, 1886-07-27

hwer to the summons, like a demon
through n trap in a pantomime.
The old man was eccentrically clad in
the suit of leather in which / had been
prep lred to see him attired, and the skin
Of n raccoon with the tail hanging grace
fully behind, formed a characteristic COW
ering for his grey head. His features were
deeply marked with age and n hard from
tier life, but had an appearance of hale
ness and health only seen in those habitu-
ated to an open-air existence.
Here's n young lady come all the way
from New York to see you, said Saul, with
pardonablc exaggeration-Old feathers
took off his cap and bowed with the air OF
a polished courtier-"Can't you show her
your pets,"
-Why, yes" said the old man. But you
must not be frightened" he continued,
with n genial smile. Its not every one
thlt fancies 'em. Keep quiet, aud | will
bri lg them out"
Though considerably nervous, 1 con
cealed II cowardice which felt that Saul
would nave despised. and was silent,
whilst the old man took a flute from his
pocket, and began to play one of those
-Clristy Minstrel airs which are so popu-
lar in the United States.
Then | saw a sight which ~astonished me.
From under each Of the numerous blocks
Of stone which were scattered around came
a snake. "Copperheads," spotted with
copper-colorcd splotches not only on the
he.d but all over the body; garter
snrkes," gray and yellow-green, were
there; but the majority OF the audience at
Old Leathcrs' concert belonged to the
species designated in natural history books
as the deadly" rattlesnake. They came
forward and curled and wound themselves
ulAttt htl AorlAr0f aallaa fhatr h.a1a
gliding upwards over his legs, moving as
II In caress, and then falling 10 the ground,
rising again to repeat the motion. The
quaint figure of the old frontiersman;
the grotesque contract between the strains
OF @Motner, 1 nm Dying Fast" and the
general surroundings; the background OF
rocky cliffs and irregular rock-strewn grass
and the sight of the ever-moving, silent
reptiles, whom my fancy and their con-
slant restless motion multiplied into
thrice their number, had "A strange effect
upon my senses. Louder and longer
sounded the soft notes of the flute; faster
and faster coiled and uncoiled themselves
the supple bodies Of the snakes; till, at
last, l felt n sort of mesmeric drowsiness
coming over me, and had | gazed at this
strange spectacle much longer, l believe,
despite my horror of snakes in general,
and 'rattlers" in particular, | should have
left the spot where ] was standing and
joined in n tarantala dance with Old
feathers favorites.
But the music ceased, and almost before
he had time to put up his instrument
every snake had disappeared as suddenly
as he come. | pressed the old man to
n take n reward for his exhibition, but he
kourteously refused. "If you would like
to buy one, miss" he said; Al sell many to
%menageries, and send some to England"
Seeing my horror, he added, "You would
not be the first, miss. Only this morning
-" "On, nor l interrupted him in
horror. Thanking him for his courtesy,
we departed as we had come, but by
what seemed an easier path. AS we
climbed it noticed on the ground a glove.
On picking it up | saw it was IA woman's.
and abstractedly put into my pocket, and
we gained the wagon and drove home as
fast us Deacon Clay's two trotters could
carry us.
1t had been arranged that we should
play Antony and Cleopatra" on that
particular evening, by particular desire of
the deacon and leading inhabitants OF
Selma, and asked Saul to drive quickly
that l might be back in time for the CALI
at II. On arriving at the hall, l found a
warm alteration going on between Mr..
Calhoun and his wife. She had formerly
attempted the part of Cleopatra, and l be-
lieve IL was the one in which she was least
unsatisfactory. But | really believe that
her strongest objection to my undertaking
the role arose from her distate for the
demonstrations of affection which the
draniatist's lines suggest between the
amorous Antony and the Egyptian queen.
was obliged to be n listener to this con-
nubial dispute; and from what l heard l
gathered that the conduct of Pepita had
of late not been entirely exemplary, and it
was as much to teach her a lesson as to
secure an adequate representation OF the
part that her husband refused, in not too
civil terms, to alter the cast of Antony
and Cleopatra" Pepita might play
CHAIRMAN if she chose; otherwise she
might leave it alone.n
AT this refusal the passionate temper of
the mestizo ilared MO flame. She first
of all poured out upon the head of her de-
voted husband II flood of abuse which l
need not write down here; and, then turn
ing to me, she scolded me soundly for
having "supplanted her, " ms she called it.
yes she said, her black eyes flashing,
her nostrils dilated, md her hand clenched
in II style that il she could only have re-
produced it on the stage, would have made
htA 80 ohAhotNAASAhNf 1PA ~ y
taken my bread out of my mouth, and you
have taken my husband; but. mark my
words, you won't live to enjoy eitherl'
Then her eyes falling upon the glove which
happened to be protruding from the
pocket of my ulster, she cried, Thief
would you take everything" snatched the
glove away, and dashed, weeping wildly,
out of the place.
| was surprised to discover that it was
Pepita's glove which | had picked up, and
IN uneasy wonde how it came to be left
wnere | had found it lowered. so to speak
Mt the back of my brains for some hours.
But, rs these were also occupied with the
very harassing work Of rehearsing. 1t was
not strange that my secondary musings
had no definite result.
There was n sort OF suppressed hostility
In Pepita's manner when we met Mt the
theatre in the evening. She was paler
than usual, and more reflective and alb
stracted. She played CHAIRMAN as II in a
dream. There was evidently something
on, or in, her mind which made her man
ner so unusual. Once, when her husband
attempted to enter her d~ressing-room, she
slammed the door In his face and bolted 1t
On the inside.
The play proceeded, ms usual,
TIL we came TO the well known
scene OF Cleopatra's suicide in the last
act. The actor who played the clown was
ushered in by C~leopatra's handmaldens,
and In answer to my question, "Hast thou
the pretty worm OF Nilus there, that kills
and hurts notf' delivered the speech set
dow for him. While waiting for my
cue, | was harassed by a sound for which
| could not account II was a gentle 'whirr,
Ill n dry pea rattllng in its pod. / tried
dreamily to ~locallze this noise; and II Is a
curious instance of the difficulty of dccls-
lon In these cases that II was not until |