Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1884-11-01

ny knoes.
Somebody asks if life is worth liv-
ing. l think it is as a general thing,
but if life had many such moments as
that shonld say emphaticallv that death
was preferable. For a moment / lost
my head. did not move, fortunately,
but | seemed TO drift entirely out of all
consciousness. For a moment only this
lasted Then my senses came back to
me, and / tels that from the reaction I
would probably tremble from head to
foot. How ever managed to keep my
body rigid don't know, but by an aw-
full effort did. knew that to stir was
death, perhaps for myself, perhaps for
my boy, perhars-my God, the thought
wss asony-for my wife. Outside I
could hear the rain dripping from the
caves, and I could detect the sound of
water running to waste over the hume.
Tomorrow, l thought, I'll have plenty
of water again. Tomorrow Would l
ever see tomorrow again ? And if / did
would ] not meet it alore9 In spite
OF all I could do shudder ran through
my body.
''The snake felt it aud raised its head.
could see its eyes giisten and dance II
the freight, and the bright rays glanced
over the undulating coils. 1 could see
that the snake was irritated, and 1 knew
that it was liable to spring at any mo-
ment. Who would it strike? Either of
us was within easy distance. 1t seemed
to me that 1 could see the beginning of
the muscular contraction which would
precede the spring.
"All this, of course, passed in frac-
ton of the time I have occupied in tell
ing it. My wife and boy slept on.
prayed that they might not move, for if
they did I felt the snake would throw
itself forward. Imoved my head slight
ly. The snakes head again arose, and
for the first time it sounded it's rattle.
Instantly my wife opened her eyes, and
some way they rested on the snake. I
could sec that every vestige of color had
left her face, but she did not move a
muscle. Then her eyes slowly left the
snake and came up to mine.
"Looking back over the nearly thirty
/ years whicL have elapsed since then
l can see the look in her eyes yet. We
had sometimes talked about meeting
death together. Now it lay between us
and in more horrible form than we had
ever dreamed of. Yet the look of per
feet conf ience in me which nay wife s
eyes almost spoke was something man
does not see more than once in a life.
time. That look seemed to say, for
babvs sake, and like flash I became
as cool as / am at this moment. I could
not speak but my wife understood that
she must keep perfectly quiet and jump.
When the time came, slowly and with
Infinite care I raised my head till coulG
look down the bed to the floor beyond
My wife's eyes followed mine, and we
both saw the dog The hideous eyes O
the snake swayed to and fro, and
knew that what was done must be don.
quickly. / looked at my wife and sh,
realized my plan. Her eyes filled will
tears but gave consent. With praye
for help | moistened my lips and gav'
one short, sharp whistle. The snake,
think, didn't know what to make of it
but the dog, Leo, did. As quick almos
as thought he sprang to his feet ant
bounded on the bed. To this day Iv
never been able to understand why tn
snake did not strike when the do,
moved, but it did not. As the dog
body rose in the air my wife caugh
hold Of the baby's garments and rolle'
our OF peo. 1 rolled out on my side
erasped my rife, which stood at th
head of the bed, and turned. The do
and the snake were rolling together O
the bed. caught sight of the snake
head and fred, and the reptile was pas
doing any harm. The dog staggere
of the bed to the floor, shivered, moane
once or twice, looked from my wife
myself with more love than ever sa'
before or since in any animals eyes an
died.
.'At davbreak the next morning "
buried the dog and started for th
village. sold my mill and house to
man who was visiting my cousin, An
before sunset we were on our way ,
Massachusetts,. I built another mill i
the East, and se prospered and gre
rich. Other children came to make OF
home happy. and there are grandehi
dren now. We have enjoyed life, Ar
enjoy it now. But / tell you, your
man, that If poverty stood on one har
and even glimpse of Skinner Hollo
on the other, We would take power
,cheerfnlly and think We had made
. good bargain"
MNEp.-Black walnut savdust, &c