Weekly Trinity journal., 1877-07-28

| thViC my Oou L iopo L may hVNNt sSV
such sight again it makes my blood
curdle just to think of it now-right be-
tween his legs, almost touching his white,
| tender flesh, was an enormous rattle
snake, coiled and ready for his deadly
spring.
Without doubt, it was the starting
up Of the dog that arrested it and put it
on the defensive, though why he did not
discover it sooner is what | can't account
for. He was young then, and hadn't had
much experience, and he might have
dropped asleep for minute, and the
sna Ike being to leeward of him, he didn't
get the scent of it until it was close to the
child.
"If it had been acommon black snake,
or any kind but venomous one, he
would have made no bones of shaking the
life out of it but all animals, as far rs |
know have an instructive fear of a rattle
snake, and probably of all poisonous rep
tiles.
AS for Newell I've been In situa-
tons that are trying to mans courage,
and | fatter myself that no ono who
knows me would call me coward but
there's something about snake that
chills my blood-lills me with such dread
and horror as nothing else can. 1t is n
feeling that has nothing to do with cow
ardice or fear. 1t is II magr etism-a dev
elish magnetism-a magnetism Of horror,
or something past explaining.
Just fancy, then, if you can, what
agony it was to me to see this repulsive
monster so near my sleeping boy, and
don't wonder that for an instant | got
sick and faint and my sight failed.
fought back the faintness and tried to
think what | could do. Think l
couldn't think-or, rather | thought OF
so much that | could not separate one
thought from another.
" My mind was chaos. could ro-
alize but one thing clearly, and that was
the peril of my child, and my inability to
rescue him without Fastening the catas-
tropho which | would have rislted my
life to avert. | wrung my hands in des-
pair, my eyes Fixed, as though fascinated,
upon the terrible spectacle !
" All at once, at some noise which
either | or the dog made in moving, the
reptile raised its head evidently to listen
'Oh, my gun ! my gun = | thought,
and | supposed said the words. 1t was
the first time | had thought of it, and
fairly gnashed my teeth in rage Mt hay
ing left it at home. | cursed myself, and
tore my hair. 'Oh = | thought, 'w!tl
only my faithful rife in my hands, how
quickly | would make an end Of the dew
eliah thing =
81 dared not go to the house for it, foI
the child might move hand or foot a
any moment; and that moment, | knew
would seal its death warrat if were no
there to snatch him and run to the house
, with all my might for antidotes for tn,
poison. suddenly it occurred to me tC
. send Monarch for my gun-we haC
taught him to carry things to and 'fion
the feld-a basket, or my coat, or sucl
like.-and | turned, expecting to find hin
at my side. lie was gone, nowhere Il
be seen.
Again l fell into a frenzy Of rage anc
despair, and cursed him as an ungrateful
cowardly brute, thus to desert me in tn
time of sorest need, and | vowed in m,
heart that | would shoot him the mOmen
/ could again lay hands upon my gun
Talk about moments being hours They
were years, centuries-those that follow
ed, while ! walked back and forth there
moving cautiously, from mere instnc
more than design, for, at the slightcs
noise, the cursed creature would raise it
hateful crest, and listen and | dreaded
every instant to hear it sound its warning
rattle, or to see it change its position 70
one more dangerous to my child. ] cried
prayed, cursed my turns and, among i
all, kept trying in IA blind way to think o
something / could do. Sometimes
thought / would spring suddenly forward
and seize it and tear 1t in pieces with my
hands. Oh if l had been some fero
cious wild beast, / could have grappleC
with it eagerly. / stopped, at last, anC
said to myself, wW think ! wiU Dc
something There must be some way
that | can destroy it without hurting my
boy ! and then, a painting, sobblnl
breath, close beside me, made me turi
to look, just as Monarch, the grand ole
fellow, sunk breathless at my feet, M
rife dropping from his jaws as he fell.
" Yes, he'd been TO the house TO get it
the noble fellow. Ny wife said he wa
nearly frantic, till she gave it to him.
He barked, and whined, and dragged hel
from her chair, and across the room, tc
where the gun hung, tearing her sleeves
and wounding her arm with his teeth IL
doing it. She wound large cottor
handkerchief about the lock of the gun Il
guard it, and to give him better hold
and gave it to him, and then followed al
fast as she could, knowing that something
unusual was the matter. Gentlemen,
can fancy, now, just how man feels tha
is on the soafiold with the moose arounC
his neck, ready to be swung off, wher
some one comes rushing up the ladder
with full pardon for him but ] dou5
whether he or / could make any one else
quite understand us. il We tried TO pu
our feelings into words.
You may believe, though, that | wa
not long in picking up that gun and tear
ing the handkerchief from around it.
had put in the charge that morning, bu
| took of the cap and put on another, L
t - 7 $40. :, ,,ao.i,, nil Ia ,,,;th bos :.