es would wrap themselves about him from
his head to his toes and it was an awe-inspiring sight. He taught them
to stand up on their tails and dance while he played on a tin whistle
and to do other pretty little tricks, but the great and original stunt
was what he called the 'Interminable Snake,' when one would grab the
biggest snake's tail in his mouth, another would fasten onto him, and so
on until the whole blame lot looked like one big serpent. Say, those
snakes got so stuck on that game that they would do it for sport without
the word of command. Whenever one started to move around the cage
another would grab his tail, and the first thing you knew the whole
bunch was going around in a string and the sight of it was enough to
make a man swear off for a year.

"We were doing a fine business until a temperance lecturer set up a show
a little way off, and that cut into us so that there was nothing much
doing. The crowd would walk right past the entrance to our 'Highly Moral
and Instructive Exhibition,' and go on to listen to the temperance guy
telling them about the evils of drink, as illustrated by the horrible
living examples which he had upon the platform. You see that was a free
show, while ours cost a quarter--and cheap at the price.

"One afternoon after I had cracked my voice trying to draw the crowd
without landing one of 'em, Merritt comes to me, and as we saw the crowd
pouring in to the temperance show, we looked at each other and shook
our heads in sorrow.

"'Jim,' says Merritt, 'that guy down there has got you skinned to death
on the ballyhoo, and it's up to you to go over there and get next to the
attraction and see if we can't cop it out for our show. I hate to ask it
of you,' says he, 'knowing your views on the temperance question, but
business is business and this ain't no time for sentiment.' It went
against the grain, but I knew it must be done, so I went down to the
lecture. I wasn't wise to the game, but I was anxious not to miss a
trick, so I went right up to the front, and the first thing I knew I was
seated on the mourners' bench, right under the platform. As soon as the
lecturer came on I piped him for a guy that used to pull teeth on the
Bowery with a brass band accompaniment and a gasoline torch, and I
remembered that at that time he could punish more booze than any man I
ever knew. He had the gift of gab all right, and he had picked up a
couple of panhandlers for horrible examples and they l