The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1888-03-17
FROLICKING SNAKES.
They I'sake Sides and Engage in a
s;nOw-Dalling Match.

They I'ake Sides and Engage in a
s'now-Ealling Match.
A Roaring River iNio.) CORES pendent os
the Chicago !nte, 0ccan is authority for the
following winter snake story:
Halt q hundred people make up the popu-
lation Of Roaring River way down in Bury
County, Southwest Missouri, where White
river has aWindled into such u little stream
That it can almost be stepped across ax-
cept when swollen by Treshets. OF the fifty
inhabitants OF Roaring River. there are but
a dozen fll-grc,vn and able-bodied males.
Bus to-day they had all gathered at Sin1p.
sons combination general merchandise
store and grocery. and were listening in
open mouihed wonder to the story told by
Old yini Bridger, q relic Of pioneer days and
an own cousin OF the wcll-known scout and
trapper. Jim had just returned from the
Ozark mountains, Wi1era large game can
still be found at rare intervals. The biz
card that set in just after Christmas had
come bowling down Into section rarely
visited by such severe weather, and gem
nine snoW-storn1, LASTING through the night,
had surprised the Oldest inhabitant. and
ceased only after tlla ground had been coq-
cred to depth CT several inches Ji11 YVES
exposed to the storm, and tcld his listeners
1t was the worst he had ever known in
Southwest Missouri, aud reminded him of
some OF the old-tiu2ers out on tho plains,
when he had seen his comrades perish one
after another, victims OF the fearful frcez-
lug blasts.
But 'tyvln't the storm that fotahed ne
-fr, J;,,;
THAT skeered me so I believe I've growed
gray -healea.'
Jiin laughed and so did his hearers, for
his head was innocent OF hair except little
fringe here and there. But jim Quickly
checked lis own hilar;ty and waved his
hand i1npatiently for the gaping villagers
also to cease
"1Vhat / seed,'' he began, slowly and
solemnly, "I'm gwino ter tell you ,4ny
about. Mebbe none'u b'lieve it, but you'd
better. fur old jim Briager don't member
Of SO very many felless that's znocl1in'
round tho yescth just at present who got
the ilear inter the heads chat he'd been
u -ts.,npe.in' with the truth and he'd the
check to say so. Well, Christmas Day and
Monday. too, I'd been loafin' round '5hout
much luck; fur garne's gittira' skaser and
skaseE, am bi1nshy thur'n not even be g.
rabbit lel'. I nlozeyed round Till putty
near sundown, Monday. It war a-gittin'
colder an' colder, and began to snow. kinder
wet and lazylll<e, as if knowi11' 'tsvant no
place fiji: the 'butifal,' way down in this
tent7y. J. knoweli IL little hole in the
rocks g. mile or 50 furder OH, an' TUX & bee.
line fur it, gittin: thar jest afore dark. J.
scraped some old logs together, an
built up roarin' fire at the back
Of the cave, agin the rocks J.
seed thar war little crack up bout as
high as my head, an T. noticed the smoke
war kinder DRAWN inter it, an thought to !
myself: What a bully chlmbly got, made
to order,' an then / trun Oh a few more
logs an went ter sleep Bout six O'Clock I
woke, feelin' pow'ful hungry. kicked the
Goals together, piled On moro wood an soon
had the biggest kim Of ire ;lgin then L |
shouldered my gun and struck out just !
after su1l-up, tryin' to fin suthin' Wutil |
ooppin' over fur my breakfast, an all the |
time thinlrin' what d bully bed OF Goals |
thar'd be full, me to cook it on. Wall. l !
KEEP gcin On and on, an 'tfsas nigh ON to !
ten o'clock afore managed to pop over |
even & rabbit. See1a'd sit ali the gaI,c'd !
gone inter thar holes vnen the snow kim, |
sides twas gittin' sc tarnal sloppy that
most every thing but q durned fool llnoweu |
muff to keep inside. The sun was tim |
hotter an hotter an neitn' the snow like |
20 much wax when / trampod back to the :
cave, bout IS mad at myself an ihe rest Of |
the folks as generally git, Bout q hun |
1red yards frou, the hole the woods cleared
away, an thar ,vl1z an open spot clean up to |
he spot wl1ar I'd camped. [ did what I've !
always done afore steppin' out inter the
,learin', tull a squjnt all over il. kinder /
quick like, jest from habit.
"Mav DO durn;d if I ever e1xpcc5 70 live
% see another s,ch a sight. 1t made me
stop in my tracks like I'd suddenly friz
stiff.
ssMay be what say won be b'l1eved, but .
;hen-jest 'memoer my remark few mill .
ties ago, will yea Not moren twenty /
raids from me WIZ half dozen of the big
3est rattiesnaEes ever seed. and they WIZ
4ctin' Jest the uueerest. A whopper that
aust hev bin ten feet long wus nearest to
ne, an he'd jest settled himself down in
he s]usby snow when l. spied him. He wuz
yrigglin' round ar 'round sud then all TT
student he seemed to BIG q tryin' to tie
1isseit inter- big knot. Then I noticed the
,est of the rattlers goiu' through the same
md of motion. l looked up the side Of The
v
gang of lem goin on at the same rate, an
hen got my eyes sot on the cave, an it
vuz jest a-swarmin' with reptiles. To save
ne, couldn't make it all ont for few
minutes. Then all of student the fust fell
ow til seed stiffened up like he WIZ a-tryin'
o stan on his head an noticed thar WIZ
white knot onto the end OF his tail
bout as big as my fist He kinder swayed
,ack'a ard and for'ard on his head for sec
md OF two, and then the knot flew off Of the
lip of his ts.ll an went kerwhiz! straight as
rifle-ban at the other gang o. snakes.
Then 'nuther an nuther jumped up an
vent through jest the same action, the fell
ers on the hill firm back an a-gettin in
har work jest as lively as the crowd ncard-
,st me, while up at the cave thar commenced
Itch rafting that it seemed to me that 9
rum corps had let loose all of suddint.
..;Then 'tw'ar all clearin' daylight to me.