The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1915-03-17
THE COLONEL PAYS
Dy FREDERICK WALWoRTH
BROWN.
(Copyright.)

(Copyright)
"Talkin' about snakes" said Ser.
geant Hook irrelevantly, reminds me
of the time l got hunky with old Blue
Nose. He was our colonel till he was
transferred for staff duty, an a ram
pageous old porpoise he was. too.
Cut it out" said Corporal Toplatch.
Don't l know him? Amt took his
lip many's the time! Get along to the
snakes"
well, then, it was old Blue Noses
lip that brought on the riot. We'd sat
down in cantonments, an they sent us
q batch O. the rawest rockies that ever
signed away their souls for love O
their country. D company's draft was
q bunch to sicken a steer. An Chislett
set me to drillin' EN-.
illed EN- an drilled 'em an I
q em till I'd wore the soles on
Z -, an they'd still 90 seven ways
for sunday when l gave 'em an order.
Then along comes old Blue Nose stalk
in cross the parade. with q look on
him like he'd bit on a worm. He stops
an watches the sheep l was herdin' an
then he steps nearer. halts the
squad and comes to attention.
How long have you had 'em, SER
geant?' he says.
Three days, SIR l tells him.
.ssWol vnpp'ro 10 v,Onr ~
ter, them says he, an tramps of.
We'll. say, could a. ct him alive
right then. an relished him. The rock
les we're a snickerin' behind my back,
an | was wore to the raw with 'em
anyway; 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, 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 a pill, she was, with the sugar
coatin' wore off. 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-
fled That's how 1t happened that he
picked up a Hindu snake charmer
down in the bazaar an hiked him an
his fang-drawed reptiles up to canton.
ments
HE was one O these here dreamy.
eyed little heather, with sun.baked
complexion an scraggly white beard
j happened to see old Blue Nose hik.
in this outcast from Injua's coral
strand down toward the officers row.
an I 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 a needin' something bad, to take
their minds of the thought o. bein
sold into slavery for three years; an
besides, had that score chalked w
against old Blue Nose.
1T was a case of your Uncle Jarvey
on the job. l 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 fakil
was a doin' of his stunts, an the little
red an yellow reptile ever an amor
stickin' his tail in his mouth"
Jaw. cut it OUT" came from the
corporal
"By an by the Hindu packed hi.
sQuirms In the basket again, made hi
little salaam an backed Off On thu
way he had to pass me. When h,
came opposite held up a quarter t.
him an motioned to him to sit down
What l want to know is this.
says. Are their fangs drawed?'
"'Are their fangs drawed?' says
an made out to pull one O. my from
teeth. Also / showed him the quarte
again.
with that he reached into the has
ket. casual.like. an fetched out fou
or five feet o reptile by the neck. HI
pried open its jaws an showed wher
the teeth had been pulled.
Good says l. They look danger
GUS, but amt
Then pointed out the barracks t
him an gave him his Instructions. H
took his quarter an made tracks wit
dignity. while l went OF to pave tn
way for doins which was to paralyz
all the blue devils IN cantonments. an
at the same time. square up my az
count with the colonel
Casey was with us then You n
member Casey, the little red-heade
Mick. who was game to fight anythin
up to AT elephant? Sure you do. Vel
| hunts up Casey an puts it to hir
straight He was shy at first. not iii
l - A.xA Al q.