Evening star., 1927-10-23
BY JAMES n. MILLER.

lHEwARE of Dynamite. = Keep
ts Out" Look Out for the
Bull" Infectious Disease,
IL do Not Disturb"-all these
cautions and alarms do not
protect the scientists and other work.
ers of the United States Government,
for they trave; in unknown vast
nesses, deal with man-eating beasts,
drunken moonshiners, fast moving
fires and oftentimes with law-defiers
whose guns don't always obey the
"stop" sign. They may keep their
eyes and ears open, make sure their
trusty pistol is ready for actien. But
even then a plant explorer, reptile
expert, wild animal hunter or
food inspector continually meets sit
uations he couldn't possibly prepare
for in advance.
During the year any number of men
have had experiences which any
newspaper man would well envy If
not desire. Some have been mistaken
for t'moonshine" searchers, others
have battled hand-to-hand with griz-
ziies twice their size, not a few have
slept in dwellings, liable to be dyna.
mited at any time, and at least one
calmly waded a stream known to be
infested with man-eating crocodiles
and hungry rattlesnakes.
Earning a Government pay check
may not seem to be exactly life-
risking occupation to us average folks
whose thrills come mostly from the
movies and the newspapers, but it is
not, as the uninitiated suppose, always
the dull and monotonous routine prop.
osition pictured by the more froiic-
some of the conic-strip artists.
Take some of the field men connect
ed with the Bureau of Plant Industry.
They hardly dare put their hands in
their pockets while working in GER
tain communities along the banks Of
the Mississippi for fear of being SHOT
from behind. The license tags of
their trucks carry the letters u. s.
D. A., meaning, of course, United
States Department Of Agriculture.
But thirsty souls, and there are many
out there, are prone to take a differ
ent interpretation-Unit States Dry
Agent, And lovers of the corn and
rye like to take the law into their
own hands-when in doubt.
Not so long ago an agent was on
duty one morning in a small town
in the Middle West known for its in.
dividual conceptions of law and order.
Dressed I'm his working togs, he was
not particularly a beautiful object to
the eye. Then, again. he had omitted
the usual daily shave and hastened
over his morning abutions.
Suddenly news reached him that a
bank robber WAS being sought 1t was
no concern of his, SO he continued
his daily business-but not for long.
A posse galloped up to his lodging
and, insisting that he was the suspect,
almost manhandled him. Need it be
added that he shaved a little more
regularly thereafter?
=
DOWN along the Mexican border
~ the members of the Horticulture
Boards fumigation squad have their
share of adventures, humorous and
dangerous. The old-timers take the O.
Henry happenings pretty much for
granted. But now and again a ten.
derfoot arrives from Washington
and then the fireworks begin!
Recently one such happened to be
down across from Piedras Negras
while nearby, on the Mexican side
some Mexican soldiers were bathing
No doubt they had few drinks under
their belts, for soon they began tc
PASS remarks which weren't altogeth
er gentlemanly. To lend further
color TO their maneuvers they shot
several bullets--in the air. of course
but enough to impress the newcomer
with their quaint customs.
The border fumigation experts con
Htantiy are dealing with hydrocyanit
has, one of the most dangerous gases