The Washington critic., 1888-03-24

and we were glad the excitement was
nearly over, and that on the following
day we should start for our own quiet
home again.
"On that last evening an informal
reception-you can imagine how in
formal when ! tell you that il was
held in barn--was given in honor
of the gentlemen who had been speak
ers in the recent celebrations. My
husband, of course, was anxious to 90,
but ] was so tired that, in prospect of
our coming journey, | was allowed
leaving me alone in the house, as it
was considered perfectly safe to do,
and | was only too glad for the oppor-
tunity of rest and quiet.
81 went early to my room and pre-
pared for bed, intending to enjoy to
the utmost Il long nights sleep. 1t
was an exquisite moonlight evening,
and as blew out my candle pulled
up the shade of the window close by
the head of my bed, in order to. enjoy
the flood Of silver light that streamed
into the room. But even that could
not keep my tired eyes open; l was
soon fast asleep
Here Mrs. Bailey paused for q mo-
ment and drew her thin shawl closer
about her shoulders with q little
shudder glancing os she did so at our
host.
"Do you know, Mr. Donaldson" !" she
said, 81 can never even think Of that
night without chill of fear"
perhaps you had better not try to
tell us of It then, my. dear madam"
he replied, gently, "but /. assure you
we are all much Interested"
"Oh, yes, ] will finish it, now that
I've begun. No doubt il is foolish of
me to be so nervous at q remembrance,
but can't help it.
'You all know, probably, at least
by hearsay, what that peculiar sensa-
tion is of waking suddenly from
sound sleep with the oppressive con-
sciousness that there is some other
living thing in the room beside your
self. ] had not slept an hour, for !
heard the clock in the hall strike nine
just after | awoke, before expert
enced that feeling.
81 opened my eyes suddenly and
sat up in bed with every nerve ting
ling and every sense alert, though /
was not conscious that there had been
the least sound in the room.
-'The moonlight was lying in q
broad band through the centre of the
floor, leaving the corners in shadow,
yet not really dark. The house was
as still as death except for the ticking
of the hall clock. Outside, the tree
toads croaked dismally--to this day |
hate the combination of tree-toads
and moonlight
''For moment sat there, straining
both eyes and ears; then / distinctly
heard slight rustic in the corner of
the room opposite the foot of my bed.
Turning quickly in that direction !
felt sure that / saw the car
pet move-that hastily tackled car
pet, whose untidiness we had no
ticed only a day or two before. NY
heart almost stopped beating, and /
felt as if should lose my senses when
there was another movement, this
time plainly and Enthusiastically.
"Can you even conceive my horror
when q huge, black, shapeless mass
began 10 emerge from this shadowy
corner Was it beast or man? Was
/ to be devoured or murdered, all
alone there, on the prairie? / had
heard terrible stories of bears in that
wild country; but no, this thing could
not be q bear, for it had neither height
nor bulk enough.
II held my breath and watched the
object as it slowly, slowly glided out
into the. strip of moonlight, and at
last my horror-stricken eyes saw dis
f;,,nt1xr ..tIn ~ 4
serpent, with flat, repulsive head that
moved TO and fro in the air with the
tongue darting i'll and out as if for
invisible food and sinuous length
trailed noiselesslv after it along the
floor ] wonder that my hair did not
turn white in that moment, for /
knew but too well what this terrible
companion of mine was had heard
of his kind too often since coming
West not to recognize him instantly
as the much dreaded poisonous black
snake, whose bite is as venomous
and deadly as rattlesnake's.
l glanced wildly around the room
for n chance to escape, but my
enemy had placed himself between
me and the door leading into the hall,
which was the only exit except the
long windows, and to reach those
must pass within twelve inches of his
head. Then, too, must stop to raise
the sash, as, owing to the location of
my room on the ground floor, the win
dows were open only from the top. /
dared not do this, and it is probably
well that | dld not attempt it. The
snake had evidently been asleep with
in few feet of our bed for three
days at least, and now, after his long
nap, was hungry and perhaps vicious,
as they sometimes become. What
should 1 do?
every second seemed an hour with
this horrible creature so near me, and
my greatest fear was that at any mo-
ment he might raise his hateful head
high enough to see me, in which case
he would perhaps attack me, as l had
heard such snakes would do, if fright
ened.
81 lay back on my pillow noiselessly,
drew the sheet over my mouth, and
said my prayers. What else could /
do? The horror of that half hour can
never be told, for had been in that
| position just thirty minutes, with my
revolving companion lying almost
motionless along the floor, when
heard my husbands voice, together
with those of our host and hostess, as
the three approached the house to-
| gether.
'HThen was seized with new terror.
If Mr.. Bailey came into the room sud
denly the snake would no doubt become
frightened, and turn violent at
once; yet if | screamed a warning my
husband would surely fly to me with
additional haste. felt that the crisis
had come, and in my fear for him /
| was lust about TO try the terrible eX.