The Calhoun chronicle. [volume] (Grantsville, W. Va.) 1883-1984, 1898-01-18

from pam, swaying from side to sid
and breathing hard. AS L watched
his body grew more and more rigid.
With his eyes fixed on the half-open
door, he drew back as if from the ap-
proach of some dreaded object, raised
his head with pitiful attempt Mt n
bark, which broke OF into stiied
howl, rolled over sideways suddenly.
and lay dead. The horrid stiffness of
the body, almost resembling n stuffed
creature overset, male me believe that
he had died rs he stood, close to nv
side, perhaps meaning to defend me.
Unable to resist the unintelligible idea
that the dog had been frightened to
death, / followed the direction of his
last gaze, and nj first saw nothing.
The next moment / observed round
the corner of the veranda door n small.
dark and slender object, swaying
gently up and down like dry bough
IN the wind. IT hal passed right into
the room with the same slow, regular
motion before ] realized what it was
and what had happened. My poor,
stupid Ruby must have nosed Mt the
basket on the veranda till he succeeded
somehow IL opening it, and have been
bitten Ill return for his pains by the
abominable beast which | now saw
angrily rearing its head aud kissing
tiel cely at the dead dog within three
yards of my face.
| am not one of those women who
Jump on chairs or tables when they
see mouse, but L have n constitu-
tional horror Of the most harmless
reptiles. Watching the Blue Dryad
as it glided across the patch of sun
light streaming in from the open win
dow, and knowing what it was, / con
fess to being as nearly frightened out
of my wits as L ever hope to be. /
simply dared not speak or move n fin
| ger for fear of attracting the beasts
attention to myself Suddenly, Stof-
flies, weary of patting flies and spiders
ON the back, appeared gently purring
on the back of the sofa.
Stoilles, as / have said, was inordi-
nately vain aud self-conscious. Stalk
ing along the top of the sofa back and
bearing erect the bushy banner of her
magnificent tail, she looked the most
ridiculous creature Imaginable. She
hal proceeded half way on this pill
grimage toward me, when suddenly.
with the rapidity of lightning as her
ear caught the sound of the hiss and
her eyes fell upon the Blue Dryad,
her whole civilized "play-acting" de.
meanor vanished, and her body stiff
fened and contracted to the form of n
watchful wild beast with the ferocious
and instructive antipathy to natural
enemy blazing from its eyes In one
light bound she was on the floor in
compressed, defensive attitude, with
all four feet close together. near, bat
not too near, the unknown but clearly
hostile intruder; aud to my surprise
the snake turned and male off toward
the window Stoilles trotted lightly
after, obviously interested in its
method of locomotion. Then she
made long arm aud playfully dropped
paw upon its tail. The snake wrie.
gled free in n moment, and coiling its
whole length, some three and a half
feet, fronted this new antagonist.
At the very first moment, + need
hardly say, ] expected that one short
stroke of that little pointed head
quickly have settled everything. But
one is apt to forget that n snake can
move but slowly and awliwardly over
a smooth surface, such "a 70 tiled or
wooden floor 4 snake that darts"
when it has nothing secure TO hold on
by, only overbala1cts itself. This par
ticular reptile, perhaps by some in
stinct. now wriggied itself on TO n large
and thick fur rug about twelve feet
square. upon which arena took place
the extraordinary contest that fol-
lowed.
The audarity OF the cat astonished
me from the first have no reason
10 believe she hal ever seen snake
before. yet by sort Of instinct she
seemed ~ know exactly what she was
doing. As the Dryad raised its head.
with gIittering eyes and forked tongue.
SiliIes crouched with both front paws
bro the air. sparriug as / had seen her
t0 .Jms'iues with large moth. The
lrat round passed $50 swiftly that NOR
SD ava could hardly see with distinct
uss happened The snake made
dart. and the cat. all claws. two
iiIIl hi'"r hi JUS ARRANGING mead.
The first missed, but the second I
could see came home, rs the brute.
shaking its neck aud head, Withdrew
further into the rug. But StoHles
crept after 1T, with an air Of attractive
circlessness which was instantly re.
warded A full two feet ofthe Dryad's
body straighteued like black arrow.
and seemed 10 strike right into the
fury side Of its antagonist seemed. /
say, TO slowgoing human eyes. but
ihe latter shrark, literally fell back
"D'loIsing with such suddenuess that
"- oemed 60 have turned herself in
'''''' '"d became the mere skin. Of
.."t. go "ft. e. i's"ent recovered itself,
ight1ing, drig-
ys well