The Strong Young Man of Colusa.
Professor Dramer conducted a side-show in the
wake of a horse-opera, and the same sojourned at
Colusa. Enters unto the side show a powerful
young man of the Colusa sort, and would see
his money's worth. Blandly and with conscious
pride the Professor directs the young man's attention
to his fine collection of living snakes. Lithely
the blacksnake uncoils in his sight. Voluminously
the bloated boa convolves before him. All horrent
the cobra exalts his hooded head, and the spanning
jaws fly open. Quivers and chitters the tail of the
cheerful rattlesnake; silently slips out the forked
tongue, and is as silently absorbed. The fangless
adder warps up the leg of the Professor, lays
clammy coils about his neck, and pokes a flattened
head curiously into his open mouth. The young
man of Colusa is interested; his feelings transcend
expression. Not a syllable breathes he, but with a
deep-drawn sigh he turns his broad back upon the
astonishing display, and goes thoughtfully forth
into his native wild. Half an hour later might
have been seen that brawny Colusan, emerging
from an adjacent forest with a strong faggot.
Then this Colusa young man unto the appalled
Professor thus: “Ther ain't no good place yer
in Kerloosy fur fittin' out serpence to be subtler
than all the beasts o' the field. Ther's enmity
atween our seed and ther seed, an' it shell brooze
ther head.” And with a singleness of purpose and
a rapt attention to detail that would have done
credit to a lean porker garnering the strewn
kernels behind a deaf old man who plants his field
with corn, he started in upon that reptilian host,
and exterminated it with a careful thoroughness of
extermination.
