The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1898-05-25

RsttIers and Copperheads Are the Prey
He Loves to Tachie-He Eats n Mouse
or n Tond After Each Battle TO l'repnre
Him For the Next Encounter.
The distant murmur Of the waterfall.
Che hum OF the bees among tho flowers,
made mo feel lazy, and, laying aside
my fishing rod, stretched myself on
tho soft spring grass under weeping
willow and watched the blue, cloud
specked sky. | had almost fallen asleep
when | was aroused by voice inquir-
ing, "Kotched emmy fish, mister?'
Looking mp, / saw typical noun
tainCer and assured him had not.
al say, mister, this here is power
full had kentry fur snakes One bit Jim
Sloan's bay mare last night, an week
afore last another bit Sally Milligan.
Some on em air powerful pizen, spe-
cially tho rattlers an coppers, an that
minds me, ef l wuz yerself, Ia move
q little further from that ere copper.
He amt zactly perty to look at, an ef
ye wuz TO rile i'm with yer boot he
mout git vicious.
Long before that speech had ended
had turned somesault backward, which
caused the mountaineer great deal of
genuine pleasure to behold. l was about
to exterminate the big, sluggish reptile
with stick that had seized when my
companion asked me to wait few mo-
ments, as king might come along.
LOT t1,y Stun ~ hpt l,ar
he expected person of that name and
failing to see what that event bad to do
with my laudable desire to smash the
big, ugly thing that had presumed to
take my leg for pillow, | asked him
for an explanation.
"Air 1t possible yer town folks dunno
what king air? Why, king air the
boss snake nv the woods He don't do
no harm to nuthin, ceptin snakes, an
he don't poster them as hain't pizen.
But he do love copper an rattler,
which is the wurst snakes nv these dig
gins, an he's death on 'em.
"T'other day wuz gwine long old
road, an all NV sudden heerd singin
as though camp meetin had just tuck
in. knowed it wuz rattler, an lookin
round l saw him ON knoll. an pow
erful big un he wuz He wuz quilted up
like q corkscrew, an his rattles wuz
a-makin the air jingle. But at first
couldn't 'scover the cause, an knowed
a rattler never got ready fur business
fur nothin. Presently seed the grass
a-swayin an s-bendin, an then the rat.
tier he gets nervius an skeerod. an un-
quillin hisself he made a break to run.
but it wuz too late, fur ON came the
king like hurricane, an putin hisself
just ahead the rattler showed him his
jig wuz up. Seein he couldn't 'scape
the rattler quilted ag'in an showed
fight. The king. he commenced to run
round his inimy in wide circle, the
rattler watchin, lickin out his tongue
an maxim his rattle sing like banjer
Closer an closer the king drawed his
circle as he dashed round until he
,wuzn't more'n three feet from the ini-
my.
"Then the rattler, thinkin he saw
the last show to save his bacon, made a
powerful spiteful lunge at the king,
an thar is whar he slipped up, fur the
king he lodged, an quicker'n gunpow-
der, wuz ON to the rattler. Thar wuzn t
nothin but a ball NV snakes in sight fur
few minutes as they fought an tus-
sl2d over the grass, but arter little l
cqhld see the red an black striped king
wbund round the big rattler just like
a(grapevine ON tree.
" "Then / seed the king hold i'm by
ohe back nv the neck, an / could hear
him crushin the rattler as he frightened
on him. 1t wuz all over in half an hour,
an the king, unwindin hisself from his
victim, got behind an waited fur ten
minutes. Then he crept up an put his
nose on the rattler's to see il he wuz
breathin. Ye see, other snakes know
the king an sometimes possum ON him
by pretendin to be dead.
"But the rattler wuz shore huff gone,
an when the king wuz satisfied nv this
he crawled in old stump hole an
presently came out with a mouse's tail
stickin out his mouf. But he soon
swallowed the mouse, an, wipin his nose
on the grass, went off sarohin for more
trouble. A king alters eats a rat or q
toad after fight to make him strong
fur the next un.
IAN now, mister, could tell ye 9
powerful lot more'n that, fur I knows
snakes, l do, but I'll help ye kill the
copper, which mout not meet king
ouptil he bites some un of we didn't, an
then I must hurry on after my oxen,
what i wuZ huutin when / seed tha,
varmint a-tryin to go to sleep with
yerself "--Philadelphia Times.
Cleanliness.
Opa NJ tho most i,pportopt faotoru 4,