The southern sentinel. (Winnfield, La.) 1883-1910, 1884-09-26
MARLAND'.S BRAVERY.
a True story.

a True story.
papa" exclaimed six-year-old
MARYLAND, leaning against his father 5
knee after listening to a true story, II
| wish could be as brave as that
perhaps you will be when YOU grow
up"
But may be I shan't ever be on a
| railroad train when there's going 10 be
an accident
"Ah, but there are sure to be plenty
of other ways for brave man to show
himself
Several days afterthis, when Marland
had quite forgotten about trying TO be
brave. thinking, indeed. that he would
have to wait anyway until he was a
man. he and his little playmate. Ada, a
year younger. were playing in the dog
kennel. 1t was very large kennel, so
that the two children often crept into it
to play house" A ter awh le, Mar
land, who, of course, was playing the
papa of the house, was to go down
town" to his business; he put his head
out of the door of the kennel, and was
just about to creep out, when right n
front of him i'm he path he saw snake.
He knew in a moment Just what sort of
snake it was, and how dangerous it
was; he knew that it was n rattlcsnake,
and that ii il bit Ada or him they
would probably die. For Ma~land hal
spent two summers on his papa's big
ranch in Kansas, and he had been told
over and over again, il he ever saw 4
snake to run from it as fast as he could,
and this snake just in front OF him was
making the queer little noise with the
rattleS al the end OF his tail which Mar
land had heard enough about to be able
to recognize.
Now you must know that a rattle
snake is not at all like lion or bear:
although just as dangerous in It's own
way. 1t will not chase you; it can only
spring a distance equal to RS own
length, and it has to wait and coil itself
up in a ring, sounding is warning all
the time, before it can strike at all. So
if you are ever so little distance from
il when you see it first, You can easily
escape from it. The only danger is
from stepping on it without seeing it.
But Marland's snake was already oiled.
and it was hardly more than foot
from the entrance TO the kennel. You
must know that the kennel was not
out in an open field. either. but under
a piazza. and lattice work run very
near it left very narrow passage for
the children, even where there wasn't
any snake. If they had been stand NJ
upright they could have run. narrow as
the way was; but they would have to
crawl out of the kennel and find room
for their entire little bodies on the
ground before they could straigh;en
themselves up and run. Fortunately,
the snakes head was turned the other
way.
'Ada," said Marland very quietly. so
quietly that his grandpapa. raklng the
gravel ON the walk near by. did not
hear him. " there's a snake out here,
and its rattlesnake. Keep very still
and crawl right after me-"
"Yes, Ada he whispered. as he
succeeded in sqnirming himself out and
past the snake till he could |
stand upright. There's room, but you
make any noise :"
Five minutes later the two children !
sauntered slowly down the aven lie,
hand in hand.
"Grandpapa," said MarlanG, ..there's |
u fdlIltSldhc III lutIJ <tId sttlu 1 1
were; perhaps you'd better kill him."
And when the snake had been killed. |
and papa for the hundredth time had |
folded his little boy in his arms and /
MY brave boy nv dear, /
brave little boy.' Marland looked up in
.Why, it wasn't that killed the |
snake, papa! it was grandpapa! II
didn't do anything; l only Kept very
still and ran awavr'
But you see, in that case, keeping |
very still and running away was just |
the bravest thing the little fellow could |
have done and think his mamma
for | am his mamma, and so know |
Just how she did feel-felt when she |
took him in her arms that night that in |
her little boys soul there was some
thing of the stuff OF which heroes are
A. W. Robins, IN Wide |
.itCakc.