New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-12-29

house and the yard. with "Mr. Bremerl o, Mr.
Bremeri &c. your gun, quick. there is big rattle,
snake trying to get into the Kitchen and 1t scared me
50 that dropped all the dlshes
"wny. Mrs. Klclnmullcr,7 replied Bremen. trying
to appear a,tonishcd who heard OF snakes com
ing out this early I'm the seas0ni"
don't care for the season. said Mrs. KleinmulleI
impatienty, the snake is there all the same ana
you'l hear enythng You want IN ana OUT Oh SsaSV
in Dakota. Nol had better get your gun and XIII IL
before II bites somebody aud drives all our customers
.remer got up, took his cane. and they both pro
cecded TO the spot where his snakesip was supposed
TO be.
~Tbere!- exclaimed alrs. Klelnmuller trumphantly,
pointing at the coil OF rope IN the dark corner anu
falling back behind Bremen, look at Tits all ready
Thatl7 replied Bremen, pcering at the object in;
vestigatngly -" that's no snake-its piece OF rope
and he gave il punch with his stick.
Quick as a fash terrific rattle broke upon the air,
and the coil of rope made dart at the cane,-whch
Bremer dropped at once and both he and Mrs Klein
muller went flying in different directions, the house
keeper for the back gate and Bremen for the inside
Of the house and his gun.
lie shot the snake, wondering how the thing had
come back to life and to the house again so soon after
he had he thought. effectually disposed OF IL
with the pole. lie remembered. howver, that In Ger
many the snakes die until after sunset no matter
what struck them at what time and he threw TINS
out in the yard. intending to chop it TO pieces
50 as TO make it harmless at least until the sun went
down.
when he came back with his axe he was very much
surprised 10 find two dead snakes lying side by side
They matcs-husband and wife-and death and
John Bremer only had put them asunder.
Things queed down finally IL the d Bremen house. Of
cooking another dinner, and John resumed his tinker
ing the Yankee clocks but during the remaining
part Of The dey, especially toward evening they went
about the house a. if walking On eggs.
Late that night. as Bremen was reading In bed the
stats zeitung.' to which he was regular sub
floor near him. and on looking his shoulder in
it, direction he horrorstruck at seeing an enor
nous RATHER within foot Of his head looking at him
with its head raised, as If daring him to get up out
Of bed.
All the daes in the world could
not have gotten him to move in any
way Just then; lie was ,Paralyzed with fear
and the eyes stared back into his with horrible
unwinine persistency, which held him spellbound In
Kind Of fascinating horror absolutely awful to eN-
pericncc. one after another all the stories of snake
charming he had read ia the course Of ms existence
heartsIinss and made his face as livd as that OF
corpse lie was chained to the bed or his back as
that II vrs q borle wealthy and moi a dream fncrea sed
the horror a thousand fold
lie woud have given everything in the world, had
IL been i, to Give away, to be able TO shrek, but he
was unable 10 ga>p-amo-t to breathe In ms brain tne
SELF diving ana he wished that il was over and done
with, for der IN would have been blessed relief ANA
rcuiiIc piSrced INFO his own with a 1nt-ike steelv
droop for an n,ant-thc head only turn for a moment
that he might break the mesneric, magnetic spell
which united the starcs OF the man and the snake, and
remained facing him Win its fixed, relentless gaze, as
Outside the night was calm and not sound broke
the awful stiffness Of the air. Inside, his night lamp
standing on low empty box the head of his bed.
which consisted simply OF a mattress on the floor
covered with blankets. Illuminated the room with a
dim light strong enough t. make any object In 1t
plainly visible bnt the greater part concentrated by
the lamp shade. thrown downward Bremer's
head, and the snake within striking distance Of It, -.
