The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-08-31
DID BE HAVE THEM.
a Man Who Sees Snake on HI
7ld.eaq Wedding Night.

| "a WGOOiuB @NAeAh-
etg7aa From. the Ne,0 York Advertiser
1t was at mems lunchson in Young's
Hotel in Boston the other day, and the
subject Of conversation for ten minutes had
been baked beans. .,.
Speaking of snakes said the charming
man who is now clerk Of the city of New
! Orleans, II do not believe any man ever
had more frightful experience than had
the night was married.
II married q New Orleans creole. the
prettiest girl I'd ever sesn. i thought then.
| and I've never changed my mind. She had
been brought up after the manner of high
bred creole girls, and Shen we were married
| | had precious little more than bowling
| acquaintance with her.
She was lust out Of convent too, and
scared to death Of a man, aud of me, It
seemed to me, in particular. To marry any
way and go away and leave her mamma!
was bad enough, but TO go away, as | pro-
| posep, up to my plantation, way up In the
back country, was worse yet.
! But she said she cared enough about me,
even then, little as she knew me, TO do it,
aud off we went We drove up to the farm,
and though it was pleasant enough, before
we got up there | began 70 think myself
that perhaps it was mistake to take that
poor girl off up there to that lonesome place
| "uStdrbue servants ali sLepI Oh uO"u at Ule
| quarters, and there wasn't another house
within miles
Now, whether Uncle Peters story was
true or not, began to RENE nber how he
had told me the very last time | was up
there ola pair Of black snakes there were
around the place that everybody had seen,
but that no one had been aole to attack. |
had laughed at him at the time, but the
nearer got to the house the more thought
| of IL and f0 wish that | had NOT brOuph6 nv
| wife there.
1--WE had dinner alone together that night
for the first time, and | {. led my best to
make the poor glrl realize what a nice fell
| low | was, but il was all IN vain. There
was cloud over everything, and could
see her big black eyes rolling a bit toward
me and toward the dsrkeni < windows, and
| knew the child was growing more and
more afraid every minute.
Il tried to jest and laugh it of. 1t was
no use. Once she asked me if / regretted
the step had taken, and | could only
assure her l was the happiest man on the
ear tn in a half hearted way that made me
hate myself.
AT last. after a miserable evening spent
in a sort of sickly attempt to teach my wife
some additions to her stock of broken En-
glish, it came time Tor us t. retire. l had
eyed tine corners and recessas OF the crude
| plantation hcus ell the evening" expecting
20 see pair of glistening needle points and
! the flash of a forked tongue, and so it was
quite as much for mental comfort as phys
zeal that ordered fire in our room.
Peter hauled in huge log, and in half
hour there was blazing fire in the great,
open fireplace.
when l came finally into the room after
most unsatisfactory talk with Peter my
wife had already curled herself up in
quiet little bunch at the back of the big
four-poster. She lay there very quiet, but
| could see narrow rim of light underneath
her white lips and knew she was watching
me with her big black eyes and her little
rabbits heart humping all the while with
fear.
Il tiptoed about as if quite believed her
| little play, and before got into my place
beside her believed had scanned every
nook and corner of the room. Then l crept
in, still keeping up the little farce that she
was asleep, but keeping one eye on her and
one upon the Pickering shadows on the
| floor.
"For five minutes l lay and hardly
breathed: looked toward my wife. l could
sac the glstening drops on her lashes and
the poor child was saying her prayers, slip
ping the beads of a pearl and turQuois
rosary through her white fingers.
Five minutes more and then the tired
one really slept the sleep she had so bravely
simulated. / could hear her gentle breath
ing, soft as kittens before it has learned
to purr. I looked toward her. Her beauty
charmed me, aud for moment forgot all
that I had feared for her. She smiled a
little in her sleep and murmured something
| which l bent forward to catch.
"My heavenl What did l sect There!
There below her pillow, winding under the
sheet, touching almost the white neck
There it was. that black shape l had
dreaded SO.
10, how begged God to be good to me-
To save her the shock was now impossible
But to save her from worse. All there must
be some way
"Where was the monsters head? | could
not tell 1t might be under my own pillow
it might be so close to her warm body that
the slightest movement on her part would
cause 1t to! o, no! moi that could not be
must take the chance and take it quickly
before she could wake and face her death.
"Softly, softly, hair breadth by hair
breadth, | raised myself on my elbow. AS
well as | could | freed myself from the COW
eriugs of the bed. Then | SET my teeth, and
with one DO Eerful twist grasped that black
horror between us and flung it far as |
could threw.
"At my first movement my wife SPRUNG
to her feet upon the bel, screaming with
fright. l tried to prevent her, but she flung
herself upon the floor, begging for mercy
from God and from me. tried TO put her
on the bed, but she only begged and pleaded
the harder for life, calling upon her dear
mother to witness that she was ia the wild
erness the victim Of a strange man, who
was bound to murder her.
II raised my arms TO place her on the bed
by force. Then nature helped me. With 6
last piteous cry the stream of broken En-
ghsh ceased; she fell in my arms and in a
dead faint
, 81 remember how thankful was as ]
J lifted her safe out of harms way. None to-
gently threw her down-for now was my
time to- turned again looked in fasci
mated horror. No wonder this poor littl
stranger girl imagined wanted to kill her
In The midst Of her sleep had flung her on
) OF bed by such braid of long black hair a
l had never dreamed she possessed"