The weekly Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1861, 1857-12-17
the dogs, FELT more than ever grsterai thai
L had not been--soLD FOR, THE CASH. :slss
A Thrining sEctch.
BY W. eILMoRE slMlls.

4
A writer in the United Ssotes lfagasin
pronOunces the following description Of
young girl, charmed BY rotllrsnake, on,
Of The most remarkable and beautiful--ds
scriptiOns ever penned: 40
"Before the maiden rose little clump o
bushes-bright tangled leaves Haunting wild,
in glossiest green, with vines trailing oyel
them thlckly deeked with blue and crimson
flowers. Her eye communed vacantly will
these; fastened by star like shining glance
subtle ra3. that shot out from the circle o
green leaves. seeming TO be their very eve
and sending out fluid lustre that seemed t.
stream over the space between and find it.
way into her own blue eyes; very piercing
and beautiful was that subtle brightness o.
the sweetest, strongest power. And now
the leaves quivered and seemed to flea,
AWAY only TO return, and the vines waved
and swung away in fantastic mazes, unfold.
ing ever churming varieties oil form and
color to her gaze; but the star like eve was
ever steadfast, bright and gorgeous, geam-
ing in their midst, and still fastened with
strange fondness upon her own. How beau.
'i'dl' with wondrous intensity. did it CLEAN
tnd dllatc, growing larger and more lustrous
with every beam it sent forth : And her
own glance became intense, fixed, also: but
with dreaming sense which conured up
the widest: fpncies, terribly beautiful, that
took her soul away from her and wrapt il
about as with spell. She would have fed.
she would have flown, bu. she had no power
to move. The will was wanting to her
flight. She felt that sh, could have bent
forward to pluck the gem.like thing from the
bosom OF the leaf in which il seemed to grow
and which irradiated with its bright, white
CLEAN; but ever, as She stretched forth her
haRd and bent forward, she heard rush of
wings and shrill scream from the tree
above her-such scream as the mocking
bird makes, when angrily il raises its dusky
chest and flaps its wings furiously ugains,
It's slender sides. Such scream seemed
like warning, and though yet unuwuken ned
to full consciousness, it stur,led and for
bade her effort. .d ,ralG1"i t'a..Fa-
"More than once in her survey Of this
strabge object she had heard that shrill note
of warning, and to her mind the same vague
consciousness Of an evil presence. But the
star like eye was still upon her own-a
small, bright eye, quick like that of bird;
now steady 10 her place, an observant seem.
ingly of hers; now darting forward with all
the clustering leaves about it, and shooting
up toward her, as If wooihg her to seize.-I
At another moment, riyited to the vine
which lay around it, it would whrl round
and round Gazzlingly bright and beautiful,
! ven us a torch, wuving hurriedly by nigh,
in the hands Of some playful boy; but all
this 'ine the glance was never taken from
her own--thers it grew, fxed-a very prin,
ciPle Of light-and such bright, subtle, |
burning, piercing, fascinating CLEAN, such as
gathers in vnpors above the old graves and
binds US as we look-shooting. darling di. |
rectly into her eye. dazzling her gaze, deal.
cning its, sense of discrimination, and confu-
sing strangely its sense Of perception. She |
felt dizzy; for as she looked, "a cloud OF
colors. bright, gay, various cclors, Aoated
md hung like so much drapery around the |
single object that had so secured her atten.
lion and spell.bound her feet. Her limbs
Felt moinentorily more and more insecure;
her blood grew cold, and she seemed to |
'eel the gradual freeze of vein by vein,
her person. AT that moment
rustling was heard in the branches of the |
rec beside her, and the bird, which had re-
'eatedly uttered a single cry above her, as it
we're OF warning, flew away from his station
With scream more piercing than ever
Tais. movement had the effect for which i,
seemed intended, of bringing back to her a
portion of that consciousness she had been
nearly deprived of before. She stroye to
move from the beautiful but terrible pres
'nce, but for time she strove in Vt in. Tie |
'ich, star like glance still rivited her own,
md the subtle fascination Kept her bound
The mental energies, however, in. the m,.
nent of their greatest trial, no " gathered
suddenly to her aid, and with a desperate
.fforts but with feeling of most annoying /
uncertainty and dread. she succeeded parti.
lily in, the attempt, and threw her arms
backward, her hands grusping the neighbor.
ng tree, feeble, tcttering, and depending
'pon it for that support which her own limbs
lmost entirely denied her. With her move
nent came, however, the full development
1 the powerful spell and dreadful mystery
,eFore her. ~
GAS her feet receded, though but q single /
'ace TO the tree against which she now rested,
ts aadibty articulatea ring, like that Of the Il
vatch when wound up with the verge bro. /
en-. announced the nature Of the splendid YET /
angerous presence, in the form Of a mo,
ter rattlesnake, now but few feet before
or, lying ooiied atthe bottomof i bsaatifulft
trub. With which, to her dreaming eye. Il
ssny of fits own glorious hpes bad been as d
,eiated. She wasa,ats length conscious +
1oagh TO perceive and feelher danger; butt