The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1900-03-01
horror nodded its devilish head rapidly.

horror nodded its devilish head rapidly.
Then began the real thing in serpen-
tine dance. Up scared the terror to the
ceiling. only to swoop down again like
q hawk. For a moment il hung sway
ing. then began to coil and writhe and
wriggle and waggle and squirm and
dart and glide and glider until the
flesh slid on Bixby's bones and the
fibers of his souh writhed in imitation
of the convolutions o: the floating mon
strosity. 1t occurred to Smith that the
thing had gone about far enough and
he let his hideous puppet come TO rest
and was thinking what to do next when
he observed that Bixby was about to do
something himself. Keeping his
strained gaze fixed on the rattlesnake,
the guest reached out and grasped his
trousers, which lay on n chair within
reach. He drew them toward him and
tumbled in the pockets. Before Smith
had time to comprehend what he was
after there was a succession of deafen-
ing reports, and amid cloud of smoke
Smith could see the disintegrating par
ticles of his snake fluttering down upon
an empty bed. BiXby threw himself.
yelling. upon the floor, and. casting his
revolver from him, scrambled on all
fours to the nearest door, which hap
pened to be the one that sheltered
Smith. Grabbing Smith by the knees,
he proceeded to give very fair im,a-
ton of a fit of Mysteries. Smith seized
the seltzer bottle and gave him the
stream full in the face. 1t was not with
that intention that he had brought it
upstairs, but it answered admirably.
Gasping and choking, Bixby came to
his senses.
"Tell me it was; tell me it was" he
brokenly besought Smith.
"Of course it was, old man." said
Smith, perfectly comprehending the
somewhat elliptical query. He knew
what was filling Bixby's tortured mind
to the very brim at that moment. at
was stuffed snake that had about the
place."
THANK Cod" said the other, simply
and fervently. "Whew! 1t was awful"
Shooting the rest Of the setzer into
the pitcher of ice. Smith handed il to
him, and he drank chokingly, shaking
all over with the reaction of the relief.
Smith wondered why his friend wasn't
furiously angry at the trick that had
been played on him. and felt himself
somewhat conscience-stricken. but de-
termined to make the best of the occa-
sion.
ut might not have been real. Blk" he
said.
Bixby groaned.
YOU'D never have known the differ
enee," said his host.
Bixby groaned again and pressed
some ice against his head.
"What are you going to do about it?"
asked the persistent Smith.
"Eh?" said Bixby, DULY. do? Oh,
my head! You're sure that thing was
there. Smithy? You aren't fooling me?
l wouldn't look into that room for q
thousand"
"Oh, II was there" Smith assured
him. II fixed it myself while you were
dead to the world. But don't you think
It's time you whistled down brakes on
this gay career?"
'Smith," said Bixby, after a long
pause, III buy you anew snake. You
give me that one as soon as feel we'll
enough to stand its company. Did you
teach 1t to fly yourself? I-I-I-I-mean-I
guess I'm not very steady yet. Iwant it
as memento TO remind me of what it
can do If n man goes too far, You know"
You'll get it as soon as you prove
that you are fit company for q sober
and decent snake" said Smith.
Don't you fear" said Bixby, solemn
ly. This is the end. Three drinks
per day after this is my limit. And
that goes, too. That isn't the common
or garden variety of next-morning-
never-again. Bring me out my gun, old
boy. don't feel steady enough to 60
in there after it yet"
When Mrs. Smith got home, which
was after Bixby had left, there were
certain matters to be explained to her.
First, there was the snake. Smith said
the cat did it. Then there was the bul.
let-riddled ceiling; he couldn't say thai
the cat did that, but he explained that
il must be the woSk OF rats. Bridget
had reported hearing shots ired. Smith
said yes, that Bridget was undoubted-
ly right; he had heard them himself,
and they seemed to be very near at
hand. Mrs. Smith doesn't tell all she
knows, or even all she believes, and
Smith appreciates this spirit. She now
enjoys the possession of a handsome
snakeskin purse and a cardcase to
match. Bixby has the rattlesnake,
cleverly put together by taxidermist,
mounted on panel in his room. Ev-
erybody is satisfied except Bridget, who
suspects that she ought not to stay in
a house once perforated by the presence
Of representative Of the prince of
darkness, and the cat, who never did
come back.-N. Y. Sun.
She Didn't Recognize Him.
a