Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1884-02-14
Snakes.

that followed an account of how a
Wisconsin woman had caught rattle
snake by setting her husbands false
teeth for him.
"1 know of n case,' said the man
from Michigan. "a friend of mine
out in the lumber destrcks found one
in his pocket one day and sewed the
pocket up until the snake was nigh
starved. Then he let him out and
fed him, and after that the snake
would do anything he told him to.
He used TO hunt deer with that snake.
He'd lay for the deer, and as soon as
il hove in sight he'd set that snake
after it, and the cussed snake would
jump through the deer's eyes aud kill
him dead p
1--WE hearn Of it bein' DONE" as
sented the Iowa man. "When was
in the mines my chum lit onto one an
brought him home. The snake took
to him from the start, and in less than
week he had the varmnt drawing
water"
How'd he work it?" demanded the
Michigan man.
81 never knew the rights Of it, re-
piled the Iowa man. "You know,
when we were diggin' we didn't have
no time to waste. If a man got dry
he grudged the time to take a drink !
of water. He'd rather 90 dry. But
this chum Of mine fixed things 90 that
he had no trouble in keepin wet all |
the time. The snake would 20 off aud |
fill himself up with water, and then |
be would come back and bite this /
chum Of mine. The snake bad ar
ranged himself so that he didn't squirt !.
any venom through his faugs, only /.
pure water, and as soon o. he uuloaded, /
off he went for more. lie got so
adcctionate he almost drowned my |
friend one day, and chummy had to I
put him to death"
81 had one" said the Illinois man, |
who was the best and wust snake I |
ever seen. Onc end OF him wa. an I
OF, and the other was the moral bu-i. /
ness in that neck o. the woods. The I
wust Of him was he'd steal thing. I
around the house, out when ihc tail /.
end caught the mouth al any crooked .
business, it would rattle, aud We al. .
ways got there before he could get F.
away with the goods. You ought to |
see the grateful wag Of that tail when /
the mouth got len"
How did the mouth stand jt' (
asked the Iowa man.
THE mouth used to get mad re. !
piled the Illinois man "butit couldn', .
bite unless il stood mp on its tail, aud |
the tail wouldn't have it,"
Got him yet asked the Michigan I
man.
"No, be baok.cappcd as, and we bad /
to kill him. One day be got caught. I
as usual, and turned around aud bit |
his tail short off That settled il, and !
we rammcd him into a rife and shot |
sheriff with him."
81 had one good many years ago" |
observed the Texan. "but he got into |
all kinds o. mischief and we didn't !
take no comfort with him. lie used |
to crawl into the chickens and eat the |
giblets, SO there weren't nothing left |
to make gravy when we had roast.
As soon as hen opened her mouth,
in he went, and he'd stay there until |
he'd eat out the crop, and heart, and !
gizzard and kidneys, and all them
things. The hens would lay well
enough, but we had no choice parts
when it came to cooking"
"You never can tell what they are
going to do smiled the Navada man.
"My brother brought one up from
Arizona, wanted him for the children
to play with. He slept in the clock
nights, cause be liked to feel the works
scratch his back. II sort o sootbed
him. But we noticed the most curious
thing about his rattles. Sometimes
they would be bigger than be was, and
then again he wouldn't have but one
or two little ones that wasn't no good