Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1881-01-15
THE DUKlTE SNAKE.
A. AiHasfphlEAn RHehhlaa's story
* >. BOYLE o'REILLY

Cnaln-gang suit, with peddler's pack,
or some such burden, strapped 20 his back.
bia You meet him square Z No passed you
Well, II you had, and mad looked in his eye,
You'd have felt tor yonr irons Then and
ifor that light in bis csc H. a : glare.
Aye, matis poor fallow / know him well,
Ills story A strange one a. ever you heard
81 read Dut III Vouch for il, every word.
Through the bush with lis pack and his
convict clothes,
Has been mad for years, but he does no
And cur lonely settlers feel no alarm
When they see or meet him. Poor Dave
Was a settler once and a sriend of MY own.
Some eight years back, in the spring Of the
year,
Dave caIre from scotland and settled here.
splendid yot.ng fellow he was just then,
And one Df the brayest and truest men
That ever met. He was kind "A woman
TO all who needed - friend, and no man,
Not even . convict, met with his scOrn,
For David Sloane was a gentleman born.
Aye. friend. gentleman; though it sounds
There's plenty OF blue blood Moving out
here.
Well, Sloane came here with an axe and a
H. Bought tour miles OF a sandaI-1vood run.
fhls bash at that time was a lonesome place,
20 ionsome Tie sight OF a white mans lace
Was q blessing, unless he came at night
And peered ia your Int with the cunning
fright
or runaway convict: and even they
We're welcome for talks sake while they
Dave lived with me here for awhile and
The tricks OF the bush-lsow the snare was
laid
In the .walllby track; how traps were made;
killed:
And when that was learned, helped him
From mahogany slabs a good bush hut,
And showed him how sandal-wood logs
lived up there with him days and days,
For loved the lad for his honest ways.
had only one fault 10 find: at first
Dave worked too hard. For lad was nursed,
As he was, In idleness, IL was strange
How he cleared that sandal-wood OF his
From the morning light till the light ex-
He was always working, he never tired:
I'LL al last f,egan to think his wiz
Was too much settled on wealth, and still,
When looked at the lads brown face and
eye,
Cleaf, open, my heart gave such thoughts
the lie.
But one day, for he read my mind, he laid
His hand on my shoulder. "DOnt be afraid, y
said he, fthat I'm working alone for pelf
work hard, my friend, but It's not for my
self"
And he told me then in his quiet tone
VI "A EAil IN CcDLEttlu VINO vas MS own
His wife-'twas for her; twas all he could
say,
And ans clear eye brilnmed as he turned
AMER that he told me the simple tale.'
They had married for love, and she was to
sail
For Australia when he wrote home and told
The Oft watched-for story OF finding gold.
In a year he wrote, aud his news was good
He mad bought some cattle and sold his
He said, "Darling, I've only hut, but
Friend, a husbands heart is a true wife's
And he knew she'd come. Then he turned
his hand
TO make neat the house and prepare the
For his crops and vine; and lac made that
Put Oh such smiling and home-like face,
That when she came ana he showed her
His sanas.l-wood and his crops in the
And spoke OF the future, they cried for joy,
The husbands arm elasping his wife and
boy.
Well, friend, If a little OF heavens best bliss
Ever came from the upper world to this,
It came into that lonely bushman's life
And clrcled him round with the arms of his
wife.
God bless that bright memory! Even TO me,
A rough, lonely man, did she seem TO be,
While living, AN angel of Gods pure love.
And now l could pray to her face above.
Aud David, he loved her as only man
With a heart az large was his heart can.
wondered how they could have lived apart,
For he was herddol. and she his heart.
Friend, there isn't much more of the tale to
tell.
was talking of angels a while since; well,
Now IN change 10 devil-aye, to a devil
You need not start If a spirit of evil
Ever came 10 this world Its hate to Stake
ON mankind, Il came as a Duktte snake.
Likes Lik the picture you've seen of sin;
A long red snake, as If what was within
Was fire that cleaned through his glistening
And his eyes !-if you could go down to hell
And come oack TO your fellows here and tell
What the IRE was like, you could find moth
ing here below on eSTth or up in the sky
To compare 1t to but Iukite's eye!
Now mark you, these DAkite's don't go
alone;
There's another near when you see but one,
And beware you OF killing that one you see
Without finding the other, for you may be
More than twenty miles from the spot that
night
That will follow your trail like death or fate,
And kill you as sure as you killed its mate.
Well, poor Dave sloane had his young wife
here
Three npentls--'tvyas just this time of the
He had teamed some sandai-wood TO the
vase,
And was homeward bound when he saw in
the grass
4 long red snake. He had I,ever been told
of the Dukite's ways-he jumped TO the road
And mashed its fiat head with bullock
He Was proud of the red skin, so he tied
Its tail TO the cart, and the snakes blood
The bush on the path ne followed that night
He was early home, and the dead Dukite
Was fang at the door to be skinned next
Al sunrise next morning he started away
To hunt up his cattle. A three-hours ride
Brought him baeR; he gaZed ON his home
And JOY in his heart, He Jumped from his
And entered--to look on his young wife's
And hIs dead child clutehing its mothers
As in fright; and there as he gazed arose
From her breast where twas nesting the
cleaning head
OF the terrible Dukite, as if it said:
I've had vengeance, my foe !; you took ali
And SO hai the snake-David sloane was
mad.
1 rode to his hut, just by chance, that night,
And there onthe threshold the clear moon
light
showed the two snakes dead. Ipushed in
With an awful feeling of coming woe.
The dead We're stretched on the moonht
The man held the hand OF his wife--his
pride,
His poor Hfe's treasure--and crOuched by
her side.
o, God / sank with the weight of the blow.
l touched and called him; he needed me not, I
80 / dug her a grave in quiet spot
And lifted them both, her boy on her breast,
And laid them down in the shade to rest.
Then | tried to get my poor friend away,
But he cried so wOfully, Let me stay
Till she comes again, y that had no heart
TO try to persuade him then to part
From all that was left to him here, her
grave;
SO / stayed by his side that night, and save
one heart-cutting cry, he uttered no sound.
o, Cod that wail--like THE wall ola hound
But twill ring in my ear till the day die.
since that fearful night no one has heard
Poor David sloane utter sound or word.
You have seen to-day how he always goes
He's been given that suit of convict's clothes
BY some prison officer. On his back
You noticed "a load like n peddler's pack:
Well, that's what he lives for. When reason
went,
still memory lived, for his days are spent
In searching for DukiteS AMI year by year
That bundle of skins Is growing. It's clear
That the Lord out OF evil some good still
takes:
For he's clearing this bush of the DNkite
Snakes.
Sent The Wrong Bill.
The Times, published at Perry
vile, A rk., says that young man
living near that place last week
a mistake that cost him |
his sweetheart. He brought in two /