The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1868-05-01
FORK-TONGUED.
BY II. s. CLARK.

and looked up from my work, there
was my wife coming toward me with
her arms stretched out, her eyes fixed,
and a horrible, CHASTITY look upon her
white face, that made me drop my spade
and run to meet her. caught her jnst
as she was falling, when her eyes closed,
and she gave shiver that seemed to
shake her whole body.
This was soon after we had settled
out in the up country, and there was
only another but here asd there in those
days: but, after years of knocking
about at home, trying hard to get an
honest living anG never succeeding, we
had made up cur minds to try Aus
tralia, and here we were, living in the
log hut had knocked up for myself,
shepherding, and doing what little l
could in the shape of gardening; for
that being my right trade, with all the
beautiful rich coil lying fallow, it
did seem sin to me not to
have a turn it; so getting what seeds
l could from Sidney, and adding to
the few | had brought in my chest, |
managed to make quite little Eden OF
the bit of land broke up round our
hut. We were not saving money, not
to any extent, but there was a roof over
our heads, and no rent to pay, plenty OF
vegetables of my own growing, and
them costing nothing, plenty of work
to do, and, one sort and another, always
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 Inconvenience as
fell to our share, and as matter of
course there were things to encounter
out there in what some people would call
the wilderness, though 1t was wilder
ness that blossomed like the rose.
There were times, for instance, that We
dreaded the blacks, who had done some
very queer things here and there about;
then the place was terribly lonely, and
ont of the way ifyOu wanted doctor;
and Mary used to joke me because l
could never get half IA piut of beer, but
found could get on just as well with
out it, and, my word, what n capital cup
of tea we always did have out there.
Well, Mary came out to me that day
looking that horribly ghastly that, be
ing naturally rather too fast at fancy
ing troubles in advance, | saw directly
half a score of blacks coming to spear
us, and some of them knocking. out the
childreA's brains with their clubs-and
not the first time neither; but in few
moments the poor girl opened her eyes,
and began to stare about her. There
were no blacks to be seen. Little Joe
was sitting in the path playing, aud,
thougk looked along the edge of the
wood behind the house, could see no
signs of danger; so l began to think she
must have been taken i'll, and turned
over in my own mind how | could get
any help for her.
again as her thoughts seemed to come
back again, and gasping out once
more, Harry, Harry" she gave shud'
der and said, "The baby-a snake"
couldn't see myself, but know
turned white, all the blood seeming to
rush to my heart, for if there is anything
of which am afraid it is snake, even
going SO far as to dislike cells, OF which
there was abundance in the river close
at hand.
don't know how we got there, but
the next thing remember is standing
at the hut window with Mary holding
little Joe tight in her arms, and me
looking through at the cradle where
our little thing of nine months old was
lying, and my heart seemed to be turn.
ing to ice us saw nestled in the foot oi
the cradle, partly hidden in the blan'
ket, but with some of its horrible coils
full in sight, and its head resting upon
them, the largest snake had seen since
| had been in the country. The feeling
was something awful, and | steod there
for a few moments leaning upon the
rough handle of the hoe l had caught
up, not able to move, for my eyes were
fixed upsn the head of that hideou'
beast, and expected every moment the
baby would wake and make some move
ment sufficient to irritate the snake
and then, whether poisonous or not,
felt that the little thing must die.
What should do asked myself, a!
the horrible feeling of hclplessness wore
off. If / crept in and reached the cradle
side unheard, dared not chop at the
beast for injuring the child, for | could
see that some of the folds lay right
across it. i dared not make noise
lest the next moment the child shoult
awake as well as the reptile, for knew
the rapidity with which the horrible
creatures could wreath fold after fold
around the object they attacked; while
if of poisonous nature, they struck in al
instant. Thoughts cameswiftly enough
but they were unavailipg, for to wai
till the baby woke, or to 60 in and at
tack the snake, seemed equally danger
ous. Even If made slight noise tn,
danger seemed as great, since, tbougl
the snake might wake first and glide
off, the probabilities were just as grea
that the child might wake at the sam'
time.
And so turned over the chances
again and again and my eyes all th'
while fixed upon the two sleepisg occu
pants of the cradle, whose .pleasan
warmth had evidently attracted th'
reptile.
II went in and saw it there, whisper
ed my wife, and then, without taking
my eyes for an instant from the snake
j whispered the one word Gan" an'