The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-08-28
FIVE RATTLERS AND A RAT.
4 LIpELY BUT COSTLY ExRTBITEON
or SNAKE CHARMING.

HhJJleAnhkoS charmed me ONCE Hnlu JOfn
Gilbert, the travelling groceryman, and 10
cost me $3.50. II wasn't intended that the
snakes should charm me. 1t was expected
that they would charm q rat, but they didn't
charm the rat a little bit. They charmed me,
that IA, II You call IL being charmed to stand
gazing steadily at snakes, with no inclination
or desire TO take your eyes of and 20 away. I
was under the spell Of Just such n fascination.
and there Ia no telling how long l would have
remained there staring like n hypnotized VIC
tim Mt those snakes and that rat IL the spell
hadn't been suddenly broken.
1T was up In q village among the Allegheny
Mountains. where q great many rattlesnakes
abound. Somebody at the hotel where / was
stopping got TO talking about rattlesnakes,
and n travelling man who was also a guest
there said:
81 would just like TO see n live rattlesnaks
once. l don't know OF anything ] an moro
curious u see.'
lis that SOP said the landlord. Well. we
don't have 'em on the bin Of fare. but I guess
we can accommodate you. Hello, Jaker
"A wiry-looking little old man who was sit
ting on the piazza got up and came in at this
call.
Jake said the landlord, I want to use q
live rattlesnake. Can you get me one right
away2'
Sure said Jake. and went out. He wasn't
gone more than fifteen minutes when he came
back with five nice. big yellow ~rattlers in o bag,
all fresh from the freedom OF the adjacent hills.
The guest who said he was so anxious to see a
rattlesnake turned out to be a liar. He didn't
want to see a rattler at all. for when Jake came
in with his choice specimens. which were rat
Ting like n lot OF click reels In motion, the
guest jumped out OF his chair. grabbed his grip
and left. But the landlord took the mans dis
courtesy oil In good part and turned the rat
tiers loose in o bay or show window In front OF
the house, where there were some ferns, a
small turtle. and a number OF stones and shells,
and shut them in. 81
I'll keep 'em there said the landlord, so
I'll have 'em handy and won't have to waste
any time sending out for one for the next
guest who says he would like to see one.'
Il got through with the little 1 had to do in
the place. ate my supper. paid my bill, and
started to get the first train for PittsburR,
where I had an important engagement. As I
was leaving the office the landlord came along.
He had a big rat.
I'm going to put him in with the snakes
he said. 1t will only last a few seconds. but
7 had time a-pienty. SO / stopped to see the
fun. The rat was dropped in with the snakes.
d T5s s sPpsSs SsTIf fst EEiRS a ns G sfsee SRd b Ss The he T mo.
ER ssS o Shs F caii SGG0P aSiSt In s sSas g s9 s1ss, w1 Ev up;
ugly heads were raised from the coils. Five
S @itb tb forEed tSnsTtes 3 9aEted out and GnnIyered
SfISasdpy VIII %f ssrrS r. ' Ten l0S sfitseirt fRPs sTss Sld Rasdi
az aSi IL; as t in d ra5ti e, sounded and the tongues
IT forgot ali III about the train and my engage.
bound. Presently the rat moved, turned, faced
the snakes boldly. and then made q wild dash
SSn TaS q BAH taeT r. t Rf5stDE e It se f bt the SSs TssoS and d
the reptiles vicious strike. The offensive tao
near me saying That's something new FOR .
aid not @oSe. % uttee TfS i nS d1asRsi1 WAS g 1 u With
the spectacle.
had Sss6sS Sn SeSsr dSf Il: ! One Sns s y ssRR s sas sfss
the terrible, glare Of, It's eyes fun on those q
ihe su ra5; aad t sso f. 9as It's y tong TT2n rapidly It6 yn Ct i;
was IT II failed to get the animal under its power.
tSSne 1ae 81. e snittinf fG f oat on an sbe 6i bo TIE s1 az fSs
window, A tremor ran through the snake as
s Il the % Rip qattfss on s6 Of tts o tG3ngEe ra hurt I from on
hqSaSS 6% VI sSPa Il o SSs co MRS. q t M iPPs sS s%s.no as
s &p1e E SGs ana I'd u% %hsS : si0ilRi ttie P snima ipF T fRs
rat sprang up. jumped clear over the snake.
most Ta1ESF made sES me ned dizzy m fastened i Is f aaasihfi IN n t fl9
snakes neck and BIT # through. The rat held
II %hs 70 s sni sq Rsefed & S C7sE on nna fh thf so6 5els snS. IT i:
though its Elari1g eyes and the ,convqlsive
IRFG %ss slltG %lfR e Sld r. not sPi rise l sRsIa s sh8T tSdt that ns
interest in the subsequent proceedings.
The success that had attended the rata
me Q DANGEROUS Indifference, It began to
me, three snakes that remained defiant had
scattered; The rat would make a dash toward
others in succession, worrying the snakes UNI
til their fury was terrible to look at. ! felt
q thought Of taking myself away once entered
my mind. l stood there with my nose fat
t sseeStb aSsiq but Ike Tie s snsFss e anti fhs f Galivi / Sst tS
an indistinct impression that heard my
t ena. s SSps so @ns tine n; and IS4a after : Fb z time oSs anSSt 9th
can't say positively, 1 know that / never took
N.Y. Eyes % OF the snakes and the rat
long d SI When. the iS %rat aRsat' tho aSRf HH2 had n re.
that singly they were no match for the cum
ming rat. and after a good deal of rafting to
at one end Of the window, They were in, q
The rat was too good a genera not to see that
j. would never do to assail that phalanx Of
fSe& %iss eGd ono aea 81 Ihs se GESe4s You'd for I be sn sus S5
TO succeed. So the rat rested In its corner q
moe!PPent and pondered
the window and then across 1t to the side
where the rattlesnakes We're grouped In de-
fensive front. The result OF tho rats ponder
ing was, that 1t ran up the Gaspipe and along il
until directly over the snakes and six feet
above them. The snakes were not long-headed
enough to figure out what this move of the rat
meant, and they did not change their posi-
its perch. and then lenped down upon, them:
quickly nipped one. through the neck with it's
long teeth The other two were papic-stricken
The snake the rat had bitten through the neck
lay, down In 2 pnralyzed condition. as the one
THE ruse had worked so we'll that the rat
seemed gleeful; IL frisked about in aggra-
waiting proximity TO the two remaining active
snakes rousing, them TO fury. By and by
something was dropped in,the window upon tho
snakes. ] don't know who dropped IL in. but
/ saw that 1t was a piece Of cheese, 1t lay be-
tween tho two snakes and partially on one.
The rat soon scented the morsel. and with .
bound went clear over one snake and seized
the cheese. The snakes gllGed away to the
the cheese until IL had eaten it all. Thus re-
freshed. IL turned its attention to the snakes
AMIN lIQ lnnghnnn gaAuna1 M hn "a tnAHn tina