The Warner sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1885-1???, 1888-06-29

counterpart.
l could hear the other MOVING
about softly lifting and searching my
clothes, opening drawers, and by the
light of a dark lantern examining
every part Of the room. Presently he
turned and came back to the other.
1--WE looked the DON over and
got the trinkets but can't find the
leather with the dust in. I'll try il
there's anything under the pillow.
If he moves, stop him." | felt
a hand stealing under my pillow,
moving about stealthily, and my
package of bank notes was presently
found and Withdrawn. l could hear
my gold repeater ticking from q bag
the burglar held in one hand as he
bent forward over me.
Eve got the stuff" he whispered,
"Tll just take another look around
the room. There's a box here that
looks like a jewel case"
He moved across the room and
came near the box which held the
snake. Through my half closed eyes
| saw him cast down the light from
his lantern on the glass.
II can't make it out, Bill. There
seems to be something in the case.
| can see the sparks inside, but / can't
find any lock. Had / best take the
chances to bust her open2"
The man beside me took up the
heavy bar he had laid on the edge OF
the bed, and felt him poise it over
my head.
"Go ahead" he said. 'If he wakes
I'll put him to Sleep"
| could hear the man ls~ Re bag on
the floor, and then followed the quick
cutting sound OF a diamond passing
over the glass. Then came two or
three quick taps and the fall Of q
piece of glass into the box. The rat
tie OF the massasauga was rustling
dangerously within, and the sound
quickened as the man put bis hand
and arm in the aperture he had made
and felt about the interior OF the box.
Then something moved quickly
within, and the man started back
with q wild cry Of pain and
alarm, and pulled out his arm with
such force as to throw down the box.
He drew forth with it the massasauga
fastened to his hand, which he wrung
in pain and terror. The snake drop
ped writhing on the floor, cooled, and
kept up his rattle, which had not
stopped.
At the mans exclamation, thu one
at my bedside demanded angrily,
whats the matter, you fool, yelling
out like that? Do you want to raise
the house on us?"
"Jlm, I'm q dead man. Pm snake.
bit. Look out for rattlesnakes. The
floor IS covered with them"
The snake was getting in his work
with his rattle in good shape, and
made the room resound. The man
beside the ped got nervous. The. 9th.
er, with a moan OF, two of pain, and
CROPPED his way out of the room, and
his retreating slept could be heard on
the stairway. The man at my side
muttered a curse.
"He can't be such q fool as to have
left the swag. Anyway, Pm not go
ing to hunt for 1t IN a room that's a
den Of rattlesnakes."
The rattle reverberating sounded as
though the DON was'full OF snakes.
The burglar could stand it no longer,
but stepping high and long as he
crossed the room, precipitateiy fol-
lowed ms conIrade down the stairs
shutting all doors as he went after
him, as is the custom Of burglars. AS
the noise of their departure died
away the snake quoted, and | heard
him no more that night.
In the morning / found the snake
still coiled up on the floor, and be.
side it lay the bag dropped by the
burglar, and which held intact all the
plumber of the household. On<ac.
count 81 the service he had done /
changed my plan for the destruction
OF the massasauga, and having ex-
tracted his poison gland, gave il to
q public museum, which desired to
add a live rattIesnake to its collect
ion. When / last visited the museum,
q year or so after the event, the
snake lay IN apparent content in a
den among a silent coterie of it's fell
lows. It was wholly undemonstra.
tive and did not so much as give me
rattle of recognition. The bur-
glars were never heard OF again by
me, and whether the wounded III
lived or died remains unknown.
i