Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1896-07-02
"~DARVILLF, SOLE
PROPRIETOR"
A Tale OF the Ideai ana y

"p"ut AMERICAN rail-
read travel is the washout." rho
other day | found myself the yic,Im
OF the washout. 1t was ahead s,,na.
where-a cloud-bIrst, probably-aDd
the train would lie for two bours n
Waterside. l walked down the Iopg
street which led fl ON the station n
would not take two hours to eyhous,
Naterside; | must make the most of
IT, A boy came round the corner with
a roll Of hand bills on his arm. For
years | have studied to avoid This
EInd OF a boy, but | now walked 10
ward this n with interest and took
his bill eagerly. He went ON While I
lcaned against the fence and read.
Snakes, SnaLeS, Snakes" the bin
opened in startling capitals. "See the
Wonderful Exhibition of Snak IS now
helng given in your midst" It con-
tlnucd. "A Marvellous, ~Sclpendous.
ard Awe-Compelling Display of the
Cillnmy Monsters Of Mountin. Plain
u SEQ. 1OO-Deadly Serpeuts--lOO
Handled by n Child four years II age
as a Mother handles her Baba! The
greatest sight now before the Aemri-
can people. Admission. ten cents"
Then followed this line, evidently the
proudest effort Of the author: Mote
II AmbiguoSity and T~autOloginess OF
our Tentatcrial Display The bill
started To tlutter from nv nedycless
hngerSs, when my eye caught the
name at the bottom-Dar lille. Sole
Proprietor. | dropped the bin and
became Obvious TO my surroundings.
! The name Of Darville, though at
tached to a snake Charmer's bill.
awakened memories. / dismissed the
snake man, and let my mind wander
back TO the days of childhood when
the same name had been familiar to
me. Little Dicky Darville. | had not
thought OF him for a long time, but he
came back to me, with his curly head
and blue yes, now as if wehad just
left the game of marbles in response
TO the schOOl-bell which for five years
summoned us to study. Dicky had
been my closest early schoOlday
friend. Then his parents had moved
away and | had lost sight Of him. |
had begun TO fear forever. Dicky and
! had been like brothers-more. we
haul quarreled less than brOthrs. /
loved 10 quarrel, but Dicky did not
seem TO care for it. / remembered
that his mother and his own inclina-
lions had destined him for the minis
try. Personally at that time / had de
cided for piracy-black, unyieIding.
10 quarter. cut-and-slaSh. walk-tle
plank, long low and rakiSh freebOOt-
J ery-and ! sighed as thUught of how.
rudcly ! often repealed Dicks cntreat-
les to give over my wicked intentions
and join him in the ministry. | had
not yet found my way clear to take
up piracy, but / had never doubted
that Dicky had been more fortunate
in his ambitions. l h@d often let my
eye wander over the column Of relig-
iOus intelligence for a reference to the
Rev. Richard Darville, Rector OF st.
ChrySOSton's; but so far had been I'M
rewarded.
/ had wandered down the street and
turned the corner. My eye was caught
by Il small round tent Oh Il vacant lot
: opposite. A great canvas banner flap
ped beside the door, on which WIS
1 pictured a snake standing up like a 81
gantic cOrkscrew. There was some
glowing language on the banner
which | did not read, but at the bot
tom | again saw the words, Darville,
Sole Proprietor.
There was a very blond woman,
J somewhat the worse for the insidious
hand Of time, sitting by the door of the
/ tent. She looked at me encouraging
ly. / am but a human man. / paus-
ed. She leaned a little forward in her
: chair, and there was a touch OF smile
! a shadowy, fleeting, roSe-leaf sug-
gestion Of smile-upon her lips. |
went acros the street. i put down a
dime on a little table in front or the
woman. IuSatiate Timei will not man
suffice, that you must strike at lovely
woman. too? She handed me a ticket.
! started in the tent. She o my
ticket with her left nand. III speak
! TO the fellow at least l Thought,
' about the name" i was inside now.
There was a dozen cases with glass
fronts. around the outside. l got a
confused but sufficient impression OF
snakes inside: / am afraid Of a snake.
ON n chair at the left sat a girl some
seven or eight years old, also Witl
choppy yellow hair. chewing gam, n
3 working at a wooden puzzle. she
wore a pink dress, trimmed with un-
sci. and black stockings with yellow
clocks. A man stepped from behind
some of the cases and came toward
me Dicky-none other! Dieky with
n parish of snakesI -,
.Retter be a little careful, sir,
micky's voice, an octave lower; "that
RATHER seems TO think he's hungry.
He's a-reaching for your ear. /
straightened up. Get up, Zenobla,
and let the gentleman sit down. L
f, took the chair. He brought another
md sat down near me.
cts a warm day." said. firmly.
Yes answered the companion OF
my boyhood-"yes, but the snakes ike
it." ,o, n
.How's business" ] continued IN
the tone of a man demanding the yeas
and rays. Tbe
Pretty poor today; too warm; II
srakes like It better than we DO.
Snakes like warm wtather' 'nen,
bevP' / went on, still speaking as II l
headed n grievance committee aduress-
ing congress assembled.
Eyes. they're very fond OF IT, esPec-
ially the rattlers. n+ory