The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1893-09-22

the land had been cleared for her, re-
turned to the choice picking patch that
she had so unselfiishly renounced her
claim to in favor of Miss. Still, and
resumed her picking there. When Miss
Still went back to go on with her pick
ing she was knocked out more than she
had been by the first sight of the two
rattlers leering at her over her pail to
find that Mrs Juston had taken posses
sion of those bushes. She demonstrated
with her
81 guess l was here first" was all
that Mrs. Juston would say, and Miss
Still had to retire to such luck as she
could find.
Mrs. Juston's pail soon got SO heavy
with berries that she let it stand on the
ground while she went here and there
with a smaller pail which she carried
as it was filed to the big pail and emp
tied its berries in that. She was MAX
ing the fourth trip to the big pail,
which would have filed it even full of
the very incest berries that had ever
been picked on the Hill, when other
pickers near heard her give tremend-
GUS yell, and run away, pale as sheet
and her eyes bulging. Miss Still and
others ran to the spot. The young
woman got there first. She discovered
the cause of Mrs. Justons alarm. An
enormous rattlesnake lay coiled on
top of the huckleberries in the
twelve-quart pail, with his head erect
and his tail more than humming. Miss
Still grabbed club and went for the
snake. The first whack of the club
somehow missed the snake, but it hit
Mrs. Juston's pail of berries, upset it,
and sent it's luscious contents scatter
ing on the ground. The snake went
over with the berries, and was ready
for fight in second. Miss Still gave it to
him, but in dealing with him she didn't
seem to be able to get away from Mrs
Juston's spilled berries, and even when
the snake got enough of the club and
turned to wiggle away in the brush
Miss Still didn't appear to be able to
follow him, but stood in the midst of
the spilled berries and danced about
striking at the snake that was away
out other reach, SO that by the time the
rattler disappeared in crack in the
rock Mrs. Juston's berries were tram
pied to pulp. Some of Mrs. Juston's
friends said that Miss Still did it on
purpose, but Miss Still went off smil-
ingly to her picking, and said nothing,
James Connor, aged seventy, and
his grandson Charley, aged ten, We're
among the huckleberry pickers on
the hill. Grandfather Connor got
tired, and got in the shadow
of rock to take nap. Grand
son Charley perched on the rock and
went to observing things. After old
Mr.. Connor had been snoozing few
minutes he opened his eyes, raised his
head, and told his grandson that if he
didn't quit punching him IN the back
jacket Grandson Connor hadn't been
punching the old man in the back, and
said so. Mr.. Connor dropped off to
sleep again. By and by he woke up
with start, sternly addressed his grand.
son again, charging the boy with punch,
ing him in the back, and assuring him
that repetition of it would bring on
his head dire punishment. The boy
pleaded his innocence of the charge
and the old man went to sleep again.
In a short time he awoke with start
and exclai1ned:
''There you go again, you young ras
cal! Now Pll trounce you well!"
He rose up to carry out his threat,
when the boys eyes, which had become
fixed on the old mans back, began to
bulge, and he shouted;
"There's a snake on your back,
grandpa! There's snake on yor back''
Grandfather Connor, feeling a weight
there, had glanced over his shoulder,
and saw snake writhing and wrig.
Cling and rattling there. changing to
Connor's clothing by its teeth, With a
yell like wild Indian the old man
broke across Huckleberry hill, howling
at every jump, and his grandson bring
ing up the rear, believing like a bull
calf. The sight of the old man dashing
wildly along with big rattlesnake
hanging to his back created great ex.
citement among the groups of pickers
that the frantic procession tore
through, and some groups broke up in
a panic and rushed yelling in all direc.
tions through the bushes. Connor ran
more than two miles, the snake clipging
to him, when he passed man named
Henry Clark. Clark gazed after the fly.
Ing old man with the snake trailing and
comforting behind him before he re.
allied the true situation of affairs, and
then he started in pursuit. Connor was
going so fast that Clark chased him a
quarter of mile before he came up
with him, the old man running all the
faster the more Clark yelled to him to
stop. When Connor's pursuer got with.
IN reach of him he grabbed for the
snake and caught it firmly by the tail.
He gave it q yank, and ierked it loose
from its fastenings ON the old man, but
like flash the rattler threw it's head
and whole length of its body back and
struck at Clark. The latter mechan.
ically jerked his head back, or the rat.
tiers fangs would have struck him in
the cneek. AS it was they sank in his
sleeve at the shoulders, and before the
Snake could release them Clark seized
it around the neck with his left hand
and held it there until he cholsed it 10
death.
Connor in the meantime had dropped
exhausted to the ground, and it was a
long time before he could be revived.
When the boy came up, painting and
crying, and told his story the circurn!
stances of the case were plain. Connor
had laid down near where the, snake
was in hiding, and the rattler, not lili-
ing the proximity, had struck at him
and hit him in the back, but his shirt
was SO thick that all the old man fell
was the thumn which he thnnnrht NM