
Woman
THE girl I'm engaged to-"
"Well. like that. What kind Of
wife do you expect her to make?"
How should know her qualifica
tons for wife? Marriage Is a lottery.
Other men may marry for qualifica-
tons. but we youngsters don't pretend
to forecast what a girls going to be.
And l don't believe the old ones hit it
any better than we.''
what makes you set your 6ancee
down as u fool?"
iii tell you. but must begin back
a little way. She's Madge Whitridge.
only it should be Madge Wildfre in
stead. Not that she is so wild as she
was. She's been quieted down bit by
a certain little happening that came
near resulting disastrously. She near
ly caused my death"
"You don't mean it! Not intention.
ally. suppose"
well. whether there was u spark of
intention in it don't know. You never
can tell what Il woman is going to do
or why she does it. We can't be sure
she knows herself. If Madge had
caused my death any prosecuting at
torney might have made very good
case against her of doing it with NAL
ice aforethought. And to tell the truth
I'm not sure but she did"
And you're going to marry herr"
You bet-that is, if she doesn't shake
me for another fellow, though don't
think she would do that now. She
might have done it before this thing
I'm going to tell you about happened;
but. as said. it sobered her, and she's
quite tame. That's the time chose for
putting salt on the birds tail.
There's more appropriateness in
this smile than you may imagine. as
you'll see in moment. But for the
incident. We floor gliders.' as one
called our dancing club Of young peo
ple-there was not one over twenty.
and some Of the girls weren't over if
teen-concluded we'd celebrate the
Mardi Gras with Il masquerade ball. Id
been getting sweet on Madge-Wildire
l may as we'll call her-and about the
time the costumes were being arrang-
ed was sitting up to her like sick
kitten to a warm brick In fact, we
arranged to have corresponding cos
tunes for the ball.
'"rhis was after Rostand's play Of
was talking about it. You know that
the Lending lady chicken in the play
is the hen pheasant, the leading gen.
tleman being the rooster chanticleer.
We concluded to get ourselves up as
these two birds. was a month ar.
ranging my outfit did it all myself.
you know-but when got it done it
was a corker. l made the body of
rooster. which strapped under my
arms. with an elegant head and comb
in front and fine display of cocks
tail behind. the tail being made of
tissue paper of different colors. You
couldn't have told it from the real
thing.
II went to see Madge the afternoon
before the ball. 1t so happened that
we got to quarreling. and went
off in huff. This was unfortunate.
to say the least. We had spent a lot
of time getting up our bird rigs and
expected to make lot of fun billing
and cooling during the ball. and the
worst of it was. now that we were In
just the opposite condition from what
we expected. we hadn't time to get
other rigs"
"What was the cause Of the quar-.
rel?''
I'VE tried on our costumes in ad-
vance. and when she walked told
her she waddled like a duck. That
made her mad. and she fred back. and
we soon were in for it hot and heavy.
when the ball came Off. instead Of
walking about together. strutting.
she cuddling up beside me. we were as
far apart as possible and when we
met glared at each other. After awhile
saw her sitting in window with
Ned Tucker. This made me all fred
jealous us well as mad. and to show
my spleen what did l do but go up
near where they were sitting and
whisk around with the intention of
turning my back on Madge. didn't
calculate how near my tail feathers
were to them. but it seems they
brushed their faces. This made Madge
madden than ever. Ned had just struck
match to light cigarette. Madge
jerked it out of his hand and held it
under the tip Of my tail.
I'm second the whole Of 1t was in
flames. tried to get the rooster part
Of me of. but it was tied on: so well
that l couldn't do it. The flames ran
from the tail to the wings and from
the wings to the rest Of the body. The
whole roomful Of people rushed toward
me. scared out Of their seven senses,
every one crying. Put him OUT
Whether they meant to put out the
flames or put me out to prevent my set.
ting them all af1re l don't know. l
was bowling with the burns and with
fear when Roman senator took of
his toys and wrapped it about me.
II was taken to a carriage and home.
wasn't burned at all, but just to pun.
ish the COMPOUNDED girl that applied
the match gave out that l might die.
She was knocked clean out, and when
let up on her she wilted. She had
put match to my tail; put salt on
hers and caught her,
you mean she caught you. There
are lots Of men who think they do the
catching when they are caught them.