Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1894-08-23

his child.
While the child lay painting on his
pillow there was lively scene under
the big circus tent where n agreat 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 MS
n side show. 1t was the tent of the
beautiful and renowned Nine. Selilka
Houssan, the oriental snake charmer.
This lady was advertised in mammoth
posters as the Queen Of Snake Charm
ers, and she drew great crowds, for
this was really the part of the show
that answered fully to all its adver.
tised attractions. Nine. Houssan was
young and beautiful and handled her
snakes in the most fearless and expert
manner. She stood within railing,
and close to her was glass case filled
with baby snakes that looked like sill
vcr ropes as they twined about blan-
llet in which they were wrapped. She
wore snakes on her wrists, clasping
them like bracelets. Big boa-con-
strictors wreathed themselves about
her white neck and shoulders. She
would lift their fiat heads, and they
would dart their forlSed tongues against
her check, 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 a
panic, but the reptiles hung there
slightly moving their protruding heads,
but not Offering to slip away.
"Now," said the madame, taking
out of it's box beautiful, brilliant.
striped snake of the variety known to
naturalists as the "Colubres Eximius," :"
or house-snalie. 81 show you my so
unique pet, my beauty. He loafes
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 a pet and
prodigy He saluted her with 80 many
varieties of oriental kisses that the
young fellows wanted to strangle him.
Then he playfully bit her finger and
was scolded, whereupon he sulxed.
''Now you shall hear heem sing"
said madame, and at her prompting he
gave little chirping sound that an
swercd 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 bright
blue satin ribbon around the arched
neck of the dappled snake. "You
watch, you see. What you call trans.
formation scene-so."
The ribbon turned from bright blue
to pale color. Soon it was intensely
purely white.
"Whnt does it?" yelled the crowd.
at is-how you call it?-electric
snake"
Then to questions by the more curl
Gus of the crowd she informed them
glibly that the pet had come to them
1 when they were performing in Guiana
that it was native of the Brazils, and
that its classic name was "Trigono
cephalus mutus." and that the native.
Of that part of the world regarded il
as sacred. All of which was a rodo
montade out of madame's textbook on
the education of snakes But the peo
pie swallowed it all and felt that they
were getting their moneys worth.
Next madame laid her pet on the
shelf while she turned the baby snakes
loose.
The crowd lost sight of the ribbon
| IL +o1 IN, fha nf ca n
ing the new excitement, and so die
madame herself, and it was not unit
she had finished her performance fol
that time and reached out for thu
pythoness and the anaconda, that sht
missed it.
There was an instant clearing of the
place. people tumbled over each othel
in their haste to get away, but never
again did the eyes of Nine. Houssar
rest upon her $50 unique pet" He hat
vanished from her horizon forever.
The doctor, who had given Davy up
his father and mother and few sor
rowing friends, sat by his pillow ant
famed him incessantly to keep the
breath of life in his frail little body
There was no sound of talking o.
weeping. but an utter silence which
was suddenly broken by the sweet
song of bird.
They all heard it and on each it hat
q peculiar influence, something un
canny, like the speech OF inanimatt
: things But Davy was transfgured
He lifted himself on his pillow and
with incredible strength, screamed a
the top of his voice:
: 'Angel-my boofl Angel!'
The astonished parents looked a
each other. Then, before they coulC
sneak or move, q strange thing hap
pcned, SO strange that l, its historian
will not ask you to believe it withou
the evidence of stranger things tina
have previously occurred. A long
sinuous, brilliantly-marked snalS,
darted in through the low open win
dow and sought Davy's bed. Thos
present fell back in fright. Th
next moment it was clasped in th
child's arms, was caressing every lin
of his wasted face, singing that weir'
song that sounded like harp's vibra
ton and twining itself about the frai
5 body with loving clasp. And Dave.
was restored before their very eyes
5 saving over and over again in hi
blessed baby patois: "Me love Angel
: me so gladr
, How the snake came into the posses
| sion of the circus can only be guessed
, In Its long search for its little humal
; playmate it had probably been cap
tured, when its beauty and tamenes
made it an attraction. Naturalist
l familiar with the species assured tn
childs pa rents that the snake was a
l harmless as kitten, and as it cause,
; the little fellows speedy restoration
to health, it was endured by them,
) not loved. That it had found Dav
' by some powerful occult faculty seem