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Show Genuine Octopus Attracts the Curious Specimen of the Devil Firjh on Exhibition Exhi-bition at Local Commission-House. Commission-House. "Ain't that a flerco sight?" asked . girl of her companion, pointing dramatically at a prostrato form on tho lloor of a lnrgo West Tomplo produco 3torc. The "form" was a huge, slimy octopus, better known as "devil llsh." All day yesterday It attracted at-tracted lnrgo If not admiring crowds, and many a man went homo and congratulated congratu-lated his mirror on his appearance, contrasted con-trasted with tlils product of creation. Nearly all day a small, freckled-faced boy, whoso footgear consisted of a battered bat-tered shoo and an old gymnasium slipper, was tho self-constituted exhibitor and guard of the uncanny creature. No matter mat-ter what the question, ho was ready with an answer, some of them tho result of Information In-formation Jokingly given him by wlso-looklng wlso-looklng men who stopped to view the remains, re-mains, as when tho boy explained to bystanders by-standers thnt the octopus camo from tho Jordnn river, Utah. He poked it with a stick to show the position of Us mouth, or lifted Its slimy tontncles In his grimy hands, which looked as though they had not seen an nbliltlon for weeks. After one of these performances the boy carefully wiped his hand on tho knee of his stocking, saying to. tho crowd: '"Gee! I bet 1 wash my hands before I cat!" The young girl who had called the fish "a tierce sight" asked: "How does It carry that that's behind It?" Indicating tho mass of Its body. "That?" said the boy, pointing with a superior nlr of knowledge. "Why, ho, doesn't carry that up. IIo lets that drop down!" ' "They say." explained one man to tho crow, "that" tho octopus sometimes grows so largo that It wrecks ocean vessels." "Aren't you thinking of the ship trust?" naked nnother, dryly. "Now, If there were two of those," suggested sug-gested tho man who Is always thinking up hard questions for tho "Questions and Answers" In tho dally papers, "what would you say two 'octopussea or two 'octlpl'?"' Tho octopus on exhibition was caught In a net off the const near Seattle. Tho produce store has a standing offer for this animal every year, so It was shipped hero, and. Judging by the number It attracted, Is a good advertisement No one has offered of-fered to buy it as a table delicacy, although al-though It Is said to be a favorite dish of tho Indians and tho Chinese. Perhaps somo wearer of the queue will yot mako an offer. White men stand at a respectful respect-ful distance from the defunct animal, and it was said by thoso In the shop that thoy llrmly believed they could leave It out of doors over night without having it carried car-ried away. |