The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1915-03-22
THE COLONEL PAYS
BY FREDERICK WALWoRrH
BROWN.
(Copyright.)

8lkln ABOUT Su6kcB. b6lO 0oIs
geant Hook irrelevantly, reminds me
of the time got hunky with old Blue
Nose. He was our colonel till he was
transferred for staff duty. an ram.
pageous old porpoise he was, too"
"Cut it out" said Corporal Toplatch.
Don't I know him? Amt / took his
lip many's the time? Get along to the
snakes"
We'll. then, it was old Blue Noses
lip that brought on the riot. We'd sat
down in cantonments, an they sent VI
batch O. the rawest rockies that ever
signed away their souls for love o.
their country. d company's draft was
. bunch to sicken q steer. An Chislett
set me to drillin' 'em.
II drilled EN- an l drilled EN- an
drilled 'em till I'd wore the soles on
my boots. an they'd still 90 seven ways
for Sunday when gave 'em an order.
Then along comes old Blue Nose stalk
in cross the parade. with . look on
him like he'd bit on worm. He stops
an watches the sheep was herdin' an
then he steps nearer. l halts the
squad and comes to attention.
How long have you had 'em, ser
geant?' he says.
Three days, SIR tells him.
well, you're darn poor drill mas.
ter, them says he, an tramps OF.
well, say, could a. ct him alive
right then, an relished him. The rock.
les were snickerin' behind my back,
an l was wore to the raw with 'em
anyway; an, one thing an another,
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, d 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 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 little dog under the wagon. She
was pill, she was, with the sugar
coatin' wore of. An old Blue Nose
took 1t out on US.
well. anyway he brought her up to
Bengalong to pacify her. an after he
got her there he had to provide con.
tinuous amusement to keep her paci.
fed That's how it happened that he
picked up Hindu snake charmer
down In the bazaar an liked him an
his fang-drawed reptiles up to canton
ments
HE was one o. these here dreamy
eyed little heather, with q sun.baked
complexion an scraggly white beard.
happened to see old Blue Nose hik-
in this outcast from Injua's coral
strand down toward the officers row.
an ! recognized the beggar instant. I'd
watched him dom his stunts in the
bazaar
"Things were horrible quiet round
the barracks. an 1t 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 our
midst. An here was the boys in bar.
racks needin' something bad. to take
their minds OF the thought o. bein'
sold into slavery for three years; an.
besides, had that score chalked up
against old Blue Nose.
1T was case Of your Uncle Jarvey
on the Job. I sat down in the shade,
an studied how to get them two in
gradients O. turmoil properly mixed up.
Well. l sat there for mebbe an hour
watchin' the veranda where the fakir
was dom Of his stunts, an the little
red an yellow reptile ever an anon
sttckin' his tall in his mouth"
Jaw, cut it OUT" came from the
corporal.
by an by the Hindu packed his
squirms in the basket again, made his
little salaam an backed off. On the
way he had to pass me. When he
came opposite held up a quarter to
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 I,
an made out to pull one O. my front
teeth. Also showed him the quarter
again.
with that he reached into the bas.
ket, casual-like. an fetched out four
or five feet o. reptile by the neck. He
pried open its jaws an showed where
the teeth had been pulled.
Good says I. They look danger
GUS, but amt
Then l pointed out the barracks to
him an gave him his instructions. He
took his quarter. an made tracks with
dignity. while went on to pave the
way for doins which was to paralyze
all the blue devils In cantonments. an
at the same time. square up my &C
count with the colonel
Casey was with US then You 70
member Casey. the little red-headei
Mick. who was game to fight anything
up to All elephant! Sure you do. Well
hunts up Casey. an puts 1t to hin
straight He was shy at first, not liz
IN snakes. bein' Irish but told hin
they was tOothless, an that I'd looked
in their mouths. so he came in at last
an we framed up a program We fell
like philanthropists. for D company
needed diversions bad
We'll. the boys was sittin' round tn,
barracks that evenin', smokin' as usual
when the fakir pokes his sead in. an
Casey gives a yell O pure Joy HI
grabs the little man by the shoulde
an hauls him tenderly in. basket an
all an the hoys ca. IN an. haO,n q.