The Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1895-1897, 1896-04-02
A SHIPPERS SNAKE.
THE LUCY ANN WENT AS SHE PLEAcED
WHILE THE STORY WAS TOLD.
The Rather That Was All Right Until He
Celebrated-The Skipper Repented His
Part In That Act-A Wife Who Wasn't
Fooled by Yarns of Prairie Rattlers.

T"r1 IN Ahat Act-A WHO VINO wasn't
Fooled by Yarns of Prairie Rattlers.
"Pets? Well, I guess notr And the
long and lanky skipper of tho Lucy Ann
took the brown jug from his lips and set
1t on the rail close at hand, casting his eye
aloft to the bellying canvas that was stand
ing full and smooth before tho wind 1t
was only little ship, the Lucy Ann, but
her skipper was her owner and salt who
had followed tho sea for years, until his
skin was ms brown as tho tiller arm and
his muscles as knotted and hard as tho
pieces of oak piled upon the deck as the
little vessels only cargo.
There amt nuthin aboard that crawls
nor oreeps now" His eye ran over tho
deck load and to tho hatch, as If to mako
sure that no was speaking advisodly. He
straddled the tiller and swayed with tho
roll of the ship, still with weather eye
toward tho hatch and the creviccs in the
Lucy AIMS cargo.
II liked pets once-all kinds-eyen
snakes" And a look of momentary terror
swept over his face as the shadows of the
clouds overspread tho canvas aloft. Queer
pcts-ain't they?-but had one, n primo
RATHER an u beauty. Como from Tonnes
see in box. Tricks? Why, that Teller
would do anything for me. Many night
he'd como on an take my place here ut the
tiller. lockin his head on tho nrm here On
his tail in that ring bolt thorc, an a-holdin
her to her course, while I went fer nap
Onct, when some riggin broke aloft, an
there wasn't ropes yarn aboard ter fix
it, up he went, an, splicin hissolf to the
busted rope, held on there fer nigh on to
two days an nights till wc gots to port.
I'd go up there in the moonlight an talk
to him an feed him, an ho'd try to sing to
me with his tail, but no couldn't, fer il
was spliccd up in the busted rope.
when we got to port that trip, no was
larger than afore, but loved him better
ever any ono loved prairie RATHER. To
celebrate tho job he'd dono for mo aloft L
piped him off to grog. Hc wasn't much
on drinkin, that prairie rattlor, aforo
that; nuther was /. But 1 insisted on his
colebratin, an he never was the same snake
agin.''
The old skipper was holding the tillcr
at arms length now, and no swayed moro
with the heaving of the ship. He kept his
eyes on the hatch, as before, but now con-
stantly. The topsails wrinkled as If the
wind had shifted, but the old fellows
practiced eye noted nothing of the doings
up aloft.
Yes, sir, that snake changed from the
day we celebrated an got as cussed rs u
prairie RATHER kin. 1 argied with him
consider bic, but it didn't do no good
He just kept gittin ousseder and cusseder.
kinder thought it was on account of his
bein In port, fer l never seen u snake
what hated port an loved the water like
him aforc the celebration. So got on my
cargo an made fer the open sea. But it
didn't do no good to his feelin's. He got
cusseder an cusseder."
The tiller WAS swinging free md tho
sails Tapped aloft as the ship swung off
her course. But the captain didn't seem
to mind. He drank another draft from
the jug on the rail, with always an eye for
the hatch.
Along bout the second night from
port the wind oamo on u gale an up from
the west there como cloud as black ms
any had ever see. 1t sailed and sailed
right up aloft, and then it busted. Rain,
hail. thunder, lighthin-all the tormints
which clouds kin hold-come down about
us on the Lucy Ann. l seen her built, an
knows her maxim, every pin an plank
from keel to top, but she shook that night
like she had spell of agy.
Swish Bang! Bump And canvas
went a-kitin. Ropes was snappin and
splinters fyin. Ne an the snake was up
on deck. The noise seemed to git him
wild, an when tho lightnin come agin,
maxim it as bright as day, seen the snake
a-standin on his tail an just drinkin in the
fire. He just got full Of it, as be did of
rum the day we was celebratin back in
port. l seen it blazin from his eyes He
just opened up his jaws, laughin like at
me. an 1 heard his hiss in all the Dustin
noise an howl Of wind. Them yes N..-a
lookin right at me.
EpOyypd ia xy-ps n hr,t I ~
move at first l seen him hoppin an a.
skippin toward me. 1 felt his hot breath
on my face a-stronger'n 1 felt the wind
a-blowin 80 knots a hour Fust be slapped
me with his tai-a whack that sent me TO
the deck like dead. He danced on my
face as lay there on the deck-poked his
tail in my eyes an ears an Kissed at me
things no sailornan had ever heard aforc.
Il howled an Kicked an fought Lin.
He let me git on my feet an knocked me
down agin. Over we rolled agin and agin,
fore al aft, an then down the hatch to-
gethcr into the black of the hold. All /
could see of him there, when 1 came to-.
was his eyes ablazin an a-biinkin in the
dark. But could hear him a-crawin 20
port to lee, fore an aft, all around me.
Them scales was crapin, an his body was
a-thumpn. BY all the winds that blow,
lnat slukc llau SrOWcu Until nc was MIN
up the hold. l knew what that was for
me, an started up. The hatch was chock
ablock with snake. i couldn't feel nothin
nowhere but snakc--cold, Shiny, slippery,
movin snake"
He wiped the cold beads from his face
and didn't mind the pounding of the
boom or tho Tapping sail. Tho tillcr
crcaked, and the Lucy Ann rolled heavily
III tho trough of the sea. Suddenly he
jumped to where the hatch cover lay upon
the deck, clapped it down over the dark
opening and danced upon it with wild,
fantastic steps.
"Ha, ka." he shricl;ed "'You didn't yet
out, my boy-mY nrAirin rnitlerW