The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-02-06
JADE COOKS TWO RATTL ERs.
He Caught Ono Asleep. but Never Could Tell
How He Got tho Other.

mo, young man. I can't tell you nothin,' not
but there's things enough happened along the
Delaware. an. for that matter, right here in
Callicoon, to fill a hundred little books chock
full, but / amt no composer. But ! wish to
land you'd come round before Jabe Cook died.
He could a 'commodatGd you with as many yarns
as you could shake a stick at. True onesi OF
course. Jabe want no great hand on lynn
not Rinerally. lie ferried here for-oh, l don't
know how long. Begun when / was q boy.
Run n small boat, an'.whon there was teams
or many people took them over In n big scow.
There amt scasly any heft of work bout
runnin' q scow. JADE wouldn't a-took to it II there
had been. for he was a sort of lazy ~coot-didn't
banker after work. When you pole out an
git pinted right the scowll run itself, an then
there's time for swappin' horses an talkin'.
That's where Jabe's talent come in-on talkin'.
He could talk q blue strcak-beat the hull
shootin' match at it. 1t beat all how much he
knowed about everybody for miles round.
An when he begun on one O his stories he was
bound to go through with it. Never knowed
him to leave n story half way but oncet.
"One day a passed. of us young chaps had
been up HOLSTER Brook fshin'. When we got
back 10 the ferry Jabe want to be seen. an we
set down on the beach 10 wait for him to come
an take us acrost the river. We'd been settin'
quite a spell, when all OF a suddint We heard
from an old stone quarry, an l swan II tho
teller didn't haze II live rattlesnake in each
hand. We were fast enough bout rupDin' Ia
meet him. but a little skittish bout gittin'
very clost to the snakes, until we were sure he
had each one gripped clost enough to the head
SOS it couldn't turn to bite. Ii > safe enough
%carryin' ~rattlcrs that way II you hold on tight.
The, day was hot an Jabe was that excited he
fairly suffered a-tryin to tell us how he ketched
the snakes. an the way We slung questions nj
him didn't help 10 cool him down none. A CITY
chap, he said. had promised him So an "a sovd
lackknite for u live RATHER. He'd kinder cal
kcrlated on iindin' one that day because all the
signs were bout right for their bein' out.
say, interrupte / 81 Brown, 'ain't you git
tin TO know most 100 much bout rattlersT
''iouil know more about manners when
you're growcd up was Jabc's answer. This
was a sockdo!ogcr on 81, for. though he was
nigh, on to 40, he was II little cuss.
well, Jabe's story was awful long, for he'd
mad ruthera rough, and sort OF a hunt. bur
tier asleep behind a hoIler log, an, said he. u
crept up rs still S "a cat after a mouse. an
reached over my forkGd stick an nabbed him,
An ,snltin, his artions to his words, Jabc brought
his right hand ovcr-prought II over too near
the left. Quicker you could say Jack I,ob.
inson, the l~oft'hand snake stuck his fangs into
Jabc's right hand. an the right hand snake did
the same for his left hand.
"Jabe's yells, which was enough to wake the
dead. an the general thrashin' round OF arms
an SNAKES, scarf us boys till every one of nv
went NcHcIy split up tho river bank. We went
JACK ""'h me SNAKES were gone an helped Jabe
home. - ran for the doctor, an I was soon a.
No. Jabc didn't Gle, though he come within
an ace or IL. lie felt awfully cut up bout Tho
hull business. an TO this day We don't Enn,v
how be ketched that other snake ~