The Albany register. [volume] (Albany, Or.) 1868-18??, 1871-12-23
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har IN. cracked voice ANU. - i. stu tI''
and looked ZIP from my work. there !
was my wife coming toward me. win
her arms stretched out, her eyes fixed, /,
ard a horrible glG,s,ly look upon her
white face. that made me drop my
s,at!c and run to meet her. c-lug.lt
her Just as she was falling. when her
ewes closed. and she gave Il sillver that
seemed to shake her whole body.
rhi. was soon after we had settled
ont in the up-to,uitry. att there was
ONLY another hut here and there in
those DAYS: but, after years Of knock
.sac about at home. trying hard to get
800 -. aud .st-E>. succeeding,
we lErt, made up orr. minds. to try
australia. aiiti here we were. living in
:: log hut | Lad knocked s,p for myself.
could in the shape of garle:.iig; for,
that being my right tr:,.lc, with all the
beautiful soil lying faliow, it did seem
sin to ME moi 10 have a turn at
il :: SO. getting what seed could from
sydney. and adding to the few l had
brought III my chest. | managed t.
make quite little Eden of the bit of
land broke up round our hut.
We were not saving money. not to
any great extent. but there was a ROOF
! over our heads, and no rent to pay,
| plenty of vegetables OF my own grow
/. ing. and them cost nothing, plenty OF
work to to, and. one sort or another,
| pieuty to eat; SO that after what
| we had gone through in England. you
may be sure we were willing To put up
! with such incoaveniencieSa AZ fell to our
/ share. and. aS Il matter Of course, there
] were some things to encounter ont
/ there iii what some people would call
+. the wilderness. though it was 4 wilder
ness that blossomcd like the rose.
/ There were times. for instance. when
we w re in dread of the blacks, who
had done some very queer things here
and the re about then the place MAS
terribly lonely. and out of the way If
YOU wanted a doctor and Mary used
to Joke lie because | could never get Il
lslf-;,iiIt of beer. but found | could
Get OH lust as well without il, aiid. my
word. what Il capital cup Of tea we al
ways did have out there.
Well. Mary came QUIT me that day
looking. that horribly ghaStly. that, be-
ing naturally rather too fast ut fancy
ing troubles i'll advance. | saw directly
half a dozen blacks coming to spear
and some of them knocking out the
cl,ildren's brains with their clubs, and
no. the first time either, but in a few
minutes the poor girl opened her eyes,
and began to stare about her. There
t.Swerc no blacks to lie seen. Little Joe was
-: ing il. the path psnyfng. and though
looked along the edge Of the wood be-
hind the house, could see no signs OF
danger; so began to think she must
have been taken i'll, and turned over
i'll my mind how could get any help
for her.
Just then her face grew contracted
| 81 TO
back, and gasping out once more,
Harry, Harry She gave shutldcr
and said: 1.-The babY-a snake 80
couldn't see myself, but [ know
turned white. all the blood seemed to
rush TO my heart, for if there is any
thing of which am afraid it is a
snake. even going SO far as to dislike
eels. of which there was an abundance
III the river close ut hand.
don't know how we got there, bu
the next thing remember is standing
at the hut window, with Mary holding
little Joe tight in her arms, and m'
looking through at the cradle where
our little thing of nine months old wa
lying; and my heart seemed to b'
turning ice rs saw. nestled in the foo
of the cradle, partly hidden i'll tli'
blanket, but with some of its horrible
ii Is
upon them, tile largest snake l hlt
seen since l had been in the country
The feeling was something awful, alit
} | stood there for a few moments lean
ing upon the rough handle of the hoe
had caught up, not able to move, TO
my eyes were fixed upon the head o
the hideous reptile, and | expected
every moment that the baby woult
wake and make some movement s,if
ficient to irritate the snake. and then
!, whether poisonous OR not, felt tina
) the little thing must die.
What should do? l asked myself
: as the horrible feeling of helplcssnes
wore Off. If crcpt in and reached tin
cradle side unliearti. Iti:,re not chop a
the beast for fear of iiljilrii,g the child
for could see that some of the fold
lay right across it. dared not make
a noise, lest the next moment tin
child should wake as we'll as the reptile
for knew the rapidity with which tn
horrible creatures could wreatlie fo.e
after fold round the object they attack
ed while, ii of a poisonous nature
. they struck in an instant. Thought
came swiftly enough, but they wer
unavailing. for to wait till the bab,
awOl1e. or to go in and attack the snake
3 seemed equally dangerous. Even il
, had masle a slight noise, the DANCE
seemed as great, since, though tn
snake might wake first and glide off
the probabilities were just as grea
that the child might wake ut the sam,
time.
And so l turned over the chance
again and again. my eyes all the Will.
fixed upon the two sleeping occupant
of the cradle, whose pleasant warmth
had evidently attracted the reptile.
IL went in and saw it there.
whispered my wife and then witho,,
: taking my eyes for an instant from I'll,
: snake, l whispered the one wor,
i ..Gun.'' and she glided from my side
: did not know then, but she tol,
: me aftcrward, how she had carried tn
/ little boy TO a distance. and given hin
some flowers to play with, while sll
crept back to the hut, and, reachin,