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

AAy' oAo 6"SpCAs III d 6tIuuB0,
harsh, cracked voice; and, as I started
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. I caught her just as
she was falling, when her eyes closed,
and she gave SILVER that seemed to
shake her whole body.
This was soon after we had settled
out in the up-country, and there was
only hut here and there in those
days; but, after years of knocking
about at home, trying to get an honest
living and never succeeding, we had
made up our minds to try Australia,
and here we were living in log hut
had knocked up for myself, shepherd.
ing and doing what little could in the
shape of gardening, for that being my
right trade, with all the beautiful rich
soil lying fallow, it did seem a sin to
me not to have turn ut it E; SO, getting
what seeds I could from Sydney, and
adding to the few had in my chest, I
managed to make quite little bit of
Eden of the little bit of land broke
up around our hut. We were not saving
money, not to any extent, but there
was a roof over our heads, and no rent
to pay, lots of vegetables of our own
planting, and not costing anything,
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 both
willing to put up with such inconven-
fences as fell to our share, and, as a
matter Of course, there were things to
encounter out there in what some peo-
pie would call wilderness, though it
was q wilderness that blossomed like a
rose. There were times when we were
in dread of the blacks, who had done
some queer things here and there about;
then the place was terribly lonely and
out of the way if you wanted a doctor
and Mary used to joke me because 1
never could get pint of beer, but 1
could get on just as we'll without it,
and, my word, what capital cup of
tea we had out there.
Well, Mary come out to me that day
looking SO horribly CHASTITY that, being
naturally too fast at fancying troubles
in advance, I saw directly half score
OF blacks coming to spear us, and some
Of them knocking out the children's
brains with the clubs and not the first
time either, but in a few moments the
poor girl opened her eyes, and began
to stare about her. There were no
blacks to be seen. Little Joe was sit
ting in the path playing, and, though
[ looked along the edge of the wood
behind the house, could see no signs
of danger SO began to see she must
have been taken ill, and turned over in
my own mind how I should get help
for her.
Just then her face grew contracted
again as her thoughts seemed to 90
back, and gasping once more, Harry,
Harry" she gave another shudder, and
said, "Tho baby-a snake!'
I could not see myself, but I know I
turned pale, all tho blood seeming to
rush to my heart, for if there is any
thing of which am afraid it is snake,
even going so far as to dislike cells, of
which there were plenty in the river,
close at hand.
1 don't know how we got there, but
the next thing I remember is standing
at the hut window, with Mary holding
little Joe tight in her arms, and me
looking through at Tho cradle where
our little thing of nine months old was
lying and my heart seemed to be turn
ing to ice as saw nestled in the foot of
the cradle, partly hidden in the blanket,
with some of its horrible coils in full
sight, and its head resting upon them.
the largest snake I had seen since had
been in the country. The feeling was
something awful, and stood there for
a few moments leaning upon the round
handle of the hoo 1 had caught up, not
able to move, for my eyes were fixed
upon the head of the hideeus beast, and
1 expected every moment that the baby
wOuld wake and make some movement
sufficient to irritate the snake, and then
I felt the little thing must die.
What should I do? asked myself as
the horrible feeling of helplessness
wore off. If crcpt in and reached the
cradle side unheard, I dared not chop
at the beast for fear of injuring the
child, for I could see that some Of the
folds lay right across it. I dared not
make noise, lest the next moment the
child should wake rs well rs the reptile,
for knew the rapidity with which the
reptiles could wreathe fold after fold
around the object they attacked while
if of n poisonous nature, they strike in
an instant. Thoughts came swiftly
enough, but they were unavailing, for
to wait till the baby woke, or to go in
and attack the snake, seemed equally
dangerous. Even if I made slight
noise the danger seemed rs great. since,
though the snake might wake first and
glide off, tho probabilities we're Just rs
great that the child might wake ut the
same time.
And so turned over the chances
again and again, my eyes all the while
fixed upon the two sleeping occupants
rf tho o,o10o 1v1,aoo >,lo>.o,A ,vor,o,4l,