The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-08-13
HAY, AND SNAKES AS WELL.
Il Lively MORNINGS MOVING ON
THE ELKHORN MEADOWS.
There Hay Runs About Two Snakes to
the Ton-That May Seem Light, but

the Ton-That May Seem Light, but
! It's Exciting, as the Natives Tell IL
III you should ever happen to seek the
| wild woods Of northern Pennsylvania that
| stretch away beyond the great Tamarack
Swamp, in the region OF tumbling waters
that find their way into the romantic Sim
nemahoning, and the legendary Youngwo-
mans Creek" said John Gilbert. the ira
| yelling grocery man, and II, having sought
those wilds and found them, you have q
constitutional shyness as regards snakes.
| and a prediction for chills up and down
your spine when the subject Of snakes
| is mentioned, let me warn you: Don't give
| too much weight to the apparently chance
and careless remarks that you will hear
| drop from the lips Of sundry hickory clad
| natives you will run across on your way,
or I fear you will turn yourself civiliza-
| tonward at once. For instance. I was in
| the vicinity Of Hammersley's Fork. was
| there to fish a stream not far to the SOUTH
ward land knew there were trout there).
| After l had asked for some information
about the country thereabouts. one from Q
| group Of backwoodsmen. who stood near. re-
| marked carelessly to another OF tho groupi
"'Say. Jim, don't that creek run through
| the Elkhorn medders?'
"'should say So replied Jim. Most
| oil OF 1t does
"'How do you cackilate hays goin' to
| turn out on the medders this Year,
"'Well, II 1t turns out anywhere nigh az
| good as 1t did last year, zen run about two
snakes to the ton
"'No more n that? Hain't that toler' BILE
| light for the Elkhorn7
| "'Mebbe It is, but that 10 what It run
last year, an II you'd been over there now
| in 1t. like was. guess that you'd "a
thought that was heavy enough. even fer
the Ekhorn. Two to a ton was what they
run last year, and there was q spice OF
| riety to 'en, too, that made 'em interestin'.
Me and Bill Rollins moved the medder last
year. or, leastways. we moved twenty ton
| OF II. I don't want no more OF It, can
| tell you that. Just let me check them
snakes off to you. There was enough of
| 'em to start mepagery. First. there was
the copperhead that dipped his teeth agin'
my bootleg fore we had moved twenty
foot, an which I stomped the Prison head
| off Of in less than three kicks. That's one.
Then there was the whoop Bill Rollins
| let loose, an jumped six foot to one side.
| That whoop represented black snake that
| laid with his head two foot above the grass.
while his tongue played In and out OF his
mouth like forked lightnin' out Of q cloud.
| I didn't have no use fer him. an cut him
| down in his tracks. He was game, that
Teller was, an the four-foot Of his lower
section KEEP wrigglin' and twistin'. an the
| two foot OF his upper section KEEP humpin'
and spittin' tongue. fer ten minutes after
| the catasterphy that divided him had hap
! pened. That's two. Then me and BIZ KIND
| O. looked at one another. We thunk
| good deal, but we said nothin' an moved
| on. We hadn't gone moro than o rod when
| says to BILE
| "'Bin, l says, II was you ia stand
| right still where you are. but II you don't
want to stand still. say prayer II you know
any. an I'll see that you git home In time
| fer your funer'l."
"''Cause on a stone In the grass. list four
foot ahead O. Bill. an twisted up like your
old woman's back hair. laid as choice sam
| pie O. rattlesnake as ever peddled bison. 1t
other step. an Bill hadn't seen 1t. He stood
| still. you kin bet. an dropped a stone )the
size Of a baby's head on the sassy tall
shaker, an made him as harmless as
suckin' dove. That bein' three an the day
bein' still young. me an Bill ventured to
remark that the crop In Bkhorn medders
was torable promisin' that year.
| Well, we moved along clean over to the
| spring on the fur side O. the medder. an
didn't run ag'in nothin' but grass. So We
| begun to think that the Elkhorn wasn't
turnin out 80 promisin'. after all. I asked
| Bill II he was dry. an he said he was. had
| half pint o. somethin' friend o. mine had
recommended as bein' good fer sunstrokes.
| an which he said wasn't dangerous to take
| In case there wasn't no sunstrokes happened
to me. an 80 we walked along with 1t over
| to the spring. There was clump O. BUSH
es hangin over the spring. maxim 1t nice
| and shady Jist as we got to the spring.
PUNK! PUNK! PUNK! went somethin' into
the water. droppin from the bushes above 1t,
| an the next second we the heads o.
| three water snakes stckin out O. the spring.
| There han't no harm in a water snake. OF
| course. but somehow or other fellerd o
| leetle ruther see a trout lookin' up at him
| out OF spring than water snake. an 80
me an Bill pitched In an put them three
| snakes out O. this world Of sorrow. There
| bein' no positive directions that the sun
| stroke medicine must be took with water.
| me an Bill both took dose Of it raw. an,
finding 1t pleasin' to the palate repeated
| the prescription.
"'"Three an three is SIX" says Bill.
| THE Elkhorn medders Is looking up" says
Then We went back to our grass
| slashtn'. BY dinner time we had moved an
| stomped an dubbed off from the face OF the
| earth, besides the six we'd already gathered
| ILL., one ulllk SNAKE TWO more rattleSnakeS.
| another copperhead, q little stumpy snake
| with diamond spots on 1t, that Bill said
was p'isoner than strychnne, an blue
| racer that was crowdin' close to seven
foot, an another rattlesnake, a black Teller
at that. an carryn a head as big as a
| hens egg, an ten rattles on his tail. That
| made thirteen, an me an Bill begun to
| wonder what them rich medder lands could
| be bought for
| " In less than ten minutes after noonin'
| Bill run foul Of another big black snake an
| as 1t was making fer a stone-pile. he jump
| ed on It, maxim fourteen. Then It WASN'T
| long before we had the luck to surprise
| another rattlesnake. an after disposIng OF
1t we discovered four more by its side that
had list started out In life. They was only
four inches long. but we made 'em a good
deal shorter In jiffy. That made nineteen,
an Bill allowed that things was gittin' a
| little monotOnous. an wanted to adjourn
an go lay for ground hogs, But we didn't.
| an moved
1T wasn't long fore Bill stopped. drop