Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1893-10-19
AT HUCKLEBERRY HILL
Rattlers Cause Trouble and Ter
rify Grandpa Conner.

rify Grandpa Connor.
Every year people flock TO Huckle-
berry hill. from away up in Steuben
county, N. Y; from clear over in Nc
Kean county, the furthest parts of Pot
ter county, and distant sections of
Tioga county, says n Roulette pa
correspondent of the New York Sun.
Huckleberry hill is the only place
within a radius of fifty miles where the
fruit for which II is named grows in
any quantity, and the people of all that
country being especially fond of huclSle-
berries they think nothing Of driving
all night and n part of a day to get on
the prolific barrens of Huckleberry
hill, where several square miles of
nothing but berry bushes and sword
like brakes spread beneath the scorch-
ing sun. The hill is one thousand feet
above the valley of Pine creek, in east
ern Potter county, and abounds in
scanned lodges and tumbled heaps of
loose rocks Whole families camp for
days on this forbidding barren TO pick
huclxleberries for market. As many as
one thousand five hundred persons have
been on the hill at one time, where
dancing platforms, hurdy gurdies, open
air gin mills, brass bands, and all kinds
of taking schemes are in full blast to
amuse and fleece the visitors
Like all good huclsleberry districts,
Huckleberry hill is favorite haunt Of
rattlesnakes, and they grow there TO
extraordinary size and virility. These
snakes keep many pickers ON the move
from one part of the big berry patch to
another part, for they are always
around, and some huclxleberry visitors
do not care to dispute territory with
them, but retreat TO other points as
| soon as they can discover n rattler or
hear one in their vicinity. Others,
though, are loath to give up a good
| picking place because rattlesnake or
two are taking things comfortable
there and don't care to be disturbed,
and they pitch in with clubs and rout
or slay the reptile tenant of the spot.
So at almost any time OF day a visitor
may see men. women and children,
some Of them pale and terror.stricken,
moving away from some particular To-
cality with much haste, and others
thrashing away in the bushes with
clubs and holding their own against
the snakes.
Not day passes that some one isn't
bit by a RATHER When the berry pick
ers return from the hill TO their various
homes they fetch with them stories OF
queer and exciting experiences with
rattlesnakes that some one has had.
This recital has come to be known
hereabouts as the annual crop of snake
stories from Huckleberry hill The
gathering of this crop Is awaited with
more interest by many people than the
picking of the huckleberry crop
Among the best of these stories that
have reached Roulette, which is thirty
miles from the hill, but which sends O
caravan Of huckleberry pickers there
every season, are these:
Mrs. Juston, of Leetouia, had found
patch where the berries were espe
cially fine and abundant She wai
rapidly filling her twelve-quart pail
much TO the envy of Miss Still, FRIEND
OF hers, who hadn't struck extraDrdi
nary luck. Suddenly Mrs Juston picked
up her pail and walked away from hei
rich find without saying u word. Mis-
Still gazed after her in amaLement, ant
asked her II she wasn't coming back u
that lovely spot.
NO" said Mrs. Juston. "You car
have it II you want II.
Miss Still thanked Mrs. Juston effu
sively for her great generosity and un
selfshness, and was soon sweeping tn,
berries into her pail just where Mrs
Juston had picked up her pail so sud
denly and walked away. Miss Still was
in Il position that brought her fac,
almost even with her pail, and as sht
was picking away, two big rattlesnaKe'
rose up from somewhere behind tho
pail and stuck their ugly noses over thu
side of IL, not two feet away from Mis-
Stills face. For an instant the young
woman was unable TO move, but ther
she recovered herself, sprang up, ant
ran
Hello, EMMY" said Mrs. Justor
from her new picking spot, laughing a
what she thought was a good joke
"Did you see emp"
The secret OF Mrs. Juston's generos
ity was revealed TO Miss Still, and 1
made her 50 angry that she stopped
running, hunted around until sh'
found a club. and FASTENED back TO he
huckleberry pail The snakes wcr'
still there, and Miss Still pitched int,
them. They were ugly and fought he
back so hercely that she had TO thrasl
around in the bushes for severa
minutes before she laid them out
and after she had laid these tw,
out she had 10 kill another biz
one that came on the scene 10 SCI
2 what was Going on. While Miss Still
: retired among the group OF pickers al
3. distance 10 rest and be congratulated
on her pluck, Mrs. Juston, seeing that
the land had been cleared for her, re
turned to the choice picking patch that
she had so unselflishly renowned her
claim to in favor of Miss. Still, ant
resumed her picking there. When Mis-
Still went back TO go on with her pick
ing she was knocked out more than sh'
had been by the first sight of the two
. rattlers leering at her over her pail Il
find that Mrs. Juston had taken posses