--- title: Improvement Era description: Monthly periodical of the Mormon church, 1897 onward. This library holds the issues of November 1897 to December 1930. authors: - Townsend, J. L. collections: - periodicals tags: - magazine - improvement-era periodical: Improvement Era volume: 9 number: 3 published: 1906-01 publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations publisher_place: Salt Lake City language: en type: magazine reference: 'J. L. Townsend, "The Quarrel: A Poem," *Improvement Era* 9, no. 3 (January 1906): 191.' source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera0903unse transcription: Transcribed from the Internet Archive scan of each issue (the item for each issue is named in the issue's own source); unnumbered advertising leaves are omitted, printed page numbers are kept as page markers. identifier: improvementera0903unse start_page: 191 end_page: 191 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1906-01) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera0903unse publication_year: 1906 note: The Internet Archive item metadata carries a blanket "© Copyright by Intellectual Reserve, Inc." notice. The library owner judged it inapplicable because this issue was published in 1906, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright. --- # The Quarrel: A Poem THE QUARREL.* {For the Improvement Era). About some small trifles, that didn't quite suit, Two garter snakes once had an angry dispute. They wrestled and wriggled and parried and coiled, And mockingly hissed as each other they foiled. Till one, by some chance, grabbed the other's long tail. Who in similar way did his rival assail. And now you must see, for its probably true. That they both would hold fast, for what else could they do? And although astonished, they couldn't say so. But lay there, a ring, like a great big round 0. Then each swallowed down quite a bit of its neighbor. Though plainly, it wasn't a right tasteful labor. And as each tail slipped in 'neath a rival's low crown. Why the heads they went up, and the tails they went down. Now this is both logic and equity too. So clearly can one such a problem see through. They kept on a swallowing, slowly and sure, For in like jurisprudence there can be no cure. And a growing still less as the minutes flew past, — 'Tis a logical sequence what happened at last, — For bye-and-bye, surely such facts never fail, They swallowed each other, head, body and tail ! And thus these two reptiles, 'tis sad to relate. Left nothing to show their astonishing fate. MORAL. In fighting your neighbor o' er questions of pelf. Beware ! or you may be destroying yourself. J. L. TOWNSEND. Payson, Utah. * While studying natural history, the writer read of one who saw two snakes in the act of swallowing each other. Upon returning to the place, some hours after, no trace of the reptiles could be found. This peculiar circimistance suggested this verse and moral.