The Monticellonian. [volume] (Monticello, Ark.) 1870-1920, 1916-09-14

d. . !. :. :. !. :. !.
A I-rsa i GRANDFATHER WIS Il
IA, KS devoted stamp collector
M4afI# had an aunt who spen- hei
tsE ~ entire life and IN auHuit!
#4K acquiring china plates
Ia IS which nobody was ever al
lowed to use My father
mad So much pewter in his home that
the place almost tiuklcd rs YOU
crossed he threshold My only sister
has a unique assortment of samplers
10 show for life of industry and
Vigilance. Is it any wonder that in
herited the collecting habit? asks Percy
HaNuau in The New York Trib-
une Then he goes on TO tell his
story.
My aequisittve instinct. however,
has taken an entirely different arn.
am collector of tastes. From
ehrly childhood the gustatory novelty
has possessed an inordinate charm for
Iae. have Il seemingly iuexhauStible
curiosity where nuheard=of edlbles
are concerned.
Needless 10 say, his rather unusual
form of the collecting mania from
which l suffer has led me into many
queer eating adventures. some of
which have proved most amusing as
Well AZ highly instructive.
As a boy | lived in Australia aud it
WIS there Jhat ! handled my first gun.
Il WIS presented 10 me on my twelfth
birthday. ] had TO promise To shoot
only for educational purposes or to
obtain food.
Fifteen miles aWay from the city of
Melbourne is a delightfully."- billy dis
tEict known rs Diamond creek. de
cided thai Diamond creek should be
the scene Of my first attack on the
brute creation.
In aud out Of the gum tree eI0isters
I scraped and snooped and lodged
aPins the=heroes of all the hunting
stories had ever read. on and on |
painted till at last l saw strange
looking bird alight on top of blue
gum \ joyful tremor went through
me.
l poised II. gun l took aim. l
pulled the trigger Bang and OH
joy Of joys down fell my first game"
TO my boys eyes my bird seemed
the largest widest and most ferocious
thing in the world In reality 1t was
little larger than robin | looked
at the bird. 1t was quite strange to
HE. | had never seen its like before.
The sun vas straight overhead
That meant lunch. The brilliant in
spiration came 10 me that in obedience
TO ny promise l ought 10 eat my
prey | cleaned him In the creek as a
boy cleans things and patiently roasted
my quarry And then | ate him. The
flavor seemed a little disappointing. 1t
did not taste anything like the kind
Of game ! got at home. 1t tasted al
most queer"
Several days later | again went
shooting, this time accompanied by "a
much older boy, who knew lots and
lots about game and bush lore and
things To my delight, shortly after
We had plunged into the bush l
brought down another of these gray
birds and proudly came running to
where my companion was, to show him
my prize. TO my amazed horror he
burst out laughing.
And is that the kind of bird you
ate?' he roared. do you know what
that is.
No"
THAT is Il butcher bird Its one
of the buzzard family
l dent suppose many of my readers
have ever slipped the delectable thirst
destroyer known as kaYa. | sincerely
hope not. Its native heath is Samoa.
| had often read of the celestial in
SEPARATION to be derived from lashish,
Sstke and other exotic liquids, and be
fore landing in Apia l used to wonder
if Robert Louis Stcvenson's afllatus
had ever received any assistance from
kaya.
II was almost under the shadow of
Steveusous own Nailma that my own
brief, verto-be-forgotteu plunge in
Ia bowl of kava splaShed Its way
indeHbly into my personal history.
had sneaked off by myself to pay
a wish to native hut. There in a
eone-shaped, matched, beehiye-like
abode Of smell ! was invited to try
fhe famous Samoan drink, Whitley
gray liquid much befrothed, resem-
ming for all the world that which is
found in the humble boiler on Mon
days after the linen has just been
hung cut 10 dry.
NV first sip tasted all right, and l
think became perhaps a little over
confident and increased the pressure
Of nav intake roo speedily. Five min
mes after my first sip | was whiring