San Andreas independent., 1857-11-07
A Thrilling Sketch Charmed by a Rat
tleSnake.
By W. GILMORE sIMMs.


zine pronounccs the following description
of a young girl, charmed by rattlesnake,
one of the most remarkable and beautiful
descriptions ever penned:
'sBefore the maiden rose little clump
of ofbushes-bright tangled leaves Haunting
wide in glossiest green, with vines trail
ing over them thickly decked with blue
and crimson flowers. Her eye communed
vacantly with these; fastened by star
like shining glance, subtle ray that shot
out from the circle of green leaves, SEEM
ing to be their very eye, and sending out
a fluid lustre that seemed to stream over
the space between and find its way into
her own eyes; very piercing and beautiful
was that subtle brightness of the sweetest,
strongest power. And now the leaves
quivered and seemed to float away only
to return, and the vines waved and swung
away in fantastic mazcs, unfolding ever
charming varieties of form and color to
her gaze; but the star-like eye was ever
steadfast, bright and gorgeous, cleaning
in their midst, and still fastened with
strange fondness upon her own. How
beautiful, with wondrous intensity, did
it CLEAN and dilate, growing larger and
more lustrous with every beam it sent
forth. And her own glance became in
tense, fixed, also; but with dreaming
sense which conjurcd up the widest fam
cies, terribly beautiful, that took her soul
away from her and wrapt it about as with
a SPELL She would have fed, she would
have flown, but she had no power omove.
The will was wanting to her flight. She
felt that she could have bent forward to
pluck the gem-likc thing from the bosom
of the leaf in which it seemed to grow,
and which irradiated with its bright,
white CLEAN; but ever, as she stretched
forth her hand, and bent forward, she
heard a rush of wings and a shrill scream
from the tree above hcr-such a scream
as the mocking bird makes, when angrily
it raises its dusky chest and flaps its
wings furiously against its slender sides.
Such scream seemed like warning,
and though yet unawakened to full con-
sciousness, it startled and forbade her
effort.
"More than once in her survey of this
strange object had she 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 a bird; now steady in its place, and
observant seemingly only of hers now
darting forward with all the clustering
leaves about it, and shooting up toward
her, as if wooing her to seize. Atanoth-
er moment riveted to the vine which lay
around it, it would whirl round and round,
dazzingly bright and beautiful, even as a
torch, waving hurriedly by night in the
hands of some playful boy; but in all this
time the glance was never taken from her
own-there it grew, fxed-a very prin-
ciple of Highland such bright, subtle,
burning, piercing, fascinating glcam, such
as gathers in vapors above the old grave,
and binds us as we look-shooting, dart
ing directly into her eye, dazzling her
gaze, defeating its sense of discrimination,
and confusing strangely its sense of per-
ception. She felt dizzy; for as she looked,
a cloud of colors, bright, gay, various col
ors, ffoated and hung like SO much dra-
perry around the single object that had SO
secured her attention, and spell-bound
her feet Her limbs felt momentarily
more and more insecure; her blood grew
cold, and she seemed to feel the gradual
freeze of vein by vein, throughout her
person. At that moment rustling was
heard in the branches of the tree beside
her, and the bird, which had repeatedly
uttered single cry above her, as it were
of warning, few away from his station
with scream more piercing than ever
This moment had the effect for which it
seemed intended, of bringing back to her
a portion of that consciousness she had
been nearly deprived of before. She
strove to move from the beautiful but ter
rible presence, but for while she strove
in vain. The rich, star-like glance still
riveted her own, and the subtle fascination
kept her bound. The mental energies.
however, in the moment of their greatest
trial, now gathered suddenly to her aid,
and with desperate effort, but with a
feeling of most annoying uncertainty and
dread, she succeeded partially in the at
tempt, and threw her arms backward her
hands grasping the ncighboring tree, fee
BILE, tottering, and depending u?on it for
that support which her own limbs almost
entirely denied her. With her move
ment came, however, the full develop
ment of the powerful spell and dreadful
mystery before her.
"As her feet receded, though but a
single pace, to the tree against which she
now rested, the oudibly 0rticulated ring,
ike that of the watch when wound up
with the verge broken, announced the
nature of the splendid yet dangerous pres
ence. in the form of amonster rattlesnake
now but few feet before her, lying coil
ed at the bottom of beautiful shrub,
with which, to her dreaming eye, many Of
its own glorious hues had been associated. /
She was at length conscious enough to
perceive and feel her danger; but terror
had deprived her of the strength neces-
sary to fly from her dreadful enemy
There still glarcd the eye, beautifully