The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1890-06-30
She Exposed the Meanness OF q
Trusted Friend Who Fixed
the Deck.
The Shock to Her Moral Nature Was Trace
able in the Skin of Her
Progeny.

There's only few of US know, but III let
Won in on the secret. Anyhow the credit OF
the thing ought to be put where it belongs ;
.sYou know that the day the strl ke ended
the strikers committee handed to the cltl-
zens' committee schedule of Just what
they required to company to accede to, and
the citizens committee lugged the schedule
over and loaded it on the company's COM
mittee. The strikers had a big tent down
by the Oak street stables. where they
were living on good cake and pie
that US sympathizlng fellow nv citizens I. zt,L
ers' committee sat in the tent anxiously
and patiently awaiting the decision of
the company, but full of determine
ton founded on right, Justice and starva-
ton wages. While the committee were
thus busily engaged in waiting, tall, hun,
pry-looking man entered the tent, spread
his gaze over the tables of pies and things
for maybe minute, and then approached
the committee.
.sExouse me, gentlemen said he. but if
you'll tell me where / can go out and Kill
five-ace snake I'll show you tricks
''The committee looked at the man, a
little startled. for they thought sure he was
crazy. He started back for spell, and then
said:
Seems like you don't understand me.
Can't be, can it, that you don't have any
'sThe committee were kind-hearted and
didn't want to hurt the strangers feelings,
SO they said the fve-ace snake was new
one to Columbus.
"sWell, them exclaimed the stranger,
evidently delighted. and sitting down in
front of big lemon pie. 'Tve got some
thing to tell you that can't help but cheer
you up. I'm from up north. Henry county
is my native heath, and Black Swamp is
my domicile. have long known that
Henry county is the only. one in Ohio
where the black bear still has his fanRs,
but thought that perhaps the tve-ace
snake had by this time spread around the
commonwealth, but it seems like it hasn't.
The fve-acer had its origin in Henry
county, and the history of that is what
want to cheer you up with.
Garfield? faint likely. Junius used to
be great chum of mine, and we always
cabined together when We hunted around
Black Swamp. But I discovered in sing
ular way once that Junius had betrayed the
confidence put in him and we parted. We
when we weren't out after wild game we
enjoyed ourselves with domestic game,
principally poker. Some folks call it draw.
There was snake in Henry county in
those daysthat we called the white whistler.
It was a short, chunky snake, harmless as
ginger-pop and tame as flies. It could
whistle something like quail, and I've
known preenhorns to come out there hunt
ing. and follow one of these white whist
lers around all day. just by the sound of its
whistle, thinking they. were after quail.
made pet of one of these snakes, big
she one, and she was useful to me
in good many ways. She had way
of hanging around when I was hay
ing little game of draw with any one that
she wasn't acquainted with, and kind O.
over the strangers. If the strangers hand
sized up little better than mine, Sarah
Ann--that was my snakes name-would
whistle low and careless chirp, and laid
down right there and then. But Sarah Ann
knew Junius Garfield we'll, and trusted him
! were having recreating game-that is,
never until the one time that ls now his
toric in Henry county.
sAs I said, Junius and were living in
Black Swamp cabin. One day we we're
playing our favorite game, and the hands
his strong hold that day, but 1 never sus-
4 pected him. By and by pulled in q hand
that had three kings and an ace and an
other card in it. held the ace to the king
and drew one card, and that card was an
other king. Juniqs drew one card, too.
Is Seems like l got you this time! /
said to m'self.
''Sarah Ann bad noticed the hands that
Junius was holding and she had got uneasy
and begun to move around. She saw my
hand, and then slipped behind Junius and
got a sauint at his. had raised Junius
was ready to sit there all night and stay by
him. but Just as I was about to get back
at him again the heaviest kind I heard
Sarah Ann whistle. looked up surprised
But there was Sarah Ann on shelf behind
Junius, her eyes bullying, and she shaking
hand. There were the four kings and the
ace.
"'By the spotted buckeye!' I said to
myself, there's nothing in the deck but a
straight flush can beat this hand.'
.Then I looked at Sarah Ann. She was
wild. She had never fooled me yet, and l
knew it.
"'Junius filled as sure as aguer said I,
and laid down as meek as lamb.
IF there ever was disappointed man,
that man was Junius. He was mad, too;
but he didn't say anything, and began
gathering the cards to deal. Sarah Ann
came back and laid ON the table near me.
She had her eyes plumb on Junius. Then
it seemed to strike him all at once
up with the whole heap of cards and
slammed them all on the snake. She wasn't
expecting it. and it scared her almost into a
fit, and she went off to her hole all broke
up. The game broke up, too, but still I
didn't suspicion Junius of doing crooked
About a week after that Sarah Ann dug
hole in the sand, out IN front of the
cabin, and laid it full of eggs. They
Matched out when it was time, and Sarah
AIMS little family began to come up out of
the sand as lively as crickets. l didn't
pay much attention to 'em until one day
saw one of the young snakes, which had
grown to be about foot long
and noticed that it was covered all over
with red and black spots. l picked thu
snake up, to examine it closer,
and if ever any man was astonished
was. And good reason had for being as
tonished, think, for that snake was mark
ed, as regular and bright as could be, with
every card there is in the deck. caught
lot of this snakes brothers and sisters, and
every one of 'em was marked the same
way. OF course l understood it after a
while. Sarah Ann had been terribly
startled by Junius Garfield slamming
the cards on Ter, and it had made
vivid prenatal impression that had
been reproduced in her lively young,
and hence the marks of the rack of CARDS
On her offspring. But further examination
of the young snakes resulted in discovery
hat saddened me. ] counted the cards on
he snakes and found that there were fifty-
hres, one more than enough for regular
pack. Then counted the suites ana found
hem all complete. and an ace of spades to
spare. The thing was plain. Juniae Can
held had run an extra ace in on me, and
here unerring nature had revealed to me
bis per tidy.