Sullivan republican. [volume] (Laporte, Pa.) 1883-1896, 1894-08-17

if from some invisible presence.
"Were you singing, Davy?"
''No, papa"
"Who then, my boy?"
CANCEL" and the child hung his
head.
And Mr.. Pond did what he was sorry
for long after. He shook the child
sngrily, and insisted upon descrip-
tion of the angel who was supplanting
father and mother in the heart of the
boy. But Davy would only sob and
say, as he had often done before, that
his angel was "boo'ful, an Davy loves
him"
1t was circus day in the new town
to which Davy's folks had moved, aud
Mr.. Pond tried to interest the child in
the street parade, but his sick senses
were wholly inadequate to the task.
The disappointed man bore the little
white-robed form back from the low
window opening on the lawn, and laid
him on the pillow with sinking
heart He knew now, what neither
doctor nor parson could have made
him believe, that the hours of the
boys life were numbered If the
prancing horses, the gay bands of mu-
sic, the wonderful animals, could not
charm away his sickness, then moth
ing could help him, and the father
cursed, in the feeble fashion of impo-
tent humanity, the unknown evil that
was DESTROYING his child.
While the child lay painting on his
pillow, there was lively scene under
the big circus tent where great many
things were going on at once. 1t is
only with one part of the circus that
this story has to do, and that is known
as the side show. 1t was the tent of
the beautiful and renowned Nine.
Selika Houssan, the oriental snake
charmer. This lady was advertised In
mammoth posters as the Queen OF
Snake Charmers, and she drew great
crowds, for this was really the part OF
the show that answered fully to all its
advertised attractions. Nine. Hous-
san was young and beautiful, and
handled her snakes in the most fear
less and expert manner. She stood
within a railing, and close to her was
glass case filled with baby snakes,
that looked like silver ropes as they
twinned about blanket in which they
were wrapped. She wore snakes on
her wrists, clasping them like brace
let's. Big Demonstrators wreathed
themselves about her white neck and
shoulders. She would lift their fiat
heads, and they would dart their forked
tongues against her cheek, when she
said in her pretty voice, "kiss me"
Then she would lay them on the shelf
that ran outside of the railing, the
crowd would fall back in panic, but
the reptiles hung there slightly NOV
ing their protruding heads, but not
Offering to slip away.
"Now," said the madame, taking out
of its box beautiful, brilliant-striped
snake of the variety known to natural
lists as the "Colubres Eximius," or
house snake, 81 show you my SO uni
que pet, my beauty. lie loves me !;
he knows what L say. See. how smart
he is?--the nice fellow! !"
Madame put the snake through his
PAGES, and he was indeed n pet and
prodigy. He saluted her with so many
varieties of Oriental kisses that the
young fellows wanted to strangle him.
Then he playfully bit her finger, and
was scolded, whereupon he sulked.
Snow you shall hear him sing, J"
said madame, and, at her prompting,
he gave a little chirping sound that
answered very well for song, and
was curiously sweet and fascinating.
"Now shall show you something
so very strange, SO uncommon" said
the snake-charmer, and she tied a
piece of bright blue satin ribbon
around the arehed neck of the dappled
snake. "You watch, you see. What
| you call transformation scene-so. 3"
The ribbon turned from bright blue
to IA pale color. Soon it was intensely,
purely white.
"What does it?" yelled the crowd.
at is-how you call it?--electric
snake.
+ Then to questions by the more curl
ous of the crowd she informed them
glibly that the pet had come To- them
when they were performing in Guiana |;
I that 1t was native OF the Brazils, aud
/ that its classic name was "frigon0-
/ cephalus mutus, aud that the natives
Of that part Of the world regarded 1t
as sacred. All Of which was u redo.
montade ont OF madame's textbook on
the education Of snakes. Bat the peo-
| pie swallowed IL all aud felt that they
were getting their moneys worth.
Next ma lame laid her pet on the
shelf while she turned the baby snakes
loose.
The crowd lost sight Of the ribbon
decorated pet ia the excitement of
seeing the new excitement, aud 30 did
madame hegseli. anA Il sas not until
sha bad finished her Performance for
that time ani reached oal for the
pythoness ani the auaeun la that she
missed lt
There eas au instaut clearing # The
place, people laaihlol oYsr each ether
iH tsslf haste h. gst asay, hut never
a.aia lli the eyes - Madame itpassaa
f'st apun hes sa uHlar ptt u
hai saHiallfi ffutn hsi hpfikan Forever
The doeior, aho hal slssa nsYJ "a,