Evening star., 1937-06-14

OF COURSE, bluffing is nothing but
pretending. The world is full OF
buffers. We meet them everywhere,
pretending to be what they are not.
to have what they do not possess, to
be bold when they are afraid. You
find buffers everywhere. You find
them among men and women and
children, among animals and birds,
even among insects. Yes, sir, the
world is full of pretenders. The trouble
with blufing is that, once it succeeds,
it all too often becomes a habit, aid,
as a rule, it is not a good habit A
buffer thinks himself smart, but when
he is found out he is regarded with
scorn.
Among the little people of Old
Mother Nature blufiing is more often
than not used as means Of possible
escape from enemies too big or too
fierce or too swift to be escaped from
in any other way, and usually the
bluff is the pretense Of being dead.
Two of the best buffers of this kind
Of my acquaintance are Unc' Billy
Possum and Buffer the Adder, whose
other name is Hognose Snake. Both
have made a fine art of this form OF
pretending, so that when playing dead
they are the deadest looking creatures
alive. Buffer is the better pretender
Of the two, for he does not confine
his blufflng to playing dead, as does
Unc' Billy. but first tries to scare folks
by looking and acting like an ugly
and dangerous fellow, ready to attack
any one who comes too near. 1t isn't
until this bluff fails that he tries the
other bluff for, really, he is one Of the
most harmless fellows in the world
He had failed to scare Farmer
Browns Boy, who knew him of old
Instead, the latter had scared him by
pretending to try to kill him, when all
the time he had no intention of hurt
ing Buffer. But the latter didn't
know this. He who had tried to bluff
was being bluffed He was afraid.
He wanted to get away, but he knew
that he was not fast enough. He could
not glide over the ground swiftly, like
his cousin, Mr.. Blacksnake Perhaps
If he pretended to be dead this great
two-legged creature would think him
really dead and leave him alone. He
stopped pretending to be fierce and
ugly. He no longer half coiled, with
~, Soh ~ 1,a
ground and began to squirm and twist
and writhe as if badly hurt and in
great pain. 1t was perfect imitation
1t was just what he would have done
had that stick in Farmer Browns Boys
hand actually hit and hurt him.
Farmer Browns Boy chuckled.
Think you are fooling me, old fellow,
don't you?" said he Well, you're not.
Come on, now, roll over and play
dead"
Buffer did just that. It was as II
he had understood what was said to
him, which, Of course, he didn't. With
final twist he rolled over on his back
and, with mouth partly open. he lay
there motionless. Farmer Browns
Boy chuckled and poked him with
stick. There was not the slightest
movement He poked Buffer about
until his body made the letter S. It
remained just so.
Then Farmer Browns Boy picked
up Buffer by the tail. Buffer hung
limp. There wasn't a sign Of life
There was twinkle in the eyes of
Farmer Browns Boy as he stopped to
put Buffer back on the ground. He
didn't lay him down on his back
Buffer promptly rolled over and once
more wes motionless.
Farmer Browns Boy laughed aloud.
Think you must be on your back in
order to be properly dead, don't you?
Well, that's where you make mistake
and give yourself away. 1t spoils your
bluff. Now you and are going for
walk. I can't have you here, for I
want my Toads alive In the garden
quite as much as you want them to
eat. You'll have to do your hunting
somewhere else" said he
Once more he picked up Buffer by
the tail and started across the Green
Meadows toward the Old Pasture. All
the way Buffer hung Imply. When
the Old Pasture was reached he was
gently placed on the ground as before,
and, as before, promptly rolled over
on his back. Farmer Browns Boy
chuckled and walked of q short dis
tance. After time Buffer very slowly
rolled over and raised hiS head IN look
around, Seeing no one, he slowly
glided away
Copyright, 1877