Walker Lake bulletin. (Hawthorne, Nev.) 1883-1926, 1896-11-04

had been upset, and they did not take
the precaution to provide for such d
contingency.
A Rather Diversion.
But In every scholars breast there
was sense of impending conflict.
When they had all seated themselves
the teacher proceeded with the les
sons as usual, but he kept walking
about a great deal up and down the
aisles, and 1t puzzled the conspirators
considerably to know what that meant.
At recess the scholars filed outdoors,
some few starting a game OF shin
ny" and others lounging around and
whispering mysteriously. In front OF
the schoolhouse, across the narrow,
dusty road, lay the virgin prairie. BIZ
Sprowler and few of the bigger boys
wandered across to the sunbaked
grass and began to talk together. An
other boy from the schoolyard came
over to join them, walking diagonally
across the grass to where the crowd
stood. He had not gone more than
two steps from the road when he gave
cry and sprang to one side. A dark,
whiplike shape dropped to the grass
as he leaped. 1t was rattlesnake,
and at his cry everyone from the
schoolyard, teacher and all, came run
ming to learn the cause. Now there
was just one thing Bill Sprowler was
afraid Of and that was a rattlesnake.
Ordinary snakes he would pick up by
the tail and snap their heads Off as
man will crack whip. But he had
seen a tragedy when he was IL years
old that had never left his memory.
A man binding wheat had been struck
| in the forearm by "rattler' and In
| spite of all that could be done had
died in the field Bill Sprowler was
carrying water to the men in two stone
| jugs strapped together and hung across
In front of the saddle. He was right
| at the mans side when he was bitten.
A Brave Act.
The teacher came up and said:
"Stand back, there, all Of you"
He had a long switch in his hand.
The scholars made way for him and
he struck at the snake. The switct
did not quite reach the reptile, but
| he struck at 1t, throwing himself out
| of his coil. Quick as a flash the teach
| er caught up the snake by the tail
and whirled him around like whip
| lash.
Snap" went something as the mas
| ko,,. M, io,.ly a6 cha rD1y to thQ right
and, separated from the body, the
| snakes head fell In the dusty road.
The teacher reached in his pocket,
took out penknife' and cut the rattles
off. Putting knife and rattles In his
pocket, he walked slowly back to the
schoolhouse.
Here was man who dared At one
stroke he had disarmed their entire
forces and the boys looked on him as
a hero. When school took up after re-
cess Bill Sprowler got up and said:
"Mr. Clarke, I'd like to say few
words to you and to the school"
The teacher said pleasantly, "What
Is it, William?"
"Well, you're the first man in Hick'
ry Ridge to snap rattler's head OH,
Some of us was going to try to lick
you, but l reckon it's lucky for us we
didn't try it. Pap's goin' to give a
dance Saturday night, and l give yos
now an invite to come. | can lick any
feller here that ever tries to NAL .
trouble while you're teacher"
"Thank you, William" said the
teacher; "I'll be glad to come"
William "chawed up" two of the
boys pretty badly for not calling him
"Bill" the next week.
He Became a Hero.
The new teacher was the hero of
Hickory from that day on. He ex-
planned that to do the trick success
fully with rattlesnake you must
think 1t Is a blue racer, or bullsnake,
or a big garter snake, and then 1t was
plain sailing. But the Ridge folks
would grin and say 81 reckon" at this
theory.
The dance came off and was a sue