Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1888-02-26

holt o. an cal. Inc raDDub nat Iaiiy
pranced round skittish like, an looked
wild an tried to git away. But the snakes
held it tight by the ears, an led it up to
whar the getherin' O. snakes were the
thickest. The ~rattlers an the black snakes
an all the rest O. the sarpints crowded
round the rabbit an looked him all over.
One big rattler went up and pried the rab-
bits mouth p an then looked at his
teeth. very clus an p'tic'lar like. Tn
was a great time o. hissin' an rattlin' an
iawin' 10 an fro, and then out from t'other
side 10 the opsnin' kim two big rattle
snakes, lesdin' another rabbit, jist the
same ez the black snakes had fetched
tber'n in. Th' was the same h~ellabsloo
made over this I'm th't tn were over
t'other IN.
"'Wall," says 1 to myself, 'thuz gointer
be some fun here, b'gosh,' says /, but
w'uther it's to be o barbecue or o real III
tie rabbit says l, is more tina l kin state
al the present writin',' says l.
"But, Peleg, it want nuther a barbecue
nor a raw bolt. Wen the excitementover
| the 'pearance o. the two rabbits in the
ring had settled down, the getherin' o,
snakes scattered a little, an o sassy lookln'
RATHER, young an clipper, kim for ard,
an a shiny black snake, bigger thin the
RATHER, kim to the front at the same Tune
Then tn were another big time, hotter'n
t'other uns, over these two snakes, an
or three fights during the discussion.
":JeewhizzI 1 says to myself, i guess
them two snakes is gointer bolt them rab-
bits on q bet,' says /.
"But l want nowhar nigh the upshot O.
the business yit, Peleg. Bimeby w'ateyer
trouble tn was seemed to be settled. The
eetherin' o. snakes scattered. Some O. the
snakes elm up the highest O. the brush,
an all of'em got ready for wat were COM
in The two black snakes and the two rat
tiers th't had trotted out rabbits was a
holdin' on to 'em yit, an they backed EN-
around, and stood 'em side by side, heads
even. Suddenly the clipper young RATHER
sprung on the back O. the rabbit his friends
was ho.din', an the shiny black snake
Jumped on the rabbit his friends was hold
in. The two snakes wrapped their tails
around the rabbits, and then a great big
RATHER that laid off TO one side on a big
rock, with O black snake on n side OF
him an a bio vim adder OF t'other side,
sprung his rattle three times. The rattle
snakes an the black snakes that was
holdin' the rabbits drapped their
holt. The air wa filled with a
chorous o. hissin' an ratelin th't almost
made me def, an then away sprung the
rabbits, with the two snakes for riders,
and licky-te-split they went on the dead
Jump around that beaten track. l toll ye
but. I 'spected, o'course, to see them
rabbits tear off in the brush away frem
that getherin' O. snakes, but | soon see that
ey'ry little ways around that circle a big
snake were posted like q p'liceman, an
KEEP the rabbits in the course. i
want so consumed inherent, Peleg,
not to know, men, th't the getherin' o
snakes was q rscin' meetin', an th't the
race were 'twixt a rabbit b'longing to
some rattlesuake an one b'longin' to a
blacksnake. The snakes were all bilin'
over with excitement, an soma of 'em
th't had elm the brush to git \ better
sight o. the course got so carried away
with the sport th't they tumbled to the
ground. l got all worked up myself, an
'twers all ! could do to keep from hollerin'
out.
wall, the race was soon over, an the
rabbit rid by the young RATHER came in
way ahead. Then tn was a time that
knocked all the Others clean out. The
~rattlers was wild, an tumbled about on
the snow an twistin theirselfs round one
another, AN rolled till | thought they'd
bust every bell az button they had. But
while the rattlers and some o. t'other
snakes was huggin' one another fer joy
the black snakes an friends O. their rab
bit was hissin' mad an crowded round
| the old RATHER an the black snake on the
rock, an made an eVerlastin' kick. Ez
fur ez I KID make out the three snakes on
the rock was the jedges, an the hackers
o. the losin' rabbit was raisin' a pint th't
sumpin' hadn't been did 'd'alctly on the
squee ee. Bimeby everything got quiet,
and l see that the jedges we're decidin'
on the pint. The decision didn't suit
the ~rattlers an their friends, but they
give i'd:
"Now, wat be thsm rampagin' sarpents
gointer do next, says l to myself.
II didn't hef to wait long, Peleg, to sec
| Two OF three snakes hurried off through
| the brush to'ards the creek, a hundred foot
or SO away. They want gooe long, an
wen they kim back each one had his chops
| filled with little round stones. Then the
young rattlesnaks th't rid the winnin' rab
| bit throwed his mouth wide open, an the
snakes dropped the stones one by one in
| his mouth, an he swallered 'em. Wen
he had done that the black snake th't
LII Ia Atothnr rnhhik ohnt hio tail
up an layed it over q scrub oak
limb bout four foot frum tn ground. The
tail stuck over on t'other side O. the limb.
The young RATHER riz himself up ON the tip
o. his tail, an could jist reach the tip o.
| the blacksnake's tail with his teeth. He
grabbed it in his mouth an curled his own
tail mp often the ground. Then his weight
pulled the blackspake often the ground,
an both ~sarpints hung clear, evenly bal
anced ia the air. Want that plain enough,
Peleg? Ye see, the young RATHER were so
much lighter on his rabbit thin the black
snake were on his that the hackers o the
blscksnak's rabbit howled agin its bein' a
fair race, an the majority o. the jedges
had seer their pint an stood by 'em. The
copsekences were th't the young RATHER
had to be evened up in heft with the black
snake, an a committee were app'inted to
see it done-sn' it were done fair an
square. In the second %ruunin' of the race
the rabbits was comm in neck an neck,
an the chances wa th't d end in a dead
heat, ez scotch things is called by agger-
cult'rists. But jist ez the racers got
within one jump O. the endin' place, with
both O. the ridin' snakes a lashin' their
rabbits with their tails, witch was ez good
ez whips, the Young RATHER slung his tail
for'ard and jabbed it agin the root o. one
O. his rabbits lopg ears an bent the ear
straight in front O. him till it stuck ahead
its hull length. The two rabbits Land
cd at the same second, with their feet and
heads plumb even in front O. the iedges'
rock. But the little trick th't the cum
MIN RATHER played on the black.