The Forrest City times., 1894-05-25

the picket pin out of the ground and putting the lariat back in its place. Shooting at the antelope don't think entered my head. was in great doubt how best to proceed, but finally acted on the rule laid down for old-fashioned whist players-i C., "when in doubt play trump" took drink, and a big one.
 l put the flask back in the saddle bags, picked up my rife, and mounted at once, and in d few moments was go- ing at a ga Hop toward the post and watching all the time for the swelling to begin in my snale-hitten hand, and, to my consternation, thought l could see it was getting larger. I also began to feel very warm, which was to my mind evidence that the poison was do- ing its deadly work. then pulled up and took the walk, and finally halted long enough to take another drink, knowing that if l could get thoroughly under the influence of the brandy there would be chance for me. This time took "whopper."
 After this l rode quietly along for short time and tried to cool down. and made desperate efforts to be phil osopher. and die. if had to, like a man and a soldier. But soon found could not play that role worth a cent did not want to be philosopher and did not want to die. 1 did not like the idea at all of being found on the prairie by my friends, swelled up like dead toad, and black and ugly from the ef- feet of the snake bite.
 1t all of a sudden struck me that l was not feeling so very badly; in fact, l felt just at the minute very familiar and good. Thought had felt that way on some other occasion. knew l had never be ore been snake-b bitten.
 1 succeeded, after a great effort, in not looking at my bitten hand for sew eral minutes; but. finally feeling 50 much more cheerful and hopeful, de- termined to peer at it again, trusting that my fears made my case much more serious than it really was. With this feeling slowly raised the hand Git seemed very heavy) before my face. ! let it drop to my side with feeling of horror and realized that there was no hope The hand appeared to be much swollen, and my whole body seemed to take on feeling of weariness and las situde that l thought preceded imme- diate death.
 I laid my rife on the saddle in front of me and then raised both hands to gether, that might see just how much the left one was swollen. To my amaze ment the right one was just as large as the left. and not ,nly that, there seemed to be several airs of hands; in fact, the air was full of them, and all badly snake-bitten. It suddenly oc- cured to me that l was very drunk, and at the same time realized that l could not be badly poisoned or the brandy would not have taken effect so soon. Thinking the matter over for a moment. remem bered how hard it was to make a man drunk who had been bitten by rattlesnake, while had got very drunk without the slightest diff fculty and in short order.
 When it fully dawned on my be- numbed brain that I was not bitten, gave one wild, joyous whoop. and then broke out into series of Indian yells. lea ned forward, or rather fell, on my horses neck and began to laugh, and roared in a drunken way until 1 was almost exhausted, as the reaction from, as supposed, almost immediate death to life On the prairies, and horseback, was almost too much happiness for my shattered nerves
 I very soon got into an argument with myself I seemed to be two fel- lows. The sober lieutenant was say ing to the lieutenant who was drunk something to this effect: You are pretty fellow, you are; scared to death because pieces of the stone broke off when you drove the picket-pin in the ground, struck your hand. and made the blood come, but you ought to be court-martialed for cowardice;" and II suppose you think you oug ht to have brevet for this days work. Pretty soon you will fall off your horse and lose your hair"
 As the effect of the brandy began to die out feeling of pathos crept over me l wanted to weep, and felt re- ligious. If had had a friendly breast on which to lay my head, 1 think l could have sobbed with pleasure. But my horse would allow no fooling of that kind about his neck, consequently I was forced to ''sit up," and did not enjoy myself as much as one who had suffered so greatly ought to have done.
 A few miles farther brought me close to some ponds, within five or six miles of the post, and discovered there was small flock of wild geese on them. l thought perhaps I was near enough to my normal condition to get the better of a goose. so l rode off to the right