Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-07-26
AN OUTING IN THE WOODS
"A Champion Snake Story from the Cash
town Mountains.
Correspondence Of THE EVENING STAR.

correspondence Of THE EVENING STAR.
In THE CAsHTowN MOUNTAINS, July 10.
ID AVS come and go all too quickly, and
lRXsW already look forward with regret to-
NE Eward the hour when this pleasurable
III outing must close. 1t is one succession
~/of new delights, only possible in a
region like this. From mountain to settlement
and from settlement to mountain my busy feet
find their way. This is literally land of milk
and honey-and butter milk l find the peo-
pie correspond with the physical features Of
nature by which they are acknowledged
and generous, with homes coZy and comforta-
bic. In all my rambles have yet to see a
family whose surroundings indicated absolute
want Male and female they are hard workers
all, and seem to realize that industry
is essential to success. All signs point to
population of more than average
intelligence. The dwellings, large and small,
have their gardens and shade trees and flowers
arranged tastefully. The wayfarer meets with
CHEEKY greeting from every one he encoun-
ters Living is very cheap. Four or five dol
lars per month will rent a comfortable house
with large garden plat attached Flour is
S4.5O per barrel, corn As cents per bushel,
butter to 16 cents per pound-the latter for
best creamery-eggs IA cents per dozen, milk
5 cents per quart, butter milk cents per gall
lon and other things in proportion. Ye gods!
that last item makes my mouth water. The
demonstrate the fairness OF the land. The
stock are magnificent specimens of the best
breeding. and 1t Is a pleasure to the eye to
look upon them as they contentedly roam over
green pastures well provided with shade and
water. This last comes from mountain springs
and is cool and pure. Taken altogether can
not conceive of happier spot in which to
dwell.
ABOUT SNAKES 4.
A few days since a mountaineer drove into
the village and stopped in front of the post
Office. saw few people clustering about his
wagon, and curiosity induced me to peep in.
Coiled in a corner was a splendid specimen Of
the rattlesnake family, with an array of twelve
rattles This object lesson has had quite a
moral effect on me in my happy-go-lucky
jaunts among the huckleberry bushes. fancy
reduce my danger fully 66 per cent by COM
binlng three strides in one, and yet can hardly
feel satisfied.
Isn't it singular that one snake story recalls
another? Here is one we'll vouched for in this
nelghborhood. Once upon a time thrifty
housewife, the happy possessor of two cows,
the one white the other black, suddenly be-
came aware that the former was not giving as
much milk AZ was her wont. This was curious
because her calf was long since consigned to
the hands OF the butcher, and in those happy
days milk was too abundant to make it
worth ones while to steal it. These circum-
stances reused our thrifty housewives curiosity
ohu she iouHu tuat Dldck snake, several 1cet
III length, WAS the guilty party-she caught
him i'll the act. The sequel will show that the
term thrifty" is not misplaced adjective in
this case. The good woman did not get ex-
cited after the manner of some Of her sex and
go screaming for help, but arming herself with
u garden hoe she advanced upon the culprit
She struck at the snake, which was at the mo-
ment initiating himself with the sweet nectar of
life, and the better to facilitate tho operation
had placed one extremity just as far as posi-
BILE from the other. The result of the blow
TAIL with surprising results. A stream of milk
flowed from the orifice made by the incision.
The thrifty housewife was greatly surprised,
but she never lost her presence Of mind In q
moment she had discovered the significance of
the phenomenon. The snake nursed on. an.
parently unconscious of the loss of portion Of
his tail He, perhaps, was somewhat surprised
that he was unable to satisfy himself, by rea-
son of tho milk escaping in this manner The
nursing with all the trustful simplicity
Of a babe, offered . fair target as
she deftly twirled the improvised lasso and
secured his satanic majesty. She did not dis
patch him, but tanned him and made him use
full member Of the family. In the treatment of
the wounded tail she showed her ability as q
surgeon. She caused it to heal so that the
aperture created by the hoe remained open.
She allowed the snake to pursue his old voca-
ton Of nursing, utilizing him as a sort of milk
ing machine, the tactical fluid flowing into the
pail from the opening in his tail, allowing him,
however, to retain enough to sustain life and
normal strength at the close Of the perform
ance Of his duty. For this purpose she adopted
a very simple device-a rubber band placed
around the snakes tail about an inch above ito
end. SIDNEY MoRRIs ~