an Understandable odor somewhat resembling musk,
permeatng the air Of the room. and growing stronger
by deee sweet 1nE @c w r1sw sTonner sUc
re1snipg acfvity"fhai Of his bran~and he felt as
/ la IL a
ditiOn Just then. j. hard to describe. His conscious
no., appeared 10 be lled merely and not oberated,
and remained almost vivid as before, the eyes
strained into each other As before, but the feeling Of
antagOusm had passed away, and was replaced by a
peculiar scnsato-as if both beings, man and snake,
were being melted together and absorbed into one
Meanwhile. another sense was released from its
PARALYSIS. ont Of the stiffness he heard, If coming
from afar a slight scratching sound on the pillow ON
which Do, head was resting and little mouse running
here and there It, with it, nose drawn down as
II IN search OF food. came athwart the Influence that
from eyes ewes. Instantly, all his senses
were released and aert-hut the power to move was
still wanting despite the strong VIII urging II on
The concentrated CLEAN coming from the eyes OF
the snake divided Itself into two smaller and less
powerful CLEANS coming out OF each eve one OF when
focused on the and the other the man.
The mouse gave little squeak as OF pain and stopped
short IN IL tracks. WIN us mead stretched toward
the snake, like "A hunting dog pointing at game. It's
little BODY. a-itatcd AT first with slight tremOrs. and
then with conVulsye tcmbIlngs, slowly advanced
toward the snake, and then rapidly retreaed, repeating
this and each time coming little nearer.
Then for the first time since BrenleFs ewes rested
II the snake made slight motion. The head.
which had remained raised Ike crest all along,
lowered Itself almost 10 level with the floor. and the
upper and lower Jaws Of the reptile distcnded slowly
until they stretched wide open. and displayed four
above and Two toIoW which doubled back invariably
upon themselves a If on hinges, leaving smooth
opening 10 the throat The little mouse stu kept on
advancing and retrcatine, as II mpcllcd. or rather
drawn. By power il was trying with all its might
10 resist hut unavancly. and the wideOpen jaws,
out Of which came sckening efIluyium, doomed
nearer and nearer to il.
FINALLY the mouse without any visible agency was
into no ofeu M
il with "A snap that caused the eyelids, or the film
Ike membrane that acted as such, TO close for an
Instantly win croa half relief, half fear John
and bounded to the other side Of the room.
sprung its rattle but Bremcrs gun already in his
hands and taking quick aim at the coil, while
avoiding the eyes, he pulled the trigger and blew
the reptile into smithcreens
Al his remaining energies must have been ex-
pended in his violent effort to get away from the
horrible proximity in which he had been held long,
saw the snake lying dead the floor he fell exhausted
into chair a. if about 10 faint. Ills chest was OPP
7.,sed a with heavy weight, and iancnating pains
Shot across his temples.
In a short time a violent nausea relieved him, and
he got up 10 look al the snake IL belonged 20 the
darker and most dangerous species OF the family OF
Croalus horrdus. II four feet long and as thick
as his arm. or thicker. and it must have been
pioneer Of the wilderness for slight furry growth
the joints and scales, and II carried twenty
one raitlcs and a button.
l,remer picked it M with a long handled shovel and
threw it outside the house. and then he sat down once
more b. think the matter over. He now understood
the philosophy Of the double flooring, and the ad
ditioual tin lining the cellar stairs, 10 well as
the phnkcd and hankedup window and all the rest
Of the business The cellar Wa simply a rtttesnake
den. Ills plan OF warming and ventlating 1t had
worked To marvel. for the Kitchen heat descending
into the cellar through hi ingcniously cOntrved lat
ticed door had by degrees awakened the still hber-
mating snake I'm the peg hole, in the walls; and
Thinking that spring had come and that they were
3tc they had invaded the house without further loss
Of time: and the Lord alone knew how many more
might lee wandering over it, or colled up in out-othe-
way corners.
Bremef made up his mind. cyclone or no cyclone, to
close nm the cellar again, tighter than before at
the first opportunity during the day. aud then he
filed hi, pipe picked Ut the "~taats Zcitung,' and
bcc reading again at the place hc had left of when
he discovered the snake and he sat up and read until
broad daylight fear OF another coming across him
II he law down 10 sleep again.
Whlc waiting for his breakfast still sitting and
reading he fell into a doLe, out Of which he
agrIl,r7y aroused by shrek and reboundng crash
Which troucl him To his fee. His thought, naturally
reverted ;o Ms wonderful cellar and he made rush
fer if 10 see if it had not something TO do with the