The daily morning journal and courier., 1896-12-15

pu&, nlBHer ana nlgneI, men Dy men, the coiling continually changing. At last she did notice it, unstartled. Her thought was: He is probably tired of one position, poor creature. The suns rays and the air are agreeable to him. Glad I could help him!"
 How handsome his eyes appeared to her. How curiously he opened his mouth and shot out his fangs. She wished he would not be so quick about 1t. she would like to observe more close ly the structure of his mouth. Alp sorbed in her Investigations, she did not hear Frank as he burst from the house screaming to her. She heard nothing till the boy slammed a heavy board on the box as a cover, and placed large stone upon it to hold it down. Even then she expostulated
 Why are you so rough with the poor creature, Frank? I am sure you have hurt it."
 The boy looked at the child as she stood there. Her hat had fallen back on her shoulders and left uncovered her sunny hair, rosy cheeks and flashing dark eyes. He had often admired her studious abilities, but now her igno- rance astonished him.
 Don't you know, Dorothea, what the snake was about to do? Don't you know what you've been saved from?'
 'No, don't. l was in no danger" Danger! You were completely fas- cinated. He was all ready to spring on you, and if he had, all the men in Sa- lem could not have saved you from | death"
 | She could not believe it. Mrs. Lucas herself, who had seen her from the | window and sent Frank to her. could not fully convince Dorothea of her per | il. But the severe parental rebuke she received for her temerity demonstrated that others gave credence to the con viction of the Lucases.
 And from that hour Captain Lucas kept his gate padlocked.
 Dorothea's narrow escape was freely discussed by neighbors and friends, Severe were the criticisms expressed. And an open discussion ensued. Some maintained that Captain Lucas was | endangering all; others that there was no danger at all, except from lawless Investigations by ignorant or reckless young people.
 The incident, however, was almost completely forgotten, when suddenly far more serious danger menaced not only that neighborhOod, but the city in every part, and many other places as well.
 A sultry wave had brought to all res idents of eastern Massachusetts si- 1 nf Tn hn let of hi boa constructor and anaconda had dis appeared from Captain Lucas premis- es A large reward was offered by the captain if they were returned alive. A l larger one was offered by the city for their skins. To be assured of the death of these guilty reptiles which had so wickedly ventured to wriggle out of sight would be a relief to thousands of children, too, whose sports had been thus suddenly interrupted.
 Where were these pythonic tramps? Oh where! Into how many trundle beds and cradles was the search car ried? How many men, as well as wo- men, carried on the quest with blanched cheeks?
 The lurid sun next morning looked down on whole communities of fright ened multitudes. Schoolhouses were closed. All citizens went armed many days. The provision men and milk men were not seen for several days. And thus many sick suffered, and many were rendered i'll from fright Every farmer and farm hand left their usual labors to hunt these South Amer ican terrors.
 Cities, towns and villages voted these South American immigrants a public nuisance, although invisible as yet. Startling news arrived, from time to time, of their being seen in this or that locality quite distant from each other.
 In one village the teacher of coun- try school was quite sure the anaconda was in the cellar under the school room. He called upon all the able-bod- jed men to assist in killing the reptile Their numbers were increased by all the half-groWn boys of the community Guns, pistols, clubs and crowbars were obtained. But who would take the lead? Who would dare to go first into the place? As all modestly held back a woman, armed with a pitchfork boldly descended the stairs and entered 
 breathless silence, and then a shout A scream! A jeer! It was coil o1 rotten rope!
 The snakes of all species were in dan ger of becoming extinct, so many were killed by mistake. Salem, Swampscott Lynn, Danvers, Topsfield, Beverly
 Wenham, Chelsea, Somerville, Lexing. ton, Concord, Dorchester and Roxbury as well as many other places, were searched, and researched until, at last
 the query became well-nigh universa in eastern Massachusetts,: , Where are those pythops?" 'Is il
 all a hoax?" If they really did es
 cape, why have they never been seer by any one?"
 As winter drew on the farmers fear:
 abated. No cattle had disappeared
 and would not now be likely to. Int miserable creatures, if alive, would be come torpid in our northern cline. Nc need for further worry.
 Doubts increased as to their evel having escaped at all An almost all . prevailing scepticism settled doW1
 upon the community-the common de