Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1874-06-04

| 81 wont in and saw it there" whis
percd my vito, and thcn, without tax
ing my eyes for m instant from tn
snake, Il whispered tho ono word "gun,
and sho glidcd from my side.
did not know thcn, but she told m
afterwar<l, how shc had carried tho lii
tic boy to a distance md given hin
some flowers to play with, while sh
crcpt back to the hut, and reaching i
ut tho kitchen window, brought me IN
gun, for had not stirred. And now
rs 1 graspel tho picco in my hand
knowing as did that it was loaded,
seemed of no uso, for I dare not fire
but, with trembling hands, folt in m,
pockets to SEQ if there WAS bullet ii
them, and then softly pulling out tn
ramrod, I unscrewcd the cover of tn,
worm, drew tho wadding, reversed tn,
piece and let tho shot fall pattering out
when I softly forced down the bulle
upon tho powder, examined the cap, ant
stood ready waiting for chance; fol
I thought that tho shot might hav,
scattered, and, if ever SO little, NIGH
have injured the child instead of it.
enemy.
And there we stood for quite half or
hour, watching intently that horrible
beast completely nestled in the blanket
expecting momentarily that the baby
would awake, while my hand trembled
40 I could hardly hold the gun steady,
One moment I was thinking that I had
done wrong in changing the charge, the
next that I was right, then I fancied the
gun might miss fire, or that I might
STAY my own child. A hundred horrible
thoughts entered my mind before little
Joe began to call out to his mother,
and she glided away while muttered
to myself, "Thank Heaven" for she
was spared from seeing what followed.
AS if at one and the same moment,
the child and the snake woke up.
saw the baby's hand move, and its
little arms thrown out, while from the
motion beneath the blanket I saw that
it must have kicked q little. Then
there was a rapid movement in the
cradle, and rs glanced along the gun
barrel, taking aim, there was the whole
of the horrible reptile exposed to view,
coil gliding on coil, as it seemed to fiji
the whole cradle had my gun been
charged with shot I should have fred,
so as to have disabled some parts of ite
body but with only single bullet, ]
felt that the head must be the part at.
tackled when opportunity offered.
Glide, glide, glide, one coil over
another, quickly and easily, as it were,
untying its knotted body, while now
the head slowly rose from where it had
been lying, and crept nearer and nearer
to the child's face, the forked tongue
darling in and out, and playing rapidly
on either side of it's hideous mouth.
could see the glance of the snakes. eyes,
and expected every moment to hear the
little one shrek in terror as the lowered
head rested over her breast. But no,
the child lay perfectly still for few
moments, and then I stood trembling
in every limb as saw the snakes head
drawn back, and then begin to sway to
and fro, and from side to side, the
glistening neck of the beast gently un-
dulating, whilst the tongue still darted
in and out of the dreadful looking
mouth.
Now was the time when I should
have fred, but was too unnerved
and laying down my gun, I seized my
hoe, meaning to attack the beast with
its stout handle; but my hand fell par
alyzod at my side as I saw the little one
in the cradle smile and hugh ut tho gem
tly undulating head of the snake !;
while, as the agony grew to be greater
than could bear, in seeing the little
white hands try to catch ut it as it
swnyed to and fro, my powers seemed
to come back. I snatched up the gun,
and as tho snakes head was drawn back
preparatory to striking, I pulled the
trigger, when the sharp crack of the
percussion cap alone ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
providentially, for in my trembling
state I might have injured the child.
Then I saw rapid wreathing of the
coils in the cradle, and as the tail of
the snake glided over the side, every
thing around me seemed to swim, and
I tried to catch at the wall of the hut
to save myself from falling.
But that soon went off, and gazing in
at the window, tried to make out the
whereabouts OF my enemy, as I re-
capped and tapped the gun, so that the
powder might run up the nipple.
The snake was nowhere to be seen,
and darting in seized the child, and
carried it out to it's mother, when, now
feeling relieved of one horrible calam-
ity, I obtained my shot-pouch from the
kitchen, rammed down o charge upon
the bullet, and cautiously went in
search of the reptile.
1 knew he must still be in the part of
the hut We used for a sleeping place,
and after cautiously peering about,
came to the hole where it had taken
refuge-an opening between the rough
ly-sawn planks laid loosely down to
form floor while, unless there was
an outlet beneath the woodwork, I felt
that the beast must be there and to
make it more probable, there was our
cat that we had bought kitten in Sgd
ney, gazing with staring eyes down at
the hole.
just then I heard soft rustling be-
meath my feet, and as I looked down, 1
could see between the two boards the
scaly body gliding along. The next
moment there came the loud report of
the gun, the place was full of smoke,
there was scuffling noise, and rs I
looked down between the boards where
the charge had forced passage
through, there was no sign of the snake.
"Harry, Harry" shrieked my wife,
just then, and on rushing out, there
was the beast writhing about in the
path, evidently badly wounded, while
some crushed down flowers by the hut
wall showed plainly the hole of COM
munication. never saw q snake
writhe and twist as that creature did,
but I was too excited then to feel
afraid, and few blows from the butt
end of my gun laid it SO that there was
only little movement left in it's body,
which did not stop for IN hour or two
after had cut off it's head with an axe.
I should have liked to skin the beast,
but could not master my horror.
measured it though; fourteen feet
three inches long it was, and as thick
as my arm while as to it's weight,
saw the cradle rock to and flo heavily
as it glided over the side.
Snakes are scarce now in these parts,
for there isn't q man in Queensland
that does not wage war against them,
and where there was one settler then.
there are scores now.
A Bee in His Ear.
John L. Hunter, awell known lawyer
Of Willainantic, Conn, who has been
deaf in his left eur forsome years, went
to Boston aurist, the other day, and
he took from it n bug rs large as a
honey bee. Mr.. Hunter hadn't the