That's the most meat for 50¢ that can be purchased. The telephone rang, and the messenger said, "You had better check out your paper box at Hardee's."

I thanked the messenger thinking that the papers were out. It was Wednesday morning about 9 a.m, and I should have already checked the boxes.

"You've got an armadillo in you paper box. I opened it to get a newspaper, and there he was," the caller continued.

"Is he dead?" I asked.

"I think so," she answered.

I went around to Hardee's, and sure enough, there was a fine sized possum on the half shell.

It would have been funny under normal conditions. This isn't the first armadillo that has shown up on Liberal property. The last one we had was sitting in the front door with a beer can in his hand. I found out who placed that one there. It was one of my banker friends. Somehow, I don't think a friend put this one in the box, not only killing the sales, but messing up the box and the new Liberals under the dead animal.

The police were called to make a report since there was damage to property. They came to investigate the case and disposed of the body.

Just to let the culprit know, there is a case pending for damage to personal property. I wouldn't worry too much about being caught. This is not a high priority case. There is one thing that the culprit might not know, armadillos are mammals, and they transport leprosy to a human being, if you are one. Armadillos are an amazing group of animals that originated in South America. Contrary to what you may have heard, the armadillo is neither a rodent nor a marsupial, and they are not related to the opossum any more than you are. Their closest living relatives are sloths and ant eaters. The most easily recognized feature of an armadillo is its shell. All armadilloes have shells, made of true bone, that cover their backs. Most armadillos also have bony rings or plates that protect their tails. Because their backs are covered with bone, armadillos are not very flexible.

Armadillos eat a wide variety of different foods, ranging from insects to plants. Most armadillos eat small invertebrates like ants, beetles, pond worms and grubs. Many of them also eat bits of flesh from dead animals when they can find them. Most armadillos also eat plants, and some species - like the giant armadillo - can cause quite a bit of agricultural damage if they happen to wander into a farmer's field or a nice yard with worms in them.

Armadillos are often used in the study of leprosy, since they, along with mangabey monkeys, rabbits and mice (on their footpads), are among the few known non-human animal species that can contract the disease systemically. They are particularly susceptible due to their unusually low body temperature, which is hospitable to the leprosy bacterium.

These animals have been known to be eaten by humans as well as the armadillos have been known to eat humans in the grave to get to the maggots in the dead bodies.