The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1893-04-23

cahy had reached our ears. This estim-
able Tipperary woman had occupied at
one time cabin next to the very one in
which we were making our summer
t'camp.''
''Wan day. as she told Helen, 81
sthepped out o. my doore and there on
top of a rock feminist the well lay pilot
all curled up, and the childer's all play
ing close by without wan of 'em MOTTO
i'm the haste. let yell out o. me, and
I picked up the first thing handy, a
shovel, N whacked the shnake over the
head, n ne shtruck me hand, an l knew
thin / was gone. I threw the haste into
the brush. and then called the childer's
n run into the cabin. l was wantin' to
die as daycent as maybe, and l wint and
lay down on the bed and bid the childer's
all goodby and LAWN word with IN for
the old man at his wurrk in the ice house.
Thin | sint 'em all out again so they
shouldn't see me in me agonies.
81 lay there all straight out, as I was
corpse at a foine wake, wild me hands
folded proper, awaitin' TO die, and wanst
in while the the young vans ID come in
an say, Are We dead yet?' And wad We
believe it, l lay there more two hours,
composin' myself and praying to the
Virgin, and / niver died wanst. And
then / said to myself, it's an auld fool
y
All the copperheads seen by US had been
in wet woods; and yet, relying upon
the books, we felt safe along the
creek, where various water-loving
snakes, as the racers, wer+ uncom-
mon.
One afternoon we were down this
stream, where we had q saky old S xiff.
Helen said she always fel ike criminal
when she was using it-clt on bail.
The creek was obstrrcteo just below the
landing by a fallen tree. It's broad disk
of upturned roots was reared in the air
near our bank, while its trunk extended
clear across the stream. If it could be
broken our boat might float a long dis
tance beyond it.
So one day pulled off shoes and stock
ings. Helen padded me out to it in the
boat, and l scrambled out upon the old
log to examine into the matter. l was
walking upward along the trunk toward
the roots, when at cry glanced back to
see the girl pointing in terror to where,
just ahead, a great copperhead lay fes-
tooned in rich golden fluctuations along
the topmost rim of the pile of roots. The
eyes-that are really red, but looked black
above the cream white lips that hid his
fangs, but displayed the forked fame of
his tongue-Were fixed upon me, and
slow, wavelike wrinklings crept along
his thick, FURNISHED, heavily scaled Sides
which were fiattened and met in a ridge
upon the spine like slated roof.
| stared back at him. Barefooted,
weaponless and balancing myself upon
that smooth bridge, / had no means OF
fighting, yet was resolved not to let the
venomous thing escape.
As ! gazed, the serpent, with no wind
ing motion whatever, such as we use in
coiling rope, but solely by the slow con-
traction of every part at once, drew itself
--4 o-+ fnl
and there he lay-a gorgeous
pyramid of coppery gold upon
the very summit of the earth-clogeed
roots, his head elevated. his armor re-
fleeing the sunlight. and his daggers
drawn.
'sAnd to Think exclaimed the girl, /
under her breath, s'that yesterday went i
wading close by that stump, to get that
cast-skin 1 took home-perhaps the old I
coat of this very snakei and came within I
an inch of clambering up among those
very rootsI And, looki can see the /
hole where he lives.''
Finding that this king of our northern /
jungle, accustomed to fear nothing the
woods or waters contained. meant to stav I
upon his throne, unalarmed by our pres
ence, asked little boy who was in the |
boat with us to fetch my revolver from
the camp. Then / went back into the |
boat and put on my footgear.
Taking the short, heavy pistol IN one
hand, aud Helen's well-tried snake-stick
ia the other, landed again and crept
through the bushes to position in the |
rear of the old stump. The snake scru-
tinlzed the movements with vigilant ewes.
Rrched his neck with increased ferocity.
yet changed position only far enough TO /
face me well when / menanced him from
the new direction.
lie was now above me and had SO much
the advantage, if he dared to throw him.
self down, that confess to some tim;dity
about going too near, and therefore /
opened IRE at the distance of q dozen feet.
None but practical hand can attain to
much accuracy with 'sbnlI-dog'' pistol.
short and heavy; and the first ball passed
rough the shell of earth beneath the Iiy-ji
target, causing it to shrink down into