I wonder if it is a term for what is generally known as a camel spider, a large scary-looking but basically harmless to humans arachnid that lives in deserts, including the American southwest, but not Europe or the eastern US. https://www.spidersworlds.com/camel-spider/ Martha Sherwood On Thu, Oct 17, 2019 at 7:34 AM Hal Bush <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > folks, here's one from another LIST: the term “alkali-spider” > > > I was wondering if I could rely on the collective wisdom of the list-serv > here. > > > > I’m working on an article about a book by Mark Twain called A Horse’s > Tale, which he wrote in 1906. Part of the book is narrated by Buffalo > Bill’s fictional horse, Soldier Boy. In it, Soldier Boy brags about his > aristocratic horse pedigree, claiming that his mother was from the “bluest > bluegrass aristocracy” of Kentucky. He also says, “My mother was all > American—no alkali-spider about her.” > > > > I was wondering if anyone was familiar with the term “alkali-spider” or > had read it in any other texts. I have not been able to turn up any > references to it other than the one mention in Twain’s book. The story is > set at an army fort on the American frontier in the high plains, just after > the Civil War. > > > > Any ideas would be much appreciated. > > > > Thank you, > > > > Charles Bradshaw > > Associate Professor > > BYU-Hawaii > > > > Dr. Hal Bush > > Professor of English & > > Director of the Undergraduate Program > > Saint Louis University > > [log in to unmask] > > 314-977-3616 > > http://halbush.com > > author website: halbush.com >