Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-03-23

caterpillar inside HE needs rest" says pa.
He needs to get used to his stall
When he limbers up I'll commence training
him. Now then" he says, putting the box on
the shelf back Of the stove, don't none OF YOU
say word about him."
He got out pipe and set there smoking and
figuring, and we could see he was studying out
just how he'd make world-beater out of that
lug. What you going to feed him?" asks Ma.
If I wasn't afraid of making him SICK" Pa
says I'D try him out with milkweed."
Next day we hauled up the Lansing kin
Gorge, Ned Kilbourne. Pas driver, come aboard
in the morning, and he took look at the
caterpillar. He took him out of the box and
felt his legs and laid him down on the table
and went clean over him. We'll" he says,
The don't look like great lot. but I've knowed
some Of that red variety could chug along
pretty smart" Then he touched him with q
pin. It was a sudden sight.
1t looked like the rear end of that caterpillar
was racing the front end, but 1t couldn't never
quite get by. Afore either Ned or Pa could
get a move Red Peril had made turn around
the sugar bowl and run solid aground in the
butter dish
Pa let out loud swear Look out g don't
pull tendon" he says. Buffers a Lad thing.
A man has to be careful. Jeepers" he says
picking him up and taking him over to the
stove to dry, "IIl handle him myself"
II didn't mean harm, Will,' says Ned. II
was just curious"
There was something extraordinary abou.
that caterpillar He was intelligent It seemed
he just couldn't abide the feel Of sharp IRON
1t got so that IL Pa reached for the lapel of
his coat Red Peril would light out. 1t must
have been he was tender. 1 said he had q sort
OF wart behind, and guess he liked to find
it place Of safety.
We was all terrible proud of that bird Pa
took to timing him on the track. He beat all
known time holler. He got to know that as
soon as he crossed the chalk he would get back
safe in his quarters. Only. when we tried
sprinting him across the supper table, If he
saw piece of butter he'd pull up short and
bolt back where he come from. He had mortal
fear of butter.
WELL, Pa trained him three nights 1t was
a sight to see him there at the table, a
big man with a needle in his hand, moving
the lamp around and studying out the identical
spot that caterpillar wanted most to get out
of the needles way. Pretty soon he found it.
and then he says to Ned, I'll race him agin
all corners at all Odds" well, WILL" saws
Ned, Il guess it's a safe proposition"
We hauled up the feeder to Forestport and
got us a load of potatoes. We raced him there
against Charley Mack, the bank walkers Loop
ard Pillar, one of them tufted breeds with row
of black buttons down the back. The Leopard
was well liked and had won several races that
season, and there was quite q few boaters
around that fancied him. Pa argued for ia
vOrable odds, saying he was racing a maiden
caterpillar, and there was lot of money laid
out and Pa and Ned managed to cover the
most of 1t. AS for the race, there wasn't any
thing to it. While we was putting him in the
ring-one of them brchabrk and sweet grass
ones Indians make-Red Peril didn't act very
good. guess the smell and the crowd kind
of upset him. He was nervous and kept 11dget-
ing with his front feet, but they hadn't more'n
lifted the ring than he lit out under the edge
as tight as he could make it. Me and my sister
was supposed to be in bed, but Ma had gone
visiting in Forestport and we'd snuck in and
was under the table, which had a red cloth
onto it, and can tell you there was some shout
ing. There was some couldn't believe that in
sect had been inside the ring at all, and there
was some said he must be cross with dragon
fly or side-hiI gouger but old Charley Mack
that'd worked in the camps, said he guessed
Red Peril must be descended from the cater
pillars Paul Bunyan used to race. He said you
could tell by the bump on his tall which Paul
used to put on all his caterpillars, seeing as
how the smallest pointed object he could hold
In his hand peavy
Well Pa raced him a couple Of more times
and he won just rs easy and Pa cleared up