The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1900-11-09
r.. r., ri. :. ~. II. ~ ~ ~.
= ~ Fl. ~. ~.
! ! Love Qnd The C0pe||O. :
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]: By W. A. Fraser. i
i
-. CopYn1aHr, 1900, BY w. A. FRAsyR. -
~ ~ 49, So. 81. .s-,. !,
~. ~. ~. ~
By W. A. Fraser.
coprnranr, 1900, BY w. A. FRAZER.

~ ~. ~.
THE lights from the Gymkhana
club were streaming across Hal
pin road, and the drone Of the
pand came lazily across the open, filter
Ing itself through the octopus limbs Of
the big banyans and over the lake of
roses the professor had filled the com
pound with. That was the professors
hobby-roses That and snakes-only
the snakes We're real business, the
roses were for pleasure But both
thrived equally we'll in Rangun, jacque-
minot and the capello.
1t was paradise, this land where the
roses grew even as cabbages, and the
hooded devils came up out of the jun
: gle OF their own accord to be dissected.
So thought Professor Cont.
But the professor was over at the
gym now, and the drowsy music, ell
bowling and jostling, the struggling
lights as they crowded through the
Kush- Kush tatties, mingled with the
soft patter of small talk with which
Minora Cont was beguiling the min
utes as they sat there, she and the
major, waiting the return of the pro-
lessor.
"Of course, the majors pony, Nat
Thue, would win the Tharawady
plate, she was saying, when she stop
ped suddenly and steadied herself as
one does when a ten foot ditch sudden
~ opens its yawning nav under the
fore feet of ones mount.
The light which streamed out from
the drawing room and offered battle to
the glimmer of the Gymkhana showed
the sudden paling of her cheek. Parian
marble was not more white than that
set face.
do not move, major" she said; "do
not move your lips even, if you value
your iife.'
Herkomer looked straight into the
great, strong eyes Of the girl, and they
told him more Of the danger more Of
the horror. than even her words had
done.
Keep perfectly STILL" she continued,
"and do not Interfere with me in any
way"
'Is it a snake?" asked the major, dis
regarding her injunction to remain ST.
lent.
Yes, cobra" the lips whispered
do not move"
From the direction of Minora's eyes
Herkomer knew that the hooded
demon was on the high back of his
chair.
Surely it was the light of inspiration
which came into the eyes of this
strange girl, as she broke into low
Italian chant, weaving her slender
arms back and forth, back and forth
Herkomer could feel that the cobra
was following her movements. Great
beads Of Precipitation stood out on his
forehead not so much at his own prox-
Unity to the hated thing, but because
of the grand, cool courage Minora was
showing. and the risk she was running
in drawing the attention of the viper to
herself.
She's going to hypnotic the beast"
he thought. He knew she could do it,
too; the face told him that. 1t seemed
cowardly to sit there and allow wom-
an to face the snake, but her command
to keep perfectly still had been as
much entreaty as command, and he
felt that by moving he would only in
crease the danger of both.
With the same sinuous movement
Minora had risen from her seat, and,
gently swaying her body as the soft
cadences of the chant rose and fell,
glided toward the cobra.
My God, keep back!" Herkomer
groaned, scarcely moving his lips.
"Stand back and wait till he goes
away"
But the chant continued, and there
were the interjected two English
words ''Keep still"
Before Herkomer could move or re-
monstrate further there was the flash
ola white arm, rustic of the soft