Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1896-04-30

there lay across ner lnStep the nttt,
snake, it's head firmly fixed into thu,
silk stocking. With muffled exclama-
ton of horror Harry tore it off, and
flung it into the sea; the pretty whit,
foot lay bare, and seen through the
rent in the stocking were three TIM
red punctures. Mr.. Ashley rushed
down the cabin steps in a mad hurry.
Williams, Williams" he called; lyon
must go on shore at once, at once-do
you hear? Mrs. Ashley has been stung
by snake, go and bring a doctor a,
quickly as ever you can" Coming
back, he took UP the huge basket of
flowers, and pitched them overboarS;
then, taking poor Molly in his arms,
he carried her to her cabin, when her
maid bathed the poor little foot. 1t
was swelling already, but there was no
pain.
''I'll sit on the deck till the doctor
comes, Harry" she laughed. "Please
don't worry, I don't believe it was any
thing but a common adder"
But when the boat brought the doc
tor, in about On hour, he looked very
grave. ...a. .... ..s. "...
Il cannot say anything for some
time yet" he said, after examining the
sting. II don't like the entire absence
of pain. Can you not describe to me
what the snake or adder looked like ?"
But poor Harry had flung it away
without looking, and was in such
state that he could absolutely remem-
Der nothing. Gradually poor Molly
got worse, the swelling increased, and
terrible numbness, which crept slowly
right over the body, set in. The doctor
stayed on, but more for the sake of
Mr.. Ashley, who was beside himself
with grief, than for Molly, who lay
quite still and quiet in kind of stupor
from which nothing could rouse her.
About six in the evening she awoke, and
family asked for her husband.
Dear love-" she said, putting her
arms round his neck. "try not to take
it too hardly, if L" but Harry left her
and rushed on deck.
Good God, Wilson," he cried, to the
doctor, cant you do anything? Let's
have some one else, let's" his eye
fell on the native who had brought over
the flowers in the morning, standing
talking to Williams, and, in his frenzy,
he turned on him.
You black scoundrel," he said, going
up to him, do you know your careless
ness has killed my wife? If she dies,
I'll have you thrown into the seal"
Master Harry" said the staid Will
liGms, who had been with his master
since he was a boy, don't hurt the
man; he's a native, and these natives
are sometimes very clever with medi-
cines; perhaps he can do something for
my mistress!"
God bless you for thinking of It,
Williams" he said, in a broken voice;
lyon tell him, you can understand his
jargon," and he went down again to
Molly. -.
Williams explained as we'll as he
could what had happened; and the
man, with glimmer Of understanding,
thought he could see what kind of O
snake it was from the wound it had in
tiicted. He was accordingly shown into
Mrs. Astley's cabin, and after looking
at the punctures, at once hurried away,
saying he would bring something, but
he was afraid, he confided to Williams,
that it was too late.
Most of us can call to memory some
time in our lives, some special hour,
when every moment seems year, and
though suppressed excitement fills
us, yet we seem unnaturally quiet,
waiting - waiting - we know not
whether for life or death, for happi-
ness or misery TO fall to our lot.
If Harry Ashley had been asked
which was the supreme hour of his
life he would without hesitation have
said this one-when he sat beside his
wife's bed in dumb agony awaiting the
return of the man, wondering if he
would be in time, for poor Molly seemed
to be losing strength with every breath,
AID wondering, too, if he could do any
good when he did come!
At last, after what seemed to the
WORKOUT man perfect eternity Of
waiting, the native returned. His
method seemed to Harry alarmingly
simple for such an extreme case, as
it merely consisted in putting few
drops of particular juice into the
three punctures the adder had made,
but to his delighted establishment, as
well as the doctors, in half an hour
Molly was sleeping quietly, and the
swelling was already greatly decreased,
while Mahomed Mani, the African
medicinc-man, left the yacht consider
| ably richer than when he came on to it'll
1t was very pale little Molly who
was sitting week later at the same
breakfast table, opening little pack
age her husband had just given her.
1t was bracelet in the form of tiny
gold adder, with cleaning eyes of
emeralds; and on it's quivering tongue
lay crumpled roseleaf of rosy enamel.
How beautiful! Harry" she said.
THANK you thousand times, and are
they actually clever enough to make
such thing in that bazaar in Algiers ?"
These eastern people are consum-
mate masters in the art Of jewellery,
dearest" he answered; land now, when
my little wife wears this, may it always
| he the only prrrnyN1a1 roSalaof -, 10.