The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1868-07-11
TORK-TONGJED.

Harry she GaSpeN' III St''HS
harsh, cracked v,ice; and, as starif
and looked up from my work, there W
!. my wife coming toward me. Wl'h h
arms stretched ont, her eyes tix"l, Al
a horrible ghas'Iy look upon her viii
= face, that made me drop my spade al
run to meet her. [ caught her just ;
, she was falling, when her eyes closeC
anil she gave 4 SILVER that seem d
t shake her whole body.
This was soon after we had settle
ont in the up-cOuntry, and there wa
onl Y another hut here and there III thos
days; but, after years Of knocking ahou
at home, trying hard to get an homes
living and never succrrding. we ha
made up our minds to try Australia, an
here We We're, living in til log hat ha
knocked up for myself, shcpIlerding an
doing what little | could in the shape q
gardening; for that being my right trade
with all the beautiful rich svil l. ing fal
low, it did seem sin to me not to hav'
a turn at it so, getting what seed | coult
from Sydney, and adding to the few
had brought in my chest, [ managed t.
make quite little Eden Of The bit 0
land | broke mp round our hut. Blu
there was a roof over our heads, and nc
rent to pay, plenty of vegetables of my
own growing, and them costing nothing
plenty of work to do, and, one sort OF
another, plenty to eat; So that, after
what we had gone through in England
you may be sure we were willing enough
to try and put up with such inconveui
encrs as fell to our share, and as mat.
ter of course there were things to en-,
counter out there in what some people
would call the wilderness, though it was
wilderness that blossompd like a rose.
There were times, for instance, when we
We're i'll dread of the blacks, who had
done some very qnerr things here and
there about ; then the. place was terribly
lonely, aud out Of the way if you wanted
doctor; and Mary used to joke lhe
because | could never get half Il pint of
beer, but | found | could get on just as
we'll without it, and, my word, what a
capital cup of tea we always did have
ont there.
Well, Mary came ont to me that dav
looking that horribly ghastly that, being
naturally rather too fast at tancying
troubles in advance, | saw directly halt
a dozen blacks coming to spear us, and
some of them knocking out the childrcn's
brains with their club>-and not the first
lime neither; but in few moments the
Door girl opened her eyes, and began to
tare ab, ut her, There were no blacks
o be seen Little Joe was sitting in
he path playing. and, though, l looked
along the edge of the wood behind the
louse, [ could see no signs OF danger
50 | began to think she must have been
aiken i'll, and turned over in my own
mind how coUld get any help for her
Just th4n her face grew contracted
'g"in as her thoughts seemed to come
back, and gasping out once more, "Har-
y, Harry" she gave shudder, and
said, "Ihc baby-a snake ~
couldn't see myself, but I know I
urned white, all the blood seemed to
'ush to my heart, for if there is any
hing of which | am afraid it is a snake, |
wen going so far as to dislike eels, of
which there was abundance IN the river
close at hand.
don't know how we got there, bu-
he hext thing remember is standing
1t the hut window with Mary holding
title Joe tight in her arms, and me |
ooking through at the cradle where our
title thing of nine months old was ly-
ng and my heart seemed to be turning
o ice as | saw nestled in the foot of the
radle, hidden in the blanket, but with
ONE of its horrible coils full in sight.
nd its head resting upon them, the
argest snake I had seen since I was in
he country. The fee ing was some
hing awful, and | stood there for a few
noments leaning upon the rough handle
t the hoe had caught up, not able to
move. for my eyes were fixed upon the
cad of fhe hideous beast, and | expect
d every moment that the baby would
Vake, and make some movement that
utflcient to irritate the snake, and then,
whether poisonous or not, felt the little
hing must de.
What should I do : asked myself asf
be horrible feeling of helplessness wore
#. | crept in and reached the cradle
lde unheard, | dared not chop at the
east for fear of injuring the child, for l
ould see that some of the folds lay right
cross it. | dared not make a noise,
'st the next moment the child should
wake as well as the reptile, for knew
le rapidity with which the horrible
features could wreathe fold after fold
'und the object they attacked while it
poisonous nature. they struck in an
stant. Thoughts came swiftly enough,
1t they were unavailing, for to wait
Il the baby awoke, or to go in and :4al
ck the snake. seemed equally danger
Is. Even if l made slight noise, the
anger seemed as great, since, though I
Q snake might wake'frst and glide of, R
o probabilities were just as great that I
g child might wake at the same time.
And so | turned over the chances t
;ain and again. my eyes all the while
sed upon the two sleeping occupants
the cradle, whose pleasant warmth j
ID evidently attracted the reptile. i
. went in and saw it there" whis- {
red my wife, and then, without taking {
y eyes for an instant from the snake, / s
hispered the one word, "Gun," and t
e glided from my side. /
, did not know then, but she told me e
'eI"ards' how she had carried the lit
oog to distance, and given him /
me flowers to plav with Will sbo =