Evening Star Newspaper, March 3, 1935, Page 83

L VEN the water moccasin, master E of venom and bully of the _bayou. sometimes meets a worthy foe in the amphibious mud tur- tle. When these two clash the fight is always to a finish — no time out, no holds barred, winner take all. l:lungry. on edge after a night's fruitless hunting, just as the rising sun was sweeping the shadows from their little kingdom, an eight-pound turtle and a three-foot moccasin — rival After the Battle — Victor and Vanquished rulers of that rocky pool on Guthrie creek — each visioned a possible meal. Simultaneously, from opposite banks, they swam toward where a small perch, stranded, flopped noisily in the shallows. Instantly the placid waters became a raging, frenzied whirlpool. Skimming the surface, sculling with rapidly vibrating tail, the snake darted; struck; fell short of its target by the thickness of one of its own THIS WEEK | - BATTLE in the BAYOU By ELTON STERRETT Turtle vs. Water Moccasin, No Holds Barred scales. All its webbed flippers driving madly, the turtle pivoted. With a metallic click rivalling a steel trap the cruel jaws snapped. Eluding the helmeted head, the moccasin executed a power dive that carried it below the surface. Upward at its adversary’s tapering tail it struck; it missed and fairly hurled it- self across the pond to escape the swirling charge. Outgeneraling the other and steer- ing its bulky, armored body with the skill of a diving frog, the turtle maneuvered the other to where it must lower menacing fangs for an instant to pick a way of escape. The turtle struck with lightning speed. Stretching slack from every wrinkle of the long neck, the gray-green head shot out to the limit. Dogged, unyielding jaws clamped fast. Vise-like the cruel beak crushed the writhing reptile a good six inches behind the deadly fangs. Unerringly the turtle had chosen the one vulnerable yet safe spot on its enemy’s length. The strike was near enough to the blunt, heart-shaped head to prevent the moccasin from looping back on itself to reach a front flipper; yet it was far enough rear- ward to insure the snake's fangs still being outside the shell after the turtle had drawn its own beak within the shelter of the carapace. Slowly, inexorably, the turtle con- tracted its neck, wedging the moc- casin immovably in the powerful hinge of the shell — there to await death. The thrashing, twitching tail of the dying moccasin was still stirring up silt from the bottom when the victor again cautiously extended its neck. Methodically it began to swallow its vanquished rival. Here again clever reasoning seemed evident. The swallowing was begun at the point of attack; the snake’s neck and body were engulfed simultaneously until at last the venomed head was reached. Then, as carefully as though it had been forewarned, the turtle worked the fang and poison-bearing head to the side of its jaw, chewed it free and let it fall into the water before resum- ing the slow swallowing of the elon- gated meal. Snagged with a rake and dragged ashore for photographing after the struggle, the victor backed away to extend its prey to full length. Then inch by inch the turtle towed it again into the depths of the pool, where the unwieldy meal could be controlled and gradually taken in for the slow process of digestion. NEEDED—-ROMANCE copywriter and something more to Mr. Andrew McGiven than a minute, impersonal cog in the Acme machine. She began to chase out to movies, and accept dates. And she prettied up with some new clothes. If occasionally she cried herself to sleep, nobody knew it but her pillow. Andy had apparently Continued from page seven in disgust dumped the drawer full of applications in the waste basket, and gone out and snared a star copywriter from a competing agency. One night she went out to the Frolics Garden with a boy friend from the old home town. Between dances they sat out on the upper terrace. Suddenly she felt someone on the terrace below grab her arm, which had been hanging over the ledge. “Ouch,” she exclaimed. “‘Let go.” She leaned over and saw a strange young man reaching up on tiptoes to grasp her wrist. “Pardon me, no offense intended,"” said the young fellow, smiling. “My friend will be up there in a minute. He didn’t want to lose you.” And the grip on her arm didn’t relax. The