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Show II Till- - FEEDING A BIG BOA. A HUGE SNAKE BREAKS FAST. HIS fno Puppies Are HacrMlecil Tlie Serpent t'rualie 1IU Trey mill Thru Deliberately Proceed to NhuIIuw It Ht One Gulp Snakes are not big eaters. That la to say, they do not eat frequently, but when they get ready they can do the subject of food ample justice. At least, the big boa constrictor In the zoo showed his capabilities recently, when, after a fast of his own choosing for three or four months, he concluded to eat a mite, Just to keep him In good condition for the summer season, when he will take the road with a show, for this great snake, In all about twenty-fivfeet long without stretching himself, Is the property of a traveling menagerie, says the Cincinnati Commercial Tribune. They have been caring for him at the zoo some time, the only Item of rent being his keep, and that, as you will see, Is not much as he has had but two square or rather round, meals In six or eight months. At different times they have tempted him, but he turned from food even e Een the next day there lid said, U the piper nigrum, which were two big protuberant es in plain furnishes us with that culinary requievidence. The day following the owner site the ordinary black and white pep. wus at the gardens, and he was glad per. Few of those who now purchase to bear of the snake feeding. He wants It for a few' cents per pound realize the him to eat some more while he is in enormous value that was formerly set the mood. With this in view, he will upon it and the very great Inliueme soon send two more puppies to the zo., which the desire fur regular and plenhoping that the snake will gorge him- tiful supplies of it exerted on the hisself well and good. Since his meal the tory of mankind.'' Neither flower nor boa has been rather quiet. Like a man fruit is to be seen on the shrub In the who has gorged himself, he seems in- conservatory, nor does it appear to be clined to sleep it off, though he has in good condition. At home, Dr. Miller continued, it bears broadly ovate by no means been entirely motionless. five to seven nerved stalked leaves. In He knows what is going on all the time its native forests of Travancore and and he Is not in any better humor simMalabar, In India, it is a perennial ply because he has been fed. climbing shrub, growing to a height of twenty or thirty feet. Both black and OLD SWEETHEARTS MARRIED. white pepper are produced by the same the former the unripe Cie 3Iay Couple Who Were Loter In plant, fruit and thebeing latter the fully ma1M41 Juftt WmIiIwI. tured berries when freed from the dark n It was years ago that Mrs. outer layer of pericarp. "The word Itoxana Hand, now aged 73, was court- pepper is derived from the Sanskrit ed by a youth of her own age bearing name for one variety of it, plppali, the the name of Return Babcock Swain. change of T Into r having been made True to his name, the swain did return by the Persians, whose ancient alphato Cape May, N. J., where last week bet contained no 1. the couple were married in the presence of relatives. Mr. Swain was for many PRESIDENT IS GUARDED. years one of the best known business men in Philadelphia, being the largest 'Mr. McKinley In Warned to Take Extra manufacturer of bath tubs in the midPrecaution. dle states. Several years ago he reA metropolitan detective from police tired from business very wealthy and atsettled on a farm near Cape May, headquarters has been detailed to all tend public receptions at the white where he recently renewed his acIs said this detail will conhouse. It quaintance with Mrs, Hand, the sweet- tinue while the Spanish war fever reheart of his youth, on whom he called In an acute stage. At the refrom 1839 to 1841. His wife died elev- mains en years ago and Mrs. Hands husband ception given by President McKinley recently a rather handsome young man, nine years ago. attired neatly In a black suit and wearSEVEN WONDERS OF WORLD, ing glossy patent leather shoes, stood a short distance from the executive in first Indication of Their Existence About the reception parlor and closely scanEnd of Second Century. ned the faces and manners of those We have no indication of the existwho approached Mr. McKinley. The ence of a cycle of seven wonders until watcher was one of the shrewdest deabout the end of the second century B. tectives on Inspector Mattinglys headC. Then appears, In an epigram of quarters staff. He had been detailed of enumeration of an Sidon, Antipater for this work, it is said, by the presiseven great works, which prove to be dents special request, and will be simthe very ones later appearing as the ilarly detailed at future receptions. seven wonders, says the Century. They It is hinted that Mr. McKinley has are: (1) the walls of Babylon; (2) the been warned by friends that some fastatue of Zeus at Olympia; (3) the natic, goaded by sympathy for the Hanging Gardens of Semiramis at Bastarving Cubans, might attempt to do bylon; (4) the Colossus of Rhodes; (5) him bodily harm, and every precaution the Pyramids of Memphis; (6) the is being taken to prevent such an outMausoleum of Halicarnassus; (7) the come. It is known that threatening Temple of Diana (Artemis) at Ephesus. letters have been wrritten, and it is Within the next century Varro, by his feared some fellow may take it into leisurely allusion to the septem opera, his head to have a forcible personal inbetrays that the saying has already terview with the president in reference assumed current proverbial form; to the war with Spain. in the second half of the same century (first B. C.), speaks too, of Woman Kailway Superintendent. the seven works, and StraMiss Anna Mitchener is probably the bo a little later uses the very phrase only female railroad superintendent in the seven wonders. From this time the world. Major C. E. Mitchener, the on, at least, the septem miracula have builder and owner of the electric road an assured place in all the common lore between Canal Dover and Urichsvllle, of Rome. The little Greek treatise, thirteen miles long, is now in the West On the Seven Wonders, which has in the interest of his mines, leaving come down to us in incomplete form the entire management of the road and under the name of Philo of By- with his daughter. Miss Mitchener has zantium, an engineer of the second met every emergency with promptness century B. C., is really, as its style and and practicability, and the employes artificial purisms amply show, the have the greatest respect for her and work of some rhetorician of the fifth for her