The San Francisco call., 1896-05-31
A Snake That
Looks Like a String of
SausageS.
Related by VIII spa rks.

~
Old "Bfl" Brown, who lives near the mouth
of San Joaquin River Canyon, in Fresno
a County, is an authority on snakes. He is also
~ in the habit of coming to town daily.
=. A few nights ago he was sitting close to the
scales in the grocery when somebody men
~ toned the fact that a snake with two tails had
Il just been caught near Squaw Valley. Bill bit
tZ off an extra piece of plug spat at blue poker
q chip lying on the floor and said: "They amt
IA none o. you fellers never seen thet sausage
snake that blongs to my little boy Tom. No?
Well, you had better come up and have a LOOK
4 at it.'
j The boys drew their chairs up close and Bill
continued: 'You see, this snake allies
pet. Tom kot it when it wuz a little bit Of
common garter-snake, and as it kinder liked
\ to be around the place never said nuthin. 1t
= grew to be good size and wuz as playful as
~ kitten.
q lone day, about four months ago, the snake
y disappeared, aud Tom nearly broke his hesrt
crying for it. toll him it I'D be back soon;
that it wuz most likely 'settin'.' An sure
'nough it did come back, but it a changed
snake. 1t looked fur all the world like string
O. sausages, an the strangest thing wuz thet
\ when II come prancing into the house, waggin'
Il its tail fer joy, it made sweet musical sound,
n like piece of ice rattlin' in glass o. mint
E) julip.
''Tom an me both examined the snake and
a found it wuz jes covered with hard, round
n Jumps. But they didn't seem TO hurt it none,
= let 1t around in the same OIL way.
nj Frum thet day it became affeetionate
child and used ter amuse by jumping
around on the kitchen floor, all the time givin'
~ off the sweet musical sound. In few weeks
= Tom taught it to play few tunes, an me n
~ the OF woman used ter dance like we did back
. ! in Illernos."
y "But, BILL said the grocer, "what was it
caused the change in the snakes appear
D, ance?"
al wuz JUS comm to thet," said Bill. "You
see, one day needed few chiner nest eggs
an went to box in the kitchen where knew
had dozen but there wuz none there. All
of sudden it struck me thet thet snake o.
\ Toms he'd swallered them. l looked around
u fer the critter, an seen it seootin' acrost the
" fields fer the river l tell yerI wuz mad.
kot the snake by the tail, an put my hand
aroun it's waist an pulled her through
y All my chiner nest eggs fell out on the
- ground.
'I wuz sorry fer what did, though" said
Bill, after solemn pause. 'fYou see, it near
broke thet snakes heart. The critter tollered
me to the house an seen me put the eggs on
\ high shelf Then it stood lookin' at EN- full o.
Y( sorrer. Somehow blieve thet snake must or
a) got some nourishment out o. them chiner eggs
81 fer il got thinner an thinner every day until
I 1t wuZ no bigger aroun' then telegraph wire.
All day long it looked up at the shelf where
the eggs wuz, an lots o. times seen tears in
its eyes.
} "I tell you we missed thet snakes music an
dancin' an at last couldn't stan II no MORE
me an the Oh woman decided to give the
eggs back to it. Here's where the snake
showed sense. couldn't see difference in
them eggs, but thet snake selected them es If
they wuz gold, an got each one back in the
right place, thet it looked much ike
sausage es it did before,
"Hows the snake doin' now? Oh, she's all
right-happy as lark, playin' music an ,
dancin' all day, an Tom tor me this mornin'
thet she hed three young ones thet looked jes
like her an could make the same Kind er
music. Better come up an look at EN-"