Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1897-02-19
sIMON's NEMESIS.


The grey wolf of North America is not
often an enemy that man has any great
reason to fear. When he is especially hun
CRY, which is chiefly in the winter season,
he will band together and hunt anything.
But when | tramped through Green's
timber it was not winter time, and knew
of no reason why wolves should be hungry.
Green's timber is the n me given to par
ticularly thick piece of jungle forest near
the banks of the Snake river in Idaho.
was thrusting my way through the brake
and thinking of anything but wolves, and
particularly of the dear girl whom l had
walked some miles TO see that morning,
and of the many sweet things we had said
to each other. Amy Treleaven was a dear
girl and | had known it for a long time,
but she had been my dear girl for only a
week, and naturally my head was full of
her as l tramped cheerily homeward.
When l saw a long -coated grey form steal
away from a glade as l entered it l scarce
" marked the occurrence. | was 10 no
killing mood that day, and l made no at
tempt to stop Mr.. Wolf with bullet from
my express. But when heard the fall of
soft pads behind me a little later | turned
in establishment to see the great beast
hanging out. l saw the brute's blazing
eyes and muscles stiffened for a spring.
barely had time to draw a pistol and fire.
When it wanted scarcely an hour to sunset
another strange thing happened to dispel
my confidence. l had left the forest and
had already made some way into an extern
sive prairie through which my road lay,
when there fell upon my ear the unmis-
taxable yelp, yelp of pack in full cry. /
looked round and saw close to the edge of
the forest a swiftly moving patch of dots
that | knew well enough presented 30 or
40 wolves coming on with characteristic
eagerness. They were two miles away as
the crow flies, but about four miles back
upon my trail, which l could see plainly
they were following In less than half an
hour they would catch me up and there
was no place of refuge within reach-ex-
cept the swamps
The swamps that lie along the Snake riv-
er are a terror TO all who know them. In
them the poisonous Crater moccasins live
and thrive like mites in a cheese. Unlike
most snakes, this reptile is credited with
a spiteful aggressiveness that makes it far
more dangerous than others of its kind
According to all accounts, the man who
entered the swamps ran the continual risk
VI DtlIR dSSdulIeu duu even UN the
deadly reptiles, and it was our universal
practice to give the place wide berth
But with so certain and imminent a danger
behind me l was ready and almost anxious
to take the risk.
There was deep wading and some swim
ming to be done. Once, when l clutched
a tussock of grass to steady myself a snake
reared its head within foot of my hand
and Kissed yenomously
A howl of disappointment told me that
the pack had arrived at the margin and
dared go no further. l had terrors enough
for that day and was particularly glad to
reach home-about o'clock 81 thought
you were lost, said Simon, my chum, with
a scared, white face that gave me a con-
siderable shock. He looked more terrified
than | had a right to feel, and l told him
so. He spoke with eyes averted; as he
reached down the plates for supper they
clattered like castinets. When / had
changed my wet garments for dry ones,
and when a steaming hash had been placed
upon the table, | began to relate my ad-
venture.
spoke but briefly of having seen Amy.
Only a week ago he had seen almost as
much of her as l, and had a suspicion that
her engagement to me was a sore subject.
When mentioned her name | noticed that
he appeared to have difficulty in swallow
ing his supper l accordingly hurried on
to tell about the wolf in the wood. ''What
strange thing" he said, turning away his
head and speaking constraiuedly. 81 sup
pose the beast was mad. Been eating stale
flesh, likely"
Then l told how had seen the pack on
my trail four miles behind. He got up
from the table, with clenched fists.
''How did you get away he asked.
told him the rest.
'What. Came through Moccasin swamp"
he calculated. ut swarms with snakes
No man has been through it before" His
voice broke into wall, and he threw him
self into his chair. 1t struck me that he
spoke as though he was disappointed at my
escape
Suddenly he put his hand to his head
and sprang into the air, while piercing
shrek filled the room. "I'm bitten, I'm
bitten! You brought it home, " he shouted,
and TO my terror | saw a long, black body
hanging from him, its fangs buried in his
neck Simon had leaned his head against
my jacket that was hanging to dry, and the
snake must have been in one of the pock-
cts.
The reptile was quickly despatched, but
OltnOn case was quite hopeless. Inc tangS
had almost entered the jugular, and few
minutes suficed for the poison to reach the
heart.
Ere he died Simon blurted out strange
confession. He recited his love for Amy
and her preference for me. Jealousy, he
said, had taken full possession of him; he
had last night rubbed my leggins with va
lerian, an infallible attraction to wolves.
Only the swamp could save me from the
pack, and that was almost certain death by
snakes l had passed safely through the
swamp, and had unwittingly brought home
with me the instrument of his punishment.
l thought the confession over, and re-
solved to believe that 1t was all an imagi-
nary story, the outcome of the poison work
ing in Simon's veins. hope that this may
be SO, but confess that l so far allowed
the possibility of another version as to burn
those CATERS Golden Penny.
81 was troubled with quinsy for five years
Thomas's Electric oil cured me. My wife and
child had diphtheria. Thomas Electric Oil cured
them ! would not be without it in the house for
a. II III