judgment, which has been well or sixth century after Christ and in tried Success. nowise chargeable against the otherwise blameless record of the excellent' So Dong', Cliolly! man of facts and machines. The list A new lovers alarm clock strikes it gives is the same as that found in loudly at 10 oclock, and two little Antipaters epigram. doors opening reveal the figure of a man in a dressing gown, holding in his hand a card bearing the words WHITE AND BLACK PEPPER. installment. ber-ryll- fifty-seve- when offered in a live shape, and said But In snake talk: No, thank you. people who have fooled with snakes know that they will come to their appetites if you only let them alone. A keeper tried this snake with some water in a big pan. He dabbled in it a little and then drank the whole allow-ancMaybe if he was thirsty he would also eat, and the experiment was made. In anticipation of the feast two puppy dogs had been provided, weighing about twelve or fifteen pounds each. They were not highbred dogs just plain dog and spaniel mixed for there is no necessity for feeding a snake thoroughbred dogs. When his lengthy majesty is hungry he will eat almost any kind of old dog. About 4 or 5 oclock in the afternoon one of the pups was put in the cage. Now, there was no struggle nor any frantic efforts on the part of the dog to escape. He huddled to himself in a timid and backward way as if the game wasnt to his liking, but the boa felt differently. He reached out in a minute or two and embraced the pup. Then he took an extra wrap or two, until there was nothing to be seen but a trace of a dog tangled up in the folds of the huge boa constrictor. There was a squeal from the pup, but it was not protracted. Then there was the crunching of bones and the act of killing was all over, though there was no break in the program of the victor. He opened his cavern of a mouth, and the remains of the pup went to another cavern properly prepared for him. About this time Mr. Snake coiled himself up as if for a long winters nap, but his keepers concluded, while he was in the mood, to give him enough to last him for a few months, anyhow. So at 7 oclock, or thereabout, another pup was put in the cage and watched. It was evident that the boa would go on with his meal, for he was now Interested in the proceedings. Within a half hour he reached, if a snake can reach, and gathered puppy dog No. 2 to the folds, and in the same way as in the case of They Have Done Much in Making History No. 1 the life was crushed out of the from Bemote Times. second victim. And in the same way Superintendent Miller had heard and over the the same route the second that there was a pepper plant In the puppy went to a cavern, but not to the collection In Horticultural hall in Fair-mousame one. The first had moved farther park and finally found it hidalong in the snakes peculiar anatomy, den from view by a group of cacti, This. levying plentyo room for the second cays the Philadelphia Ledger. e. Di-dor- so-call- us, ke DENVERS 75,000 DOGS. t) Colony of Etery Known Police Kill 1,000 a Tear. Denver has 73,mo dogs. Few perrons Imagine how many doga die in A Canine Va-rle- lit liver every month. Nate Hunter and tlu two herders of the Andy I dire force, who stay at headquarters to attend to lost live mock, vicious dogs on the stieets, etc., aro perhaps the most experienced in the use of the revolver of the entire force. They kill Nt-Lo- dogs every month. But the most startling figures relating to dogs are the estimates of these men on the number of canines in Denver. Ill bet my bottom dollar," said Nelson, that there are at least 73,000 dogs in the city of Denver of them are of any About a use. There is dog for every two people and a fraction. Denver Is full of dogs from one side to another, both ways, up and clown and across the middle. There arc Mg dogs, little dogs, fat dogs, skinny clogs, clogs with tails, dogs without tails, hairy dogs, dogs without hair and lots of other kinds of dogs. Now, as to why so many dogs are killed, I think it is becauso the climate causes so many to be vicious. Every clay we have numerous calls from all parts of the city to come and shoot vicious dogs. They get nervous, like people do, and if they lack amusement, they want to chew' somebody's log. Last July was our biggest month In killing clogs. I killed something like 100 and Hunter murdered 127. Of course we take them to the Some pound to do the slaughter act. days there is a squealing and yelping of dogs being murdered all day long at the pound. It seems heartless to talk this way and worse to slaughter sausage by the wholesale as we do, but Its our duty. We have to use up a box and a half of cartridges each and every month killing dogs. The city pays for them now. We used to have to buy our own ammunition. Then, Ill tell you, it cost like sixty. We had to pay 73 cents a box for cartridges. That made $9 a year for each man, figuring that we each used a box a month. But we used more than that. I guess the bill would easily run up to $15 a year for each of us. Among the dog3 In the city I think there is a sampleof every known variety. Although w'e kill more than dogs every year, there are very few that are alike. There are more cur dogs than any other breed, however. But out of the 75,000 or 80,000 dogs that live in Denver there are not more than 10,000 that are good for anything but to make trouble. Denver Times. fiom 1 OO to 130 to-da- y. one-tent- h 1,-0- 00 ed nt Good-nigh- t. Ex. Euphonic Spelling:. a letter in which were these words: Not find I at hom Brown delivered your ing meseg to his yf. The gentleman finding it bad spelling, and, therefore, not very intelligible, called his lady to help him read it. Between them they picked out the meaning of all but the yf, which they could not understand. The lady proposed calling her chambermaid, because Betty, says she, has the best knack of reading bad spelling of any one I know. Betty came, and was surprised that neither Sir nor Madam could tell what yf was. Why, says she, yf spells wife; what else can it spell? And, indeed, it is a much shorter method of spelling wife than double you i f e, which, in reality, spell doubleyfey. A gentleman received Ills Advice. True to America. One of my fair subscribers Editor pawants to know how to change the colMy iLndlady is an How triot. Caller What would Well, or of her hair. particularly? a she hasnt bought Editor I should advise Spanish mackerel you say? Detroit her to marry some nice young man to since this war talk began. Free Press. reform him. Puck. out-and-o- ut |