Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1886-11-17

one OF elm TOO much IL II was Ori .r~Der-
ries they had Ben would help stem and
pick ont the briers and sticks and dirt from
'em. In that kind Of work he was as
handy as ten-year-oli gal When
the boys went fishing Bon would fay down
In the boat and so fast asleep. but when
they got through and pulled for shore he'd
wake up, yawn little and then stretch
out straight, for he knew his place In the
procession was waiting for him. The boys
always used him to string their Ssh on
and then one would take him by the head
and the other by the tail, AMI they had as
nice fish-cart as you'd want to see.
As was saying, that snake was one OF
the most useful pets I ever saw an the
handiest reptile about house lever heard
of. Even my wife got to be very fond Of
him. Sh,'d sometimes hang him across
two chairs, m king a rack to dry clothes
on. She used him to clean out the stove
pipe with, and he kept the pantry and clos
cts clear Of all kind of vermin. I've seen
him take a pin between his teeth and run
il through an ant a fly or a roach quicker
than you could say JACK Robinson.
But the cusest thin- he ever did was to
take care of a family OF young mice. One
day my wife was sitting in the kitchen
reading, when shs saw Ben come in kind
OF sneaking like, ami sho knowsd he was
after some meanness. She let on not to
see him, and after loafing around a little
he crawled into the pantry, and in q few
minutes came out and went in the direction
Of the harm. She followed him, and looking
through a kBothole in one Of the boards
saw the stransest sight. In ono corner Of
the barn. bohind some old fodder, was a
nest with four littls mice in it, and the
snake was a-feedinz them with milk. How
did he carry the milk, Why, he drawed
the skin up over has hoad forming it into
a sort Of cup, and carried it full Of milk to
the mica, letting each one sip il in turn
When my wife hollersd at him he was sort
Of angry at first and sprung his ratio,
bAtr--
Hold on, Major" said ths judge. "You
aro getting q little bit mixed now. You
said it was q black .sn Ike, and / never
heard Of one Of that species having a rat
tlc."
"Well, guess he could have borrowed
one from some other SNAKE" replied the
Major, huffiy, as he sank back in his chair
~ was living down III oil Suwan.e e
once, at place called P ,ssum Trot," said
the Colonel. 81 was always fond OF pet
from boyhood up. and, among other
things, l had a bla ok snake named Fitz,
and he was diisy, too Ho always sat at
the table with US ana got SO smart that he
could drink coffee ou5 OF cup as easy as
the professor there can drink whisky out Of
an old gourd. How did he do iti Why, h I'd
just make a 10 p around taecup, tilt it up
and pour the coffee right down his throat
II the coffee wasn't too hot he'd stir it up
with his tall first, so as to get all the sugar
I Id
thousand dollars for that snake, for h.
saved my little two-year- old boy from
drowning once. You SEQ. johnnie and the
snake were playing out in thu yard, an
Johnnie somehow got too near the we'll
and fell in. There was about ten feet OF
water in the we'll. and he'd have been in
Heaven now if it hadn't been for FitE The
bucie. was on tha rope, bat the snake low.
cred the rope down and fol owed 1t like a
srreak OF lightning. Whom he got down he
found my lutte hoy clutching a loose piece
of curbing with his tiny fingers. Well, to
cut my story short for it makes me nerv-
Gus even now to think Of it, he brought
Johnnie out of the wall, safer
"How did he manage it, Colonelr' in
quired the much Interested professor
why. he just tie him self in double
knot around the baby's b ,dy un Ter the
arms and clim up the rope hand ovsr hand
like sailor When got there he was un-
tying the knot, and the tears was just a.
rolling down his cheeks, he was so glad to
think he had saved his little playmate. My
wife made some hot sage tea for both OF
them, so as they wouldn't take cold, and
the next day gave Fitz three toads that
went out and caught myself for knoweG
he deserved reward for his bravery"