Evening star., 1897-05-15
A MAY SNAKE STORY.
LOudoun County Adds Good One to
the List.

LOudOun County Adds a Good One t1
the List.
TIE snake editor OF The Star was per
ambulatirg through Center Market the
other morning, when he was suddenly over.
come by the sight Of a most familiar pale
of whiskers.
BY gravy" exclaimed the gentleman
connected with the whiskers, extending
mis- horny hand of toll and accompanying
1t by a gleam of pleasure in his face,
"howd'y' do? I'm. dern glad to see you.
Where you been this long time?'
Right here in town." replied the ophid-
Ian editor. Glad 10 see you. I'm sure
What's the good word in Loudoun coun.
typ
Times mighty hard up there bu; NO
harder than they are everywhere else, ]
reckon We're kinder setdn' on the fences
Waitin' fer the cry of prosperity to come
along our way"
You ought to be doing as we'll as usual
In snakes. aren't you? 1 never saw the
time when Loudoun wasn't right in the
front when it came to real, downright
truthful snake stories
The gentleman connected with the whis-
kers caught the cphidian editor by the
arm, eagerly.
Come over here with me-" he said. land
set on this ice box fer minute or two.
Did you see," he went on when the ice
box sofa was fully occupied. "in the Lees
eu burg papers ANYTHING about my losin a
fine dog ten days ago."
No. l don't fancy it has got into the
Leesburg papers yet.''
"Mebbe it hasn't. but I heard it was
soin' to be put in. Anyway, it happened
and I'll tell you, SOS you can make a note
of it down here. You know how mother
snakes has way of carrying their young
around with 'em like a 'possum and when
they stretch out in the sunshine they let
their whole brood come out of their
n 40 ha m
dust: Well. an old mother Stake was
doing this with her brood on my farm
one of them warm days about ten days ago
and my big mastff pup come bouncin'
along and scared her off before she mad
time to open her mouth and let the brood
Of young ones jump down it, as they al
ways do when there's danger of any kind.
There was twcnty-four little fellers, from
about eight to twelve inches long, and
when the dog chased off the mother snake
they kind of scattered. too, only they didn't
have sense enough to know what to do
next
LAS for the dog. he laid down by the
roadside. dead tired from chasin' around
like a ten-months' old pup will do ard
stickin' his head down on his fore legs
stretched out in front of him. laid there
with his mouth open pantin' fit to kill.
was scttin' on the fence watchin' him.
and in about two minutes l seen the grass
begin to shake in front of his head and
before he could git oyer mis- surprise at It
every one Of them little snakes hadn't
took him for their mother and gone kitin'
down his throat.
And you ought to seen him minute
later. He knowed something was wrong,
and / guess the snakes inside of him did.
too. for the way he wallered and ella wed
and howled was a caution to behold, and
it got so bad that he begun TO have fits,
and then We had to shoe. him. Fine dog
he was, too. and I'd been offered $50 for
him by the sheriff of III. county.
And the mother snake?' inquired the
editor.
.'Dern her to pieces" replied the bereaved
owner of the cog, Il did hear she went
off down to the Potomac and drowned her
self fer grief. but somehow 1 don't more'n
half believe it."