The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-09-06
FIDDLED TO SAVE HIS LIFE.
A MUSICIANS EXPERIENCE WITH
RATTLERs IN PENNSYLVANIA.


Away-He Had TO Keep UD the
Movement All Night.
Hawk Run. Pa. Aug. 27.-Coke ovens,
company stores and very dirty place.
That makes up Hawk Run, but the good
folks that live here have some funny ex-
periences in spite of their eishteen-hour
laboring day. The Hawk Run folks are
always ready to laugh, even at funeral
and the danger or solemnity Of an occa-
sion have little or nothing to do with their
sense of the ludicrous
Johnny williams. the helper in bank
of ovens was talking about an occurrence
in the place in the early part of last spring
and it seems that everybody thought it
"cracking" joke except the poor subject
"You see." said Johnny, as he rested
from feeding one Of the smoke and smell
producing furnaces, "the way OF it was
this: Fred Stark made up his mind last
winter that he would get married. and as
he had little money together, he thought
he would build a house for his gal.
Gal didn't seem to object; in fact, she
thought it would be a mighty nice thins
TO have the best house in the Run. For
you see" pointing with an eloquent ges'
ture and a grimy hand, 1.-THE houses we
people live in are tough enough" He was
right, for the habitations are nothing bus
n series Of rookeries. Mary and he pitch
ed on a spot of ground way up at tother
end, and paid SIS for it, and it was just on
the brow Of a mighty pretty little hill. He
didn't allow that it would cost much to
build it, as he was going to do a good biz
of work himself.
you see Fred was a sort of emergen-
cy man around here. Sometimes he was
at the ovens, sometimes on the slope,
sometimes at the tipple, but always had
something to do. Just then he was in the
mine, and, Of course, he had all his tools
there and was using them from day TO
day. After he got the lot of ground in
hand he told us that he was going to pitch
in and dig cellar to go under the house.
Well that was all darn nonsense. because
there was just no necessity for it., as we
none of us have cellars, and what's more
we don't need EN- l told him it was fool
ish, but he would do it his own way, and
that settled it, So we all Clipped in to
help him punch the hole.
I'VE all thought good bit of Fred. be-
cause he could play the fiddle, call off
figures and make things hum generally
at a dance, and I've seen him fiddle the
hornpipe and dance at the same time
more than once.
well, sir, we thought so much Of him
that we used to turn in for a little while
on Sundays and chuck the dirt out, for
we piled 1t all up and then were going
to take it away in wheelbaTrows, so we
had the sides almost as high up as the
bottom was down, and it was in pretty
fair shape.
'one Sunday when we went over for a
half hours work we found it so cold that
the boys built a fire in the middle, and
then worked around the sides. One Of the
crowd said that he saw a snake come up.
but we all thought ne was off, as we had
seen pretty few so far that year, and so
we kept on till nigh o'clock. Then we
gathered up our tools and went back,
leaving Fred up at his house, on our way
down to town. Fred was going to work
in the slope next day, and the last thing
ne said was: Good night boys, If don't
see you at church tonight I'll beat you
over 10 Briar Hill In the morning.
$50 that night Fred didn't show up at
church. Mary she came with her mother
and asked where Fred was, and l said
] guessed he was tired and didn't come
So next morning / got over to the slope
before O'Clock, and when l got there the
boss said Jack, two timbers have broken
in the main gang and you fellows will
have to go over to the woods and cut
some props So ! took my men and
thought I'd meet Fred on the way over
and see if he'd go along. Well, l thought
IL mighty funny, for up to the time we
struck his house we didn't see him at all,
and so l raped on the door and asked
Nom Stark where he was, and she says;
why, Jack, he took his fiddle last night
after supper and said he was going over
TO Mary's and after church he and her
were going to have some music. didn't
say much and just went on.
"Well, about a half mile further on was
where the new house was to be, and, hang
me, If we didn't hear Freds fiddle. Gee,
said one Of my men; guess Fred made an
early break to play in his new home;' and
so, by jinks he had! Only, you see 1t was
a late break, and a pretty bad one, but
by gracious! I'll never forget 1.-THE won't
either. Yes, 1t was his fiddle sure.
about han-past the night before he
started up to Mary's. He got about half
way there, and then he remembered that
he LEFT his pick in the cellar of the new
house, and he knew he'd need it in the
morning. So he started off to go back
and get IT, and take both fiddle and pick
along to Mary's. So II was pretty dark
when he got to the cellar, and laying the
fiddle down on the earth pile, he stepped
over into the hole, and the fiddle slipped
after him. The fire we lit was about cut
and he reached for the fiddle, and as he
picked It up he heard a snake hiss. So he
made lick at It, but 1t made another hiss
and backed away.
Just as he started TO look for the pick
he heard another and another, and then
three of four, and then he started for the
fire and punched the ashes together, and
no said the place was fun Of copperheads
and rattlers.
Fred said one would make a dab al
him, and he'd make a hit at 1t; then an
other would, but they seemed to be try
ing TO round him up in a sort of circle.
They got closer and closer, and as he spun
around one OF the fiddle strings snapped
and they all drew back a little. That gave
him an idea, and he drew the fiddle out
and commenced to play, and then the hot
ashes burned his feet and he commenced
TO dance. Wen, he didn't dare let up;
couldn't stop minute, and the snakes
they just fell away respectfully and
seemed TO like It, He'd try to stop, when
the whole cellar full would hiss and make
a start for him, and he'd commence again.
well. sir, all night long he danced and
hddled. He swore and yelled: he whistled
and screamed for help, but none came,
for, you see, # was Sunday night and
pretty lonely up there, and he just kept
hustling all the time. SO when we heard
the fiddle WhV of course we hurried nm