, 1888-03-11
SARPINTS WIDE AWAKE.

OARilNl ID WIDE AW AkE.
1t was plain to be seen that there was
something %agitating the inquiring mind
Of little Peleg. the Old Settlers lively
grandson. The Old Settler himself was
busy tying fish ines on bits of shingles,
which indicated that he was contem-
plating an carly trip to the pond to fish
for piCkerel through the ice. He was
evidently not in a good humor. 1t was
that fact, no doubt, that led Peleg to try
and relieve his mind through the medium
of his grandmother, the Old Settlers
amiable Maria. She was putting on her
hood, prepatory to starting for the red
school house, where Brother Shedfddle,
of the Lost Crow Barren circuit, was to
preside that evening at an experience
meeting; but Peleg was wild for infor.
nation, and he ventured this question:
"Gran'mammy, > said he, whats
the reason that snakes goes in their holes
in the winter time and don't come out
again till spring"
III dunno. my son." said Peleg's
grandmother, as she tied her hood strings
under her chin with a jerk; "but / guess
1t mus be cause they don't hev no wife
10 carry in stove wood for 'em every
night to keep 'em warm all winter, like
some people th't amt snakes hasl''
l'cleg's grandmother looked severely at
the Old Settler as she finished her answer,
and then she went out of the house with
her head 50 high and her back SO stiff
that the Old Settler remarked quietly to
Iolcg. after he had heard the front gate
slam shut:
'lt'd be with yer vile, Peleg, to
drop inter the red school house this even
in an listen to yer gran'mammy's
experience. It'll be ~livelier, b'gosh, TIM
that yeller book yev ben readin' bout
Squint-eyed Gabe, the Injin chawer."
Pcleg busted himself by wetting his
finger in his mouth and marking snake
like figures with it on the kitchen table,
casting n wistful glance now and then
toward his grandfather, who kept on
with the rigging of his pickerel tackle.
The Old Settler finished his work at last.
and, lighting his pipe, sat down in his
rocking chair and for n few moments
smoked in silence. By and by he said:
''Pclcg, wen yer pinin' for little p'ints
in nat'ral hist'ry, alluz come + o me. Yer
gran nanny hain't had the chances to
study natur' ez l hev, an if she had she
couldn't lay down the p'ints to We ez
plain an simple ez l kin, her narves
bein' strung a leetle too high, an her pa
thence with childhood strugglin' to Earn
bein' a leetle short at one end. Now,
wat were it we were achin' fer to know2n
Peleg frightened up like a ray of sun
light striking n tin rooster on q barn, and
eagerly repeated his question.
~''Gran'pop, what's the reason that
snakes goes in their holes in winter TINA
and don't come out again until spring2"
wall, Peleg," said the Old Settler,
blowing a cloud Of smoke toward the
ceiling, and watching it as it writhed and
curled and contorted itself into shapes
wildly suggestive of the subject of Pc
legs inquiry, 'it's all cause times hain't
like they usety was, an cause snakes has
degin'rated the same ez ev'rything else.
Wen l were n boy in the Sugar Swamp
deestric' it want SO. Snakes didn't
climb fer a hole in the rocks, in them
days, ez soo ez the fust fetch o. frost
struck the air, like they do nowadays.
They had vim in 'em, an sportin' blood,
an were on the taps fer fun an business
jist the same wen the snow were four
foot on the level eZ they was wen birds
nests was ripe an chipmunks was sassin'
OF EN- on buck an rider fences. TIL
WANT no snake dens nowhar round
Sugar Swamp, time tat l were a boy,
Peleg, an if I'd ha' only thort of it then,
nj jist sot down an writ nat'ral hist'ry
'cordin' to the way natur' cut an
fitted things an turned 'em loose in the
Sugar Swamp dccstric' sixty or seventy
year ago., it'd make We LAUGH so to read
it, sonny, th't yer Eran'mnn,my wouldn't
hev' no time 10 do nu;hiu' Iuit sew yer
buttons on, va bust Gun of so slick an
reg lar. Snakes in them days know'd a
good deal, an they worked 'arly an late
durin' the summer, an then list layed
back an inj'yd theirselfs ez long ez win
ter lasted. Peleg. eff you-k'd ha' iist sot
by in the brush an seen a passel o. Sugar
Swamp snakes layin' theirselfs out i n a
regular old fashioned game o. shiny on
the ice, one side bein' made up, mebby,
with slick an %glistenin' b~lacksnakes,
t'other side, ez like ez not. bein' gay an
festive rattlesnakes-if you KID only ha'
sot by some'rs an seen a sight like that,
Pelcg, I'm a thinkin' th't the things we
see an hear nowadays d seem tanner
thin a pct red spuirl in n tin cage"
But, gran pop" said Peleg, chow did
they
"Ast me no questions, sonny" inter-
rupted the Old Settler, IAN I'll tell We
jist ez much truth. l hain't a feelin'
p'tic'lar good this evenin'. or I'd give We
n hull string o. facts ez to how Sugar
Swamp snakes played shiny on the ice
wien l were II boy. Some other time,
mebby, III feel more clipper like, an
II give yc all the pints. I'll pass over
en- now, an tell ye sumpin' else th't
they uScty muse theirselfs with in them
rippin' oil times, fore everything begun
10 degin'rate, and natur to quit a dom
things up brown. Peleg, did ye ever see
n hoss racC2''
"No, Gran'pop," replied Peleg, 'but
l seen a lot q fcllers racin' a creased pig