The Northern Pacific farmer. [volume] (Wadena, Minn.) 1878-1885, 1884-11-20

was fond of me, and made great pei
of him. He was noble fellow, and all
he wanted was for me to whistle just
once and he'd come. We let him sleef
in the room at the foot of the bed
Sometimes in the morning I'd wake W
before my wife, and I'd whistle just
once to the dog. Up he'd come over the
foot of the bed and wake Katie by lick
ing her face. =.
"That night we were just going to bed
when it turned cold. I thew an extra
pine knot on the fire and went to the
door and looked out. shall never for"
get that look, for it was the last time !
ever stood there and saw stars above
Skinner Hollow. I closed the door and
went to bed and soon fell asleep. /
slept on the side of the bed nearest the
hearth, my wife slept On the further.
side, and the baby lay between us. For4
some reason I didn't sleep long, and
when I walked up couldn't go to SLEEP
again. Finally I got out of bed and
threw another knot on the fire. Lee
was stretched out on the floor, with his
nose between his paws. He eyed me
sleepily as walked around the room.
and gave me a loving look as stopped
down and patted his head. Invent bach
to bed and fell into an uneasy sleep. All
at once I awakened with a start. Il
must have been past midnight. seem.
ed to be fully awake the moment I open
ed my eyes, and such sight as they rest
ed on God grant they may never see
again. Twas lying on my left side, fac
ing my wife, who was lying on her right
side. The baby lay on it's back between
US. As I opened my eyes dark Oh.
ject glided down from off the baby, and
just then the knot burst into flames and
flooded the room with light. A rattle
snake, fully five feet long, had slipped
down from between my wife and myself,
where it had been stretched out pre-
sumably to get warm, and startled, nc
doubt, by some movement had made
in waking had thrown itself into coil
on the bed at the baby's feet and just
opposite my knee.
Somebody asks if life is worth liv
ing. I think it is as general thing,
but if life had many such moments az
that I should say emphatically that
death were preferable. For moment
I lost my head. did not move, for.
tunately, but I seemed to drift entirely
out of all consciousness. For a mo.
ment only this lasted. Then my eyes
came back to me and [ felt that from
the reaction I would probably trem-
BILE from head to foot. How I ever
managed to keep my body rigid I don't
know, but by an awful effort l did.
knew that to stir was death, perhaps TO.
myself, perhaps for my boy, perhaps
my God, the thought was agony-fo1
my wife. Outside could hear the
caves dripping from the rain, and ]
could detect the sound of water run.
ming to waste over the fume. To-mor.
row! Would I ever see tomorrow
again? And if did would 1 not meet
it alone? In spite of all I could do
shudder ran through my body.
s'The snake felt it and raised his
head. I could see its eyes glisten and
dance in the freight, and the bright
rays glanced over the undulat1ng coils.
I could see that the snake was irritated,
and knew that it was liable to spring
any moment. Who would it strike?
Either of us was within easy distance.
It seemed to me that I could see the be-
ginning of the muscular contraction
which would precede the spring
Cali this, of course, passed in fraction
of the time [ have occupied in telling
it. My wife and boy had slept on. !
prayed that they might not move, for
if they did felt the snake would throw
itself forward. I moved my hand
II; 1yosc
and for the first time it sounded its rat
tie. Instantly my wife opened her
eyes, and some way they rested on the
snake I could see that every vestige
of color had left her face, but she did
not move muscle. Then her eyes
slowly left the snake and came up to
mine.
Looking back over the nearly thirty
years which have elapsed since then
can see the look in her eyes yet. We
had sometimes talked about meeting
death together. Now it lay between
us in more horrible form than we haG
ever dreamed Of Yet the look of per.
feet confidence in me, which my wifes
eyes almost spoke, was something's mar
does not see more than once in life
time. That look seemed to say, fol
baby's sake, and like q fash [ became
as cool as am at this moment. [ could
not speak, but my wife understood that
she must keep perfectly quiet and jump.
When the time came, slowly and with
infinite care [ raised my head till I
could look down the bed to the floor.
My wife's eyes followed mine, and we
both saw the dog. The hideous head OF
the snake swayed to and fro: and knew
what was to be done must be done
quickly. I looked at my wife and she
realized my pain. Her eyes filled with
tears but gave consent With prayer
for help moistened my lips and gave
one short, sharp whistle. The snake,
I think, didn't know what to make OF
it, but the dog, Leo, did. AS quick as
thought almost he sprang to his feet
and bounded on to the bed. To this
day I have never been able to under
stand why the snake did not strike
when the dog moved, but it did not.
AS the dogs body rose in the air, my
wife caught hold of the baby's garments
and rolled out of bed. rolled out on
my side, grasped my rife, which stood
at the head of the bed and turned.
The dog and the snake were rolling to-
gcther on the bed. I caught sight OF
the snakes head and fired, and the rep
tile was past doing any harm. The
dog staggered off the bed to the floor,
shivered, moaned once or twice, looked
from my wife to myself with more love
than I ever saw before or since in any
animals eyes and died.
AT daybreak the next morning we
buried the dog and started for the vii
lage. sold my mill and house to a
man who was visiting my cousin, and
before the sunset we were on our way
to Massachusetts,. built another mill
in the East and we prospered and grew
rich. Other children cam to make
our home happy, and there are grand
children now. We have enjoyed life
and enjoy it now. But l tell you.
young man, that if proverty stood or
one hand and even a glimpse of Skin.
ner Hollow on the other, we would take
poverty cheerfully and think we had
made a good bargain.
Eno1iah T,e&ta,. Wri&5no