The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1915-03-17

time. The snakes come out o the
basket one by one an crawled over
that old heather like grapevines on
an arbor. When it was over they took
up a collection, an the fakir packed up
his pets. an then Casey give me my
cue. I ramped in immediate. boilin'
with rage. ! ripped through that ad'
mirin' circle like 1t was paper dolls
stead o. grown men. an l give that
basket one everlastin' kick that disin-
tegrated it completely an spread them
serpents like a summer shower all
over the place.
what you dom here?' says to
the fakir, takin' him by the neck. Git
QUIT l says, an give him . shove to.
ward the door.
HE ran into a jam o. men fightin'
for the doorway. an bounced back like
injia-rubber. Somebody hit him. l
reckon. which was a pity.
Twas one O. the most successful
riots ever attended. You could hear
the noise of 1t for miles. Presently. as
! stood watchin' 1t, big cobra come
amblin' over my foot, an kicked out
! by instinct. Well. sir. that reptile rose
right up like a goal from the field, an
fell in the middle O. D company, fight
in in the doorway.
with that somebody yells, They're
droppin' from the roof
when the fightin' riot finally broke
, through the door an spilled out into
the veranda, a mob of officers came
! pourin' in. Casey was goin' gingerly
, from cot to cot lightin' the lamps. The
! Hindu was squattin' on his hams,
| wailin' like Chinese gong, and your
, Uncle Jarvey was doin' the virtuous
, hero act in the middle of the floor.
! Then in ramps Chislett, old Blue
, Nose, the major, an half a dozen 9th.
ers, wantin' to know, the reasons.
| "'Snake charmer, sir, says l to CHS
| lett. Found him here amusin' the
boys
How'd he get in?' snaps Chislett
/ Someone must a. brought him in,
/ sir l says, an old Blue Nose cut In
quick:
"'Well, never mind how he got in,
he says. Get him out again
! Right then big king cobra come
out from under a cot an reared up,
with his hood spread. not two feet
from the colonels leg. Say, old Blue
Nose jumped back like a yearlin'.
Look out there, sergeant says
Chislett.
II took look like hadn't seen the
beast before, an then. with the worst
yell had in me, leaped for cot.
Gather 'em up says Chislett to
the heather. an the little man rolls up
the whites Of his eyes at him. He
was gatherin' 'em up the best he knew
but they wouldn't stay gathered. They
oozed out Of his clothes Eastern he
could shove 'em in.
care they dangerous, sir?' I says
like an innocent che.ild.
| About then some one o. the boys
that didn't know any better hove in q
coffee basket, an the Hindu grabbed
It like q godsend. an begins shown
in his pets. After he'd got all there
was In sight. he had to turn 'em Out
again to see II he had lost any; an
when he got through countin' EN- he
let out a wall, an begun talkin' wild
like. in the language of Injia.
I'VE switched him into United
States after a bit, an learned the
pleasin' news that he was four snakes
short.
Find EN- says Chistlet, short al
tacks.
"The Hindu pokes around on hi,
belly under the cots. moanin' like 9
bereaved parent, but he don't find any
loose serpents; an all OF sudden he
jumps up an trots over to old Blue
Nose an begins revilin' him in mighty
choice language, accusin' him O. bring
in him in there and gettin' him into
all this trouble. He winds up by de
mandin' five dollars for his los,
snakes.
WELL, thought old Blue Nos.
would have apoplexy. He turned
seven colors, an made sort O. suffo
catin' noises in his throat; an then
without sayin' word. he hauls GU
his wallet, digs up q fiver, an lets 4
60 at that
Half d company had black eye,
next morning, but there wasn't a blu,
devil in the outfit.
well, Casey an were talkin' i
over that afternoon. when alonl
comes old Blue Nose, trottin' his wifi,
out to see some more sights.
II had my back to him, an l say
to Casey. l says:
Things like last night l says
are rotten bad for discipline. There
that bunch O. rockies. How're w
goin' to beat 'em into shape II on
officers
About then old Blue Nose sort q
checks in his gait. an Casey an
faces front an salutes. The oil
geezer hangs on one foot for a second
starin' at US hard. an then clamps hi
mouth shut an goes on.
: AN with that / called quits"
Would Only Stand One Verse.
: At Christmas the children of an Enl
fish provincial school tried to collec
, 1 <.t~.