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Show MARY GRAHAA -BONNER. COftlKMI M VtWUM MWeMI wftKM -n-ni ALLIGATORS' APPETITES "Hello," said the keeper to the alligators. alli-gators. They were lying about in their roo tank. Some were atretched out on the surrounding boards. As soon as the keeper said "hello," every alligator rushed toward the end of the tank Dear where the keeper was standing. The keeper did not go too near them for he didn't dare. They are liable to bite off an arm If they are hungry In their eagerness to get at the food being be-ing handed to them. He gave them their dinner and then they went back to sleep and to Bleep soundly, too. J-ater on be spoke to them, but they paid no attention. It was a little while after this that Miss Alice Alligator began to speak to Miss Agnes Alligator. They quite often talked together and usually lo much the same way. "Good day, Miss Agnes," said Miss Alice In alligator talk. "Rood day," splashed Miss Agnes. "How are you feeling?" Inquired Miss Alice. "I'm beginning to feel hungry," snld Miss Agnes. "If I hadn't been feeling a little hungry. I wouldn't have spoken to you." "The same Is true of me," said Miss Alice. "You know I think a good appetite ap-petite I the greatest Joy In the world." "I know of no other Joy so great," said Miss Agnes, "except that of hiring hir-ing plenty of food to match the appetite." appe-tite." "Oh, yes." said Miss Alice, "Oh. yes." "Before I came to the soo," Miss Alice continued, "my mamma told me I ""LJM" It ill " ''Good Day," Splashed Miss Agnes. that It was the nature of the alllgutot to bo fonder of food than of anything else. "She snld that each spring she laid sixty or eighty eggs which she would hatch out In a mound of brush and dry grass. "She said the heat helped the hatching, hatch-ing, which made less work for her. "She didn't care to work hard. "She was fond of an easy life. She was a usual alligator,- in other words." "I understand," said Miss Agnes. "Well," continued Miss Alice, "she also told me that she guarded her eggs closely to see that no harm came to them except except except except ex-cept except except and here Is the great point of my tale except when sbe was hungry I "Then she'd quite forget about the eggs which would soon be young alligators, alli-gators, and she would go oil In search of food. "Nothing, she said, was so Important as food and a good appetite, not even the children." "My mother told me the same thing," said Miss Agnes. "And she also said that once the eggs had become be-come baby alligators they could look after themselves. "She didn't believe In looking after them and spoiling them and she said that all mother alligators agreed with her. "If they bothered ber she would eat them as would the daddy alligators, -which, she said, was a sure punishment punish-ment agulnst them bothering her again and having to be told they must not be naughty agitln." "It's sensible," said Miss Agnes, "not to fuss over anything but our own ap petites which are so good, and oui food." "Some people," said Miss Alice, "say the same thing over and over again. " 'Don't do this. Don't do that. Don't let me have to speak to you another time. Now do you hear me? "No, none of that nonsense for mother moth-er alligators. Appetites acd food are ail-important with them." And, once more, the alligators seemed to show signs of life for they were hungry again 1 |