Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1915-03-19
COLONEL PAYS
BY FREDERICK wALwoRTH
BROWN.


|'AfR9 iishAf rH.
"Talkin' about snakes" said Ser
lgeant Hook i~rrelevautly. reminds me
lof the time ! got hunky with old Blue
Nose. He was our colonel till he was
transferred for staff duty, an a ram
Ipageoqs old pqrpoise he was, too"
Cut II out" said Corporal oplatch.
fpont know him? Amt ! took his
Zip many's the time2 Get along to the
Snakes"
~Wen. then, IL was old Blue Noses
ihl that brought on the riot. We'd sat
down in environments, an they sent us
"a batch o. the rawest rockies that ever
signed Away their souls for love O.
their country. d company's draft was
e bunch to sicken a steer. An Chislett
set me to drillin' 'em
~ drilled 'emsan' L drilled 'em an 1
drilled 'em till I'd wore the soles off
my boots. an they'd still go seven ways
for Sunday when | gave 'em an order.
Then along comes old Blue Nose stalk
IN cross the parade. with a look on
him like he'd bit on a worm. He stops
an watches the sheep l was herdin' an
them be steps nearer. II halts the
squad and comes to attention.
How long have you had 'em. SER
geantr' he says.
Three days, sir I tells him.
We'll, you're a darn poor drill mas
ter, then. says he, an tramps of.
We'll. say. l could a. ct him alive
right then. an relished him. The rock
les were q ~snickerin' behind my back,
an I was wore to the raw with 'em
anyways an. one thing an another, l
Just put that away on Ice. in my cold
storage plant. an swore I'D get hunky
with old Blue Nose or die tryin'.
Later. ID company was sent up in
the Bengalong district to keep the
peace. an after we'd been there a
spell along comes old Blue Nose an
allows he'll make us his headquarters
for a while, which we had no use for
him. but couldn't lose him. He brought
his wife with him. she havin' Just come
out. an bein' crazy to see the coun-
try.
Say she had him cowed. He was
the dittle dog under the wagon. She
was a pill, she was, with the sugar
coatln' wore of. An old Blue Nose
took 1t out on us.
e"Well. anyway, he brought her up to
B~engalong to pacify her, an after he
got her there he had to provide con
tinuous amusement to keep her paci-
fed That's how II happened that he
picked up a Hindu snake charmer
down In the bazaar an hiked him an
his faug-drnwed reptiles up to canton
ments.l fF N. I'M
HE was one o. these here dreamy.
eyed little heather, with a sun-baked
complexion an, a ~scraggly white beard,
Ihappenedt 10 see old Blue Nose a hik.
IN this outcast from Injua's coral
strand down toward the officers row.
an recognized the beggar instant. I'd
watched him doin' his stunts in the
bazaar. q
Things we're horrible quiet round
the barracks, an it seemed a shame
for to let such a chance for excite
ment escape. Here was a Hindu
heather. with twenty-five or more per
fectly venomous reptiles, right In oul
midst. An here was the boys in bar
racks a needins something bad, to taxi
their minds OF the thought O. bein
sold into slavery for three years; an
besides. ! had hat score chalked VI
against old Blue Nose.
1T was a case OF your Uncle Jarvey
on the Job. | sat down In the shade
an studied how to get them two in
gredients O. turmoil properly mixed UP
Well, ! sat there for mebbe an houl
watchin' the veranda where the fakil
was a doin' Of his stunts, an the it'll,
red an yellow reptile ever an inc
stickin' his tail In HIS mouth"
Jaw, cut It outlr came from tn,
corporal.
by an by the Hindu packed hi
squirms In the basket again, made hi
little salaam an backed on. On tn,
way he had to pass me. When b,
came opposite | held up a quarter I,
him an motioned to him to sit down
What I want to know Is this
says. Are their fangs drawed?'
"'Are their fangs drawed?' says
an made out to pull n o. my from
teeth. Also I showed him the quartz
again. Is
with that he reached into the bas
ket, casuallike. an fetched out fou
or five feet O. reptile by the neck. H
pried open its Jaws an showed wher
the teeth had been pulled.
naGood.' says L. They look danger
GUS. but amt
Then pointed out the barracks {
him an gave him his instructions. H
took his quarter, an made tracks wit
dignity. while | went off to pave tn
way for doin's which was to paralyz
all the blue devils In environments. an
ut the same time. square up my a
count with the colonel ~
Casey was with us then. You r
member Casey. the little red-heade
Mick. who was game to fight anythin
up to IN elephant? Sure you do. WEI
T.