The Union and eastern journal. [volume] (Biddeford [Me.]) 1854-1858, 1857-07-03

4 -'' sehhN hbeh'o -.
nacious that he r,ust either be finally reject
ed or accepted. told him one day that sh
had a passion for rattlesnakes' tails. Tha
she valued them in proportion to their length
but that rs yet she had not been able to ge
q tail which contained twelve rings. Nov
If he brought her u tail with twelve rings
she would be his. Golo's heart sank, bu
still he determined to undertake his danger
Gus task. What was there that he woult
not peril to gain Juanita? Day after day,
Colo. with burning brand of pine wood ia
one hand, and sort Of sabre in the other
traversed the forests, listening for the om:n.
Gus rattling Of the snakes. In point oI
numbers his success was prodigious; 70,
there was no better method of killing the
rattlesnakc than the one Colo had adopted
-thrusting the burning torch into his face,
and as he dctests FIRE, he is easily dccapitat-
ed in the moment of his confusion.
Nevertheless, Colo could not find single
tail with twelve rings on it. He had some
with eight, nine, and even killed one whi ch
had eleven; but when no laid this last one
before Juanita, che was incxorable, and de-
clared that eleven and halfwould not con.
tent her. AT last, one day, when almost
desrairing of success, Colo was crossing ON
open space, his car was caught by particu.
larly loud md sonorous rattle. lie stopped
and perceived an enormous rattlcsnakc glid.
ing towards him. Its eyes were glowing
with Gre its bfurcated tongue was agitated
with an uncomfortable rapldity Of motion.
The grey and yellow scales on its head and
back glistencd with changefnl lustre, like
some silkcn surface on which light was
playing. Colo felt that tho hour had come
when he should either win Juanita or per-
ish. .....-. ..... f... E
The size and whole appearance of the
snake convinced him that he had twelve or
more rings in his tail and he waited his ap-
proach with heaving heart. The snake
came gliding on, and when within about
three feet, coiled himself for spring. Colo
now seized the opportunity, and dashing his
torch into the animals jaws. severed the
head from the body at single blow. It
was with throb of delight that he discov.
cred on STOPPING down to examine his prize,
thirteen rings in the snakes tail. While he
was separating them from the carcass, he
iel. slight prickling sensation in his heel.
Turning round quickly, no discovered to his
horror, that he had placed his foot on the
snakes severed head, in which the muscular
action still continued, and all lifeless Us 1t
was, it had bitten him
Colo now knew that lie was dead man,
and hls sole object was to see Juanita before
he expired. Catching up his prize which
he had purchased with his life, he rushed
9rsoss the fields with the speed Of despair.
Evcry moment he felt the poison working
more fatally in his veins, until at last swol.
len, breatllless, spcechless. and froihing at
the lips, he rushed into Juanita's presence.
lie could no longer articulatc, but holding
out to her the thirteen rattles in his swollen
hand, and fixing on her one last look of de-
votion, he rolled on the floor at her feet,
and after few gasps breathed his last.