The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1919-12-30
Prunes Attack Boarder.

The Predatory Prune Ia another Of the
Dee Teean beasts concerning which
have been able to secure accurate In
formation, My source Of reference is
Elmer Oldish, a bachelor who has lived
two score and 10 years in fashionable
boarding houses A dish Of this vo-
raclous species attacked Elmer one
morning five years ago He credits his
survival from that onslaught TO the ef,
ficient consistency Of his landiady, Mrs.
A. Bean, for he said had she de q,
waited from her usual custom on that
tragic morning and put In five instead
Of four prunes, he would never have
been able to beat them Off
Irlor to this time, OldiSh ronfided
to me, he thought he understood the
prune pretty we'll feeling secure in his
consideration of 1t as n dcSsicated but
none the less well meaning fruit How
ever, on this particular morning his
dish OF four prunes threw or their
harmless guise and stood revealed ns
hldeous monsters, not unlike the octo-
pus, They swarmed out Of the dish and
wound their long tentaces about hiR
body and would have crushed him even
AS he screamed and fought had not ali
Of his fellow boardera, men and women,
rushed to his rescue and carried him
off to his room.
When | recovered from this terrible
experience about a month later, I took
my tug Of apple jack out Of the coal
vase and dropped It out the window
into the alley" said Odish,
II suspected that nay saturation with
that redolent beverage may have had
something to do with the transmOErfl.
cation Of those innoCuoUs pteCes II
fruit into beasts Of prey resolved
not to take another chance. and
haven't"
mi, L,ia. ,,,,,a,, 49,. go. ,
concluded with n description Of the
Serpentino Spaghetti. An Italian gen.
tieman from whom ! occasionally buV
a haf-do2en bananas or an apple or
two told mo Of these animals He had
n never to- be forgotten encounter with
n nest Of Thorn while engaged in hIs
usual custom Of celebrating the aug
mentation OF his family with that fes-
tive LIQUID called IN the vernacular
"Dago Red" lie had celebrated on
many similar occasions with the same
liquid without particularly unhappy ef.
fects, save severe headache and per
hnps broken window and chair or
two. But this time It was twins and
he confessed that he may have over
stepped himself IN mis- efforts to do
Justice to the occasion Anyway, these
serpents, which ! have designated Tho
serpentlnc spaghetti, rose out Of Il dish
which his sister-n law, VINO was a..
tending his good wife during her br 4
period OF inactivity, had Just set upon
the supper table The serpenta were
Of bright red color with yellow
splotches and the smallest Of the lot
wan not less than 20 feet long. They
rushed upon him along the table, their
hot breath scorching his face Whom
he retrested 10 the front of his shop
Che resided in the rear OF his fruit
store) they followed him and subso-
auently pursued him until he reached
the river. where he dived in headlong.
Evidently they did not choose to fol-
low him into the water, for when he
was pulled to the surface by fisher
man he saw nothing Of them. Nor has
he seen them since. Il nevvah takka
da drinkka no more" he swore to me
with appraised hand not iffadsh oidah
woman she haye-ah da treenlcets"