Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1875-11-26
.zzI. ssis a l.ss ssrAAE SiGfSa.
The Jonah that Swallowed the
whale.

The Jonah that Swallowed the
Whale.
The other morning our genial friend Z.
). Ball, engineer at The machine shop Of
Robbins, CamweIl & Co, sauntered into
the EAGLE Office aud placed on Cur desk a
somewhat startling natural history ,peci-
men, in the shape q: a hooded adder, ver,-
poisonous snake, wsii picked in q jar full
OF alcohS. Do you see that snake said
be. OF course we saw it, WELL he
went on, that snake lived in my boy's sto-
mach for more than nine years, and he cot
rid OF it only about a month ago.
Here is an item, surely, and we exam
ined the reptile with good deal of curiosi-
ty. 1t was abou. feet long, over three
inches in circumference at the thickest part.
with broad fat head, and was altogether
about as venomous and ugly looking a
snake as ever was. We looked at friend
Ball and winked. That's a very good
snake end a capital story we said, but
really now-uo tooIins, you know, did We
understand you to say that thet animal, in
an animated state, slipped and slid and
meancered and coiled itself,and nestled and
crawled in the mysterious recessss Of n
human beings digestive organs ?
That's what l ment to say answered
Bail, and he looked so grave and unsmiling
about it that our levity was instantly check
ed. And then he told the story: You see,
we've always known something queer was
the matter with that boy, and the queer
ness has been getting worse instead of
better. lie grew up well enough, but he
was subject to STRANGE spasms of appetite.
He wasn't happy unless he was eaten'.-
I've knowr him to get outside of a whole
pound of beefsteak and then long for more.
and to see him reduce soup bone to a
mere skeleton, of a Sunday, was enough
10 break the heart of a man with q family
1n his hands, and wages none of the best.
He's been in an actual state OF famine for
line years, and l believe that ifthOse DAYS.
hull WashintOn market had been put into
lin for dinner, he'd have been a gaunt
pectre Of want and hunger before supper
ime.
L got him TO work IN the shop, along
With me, but it wasn't any use. He
ouldH1 give his mind to the trade and that
4ernal hankeriDg for something to eat
lade him subject Of ridicule with all the
ands. They said he was an IDLE german
izer, and the nrahAs OF il was, he had to
ave. He's tried it again afI,.-e,oio h,-.
lways with the same result.
For some time past he's been working
n a form at Westfed, and there, one
corning, about five weeks ago, be went
Ut 10 milk, as usual, but he neglected to
AXE anything to eat before commencing
lis work, and he omitted the drink Of fresh -
nilk which lie generally took from the pol
s soon as he could get enough for dIinS
rom the first COW MIXED. The sna'S II.
lim rebelled at this and bege- 10 iooN
bout the boy's bowels e .'sHettAlh VIA
he trouble was, a;i6 no1 iiiiuiH:
marched up sIairs. so to speak, OK III o'net
-; assembled the throat, and stueH h.e
mouth three IN, inesfff Ief az sI1 r. ~ hroomsticS ro
vas coming his wiGdpipe, 1t stopped his
breathing aud be fell over. turned black in
le face and would have died then and
here had n0t 4 companion who happened
% be near rushed to his aid. He saw the
snakes head and grabbed at it
o pluck 1t out, which: act alarmed the SER
)ent and it slipped back TO to the regions
,eiow. Dashes of cold water n the oOys
ace revived him aud he was helped to the
he partook OF Il hearty break
ifst md there was peace in the interior de-
)artment 1T once.
The eOmpanion,' who had seen the
head of tie varInint told his
tory, and naturally physician was con-
ulted. Doctor said the boy, Il am in
ested with snakeg,' and the man of rnedi-
line was put IN possession OF the facts. He
vas n man Of roots and herbs, and from
lis closet lie prepared glass full OF reddish
lued Juice and told the boy tc take il all.
L had enormous effect, and instantaneous.
The writings and retChings that insu9d
would have melted heart of stone, had q
leart of stone looked on. He Gulped and
hrObbed like a volcano. Ills eyes started
,ut Of their sockets and down on his cheeks
While frcshets of tears burst forth. Three
mighty upheavels followed in rapid success
ion and 10 the snake leaped out OF its
Ong abiding place, and measured Its length
IN the Office iloor. y great c;llin Tel! upon
he boy, ANA has abiled with him siuce.'
The snake was wbiieish in c0i0r and
lyer three feet long when it came 10 light.
t lived only few minutes aud WAS then
gathered into a jar To be preserved Tor
he gaze of the curious. Its sul-iike ap-
,earanee has now gone, aud il presents the
,rown, scaly, eibby aspect that all snakes
rave, and it has shrunk 20 feet $ inches
II length gaining in circumference by the
hr:nkage.
And there it is, said friend Ball. Hun
Ireds haye called ut my house on River
treet to sci il, and all wLp want to see IL
re welcome The boy is now a. work at
Robbins, Gamwell &c Co.'S shop, indus
rious aud settled, and though somewha:
weak his appetite is as moderate as any
mes. The doctor estimated the age oEthe
make at ten or dozen years, and said
t must have been taken into the stomach
Turing its infancy with drink of water
rom a well or brook. Pi!tS5ie!d Eagle, Noe.
].
Personal Eeaafy.
How eagerly men are engaged in tho