Richland beacon. [volume] (Rayville, La.) 1869-1890, 1880-10-16

feet long, and he Just cooled the mid
die of himself around her neck so she
couldn't swallow any water, and swan
ashore with his head and tail. Is that .
good item?"
First-class."
"YOu can spread it out, You know.
After they got ashore the girl patted the
snake on the head, and it went off
pleased as Punch. Ever since then he
comes to the house regular at meal
times, and she feeds him on pie. He
likespie. Think you can make anything
ont of that item?"
Certainly. Know any more?''
eyes. got baby 6 months old.
He's boy. We generally set him out
on the grass of morning, and he hollers
like bull all day, at least he used to.
but he don't any more. One morning
We noticed he wasn't hollering
and wondered what was mp. When
We looked, there was rattlesnake coiled
up in front of him, scanning his feat
ures. The boy was grinning and the
snake was grinning. Bimeby the snake
turned his tail to the baby and backed
his rattle right into the ball. fist"
"What did the baby do?"
"Why, he just ratified that tail so you
could hear it three-quarters of a mile,
and the snake lay there and grinned.
Every morning We found the snake
there, until one day bigger snake came,
and the baby played with his rattle Just
the same till the first snake came back.
He looked thin. and I reckon he had
been sick and sent the other snake to
take his place. Will that do e5rean
item ?" hi.:r
Immensely" replied the city editor.
"YOu can fill in about the confidence
of childhood, and all that, and you might
say something about the blue-eyed cher.
ub. His name is Isaac. Put that in to
please my wife,"
"I'll do it. Any more snake items ?"
"Lemme see. You've heard of hoop
snakes?"
eyes, often"
"Just SO. Not long ago we heard a
fearful row in our cellar one night. It
sounded like q rock blast, and then there
was hiss, and then things was quiet.
When I looked in the morning 1 found
the cider barrel had busted. But we
didn't lose much cider"
Chow did yor save it?"
eft seems that the slaves had busted
out, but, before they could get away,
four hoop snakes cooled around the bar
rel and frightened it up and held it to-
gether until we drew the cider off in
bottles. That's the way we found 'em,
and we've kept them around the house
ever since. We're training 'em for
shawl-straps now. Does that strike you
favorably for an item p" E3IT3
Enormously" responded the editor.
"YOu can fix it up SO as to show how
quick they was to get there before the
slaves were blown of. You can work in
the Details"
"Of course. I'll attend to all that.
Do you think of any more?"
CANT you got enough? Lemme
think. Oh, yes! One Sunday me and
my wife was going to church, and she
dropped her garter somewhere. She
told me about it, and I noticed little
striped snake running alongside and
listening to her. Bimeby he made a
spring, and just wound himself around
her stocking, or tried to. but he didn't
fetch it."
"Why not?'
"He wasn't quite long enough. He
jumped down and shook his head, and
started of. We hadn't gone more'n q
quarter of a mile, when we see him COM
ing out of the woods just ahead of us.
He was awful hot and tired, and he had
another snake with him, twice as big as
he was. They looked at my wife min
ute, and said something to each other,
and then the big snake went right to the
place where the garter belonged. He
wrapped right around it, pnt his tail in
his mouth, and went to sleep. We got
him yet. We use him to hold the stove
pipe together when We put the stove
mp. Is that any use as an item?"
Certainly" said the editor.
"You can say something about the
first snakes eye for distances, and his
intellectually, when he found he
wouldn't go round. You know how to
do that better than me-"
"Iu give him al the credit he de-
serves. Can You tell Us any more3"
II don't call any to mind Just at
present Ny wife knows lot of snake
items, but I forgot 'em. By the way,
though. Two got . regular living curl
osity down on my place. One day my