boy friend bridled. “‘Let go of her, fresh, before I jump over there and knock you cold.” Someone rushed up. “It's all right, Sam. Thanks. I'll explain.” |, - Nancy turned around astonished, as 'her wrist was released, to see Andy standing there, breathless and excited. He gazed at her perplexed, without recognition. “I'm sorry,” he apologized, smiling, with those little wrinkles around his eyes. “I hope he didn't hurt your wrist. You see, I was afraid of losing you. May I introduce myself? Andrew McGiven.” Nancy could see he didn't recognize her, and it made her furious. She looked at him coldly, awaiting his explanation. “Your hand, with that ring.”” And he lifted it and looked intently. Nancy pulled it away sharply. “You're L,” he said with conviction. “Sure you are,”” he exclaimed with growing positiveness. ‘“‘Your hair is red.” “What are you talking about?"’ de- manded Nancy in icy tones, while her heart thumped terrifically. At the sound of her voice he eyed her sharply, and wrinkled his forehead. “We've met some place. I know you. Wait.” He paused, then snapped his fingers. “Why,” he exclaimed amazed, ‘“‘you are the girl in the filing department who wanted to be a copy- writer. Miss, er — Miss Lee.” “Nancy Lee,”” she repeated un- smiling. He took her hand and led her to the light. “But you are beautiful,”” he exclaimed with astonishment. “I never dreamed it. Why did you hide behind those horrible glasses?”’ Nancy flushed. “You said I was lousy.” “Lousy?” he asked perplexed. Then he remembered, and threw back his head and laughed. ‘““Not you, Nancy. Just your copy. Nancy Lee,” he re- peated. “What a pretty name!” His eyes almost devoured her. ““The eyes, the lips. Yes, you are L, aren't you?"’ he demanded softly. At the new note of tenderness in his voice Nancy didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “Why didn’t you follow up your letters in person? Don’t you know it’s bad advertising practice to quit after you've aroused interest?"’ ‘“You’d have fired me,” accused Nancy. “You were sore over what I said about the candy ads.” That bewitching smile with the eye wrinkles came again. “For a bit I was,” Andy admitted. “Here, let's dance,” he said suddenly. ‘“There’s so much to talk about.”” It might have been hours later, out on the terrace, that he lifted her face so that the moonlight shone on it. “Stupid of me,” he said, “‘not to realize that L stood for Lee.” “It didn't,” said Nancy huskily. ““It stood for love.” WRITE TODAY FOR THIS FREE BOOKLET CITY Don’t delay. This relief has accomplished wonders for men, women and children who have been chronic sufferers from psoriasis. Siroil applied externally to the affected the scales to disappear, the red blotches to fade out and the skin to resume its normal texture. Siroil backs with a guaran- tee the claim that if you do not note marked within two weeks —and you are the sole judge —yous money will be refunded. Write for booklet Don’t delay. Write at once. SIROIL LABORATORIES, INC. 1214 Grisweld St, Dept. W-3, Detreit, Mich. - Please send me full information on Siroil—the new treatment of psoriasis. NAME— e ADDRERSS . the secret of beautiful body skin/_/"’ BATHASWEET T:S. you can have a lovelier, more alluring body. Easily! Quickly! Just add to your bath a = sprinkleof Bathasweet,and make your bath a beauty treatment. You might be ba in rose petals, so soft and fiun':::n&e- Bathasweet make the water of your tub. Gone s all harshness from the water. Bathasweet 'd\em. it eolz. ens luom water cleanses your pores as not otherwise be cleansed. The best evidence of this remarkable power to dissolve impurities and to keep them dissolved is that no “ring’’ is lefcaround Lo oo i Lo wonder skin s disappear— and your bodJ‘ takes on a new loveli- ness...Yet Bathasweet costs v —— , 50¢ and $1 at drug and depart- stores. ment . —agift package sent ree enywhere in fl e mf;. S’ Mail this conpon with neme and address to Bathasweet Cory., Dept. TW-C, 1907 Perk Ave., New Yeork. cmseccsnmcacccccmsrennnsencn s ansassemman Such enthusiastic omments as these as- ure us chat YOU ould be deli bte: ith the woaderful new Perfol edle d ere.We want you to try them for 10 massage-like moves flabby, disfigur- ing fat with every ulacing LEARN ABOUT | SIROIL THE GUARANTEED RELIEF - improvement upon this new treatment. STATE