Millheim Journal. [volume] (Millheim, Pa.) 1876-1984, 1884-10-16
PRESIDENT
VICE PRESIDENT.

the reaction would probably tremble
from head to foot. How / ever man
aged to keep my body rigid l don't
know, but by an awful effort l did.
knew that to stir was death, perhaps
for my boy, perhaps-my God, the
thought was agony-for my wife. Out.
side / could hear the rain dripping from
the eayes, and / could detect the sound
of water running to waste over the
hume. Tomorrow thought, III have
plenty of water again. Tomorrow
Would I ever see tomorrow again ?
And if did would not meet it alone ?
In spite Of all l could do shudder ran
through my body.
1.-The snake felt it and raised its
head. could see its eyes glisten and
dance in the freight, and the bright
rays glanced over the undulating coils.
Icould see that the snake was irritated,
and knew that it was liable 90 spring
at any moment. Who would it strike?
Either of us was within easy distance.
1t seemed to me that / could see
the beginning of the muscular con-
traction which would precede the
spring.
"All this, of course, passed in frac-
tion of the time 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. l moved my head
slightly. The snakes head again arose,
and for the first time it sounded its
rattle. Instantly my wife opened her
eyes, and some way they rested on the
snake. sould see that every Yestige
of color had left her face, but she did
not move a muscle. Thea her eyes
slowly left the snake and came up to
mine.
"Looking back of 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
and in more horrible form than we had
eyer dreamed Of. Yet the look of per-
feet confidence in me which my wife's
eyes almost spoke was something man
does not see more than once in life
time. That look seemed to say, for ba-
by's sake, and like fash l became as
cool as am at this moment. | could
not speak but nv wife understood that
she must keep perfectly quiet and
Jump. When the time came, slowly and
with infinite care | raised my head till
1 could look down the bed to the floor
beyond. My wife's eyes followed mine
and we both saw the dog. The hideous
eyes of the snake swayed to and fro,
and I knew that what was done must
be done quickly. looked at my wife
and she realized my plan. Her eyes fill.
ed with tears but gave consent. With
a prayer for help moistened' my lips
an gave one short, sharp whistle. The
snake, I think didn't know what to
make of it, but the dog, Leo, did. AS
quick almost as thought he sprang to
his feet and bounded on the bed. To
this day I've 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 gar.
ments and rolled out OF bed. I rolled
out on my side, grasped my rife, which
stood at the head of the bed, and turn
ed. The dog and the snake were roll
ing together on the bed. caught
sight of the snakes head and fired, and
the reptile 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
man who was visiting my cousin, and
before sunset we were on our way to
Massachusetts,. I built another mill In
the East, and we prospered and grew
rich. Other children came to make
our home happy, and there are grand
children now. We haYe enjoyed life,
and enjoy it now. But tell you, young
man, that if poverty stood on one hand
and even glimpse of Skinner Hollow
on the other, we would take poverty
cheerfully and think we had made
good bargain
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