Daily evening star. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1852-1854, 1854-06-26
DAILY EVENING STAR.
THE sNAKR.BrrTKN DUTcHnAN.

0i6uoohef uoo once served as a
member Of the Legislature. and was mo
fool;" as he had long commanded yolun.
teer corps of rustic militia, be could hard.
ly be supposed to incline to cowardiee.
HIS boy Peter was bis only son, strap
ping lad of seventeen; and upon young
Peter and old Peter devolved the princi-
pal cares and tolls Of the old gentleman's s
farm, now and then assisted by the old
lady, and her two bouncing daughters
for it is very common in this State to see
the women and girls in the field-and
upon extra occasions by some hired hands.
Well, one warm day, in haying time,
old Peter and young Peter were hard at
1t IN the meadow, when the old man drops
his scythe and bawls out:
ooh! mine Gott, Peter -
I" What's de matter, fader 2" answered
the son, Strengthening up, and looking
towards his sire.
'Oh, mine Gott," again cries the old
man.
Donder," echoes young Peter, hur-
rying up to the old man. sFader, what s
de matter?".
"Oh, mine Gott, Peter, de shnake bite
mine leg"
If anything in particular was capable
OF frightening young Peter, it was snakes
ior ne had once crippled himself for life
oy tramping upon crooked stick, which
broke his uncle, and so horrified the
youngster, that he liked to have fallen
through himself. ..-
a. the word snake, young Peter fell
back nimbly asawire dancer, and bawled
in turn
=" Where is de shnake!''
Aup mine trowsis, Peter-Oh, mine
"Oh, mine Gott, echoed Peter Junior,
"kill him, fader."
" No-a, no-a, he kill me, Peter: come,
come quick"
But Peter, the youngsters cowardice
overcame his filial love, while his fears
gave strength to his legs, and he started
like scared locomotive, to call the old,
burly dutchman, who was in a distant
part of the field, to give the father lift
with the snake. Old Jake, the farmers
assistant, came bungling along, as soon
as ne heard the news, and passing by
the fence whereon Peter and his boy had
hung up their ''linsey woolsey" vests,
Jake grabbed one of the garments, and
hurried to the old man, who still man.
aged to keep on his pins, although he was
quaking and fluttering like an aspen leaf
in June gale of wind.
"Oh, mine Gott! Come-come quick,
Yacobr'
"Vat you got, eh ? shnake e'
"Yaw, yaw. Come, come Yacob
He bites me all to pieces here, aup
mine leg"
Old Jake was not particularly sensitive
to fear, but few people, young or old, are
dead to alarm when s'pizen" reptile is
making levy. Gathering UP the stiff,
dry stalk Of a stalworth weed, old Jake
told the boss to stand ready, and he
would at least stun the snake by rap or
two, if he did not kill him stone dead;
and old man Peter, less 10th to have his
leg broken than be bitten to death by the
viper, designated the spot to strike, and
old Jake let him have it.
The first blow broke the weed, and
also knocked old Peter off his pegs on
haycOck.
"Oh." roared Peter, 'syou have broke
mine leg, and te tam shnake's got away"
'Vere ! we're g. cried old Jake moving
briskly about, and scanning very mar
rowly the earth he stood upon.
Never mind him, Yacob; help me up:
I'll 60 home!'
' Put on your vhest den, here it is,"
said the old krout eater, gathering up his
boss, and trying to get the garment upon
his humpy back. The moment old Peter
made the effort, he grew livid in the face
his hair stood on an end, "like squills
upon frightful porkempine, as Mrs.
Partington observes; he shivered; he
shook; his teeth chattered, and his knock
ed stGcCdttO accompaniment.
"Oh, Yacob, carry me home. I'm SO
deaf as nits ~
"Vate Ish nodder shnake in your
trowsis2"
"No, a-look. I'm SWEET all aup! Mine
vhest won't go on mine pack. Oh, mine
Gottw a.s -r.- 10 ...- -
"Tonder and bhxen" cried old Jake
as he took the same conclusion, and with
might and main lugged and carried the
boss some quarter of a mile to the house.
Young Peter had Skinned it for home
at the earliest stage ofthe dire proceedings
and so alarmed the girls, that they were
in high strikes when they saw the ap-
proach Of poor old dad and his assistant.
Old man Peter was carried in, and be-
gan to die, natural as life, when in cometh
the old lady, in great hustle, and wanted
to know what was going on. Old Peter,
in the last gasp of agony and weakness,
pointed to his leg. The old woman rap
ped up his pantaloons, and out fell this
tletop, and at the same time considerable
of scratch was made visible.
''Cau dich a snake? Bah n' says the
old woman.
''Oh, but I'm pizened to death, Molly.
See, I'm al pizen, mine vhest not come
over mine body at I'll.
stHaw! haw! hawt" roared the old
woman. "Vat fool. You got Peters
vhest on" --l ssI !
"Kosh !" roars old Peter, shaking off
deaths icy fetters at tne surge, and jump
ing up. "Yacob, vat a old fool you must
be, 70 say I vas. snake bit. Go, bout
yaur bishness, gals. Peter, pring me
some beer" .f... ,e-..-- ....-sa. - ..
The old woman saved Peters life.