Oxford eagle., 1895-06-13

4 =
/ had brreft IL % leg
One dsy had been fishing with INV
artificial gras>hoppcr. I came In. tppk
/ the leader of my line. with the iruita-
tion graSshupp~r on IL. and laid il On
the back stoop. being called away for
something or other When I went tn
/ get the leader ten ur fifteen minutes
later u was gone. looked around.
hut couldn't find H. Souue time after
{ ward started for the spring 20 get a
| pail II water. and a. drew near saw
the crippled graSshopper dragging
itself mp on the fist stone that covered.
Or half covered. the spring Istopp-d.
and then saw that the graSshopp-r
was dragging something mp along
with IL. started when saw that IL
was nv missing leader Nv arSt i'm
pulse was 10 60 aud recover my prop
erty. but on second Thought didn't
/ This unfortunate graSshopPer.' Z
reasoned. has some purpose in view.
Let ~ SC what II may h.
u ~con saw. Growing near the fat
stone over the spring was n currant
bush With great deliheratiou the
.
my leader in its mouth amt hobbleJ
round and round the bush. winding. ~
! could SEE. the leader about H. The
artificial gra->hopper had b~eu hauled
up on the stoue and Law there in full
view. Having taken a firm hitch with
the leader about the stem % the cur
rant bush. the vengeful crippled grass-
hopper pushed its counterpart present
ment along toward the edge % the
stone. and when IL reached there.
showed IL over The artificial ~rRss-
hopp~r fell and there uRS leader
enough left % let /; just touch the
water lightly. There was fash and
a splash in the water. and the newt in
slant nv pct trout was sashing wildly
about in the spring. hnoked nu the
deadly lure and played bv the timber
eurrsnt bush Oh- but il va, a stroke
# Eeuius, The crippled yraSshopp~r
sto.p.i On the e.ia-e - a stone looking
over az the vengeance il had wrought.
: siarin< Savag~iy and zloatiu< ! eould
EASILY have saved the trout
Bat mo- ! said ], i but r.tribu-
tive isstr-e, let 10 stand
Ia short tims ths. trouf xas dead
The crippled grasshnpp~r hoht.led ~
- The stone and disappeared I never
saw Il again viii ~usnets.ty give m,
an inklinx q whA sh~re Is in that
>inn-uahoue atmosphere that make.
things have ~ much more snap in them
there than things have aavvvhere eis,
ca top - esrthc Ev~u grasShopuer4
WI -,ul~ one ssnpiy give me an lax
linxc-
Not even the man in The red. blue.
pink. yellow. gr~~n and purpje mack
iuavv Jacket se-m~d capable - utter
auc-. AMI the man sr.an Sinn-mahou-
ing way had 70 90 without his inklin<.
-oh. YES, Snakes.- ssid he sud
d~nly hrnught to hin<~lf Lord,
N i>h my father was herr, But be isn't,
lie couldn't ~. very well lie left the
hanks u the Shinne1nahone for the
same ~ Jordan. some years sinsc- My
father was sddIer and IL he i play
ing the harp half a. well a. he PLAYED
the fiddle. he isn't taking hack >eas
fnr anybody On the other shore. and
III bet on il, And how he could tell
ahuut SnaSes, lisa shame the way I've
forgot m.st 10 the things he u<ed ~
tell ne about en-. but I remember one
that may strike ron a. tolerable fair
showing a. IN what Slunemahoue
snakes were able u do IN the days 20
nv father. >iun-mahoue snakes arr AZ
the head of the serpent race yet. of
e0ur>.-. hat in tho-e DAYS they hnd the
ten~fi, % my father. and they simply
shone.
The blowing alder was always a
big favorite with ms father The blow
ing adler. you know. = that interest
ing snake that has the faculty - fat
teuiny out its head to about four times
its natural sizc, then putting il mp, and
then blowing a small Eele from it,
mouth for few seconds I never anew
J just what they gained by doing all
J this. but they do Il. and that's enough
The blackSnake was another snake my
, father liked. but somehow they never
; liked him. but ;hey feared him. an.
when he wanted - u>e en- they
Snuekled right down and vere used
--s'nee my father had a pet blowing
) adder and blacksnake that he wanted
tO b. pet. but which had a feeling
agains; being one. and just wouldn't
IL didn't dare To- rebel altogether.
though. and learned the tricks my
} father taught il. and did them. hu,
kicked like a steer all the time The
blowing adder. m the other hand was
fouder of the old man than a eat Il
her kittens. and never lost a chance q
show IL One of the tricss my father
taught the reheliiou> biaeksnaS. VA.
20 take match in IT, mouth. reach
hack and scratch the match on IT. s.-aiy
: side. and then rise mp on it, tail and
light fathers pipe a. he held il in hi.
mouth. II was a neat trick. and used
] To please father next IN knowing that
the little jug with the eorncob stopper
in II wasn't empty.
Whenever father went 70 hiS cabin
in the woods for hunt be always tonk
Jeho>aphat and Prudence with him tur
company. Jehosaphat was the black.
snake and Prudence was the blowing
adder. once. while out 30 one Of these
: trips. father was taken sick with rheu
, matism in his cabin. and iay on his
bed Of straw. unable 70 move hand %
foot Jehosaphat eh-ered M and
got chipper at oDce- lie tumhled ali
over himself, father used - say. be
felt - good And he felt more than
that He had murder in his heart
While father lay there helpless the
wicked snake took a match In hi.
mouth. glared like send in father,
face for a moment. struck the match
on his side. just the way the odd mar
had taught him. and then dslib-rateIp
set FIRE 70 the straw on which nv fathes
, Law helpless With ore more 6endisf
! glare al ny father IehosAphat aed
r from the cabin
Imagine my fathers feelings lyinS
there unable 70 move. and that 6rs
creeping slowly toward him. He saw
: no escape from horrible death Bat
: he didn't know Prudence. the blowing
adder. That loving snake woke fron
, nap in her corner. and soon saw th.
awful danger my father was in Sh.
dashed over 10 the burning straw. dat
! tened out her head. aud with one TIRE