Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1891-10-31
BLACkSNAKE AND A BRIDE.

subject of conversation for ~ minutes
had been baked beans.
Speaking of snakes. said the charm.
ing man, who is now clerk of the city OF
New Orleans, IL do not believe any man
ever had more frightful experience thar
had the night was married.
II married New Orleans creole, the
prettest girl I'd ever seen, thought
then, and I've never changed my mind
She had been brought up after the man.
ner of high bred creole girls, and When
we were married l had precious little
more than bowling acquaintance.
"She was just out of convent, too.
and scared to death of man, and of me,
it seemed to me, in particular. To marry
anyway and go away and leave her
mamma! was bad enough, but to go
away, as l proposed, up to my planta-
ton, 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, and off we went. We drove up to
the farm, and though it was pleasant
enough, before we got up there l began
10 think myself that perhaps it was
mistake TO take that poor girl off up
there to that lonesome place, where the
servants all slept off down at the quar-
ters, and there wasn't another house
within miles.
Now, whether Uncle Peters story
was true or not, began to remember
how he had told me the very last time I
was up there of a pair Of blacksnakes
ehoro around tho plaro fhot
body had seen, but that no one had been
able to attack. had laughed at him at
the time, but the nearer l got to the
house the more l thought of it and
wished I had not brought my wife
there.
ave had dinner alone together that
night for the first time, and tried my best
70 make the poor girl realize what a nice
fellow l was, but it was all in vain.
There was cloud over every thing, and
could see her big black eyes rolling a bit
toward me and toward the darkened
window, and knew the child was grow
ing more and more afraid every minute.
II tried to jest AID laugh it off. 1t
was no use. Once she asked me if | re-
GREETED the step had taken, and could
only assure her was the happiest man
on the earth in half hearted way that
made me hate myself.
AT last, after miserable evening
spent in a sort of sickly attempt to teach
my wife some additions to her stock of
broken English, it came time for us to
retire. l had eyed the corners and re-
cesses of the crude plantation house all
e1,nn to s
glstening needle = ints and the flash of
a forked tongue, and 80 it was quite as
much for mental comfort as physical 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 came finally into the room
after most unsatisfactory talk with Pc
ter, my wife had already Curled herself
up in quiet little bunch at the back of
the big four poster. She lay there very
light underneath her white lids, and |
knew she was watching me with her big
black eyes, and her little rabbits heart
humping all the while with fear.
II tiptoed about as if I quite believed
her little play, and before got into my
place beside her believed had scanned
every nook and corner in the room.
Then crept in, still keeping up the little
farce that she was asleep, but keeping
one eye on her and one upon the flicker
ing shadows on the floor.
"For five minutes lay and hardly
breathed. looked toward my wife. |
could see the glistening drops on her
iashes, and the poor child was saying her
prayers, slipping the beads of pearl AMI
turquoise rosary through her fingers.
Five minutes more and then the tired
one really slept the sleep she had bravely
simulated. could hear her gentle
breathing, soft as kittens before it has
learned to purr. looked toward her.
Her beauty charmed me, and for mo-
ment forgot all that had feared for
her. She smiled little in her sleep and
murmured something which bent for
ward to catch.
MY heaven! What did seer" There.
There below her pillow, winding under
the sheet. touching almost the white neck!
There it was, that black shape that had
dreaded so.
"Oh, how begged God to be good to
me. To save her the shock was now i'm
possible. But to save her from worse.
All, there must be some way!
where was the monsters head? l
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 it to! Oh,
no! no! 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 we'll as could freed myself from
the coverings of the bed. Then set my
teeth, and with one powerful twist
grasped that black horror between us and
6ung it as far as could throw.
AT my first movement my wife sprang
to her feet upon the bed, screaming with
fright. / tried to prevent her, but she
aung herself upon the floor, begging for
mercy from God and from me. tried
to put her on the bed, but she pleaded
The harder for life, calling upon her dear
mother to witness that here she was in
the wilderness the victim of strange
man who was bound to murder her.
.taised my arms to place her on the bed
oy force. Then nature helpad me. With
u last piteous cry the stream of broken
English ceased; she fell in my arms in a
dead faint.