Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1892-01-07

walk TO the Tillers', and he went there
almost every day. The devotion shown
by him to that baby was not without its
return, as it was not long before the lat
ter showed himself to be as well pleased
with his cousins society as ever he had
been with that of his father. Even jim
began to take an interest which he had
not shown in his brothers lifetime.
During the summer days of the follow
ing year, when Maggy's work took her
out of the house she put the baby in his
cradle, which she had removed to nice
spot in the shade of u large Mogul plum
tree that stood not far from the dairy.
Occasionally she went by to see if any
wood-insect had invaded his couch, or, if
he was awake, to have little chat by
way of reassuring him against any sense
OF abandonment or too profound solitude.
For he was not one of those exact
ing babies who are everlastingly
wanting to be waited on, and
shaken up, and sung to, claiming all the
attention they can get, and more be-
sides, not only in the day, but in the
very night. What that baby wanted,
after his many meals and his as many
sleeps, was the consciousness that con-
genial society was in convenient call.
His health was as perfect as the very
morning, and whenever he cried you
might feel sure either thut pin was
sticking somewhere, or that something
else was the matter which no grown-up
person could be expected to endure with
out complaint At such time, when Lit
tie Joe was there, he lowered around that
cradle as it the most precious of his
treasures lay therein.
Such devotion, in all the circumstances,
must have touched any heart, unless it
were of stone. Yet when, towards the
beginning of the fall, Little Joe began to
plead as once before he had done so all
in vain, Maggy cried and begged him to
stop it. He did as he was bidden, but
with an inward resolve not to stop for
good as long rs things stood as they
were. For she showed as plainly as day,
even to the humble Little Joe, that she
didn't want him to quit coming to the
house, particularly now that Mrs. Jim
Hobby had died, and so another gloom
had been thrown over the family.
Little Joe would have been ashamed
to be called hero if he had known what
that meant. Yet in the action which |
am now going to tell, my father used to
say that there was as heroic behavior as
much of that one reads of in the careers
of those who
subdue
Nations and bring homo spoils with in
finite
Manslaughter.
Among venomous reptiles in the South
ern States, next to the rattle-snake the
one most dreaded is the moccasin. Its
bite, except upon very young persons, is
seldom fatal; but very often its victim
has to lose some portion of the limb
which has been struck. The most prompt
treatment is necessary TO prevent much
suffering and other serious consequences.
| shall let Little Joe speak for himself
about an encounter which he had with
one of those reptiles.
One morning, having come over to our
house on some little matter about the
line fence, as he was ascending the steps
of the piazza my father said:
"Good-morning, Joe. Why, hello!
what's the matter with your thumb, that
you've got it wrapped in that cloth?"
"Mornin', squire. Then you hadn't
heard about my snake-fght?"
"No, indeed. I've been away from
home for couple of weeks getting back
only last night. 1t seems you got the
worst of it,
81 did for while; but l come up
with him before it was all over"
"My goodness, man. But I'm very
glad it was no worse"
$50 am Thankful to boot. What
time it lasted, it was right serious bust
ness, countin in my skear, and Maggy' s
too"
Gay, was Maggy in it also?"
"Not in the fight, she wasn't, but in
the skear she were, worse off than me !;
fact is, she couldn't help it, bein' of her
own baby"
"My! my! Tell me about it."
Smoothing tenderly the cloth around
his thumb, he began:
1" 1t was on Thursday three weeks ago.
| walked over TO Missis Tiller's, | reckon
the sun were about hour or a hour and
half high. Maggy were a-sweepin' the
front yard about the gate. Her ma were
gone over to Missis Keenum's, and the
baby were layin' in the cradle asleep
under the big plum-tree, you know,
squire, there by the dairy"
" Very well. Finest Mogul plum-tree
in the neighborhood
"Jes' so. Well, soon as got in the
yard, and shook hands with Maggy,
went on silent to see the baby, who him
and me are tirst-rate friends, we are"
80 heard. Go ahead"
When | got there, 10 and behold,
there were great big full-grown high
land moccasin pulled up on the baby's
breast, all exception of his head and his
neck, which stood high up, and his eyes
a-viewin of the child, like he were
studyin' where he'd begin on him.
holloed out, did, and Maggy she come n
runnin' up; but pushed her back and
told her to stay back and keep silent.
She done it. She put one hand
on her breast and lifted the other
towards the sky. At that minute Jim
come in the gate, nnd he run up to see
what were the matter. Then he told me
to stay there and watch the snake till he
could run in the garden and cut n forked
stick and prong him with it, So jim he
left, and the fight begun. Soon as the
thing saw me, he whirlod his head away
from the baby for strike at me. And,
squire, it were the feriest, beautifulest
thing you over laid your eyes on. He
were certain, well as | were, that it were
life-and-d ath case; because there
wasn't any chance for him to get away
into the woods, and no doubt he saw
fight was in me. But didn't have one
blessed thing except my hands, and if I'd
had stick the question would been
what to do with it, him a-layin' there on