The Mineral argus., 1884-10-30


l can see her as she used TO look IN
those days III that little aw-mi ;ust
as plainly as if 1 stood there with her
to-day. She used to Jump on the loo
aud ride up pretty close to the saw. and
then, Just as l would get scared and
Jump to drag her away, off she'd 90.
Nobody was ever happiar than we were.
II we nave never been as happy since.
though we've been pretty happy, and
are yet"
The yellow sunlight fickered into
the room where the two sat, and the
wine looked like blood as the dancing
rays shone through it. The old man
was lost in happy reverie. and the young
man ventured to remind him that there
was a snake story promised.
True" said the old man, starting.
I'm just coming to that. Host myself
thinking of those olddays. There were
snakes then, and we had killed them.
Rattlers used TO come out on the lodges
OF rocks and lay in the hot sun. Cne
or two had come around the mill, and 1
had shot n in our door yard. But
we thought nothing of that. People
living in the woods or in wild places get
used to things that would fill them with
horror in a settled country. We ex-
pected to find snakes, and as long as
they kept their distance or gave us a
chance to shoot them when they got too
near we didn't mind them.
CAS- l told you, I fixed up things
around the house during the slack time.
One of the bits of furniture I knocked
together was a bedstead. 1t was more
like a broad lounge than a bedstead, for
it had neither a head nor footboard.
One end was raised a little like q couch,
and that was the head. We had some
bearskins and blankets to sleep on, and
more blankets to cover us. 1t was a
big improvement on the floor where we
had been sleeping, and after a days
hard work handling logs fused to think
it about as comfortable q spot as I
knew.
well, it got along into the fall and
we began to have chilly nights. The
equinoctial gave us a big rain and for a
fortnight / had all the water [ could use.
Then it got dry again. One afternoon,
after several days of threatening wealth
er, it began to rain. Hour after hour the
rain came down till about 9 o'clock in
the evening, when it suddenly cleared
off and turned cold. 1t was late in
October, and we kept a fire burning on
the hearth nights, more for the baby's
sake than for our own. Our bed was
parallel with the fireplace, and stood
out near the middle of the room. We
had an English shepherd dog named
Leo, which we took with us from Mas
sachusetts. He was a black-and-white
beauty, and my wife, who had raised
him, thought about as much of him as
she did of the baby and me-or, at
least, 1 used to tell her so. The dog
was fond of me, and I made a great pet
of him. He was a noble fellow, and all
he wanted was for me to whistle just
once and he'd come. We let him sleep
in the room at the foot of the bed
Sometimes in the morning I'd wake uI
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. L thew an extra
pine knot on the fire and went to the
NOOI anu lOOhCd Olb l. oldl hCNCl "
get that look, for it was the last time
ever stood there and saw stars above
Skinner Hollow. / 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. Fol
some reason 1 didn't sleep long, and
when L walked up I couldn't go to sleeT
again. Finally / 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 l stopped
down and patted his head. Invent bach
to bed and fell into an uneasy sleep. AL
at once 1 awakened with a start. i
must have been past midnight. 1 seem
edto be fully awake the moment Iopen
ed my eyes,, and such a sight as they rest
ed ON God grant they may never SEE
again. I was lying on my left side, fac
ing my wife, who was lying OF her right
side. The baby lay on its back between
us. As 1 opened my eyes a dark OBJ
iect glided down from off the baby, ant
lust then the knot burst into flames anC
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, AMI startled, nc
doubt, by some movement L had made
in waking had thrown itself into a col
on the bed at the baby's feet and jus
opposite my knee.
-"Somebody asks if life is worth liv
ing. I think it is as a general thing,