The Vinton record. [volume] (M'arthur, Vinton County, Ohio) 1866-1891, 1867-11-21
skiTaribld, BetlfeIlOMn

lndlGateq . man l0f not over
thirty years, a period at which
men are still y6uhgybht his
liaif awaS White as frdshofallen
snow! oAetseldomq sees, even
ON the heads lof, the Oldest men
hair of Such immaculate white
ness, He sat, by my side in d
car Of the Great Western Rail-
road, IN Cdhada, andlwas look
ing odt of the window i Sud
denly turning his head, be oh
serVedlme9 in the ,aqt of star
ing at rhimTs, rudeness that |
was, ashamed Of I .%dso about
to say words Of apology, when
he quietly remarked: .irs.
4, @DQn't mention it, sir; l am
used t6H "a oI -7EFl1r 3AiuT
iFhe 4iankhess of sthis dobser,
Walton pleased me, ,Iapd ip avery
little time WE were. c0nyersing
ions terms Of familiar acquain-
tanceship; and Before long lie
told me the Whole story. o1-in,r
WIwas a soldier in the army
offndia,n saidhe, ,1r and as is of
ten themRse, with soldiers, ! was
a little to9 fond Of liquor; One
day !, got drunk and was shut
up in the BLACK hole for it. d
slumped down upon the floor Of
the ddhgeoh, and Iwas just
dr6pping@ Of to- sleep, when |
felt aIcold Shiny shape crawling.
across my right hand as it lay
stretched out before my Head
on the f6or.ioI Knew what it.
was--a snake! OF course my
first impulse was to draw away
ngo hands bat knowing that if
l. did so, the poisonous reptile
would probably strike its fangs'
into he, I lay stili, With my
heart beating in my breast like
a trip.hammer. OF course my
fight s6bered me instantly. u
my peril in its fullest
extent! o, how lr lamented the
hpyr thatI touched liquor! ~
every glass of liquor they say
there IS IS d a " Serpent, But it does
not comeiii the shape itneanle
20 mel Withaslow 1mdulating
motimltlie reptile dragged its
carcass ae1Osso my face, inch by
inch, and erept,down over my
breast and thrust its headi inside
my jacket ASH felt the hide
Gus scraping Of Shiny body
over my cheekStt was only by
tie nitjst. trenlehdouSieffortrG Gliat
succeeded in restraining my
self from yelling loud'with min
gIed terror ahd disgust loi.ao .
At last | felt the tail wrig-
rliag down towards my chin,
but imagine what | felt at heart
if.y0H can imagine it; as | real
.zed that the, dreadful creature
lI coiled its1lf UP under my
acket as I lay, ahd had seem
Rglt gonestpisl fOrit was,as
still as aeatha Evidently it, had !
10 idea thatI.was a human cgea- !
lure; it, had it would never
have ACTED in this manner, All !
snakes are ,cOwardly, and they |
viii not approach a man unless |
o strike him in self aefenses+
PKfee hours |. lay awith ! the
lreadful weight in my bosom
md each minute was like an
four to lme+elikei ianyear. |
eemed to haye lived a lifetime
. that briefspace, - Every Incl
lent Of my life passed across my
memory IN rapid Succession, as
hey say in the case ofa idrownS
ng man. Thought of,mN moth
#, away in old England; my
lappy home by the Avon; my |
larry, the girl J. loved and new
r eXpeGted to see them more.
For no matter how long | bore
his, l felt that it would end: in
,eath at last ! lay as rigid as
corpse, scarcely daring to
'reathe,, and all the TIME imy:l
'reast was growing colder and
older where the snake was ly-
ng agaihstit, with nothing but
thiipeottonlshirt between! my |
kin and it. | knew if i stirred |
would strike; but / felt that / I
bear this much, longer
yen if 4 succeeded in lying
I'LL until the guard came, | ex--
ected- his opening the door
nd coming in would be my
cath warrant all the same, for
Q doubt the, reptile would see
iat | was a man as soon as the
gH Should Cbel lstYinTat the,
aoEe AT Last heard Footsteps
pproqcbinG- There was a rat
Dig blhe| le9t e9tkQfSGM the
gard. He opened, the doom
he ss3akeMMathe1 cobfa9 dicapel-I
! T now 'sawaA-darting 1up its.
uge Raadeaheab &iith,the hid
3us rings around, its eyes as If