The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1894-08-31

CANCEL" and the child hung his
head.
And Mr.. Pond did what he was sorry
for long after He shook the child
angrily, and insisted upon a descrip-
ton 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, and
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 rs 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
a glass case filed 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
lets. Big Demonstrators wreathed
themselves about her white neck and
shoulders. She would lift their fiat
heads, and they would dart their forke d
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," OF
house-snake, 81 show you my SO uni
que pet, my beauty. He loves me
he knows what 1 say. See, how smart
he is?--the nice fellow"
Madame put the snake through his
PAGES, and he was indeed a 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, ant
was scolded, whereupon he sulked.
"Now you shall hear him sing,
said madame, and, at her prompting,
he gave little chirping sound tina
answered very we'll for song, an(
was curiously sweet and fascinating
"Now / shall show you something
so very strange, SO uncommon" saiC
the snake-charmer, and she tied
piece of bright blue satin ribbon
around the arched neck OF the dapple'
snake. "You watch, you see. VIVA
you cali Transformation scene-so.
The ribbon turned from bright blu
to a pale color. Soon it was intensely
purely white.
= "What does itP" yelled the crowd
eft is-how you call it?--electri
snake"
Then to questions by the more cur.
GUS of the crowd she informed theI
gibly that the pet had come to theI