The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-06-23
TRUE SNAKE STORIES.
The Tall Man and the Short Man Fake
Their Turns.

The Tall Man and the Short Man Fake
Their Turns.
New York Evening Sun: Speaking of
snakes" said the tall man. 81 lived in
Texas once, and saw snakes do things l
would never believe they could do if I
hadn't seen it with my own eyes. Jack
Benson kept a saloon down there near the
ranch where I worked, and he had a pet
black snake. They call them chicken
snakes, and there is no harm in them. as
they have nc poisonous fang. Jack kept
his black pet in the saloon to catch rats.
and it was gentle as a kitten. Well, that
snake loved liquor like a cowboy.
leave the stopper out of a jug of liquor
and in a few minutes the snake would have
his head in the jug, and he'd drink until he
was as drunk as a billed owl. He got to
drink SO much that he was no good to hunt
rats, and Benson determined to break him
of the habit. For several days he kept
liquor cut of the snakes reach. When the
boys would go in for their drinks that snake
would crawl up on the end of the counter
and look ct them as hard and pleading like
as any Old topper you ever saw. We always
wanted to divide our drinks with him-most
OF us knew now he felt and could synpa-
thize with him-but Jack said no, the snake
must not drink any more.
We'll, one day the snake went crawling
around under the bar, where there were a
lot of jugs full of liquor and all tightly
corked. Finally he picked out one with a
long cork, and, coiling himself round the
cork, he gave a sudden jerk and pulled it
out. In a moment his head was inside the
jug, and ne drank more than a quart before
he quit. That was the druukest snake [
ever saw. He couldn't crawl for two days,
and it was a week before he sobered up,
Well, Benson gave up trying to reform him
after that and let him have ell the liqnor
he wanted.
I'm less than six months he took jim
jams and died. 1t was funny to see that
snake with the iimmies. He was seeing
snakes all around him, just like a man.
He'd coil up and strike out in every direc-
ton, and then he'd look so surprised to
swallowed them. At last he gave up in
disgust, crawled under the bar and died.
Some snakes have more sense than some
folks, l know" observed the short man,
THE year | lived in Kansas | saw T. snake
do a mighty smart thing. | was at work in
connection in a big hollow stump. | started
over to see about it. but before | got there
L saw 4 black snake about three feet long
come out of that stump in a hurry. Then a
big spotted snake crawled up to the top,
Looked around, licked his jaws and went
back.
"Ihey had had a fight, and the little
black snake was whipped. The little snake
crawled around the stump two or three
times, and seemed to be in a deep study.
ruddenly he started away to the woods near
by az fast as he could go. In ten minutes
he came back, and two more black snakes
were with him. All three of them crawled
into the hollow stump, and for ten seconds
there was an awful thrashing around in
there. Then that spotted snake leaped out
at the top and run for the woods IA if all
the snakes IN Kansas were after him. The
little black SHAKE had gone and got two
friends to help him, and the three of them
had cleaned out the spotted snake.o
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