The Washington herald., 1914-03-31
DAILY SHORT STORY.
HUNTING THE RAZZLE-DAZZLE.
By DAUDINE SIssoN.
Copyright. l9lLl

Copyright. I9lLl
As a child with her picture books.
Florence TarbelI had come to know
whole lot about bears and lions and
tigers. She had been taken to the
Zoo and seen the elephant and the
rhinoceros and the camel. At board
ing school her lessons in natural his
tory had read:
THE black bear could once be found
in every State in the Union, but has
now been driven from most of them"
THE woodchuck is a harmless ami
NAL. but very destructive to garden
produce"
The raccoon inhabits hollow trees
and eats CLAIMS and chickens
The fox is sly creature. and
causes the farmer much loss of pOul
try
The squirrel. the hare. the polecat
and other animals were mentioned.
and when Miss Florence left school
she felt sure that she could tell a
'pOssum from a grizzly bear If she
ever met them together. 1t was only
in early spring when she went to the
country for a week to visit a maiden
aunt and get rid of that frog in her
throat. that she learned Of the pres
ence in his land of an animal called
the razzle-dazzle. 1t was her aunt's
confidence, and then only after she
crossed her heart three times.
The cook was fat and forty and TO-
mantle Never had she left her kitchen
range long enough to be married.
She was instantly interested in the
girl from town. II she could aid Miss
Florence to capture a knight she was
cheerfully willing to do so. She had
once offered to aid the aunt, but had
been told in reply that IL she burned
the meat again nothing would save
girls room after the aunt was snug
in bed and whispered:
do you want a light or a dark
completed husband7'
why. Mira. what are You talking
about?'
II can tell you how to get either kind"
But ! have no thought of marriage"
Didn't you come down here to hunt
the razzle-dazzle?'
What on earth is that?"
ct don't know how you have been brung
up. never to have heard of it. The
razzle-dazzle Is an animal 1t is about
as big as a rabbit, but amt one. Neither
is 1t a 'possum or a skunk"
''weIl?'
'It lives in a hole in a bank If you
find ii looking out at You It Is sign
that a. dark-complected man is soon
going to fall in love with you. If he
amt looking out, then it's a light-com-
plected man."
"I don't believe it!''
Hush. child II there's one prowling
around the house outdoor he will over
hear you, II he does you may never get
a husband at all. That Is the real reason
/ never married. / mortally offended the
razzle-dazzle when was about your age.
I said / didn't believe in him."
did auntie ever see one?' was asked.
mo! She's been near-sighted from her
infancy"
Are there many of those animals
around?"
They are mighty skeerce, but there
is one over in our woods. Don't you
say a word to your aunt, however. She
has no more romance about her than
washboard. You can sneak up there by
yourself tomorrow"
'I guess I will. but only to show YOU
that there's nothing in such tales. Why.
there were a hundred girls in my school,
and not one of them ever heard of the
razzle-dazzle."
Then. Miss Florence, you mark nv
words, the most of them will marry
yilIainsi" retorted the cook as she re-
tired to her own room.
At 10 o'clock the next forenoon Miss
Florence started for a walk down the
road to the few acres of woodland.
Look out for wet feet cautioned the
aunt.
keep your eyes peeled for the razzie-
dazzle," whispered the cook.
The girl had said she didn't believe n
the legend. but was there ever a maid
that wasn't at least curious about II, and