The Stroller's weekly and Douglas Island news., 1922-02-04

Your Uncle received 0 letter a few days ago from Cleveland. Ohio. and . It told about % boy ho knows Chat hos very strange pet Most boys and girls llkc pets and dogs and eats aro probably Che most common of all pets. boys usually prciorrlns dogs while girls are apt Co think moro of cats than of dogs The roa- son for thi8 is that girls arc natural utuo mothers and a eat will stand moro cuddl.ug and iondling than a dog. Boys and dogs arc very much alike and Che same may be said Of girls and kittens. It is an right to teu a small girl that she is liko a kitten. but when aho grows up it l8 not in good form to toll her she is uko cat It is different whom a boy grows up. for ho rather enjoys being referred to as a "sly dog" But thcro ore lots of pets besides dogs and cats. There are birds, lit- ! uo birds liko cauarios and bis birds |liko pigeons. and lambs calves. colta and pigs although Che latter arc | mot very lovablo pets. But Che pot | Che little boy has in Cleveland is not any of Che above. It is an alligator | and it was sent to him from Florida
 Now Your Uncle knows something about alligators for ho once lived in Florida where there arc lots of them
 moro then than now for Che rca- son chat thousands of thom have boon killed for their hides and teeth. AL ! urator hide makes fine leather which is used in the manufacture or suit cases. travelling bags and Che ! Uko. while alligator teeth arc used
 for making jowelry mostly breast pins They are very pretty and pol- lish likc ivory which they really
 are.
 But just what that boy in Clove- Hand wants with a pct alligator is 'moro chan Your Uncle can sec. al- though Che latter onco shipped an |aIcator from Florida to Ohio-sont 'it to another fellow who had never
 seen one and was anxious Co know Just what it looked like. Your Uncle was out by @ small lake in |Flouda and noticed a little alligator .alcop'ug on @ log. They arc great 'soopcr. being able Co stand almost us much sleep as a hired man on % ! farm. Before Che alligator knew
 what was happening. Your Uncle .had ulppcd its neck and body SO it
 could not turn its head to bite him. |Ho carried it in that manner Go a hotel where he was living and then procured a box that had contained Ielass The alligator was 26 inches Hong and thoro was plenty of room . for it in Che box In which a lot oi . what is called Spanish moss was
 placed. You may have seen long
 pieces of moss hanging from trees in moving pictures. and that is span .ish moss
 It was i'm Che month Of May that IYour Uncle boxed up that alligator land sent it by express Co Ohio 10 .arriyed an right and six months .lator when Your Uncle made @ trip .to Ohio that alligator had eaten only once -luat eaten one meal i'm six
 months. It may have been saving 'up for big Christmas dinner. but just before Christmas tho owner for
 got and loft it out over night in the . tank he had for it and it froze to .dc1th
 Now. you win probably think that was very young alligator but in .rca'Ity it was older than Che average
 boy or girl who win road this. Your ! |Uuclo reckoncl chat alligator was
 about n years old. and this is how Inc figures: It was four inches long