The Van Buren press., 1895-06-29

W oh WIG nIone ana lay tnere IN lull
view Having taken firm hitch with
the leader about the stem OF the cur
rant bush, the vengeful crippled grass
hopper pushed its counterpart present.
ment along toward the edge of the
stone, and when it reached there,
showed it over. The artificial grass
hopper fell and there was leader
enough left to let it just touch the
water lightly There was a flash and
splash in the water and the next in
slant my pet trout was dashing wildly
about in the spring, hooked on the
deadly lure and played by the timber
currant bush. Oh! but it was stroke
of geniusl The crippled grasshopper
stood ON the edge of a stone, looking
over at the vengeance it had wrought,
elaring savagely and gloating. could
easily have saved the trout.
But mol! said. 1T is but retribu-
tive justicel Let it standl'
I'm a short time the trout was dead.
The crippled grasshopper hobbled off
OF the stone and disappeared. never
saw it again. Win somebody give me
an inlzling of what there is in that
Sinnemahone atmosphere that makes
things have so much more snap in them
there than things have anywhere else
ON top of earth? Even grassheppers.
Will some one simply give me an ink
lingP"
Not even the man in the red, blue,
pink, yellow, green and purple mack
inaw jacket seemed capable of utter
ance, and the man from Sinnemahon-
ing way had to go without his inkling.
"Oh, yesl Snakes!" said he, sud
denly brought to himself. Lord
wish my father was here! But he isn't!
He couldn't be, very we'll He left the
banks of the Shinnemahone for the
same of Jordan, some years since. My
father was a fiddler, and if he is play
ing the harp half as well as he played
the fiddle, he isn't taking back seat
for anybody on the other shore, and
I'll bet on It'll And how he could tell
about snakes! lisa shame the way I've
forgot most of the things he used to
tell me about em, but remember one
that may strike you as tolerable fair
showing as to what Sinnemahone
snakes were able to do in the days of
my father. Sinnemahone snakes are at
the head of the serpent race yet, of
course, but in those days they had the
benefit of my father, and they simply
shone
1.-THE blowing adder was always
big favorite with my father. The blow
ing adder, You know, is that interest
ing snake that has the faculty of fiat
tening out its head to about four times
its natural size, then putting it up, and
then blowing small gale from its
mouth for few seconds. l never knew
just what they gained by doing all
this, but they do it, and that's enough.
The blaeksnake was another snake my
father liked, but somehow they never
liked him, but they feared him, and
when he wanted to use 'em they
knuckled right down and were used.
"Once my father had pet blowing
adder and blacksnake that he wanted
to be a pet, but which had a feeling
against being one, and just wouldn't.
1t didn't dare to rebel altogether,
though, and learned the tricks my
father taught it, and did them, but
kicked like steer all the time. The
blowing adder, on the other hand, was
fonder of the old man than cat of
her kittens, and never lost chance to
show 1t. One of the tricks my father
taught the rebellious blacl1snalxe was
to take match in its mouth, reach
back and scratch the match ON its scaly
side, and then rise up on its tail and
light fathers pipe as he held it in his
mouth. 1t was aneat trick, and used
to please father next to knowing that
the little jug with the corncob stopper
in it wasn't empty. ae, tte n,
whenever father went to his cabin
in the woods for hunt he always took
and Prudence with him for
company. Jehosaphat was the black
snake and Prudence was the blowing
adder. Once, while out on one of these
trips, father was taken sick with rheu-
matism in his cabin, and lay on his
bed of straw, unable to move hand or
foot. Jehosaphat cheered up and
got clipper at once. He tumbled all
over himself, father used to say, he
felt SO good. And he felt more than
that. He had murder in his heart.
While father lay there helpless the
wicked snake took match in his
mouth, glared like a fiend in fathers
face for moment, struck the match
on his side, just the way the old man
had taught him. and then deliberately
set fire to the straw on which my father
lay helpless. With one more fendish
glare at my father Jehosaphat fed
from the cabin. nru f
Imagine my fathers feelings lying
there unable to move, and that fire
creeping slowly toward him! He saw
no escape from a horrible death. But
he didn't know Prudence, the blowing
adder That loving snake woke from
a nap in her corner, and soon saw the
awful danger my father was In. She
dashed over to the burning straw, fat
tened out her head, and with one tre-
mendous puff blew out the blaze"
'Sinnemahone!" exclaimed the man
In the red, blue, pink, yellow, green
and purple rnaclsinaw jacket, ''let me
tell ye sumpin'l That blowin' adder
mowt blowed out that blaze, but
there amt no blowin' adder, nor sweep
in gale, nor howlin cyclone that kin
ever blow out the blaze you'll git into
one o these days, an when ye git there,
jist remember that l told ye SON.
Y. Sun.
Did He Shave or Shake 1t?
In q discussion on the factory bill,
one member. according to a report in