Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1894-09-15
A rERRRLE %REReAVEMENT.
his Best Friend Was Lured Away by .
Circus BAND.

as he meditauvely twisted a c%orncot
into the neck of the jug. ter ledge a
man by the company he keeps one o
the deares' friends l ever had wus a So
cial outcast.'
An ex-conviet?" asked the Young
man from the city.
No; 'twus a snake, Didn't We ever
hear bout my pet snake?"
Il can't say that | have heard him
mentioned. You see, | have been here
only a short time" was the apologize
reply.
"Ye couldn't hev been here more'n a
day or two. otherwise ye'd have been
sure to hev heard of him"
The old gentleman looked very pen.
Siye and his eyes moistened IA little.
Il wisht." he went on. tibet we'd do
me 4 favor. | notice thet We take a
good many long walks. Ef We ever no
tice a RATHER with a wart on the left
side of his neck. I'd be nightly
obleeged ter We eff ye'd bring i'm home
"Do-do you mean a rattlesnake?"
''YeS. You needn't be scared the
assurance being in response to a look
of wild dismay that crept over the face
of the stranger. You won't u any
risk at all eff We call him Billy in =
gentle tone OF voice and scratch the
top of his head with yer fore finger.
That allus pleased Billy tremendous"
He was silent with his own musings
for almost a minute after his auditor
murmured about being glad to do any
thing in his power to accommodate
him. At the close of his thoughtful
silence his face frightened as if 4 sud-
den inspiration had come.
kin you play "A mouth-organ?' ne
asked.
why, when was young | could do
a little with Home Sweet Home on
the instrument
That's the very tune he replied,
producing a battered harmonica from
his hip pocket. BILLY liked that bet.
term anything else except dance music.
| wish you'd take this. an sometime
when We feel like restin' set down on a
stump an play a little bit. Then look
around an see eff We can't discover
Billy. He'll make hisself known sure
eff he's anywhere in the neighborhood. $
He must have a remarkable ear for
muslc.n
Ear fur music! | should say he had.
II wus through his ear fur music tibet
we fust got acquainted, wus restin'
n day at noon an the hired man wus
playin' the mouth organ. 'Ta-ra-ra.
boom-de-ay' wus then in its prime. an
tibet wus the tune he wus workin' over.
My attention wus attracted by the fac
thet every time he'd git ter the boom
part we'd hear a rattle in the grass
jest behind us. made a little s'arch.
an there wus Billy dancin' fit ter kin
hisself. He WIS balanced in the mid.
die, head an tail up like the letter L.
Fust he'd give IA little spring this wav;
then he'd jump that: then he'd spin
round an round, the head part of him
~continnerly wavin' in the most grace.
- N"A 10 \ NEti SNI' nth tllG H1uSlt
d git ter the proper place he'd put in a
rattle tibet nd set off the tune les
right, never expect to see no better
dancin' eff | live ter be a thousand
years old. The hired man followed up
with a jig an then a reel, an that
snake wus fairly crazy weth delight.
Finally the hired man played a little
Spanish dance, an Billy ics took an
extra kink in his tail an made them
rattlers do duty fur c~astanets in a way
tibet would hcv made a ballet girl tired.
When it was all over he WIS so PLAYED
out tibet | picked him up an carried
him to the house without his offerin'
ter git away. He 'preciated my kind.
ness, an we got ter be the closes kim
Of frien's.'
Il should think you would have been
careful not to lose him."
Il done my best. Butche WIS sech
good company thet l liked ter take
him out ter my work weth me. Couldn't
any thing coax him away from
whur ! told i'm ter stay-thct is no
nothin' tibet We could ordinarily think
on. He wuz ez loyal ez We could ask.
But one day while he wuz layin' on the
top rail of the fence along came a cir.
Gus tibet wus goin' to show in a town
ten miles off. A lot O the musicians
wuz in the band wagon an les e2 they
got past us they struck up one o them
tibet the boys whistle so much.
We orter hev seen thet snake wake mn.
lie went about six feet in the air from
whur he wuz layin' an landed in
the middle of the road. | wuz at the
other side of the field an | made fur
i'm the best ] could cause | realized
tibet nothin' on earth nd keep i'm from
followin' tibet band. But he had to,
much the start; | couldn't ketch M ter
But he probably stopped when the
music did"
Il know it, An it didn't seem rca.
Sonable ter me tibet he'd git lost. Be-
tween me an you | kind O. think he's
loafin' around in the woods near here.
too much ashamed ter come home.
That's why ] give We the mouth organ.
ri we git the chance | want We ter do
something ter remind him of ole times
make i'm feel tibet they amt no
hard feelin's an tibet home is the best !
place after all. "-Detroit Free Press