The Arkansaw traveler., 1888-06-09

sound; then she went quickly but cautiously, watching the ground as she walked towards the front of the house. I followed her.
 As she turned the corner whence she could command a full view of the front, she stopped short with gasp ing scream, and stood staring before her with a countenance of horror. 1 stepped to her side, and saw a sight that appalled, me.
 On the flat stone door step, sitting edgewise in the attitude in which she had climbed upon it, was Ethel gazing in wonder and pleasure, as at toy, on a dark coiled mass lying before her on the step. From the center of the mass the vibrating tail sent forth it's dreadful whizzing rattle, while lying over it's own flattened coils rested the supple neck, the heavy head of the massasauga, every cruel line deepened and intensified, the beady eyes gleam- ing with anger, as with fixed atten- tion it watched the child whose inno- cent face was not the length of it's body away.
 AS if fascinated, she was slowly leaning forward towards the snake whose rattle quickened as she drew near. For moment l stood notion less, fearing to approach lest it pre- cipitate the stroke, or to speak, lest she start and all be lost. But I could not stay still must hazard all ill the effort, at least, to rescue her. took a step forward, fearing 1 should be too late.
 She was leaning on one hand which rested on the step, while with the other she held tightly against her breast the green leaves she had shortly before picked up. She laughed, and reaching out her hand halfway to the snake, dropped the leaves before it. At her movement thesnake's heck reared, but instead of the stroke which seemed inevitble, the head was drawn back as fin fear and aversion.
 From the window above Mrs. Dempsey, ignorant of what was going on, called "Ethel!"
 The child rested both hands on the step, and upturned her face towards her mothers window. Her arms and dimpled chin were within a foot ot the massasauga, which might easily have struck her. But the moment she ceased to regard it, the serpent, as if only waiting the chance to go un- observed, turned it's head, writhed in an instant out of coil, and glided over the edge of the step as caught up the child and set her safe indoors. She set up plaintive cry.
 "I don't wants come, muzzer, want to catch ze booty sing zat wat tles."
 Ethel was safe-was it through the strange chance of the interposed black ash leaves which had protected her?
 The thing next in order for me was to capture the snake, which, now that the present danger was over, wanted to secure alive, if possible. With the help of fellow-b -boarder 1 traced out the reptile, guided by the sound of its rattle, pinned down it's head with a forked stick, and after much patient, cautious labor got it uninjured into a box, which, having nailed and boarded securely, 1 took with me to my city lodgings on my return to them the next week.
 By dint of careful handling, the massasauga, in time and with injury to no one, was comfortably installed in my lodgings. It's home was a flat, strongly made wooden box with a thick glass top, which, to secure the best sunlight, brought into my sleep ing apartment and set on stand by the window. l did not intend to keep permanently so dangerous an inmate, but eventually to kill it with chloro- form, and stuff and mount the skin. The time was near at hand when these snakes change their skin, and I wished it to be invested in the brighter colors of its new integumeAt before carrying my plan into effect. The reptile was of uncommon size for its species, being two feet in length with thick and seemingly clumsy body, which under excitement be- ) came wonderfully flexible and active
 It's color on the back and sides was a dull brown, mottled with large, dark spots like blotches, and its belly was 6 dirty white.
 1t, in the main, rested contentedly enough in its box, which was large enough within for it to lie at full length in any direction, but would } occasionally, when all was quiet, glide l swiftly around it's prison and endeavo, to thrust it's head between the glass and the wooden sides in an effort to l escape. It usually moved sluggishly , and most of the time it rested motion less in a coil, or sinuously flat, or , sometimes, at full length in it's box. 3 Its susceptibility to irritation ap- , peared to be in proportion to the heat of the weather, and in the hotter days , of the summer the head would rear from hQ c,Hl and tho cur,,nl Tou~.