Judge — July 15, 1911 — page 8: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

“BIT BY SNAKE.” A Thrilling Story of Circus Life. By ELLIS PARKER BUTLER, Author of “Pres ty Pigs.” —~ ‘x T WAS hot in the side-show tent, and the big top had drawn the crowd wp away, for the regular circus perform- { ancehadbegun. The lecturer had with- drawn to one corner and had taken off his shoes, to give his feet a rest. Some thirty or forty boys and men still lin- gered in the side show, but the “*freaks’’ were off duty and chatted with one another without paying any attention to the few Spectators. Midway down the row of platforms, Mlle. Zozo, the Peerless, Fearless Snake Charmer, dozed in her chair. Her head had dropped forward upon her bare chest, her arms hung limp, and her feet, crossed at the ankles, reached to the edge of the platform. She snored. On the floor beside her lay the frightful African python, coiled in a box of sawdust. He, too, slept. Before the sleeping beauty two townsmen stopped. They looked at the snake, and then they looked at the sleeping Zozo. She was no frail, fairy-like beauty, and the townsman with the new straw hat expressed his admiration. CALL AN EXTRA SESSION ON EGGS “* By gum, here I ‘ve fed you pullets ten bushels of corn, four of wheat, a ton of bran and alfalfa meal, bones and stones—and you ‘ve only av- ‘raged thirty eggs each ! I’'ll tell the Department of Agriculture of this."’ PLAIN TO BE SEEN Mother Earth—'" Exerybody has their troubles, I know. But nobody knows how I suffer with this aeroplane pest."” “Now, she’s what I call shapely, Hennery,”” he said. “‘Humph!"’ said Henry scornfully. “*Yeou can’t fool me! Them calves is padded."" “Betcha they ain’t “Betcha they is! “How ye goin’ t’ find aout?’” “I'm goin’ t’ ask that feller; that’s how!’’ “That feller’’ happened to be the ticket taker, and he hap- pened to be Mlle. Zozo’s husband, and it happened that Mlle. Zozo had given him a word dressing that very morning that he could not forget in a year. At the moment the two towns- men approached, he was contemplating a divorce. He listened to them with all the solemnity of a hardened ticket taker. As they put the question he brightened. “*Padded?"’ he said. ‘‘Sure them calves is padded! Them is the reg’lar patent rubber calves—solid injun rubber."’ ‘What'd I tell ye, John?"’ said Henry triumphantly. “*Yeou go ‘long!’’ said John scornfully. ‘‘This gentl’m'n is stuffin’ you.”” “What's that?” cried the ticket taker fiercely. mean you doubt my word?”’ “I'm from M’souri, mister; you gotta show me, that’s all. I don’t mean no harm,"’ said John apologetically. “All you got to do,” said the ticket taker gravely, ‘tis to show yourself. All you got to do is to take a pin and stick it into them rubber pads. Why, you can stick a pin right into them up to the head, and she won't even wake up.”’ “Oh, I wouldn’t do that!’’ said John. “Don’t you worry,” said the ticket taker. ‘*Zozo’s used to it. Why, some nights she’s as full of pins as a pin cushion when she comes to disrobe. Takes her an hour picking pins out of herself before she can take off her stockings.”’ John looked doubtful and the two townsmen wandered off, but they gravitated back to the platform, where Mlle. Zozo “Do you comicbooks.com