Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1867-06-13
A TERRIBLE BEDFELLow.

purpose
A TERRIBLE BEDFELLOW.
looked at my neighbor with consider
able curiosity. His face indicated man
Of not over thirty years-a period at which
men are still young; but his hair was as
white as fresh fallen snow. One seldom sees,
even on the heads of the oldest men, hair of
such immaculate whiteness. He sat by my
side in car of the great Western Railroad,
in Canada, and was looking out at the
window. Suddenly turning his head he
caught me in the act Of starting at him
a rudeness of which [ was ashamed. Twas
about to say some words Of apology; when
he quietly remarked:
Don't mention it, sir. I'm used to ii"
The frankness of this observation pleas
ed me, and in very little while we were
conyersing on terms of familiar acquain-
! tanceship; and before long be told me the
whole story.
Il was a soldier in the army Of India"
j said he, ''and as is often the case with SOL
diers, was a little too fond of good liquor.
One day I got drunk and was shut up in
the black-hole for it. slumped down
upon the floor of the dungeon, and was
just dropping off to sleep, when | felt
cold, Shiny shape crawling across my right
hand as it lay stretched out above my head
on the floor I knew at once what it was
"a snake Of course my first impulse was
to draw away my hand !; but knowing that
if did so the poisonous reptile would pro-
badly strike its fangs into me, lay still
with my heart beating in my breast like a
trip hammer. Of course my fright sober
ed me instantly I realized all my peril
in its fullest extent O, how [ lamented
the hour that I had touched liquor
In every glass of liquor they
f e 1e 19iyab if n fe shape it to NE.
With slow, undulating motion the rep
tile dragged its carcass across my face,
inch by inch, and crept down over my
breast, and thrust its head inside my jack
ct. As [ felt the hideous scraping of the
Shiny body over my cheeks, it was only by
the most tren en- lous effort that succeed
ed in restraining myself from yelling
loudly with mingled terror and disgust.
! At last [ felt the tail wriggling down to-
wards my chin ; but imagine what [ felt
at heart, if you can imagine it as [ realized
that the dreadful creature had coiled itself
up under my jacket as [ lay and had SEEM
ingly gone to sleep, for it was still as
death. Evidently it had no idea that {
was human creature if it had 1t would
never have acted in this manner. All
snakes are cowardly, and they will not APP
proach man unless to strike him III self
defense. Three hoursI lay with that dread
full weight in my bosom, and each minute
was like an hour to me-like year! L
seemed to have lived a lifetime in that
brief space. Every incident of my life
passed across my memory in rapid success
ion, as they say is the case with drowning
men, thought Of my mother, away in
old England of my happy home by the
borders of the Avon my Mary, the girl
I loved and never expected to see them
more. For no matter how long [ bore this,
[ felt that it would end in death at last.
[ lay as rigid as corpse, scarcely daring
even to breathe ;and all the time my breast,
was growing colder and colder where the
snake lay against it, with nothing but
thin cotton shirt between my skin and its.
I knew if / stirred, it would strike but
/ felt could not bear this much longer.
Even if [ succeeded in lying still until the
guard came. | expected that his opening
the door and coming IN would be my
death warrant all the same; for no doubt
the reptile would sec that was man, as
soon as the light should be let in at the
door. At last heard footsteps approach
ing. There was a rafting at the lock. Il
was the guard He opened the door. The
snake--a cobro d. capello [ now saw
darted up it's huge hooded head, with the
hideous rings around its eyes, as if about to
strike. | shut my eyes, and murmured
prayer Then it giided away with swift
/ motion, and disappeared in the darkness. |
staggered to my feet, and fell swooning into
the arms Of the guard. For weeks after |
was very sick and when I was able to be
about, [ found my hair as white as you
now see it, [ have never touched a drop
of liquor since" Wna. Writ Skies.
General Brown, of the Freedmen's Bu-
reau, for this State, has entered the poiti-
cal canvass. Under the convenient report
that somebody is going to keep the negroes
of the State from registering, which no.
body ever thought of doing, he instructs
all his subordinates TO urge upon them
both to register and to vote, and such Bu-
reau officers as may omit a single freed
man in his attentions is to be dealt with
for direliction.
We have not yet heard of similar inten-
tons to the whites. Richmond Enquirer
The New York Herald considers the in
vasion of Canada for the capture of Ireland,