Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1888-05-09
TIE SNAKE CHARMER.

/ don't pretend 70 account for II. Won
know, or offer any excuse, such as
inherent madness, OF taiut in the blood.
but ! simply say-aS 1 would that /
have a lock OF gray hair in a bald
place ON my head and mole on my
neck-that l am irresistably drawn
toward tropical snakes and have
leaning in the direction of fakirs and
smugglerS My friend HaTcourt is as
much drawn the other way, but /
swear l had no notion of the probable
effect on him the day drew him into
little cross street or court, where Il
number OF very fat, well-preserved
boaS were lOllng IN the obscurity of a
dark glass case on a pile OF semi white
blankets.
Harcourt, something OF a dreamer
generally, followed me in my search
ings after wonders, as amlable rs a
collie, with only an understanding in a
tacit sort of way that 1 was not to
introduce HIM To women who would
fancy 70 an iucumbAut beuevoleace to
pull him out and make him talk
l hardly think he knew where We
were until forcibly plucked him out
OF the Unrestricted glare of July day To
the gauduy papered passage way TO the
museum.
"HarcoUrt, have lovely specimens
% show you -mOttled boas and cobras,
and AN uwfully swell kind OF snake
chArmer done up in the true Oriental
tImsies-red Golf. bracelets of sequins,
bare ankles, and all that. The Rajah
IL a snake you should know. Upon
my Life, l think hs begins to know
me"
With the best intentions in the
l
and he stumbled against the cage with
dull thump on the glass, which reused
"k8iah," and, rearing his head very
sensibly, he gazed straight into our
could ever bssctmhe, fT7y friend shrank
back and seemed suddenly bereft of his
legs. l steaiIet him up, and really
thought on the moment that the minis
terlal HarcOurt had imbibed an extra
glass of some spirited American drink.
He asked me 10 take him in the air.
He was pitiably weak and as ghostly as
II he had seen his grandmother's ghost
in camera Obscura.
The strong, rOllicking breeZa
brought him round, and almost quite
himself he led the way 10 one of the
wayside parks 50 refreShinyly frequent
In the large cities OF this country.
He laid his hat on the park seat and
nervOusly wiped his forehead. while l
tried TO eDtice pigeon from the gravel
without plum cake, seeming not To
notice his strange agitation.
lie reverted 10 the affair uppermost
IN my mind himself in his painful
straightforward way:
Don't laugh, StTahan, when l tell
you that l am the slave to an all per-
UIdng dominant horror. l cannot
look at snakes, although once l really
believed that Nature intended to in
spire admiration in making brown
and green boa. And women of the
tropics were once my alteration, with
their brown velvety skins, black eyes
and graceful movements" He shud-
dered.
Now l can never see the one with
out being reminded of the other. In
fact, think there has been sort of
sympathy between women and snakes
since the conquest or Eve by the ser
pent. Both are fascinating. The ser
pent fasteus you with its gaze like a
woman; the woman stIngs you to death
Ike the snake. Let me tell you my
story. Perhaps then you may ind an
excuse for me, and tolerance of some
thing that IS not superstitlous, heaven
knOwsr'
could not think of anything to say,
80 l said nothing.
HarCOurt, as l explained, was PAIN
fully direct. l do not like verbiage,
but I shun man generally who dives
headlong into thing aud drags you
with him. Yet, liked HarcOurt, as
We sometimes do a chap who we fancy
has suffered his full measure,
There are pages in my life, Strahan,
which you do not know; but you do
know that l was an officer In one of her
Malesty's Foot Guards in India, and
that sold my commission on account
OF fever TO DE Land. of the Hawk
hurst Blues, and left before my time
was wild fellow IN those days. y
rev hours before my departure, while
returning from tiger-hunt IN which
and my followers were shameTully out
Witted, l ran across the tent of a snake
eaarmer-a villAinously dirty old Hin
doo, who with horrible yells and i'm
precautions made the twilight hideous
Dy cudgeling his daughter, as he swore
sne was, while she asseverated with
Alted arm TO Allah that she was
simply his slave. interfered, of
eourSe. we had a free fight, leaving
the Old fakir bOrS de combat, aud bore
on the child Zobeide-one of the love-
-esV creatures even then that I had
ever seen, and as wild as hawk.
1t was lucky that | had been fully
prepared to leave the company. AS it
S was Ihe boys Of my mess begged me to
lave nothing 10 do with Parsee, Hin
Ioo or Arab women. TO leave this dark
eu nouri behind. Seeing me obdu-
'a.e, captain Bellamy said:
DO as you will, Harcourt, but you
,Lay Lay regret the ddy you did 50 foolish a
You
And how often havel
nut then-lt was with a glow OF
altation l admitted to myself the
a'n.e e ownership Of anything so Gn-
s1ueeu sS and 50 beautiful as Zobeide.
no ooe was as delicious to my senses as
esranate blossom, and was graft