Carroll free press. [volume] (Carrollton [Ohio]) 1834-1861, 1836-01-01

tiS SaCt DVttNA . WIG KahNNuSb@
was a stout and substantial house wife,
Instead Of wasting her time 10 triIliBg
the piano and miDcing along like a
Turks wife, veiled from the sun, she
rose with the lark, rolled. her sleeves
10 her elbows, did uD her work by
three o'clock, and was then ready TO
take one Of the younger boys and start
10 the woods, or river shore. for black
berries, &c. 1t so happened one beauti
| ful afternoon when these fruits were 10
season, that after putting every thing
in order, Katreenche called her son
Hans 10 pitch the basket and follow 10
the woods, to see what they could
end. After wandering for some time
and mol meeting with The success they
expected, they came 10 sight of the
river. They had been following down
a Kavine which ran south east TO the
river; and now turned an angle TO the
left and gained higher ground in an
open space, where full sight of the
Hudson burst at once upon them.
There was not a cloud in the sky,
nor breath Of air 10 ruffle the sleep.
ing waves of The lordIy river There
| it lay, a smooth emerald mirror throw
ing back On the eye the dazzling re-.
Aectiou Of the burning sun, which yet
stood high in the western heaven.
Rude and unpublished as they were,
both mother aud son wers charmed
with the sight. Every thing around
was in repose; and they fingered
long to gszs on the beauty Of all be.
fore them. They insehsibIy gained a
rock on the immediate shore-Dow,
the insect began to stretch its tiny &
'rsnsparent>wing in The silver hight
aud now, the declining sun began TO
pencil back ground Of gold and yer
million, 10 relieve 10 tops Of the forest
on the western shore.
"Oh! mom!" shrieked Hans, 10 an
agony Of alright, for the shrek came
startling upon her ear, II sm Kill! |
am kill" She turned and saw one
limb Of her child in the folds Of huge
black snske--he had trOdden upon il
and it coiled itself around his limb like
the strands Of a cable. The boy re
tanned his foot upon It's head, though
without shoes; but the serpent was
now wound so tightly around his limb
that the ex,rlcatluu Of its head was mo
mentarily 10 be spprehendad. "Y1ur
knife, Hsus," said the oiher-the boy
pointed TO his pocket, for the tug was
neavy with The serpent, and could not
procure it. Q1ieker than thought,
the mother plunged the knife through
the folds of the reptlle; and it felIseve
red and bleeding to the ground. Now
we are safe, she exclain. ed, relieved
from her apprehensions for the mo-
ment. "Safs" shouted Hans, look ye
dare, nom, and he pointed his fbger
} to rock not many yards before them
and there in one shining, black, and
living mass, crept, curled and hisse1
thousand like reptiles, their scsly
folds glistpniDg iN the sun; they Gov
cred The face Of The rock-they hung
knotted 10 folds amid The surround
ing shrubbery-they twined 10 the
bushes --ihey ratified the loose stones.
Their first impulse was to fly, but
Wkre? they were surrounded by liv
ing mass, gIanclng their bright eyes
in the sun, aud dartiug out their fork
ed and fiery tongues. A modern lady
would have tainted, but not so with
The mother of Hans. They maintain
ed point of rock, rather apart from
the reptiles, and they stood their
ground They we're not, however,
doomed 10 a long Imprisonment; with
! the setting sun The snakes disappeared
whisting aud drawing their long folds
into the Clefs of the rocks.-They
! were about 10 depart from SO uOinVi'
ting neighbourhoCd when their at
;entiOn was arrested by the sound ol
oars, and as they looked through the
twilight, they discovered steady red
3 light, moving from The west, i'm
: mediately across Tho waters towards
them. On it came-quick, quick,
: qOicker-'tiII it literally shot over tht
| unrulfled face of the river, il approach
: ed the shore aud paused--and then by
that red and glaring light they saw
. boat, dark yet transparent, for The
waves shOne through it, and there sal
in its stern dark figure, and /! NOV
. ed not; but over it fell the red and
} sickly glare of the unearIhly light, and
] thev sav n hadv end arfna hut il was