PEDRO'S GLAND EXPERIMENT
By George T. Masury
The bend in the road that leads from Chilkoot Barracks to ^aines w3-*3
screened by alders, thus hiding the verson who was lustily singing:
"Some save cash ^or safety,
Some invest in lands;
But riow the fad's insurance
With precious monkey-glands
As the last words were sung, Pedro appeared in sight, striding along
in his usual happy-go-lucky Earner, only' to stop and greet his friend, ' Fac
Mathews, who was bound in the other direction, Haines-ward.
"Hello, Pedro," said pat. "Where’ did you learn that sogg you were
sineinr?"
"Oh, I heard a fellow sing it one time, and as it reminded me of tne
time I fed Try dog some squirrel glands, i learned it.- Didn't I ever tell you
ab out it ?*"
• "Bo,tell me about it/' replied Fat, handing Pedrc a cigarette before
he could ask for one.,
"Well, the first year I soldiered here, the Major gave me a two months*
furlough which I spent in Tom ^ea-hy’s cabin up in the Chilkat Republic. One
evening I found some late newspapers in the corner of the cabin. They were
about five years late, and were all full of this here new gland business, how
old men were made young, full of pep and enthusiasm. Well, I got to studying
the matter over and I decided I’d try a little gland experiment all my own.
There were lots of squirrels around the place so I killed about forty and cooked
the glands and fed them to my dog. Believe me that dog gone pup ate every bit
of them, licked his chops, sat down on the ground with a funny look on his face
then jumped up and started for the spruce trees as fast, as he could run. Yep!
Believe me that pup sure was travelling. Vhen he got to the trees he jumped
up on a branch of the largest one and climbed clear to the top, then sprang over
to the next tree. Well, chat pup climbed up, and down so many trees and limos
he plumb wore himself to death. Never stopped until he died?" mournfully stated
Pedro •
"Well, that was too ‘bad," sympathized Wat®
"Yeh* But that wasn’t the worst; oi it,” continued Pedro* "The weather
was so cold I had to cut lots of fire wood, so I skinned that tup and irade a
pair of mittens from his hide*. But would you believe it, every time V d pick u
the axe those dog“»gone mittens would start tu client up the aee handle® Yes,
they would* Well, they made me so blame mad I threw them otit in the yard and
I’ll be darned if they didn’t jump up and the last I saw cf them they were
leaping rapidly across the clearing and finally disappeared among the spruce
trees
"Pedro," said pat. "If I could lie like you I’d get a jfcb selling
shares in a fake gold mine. How do you do it?"
"Easy, my boy? easy. Jill you got to do is practice a little mental
hospitality* Try it some time. It will do you good* honestly, it will,"
said ^edro, seriously.
"fferrtal hospitality* I don’t get you," said Fat. "YJhat is that?"
"Entertain an idea for a change," said Pedro, as he turned and wended
his way toward the Post and barracks, whistling happily as he strode along.
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