Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1901-04-24

ing clrcultOuSly to avid something
coiled and beginning to stir, and there
by disturbing yet one more. which
ratified, too.
Barclay turned around with a spring
Perhaps you didn't hear that?" he de-
manded
Hear what?" asked Macintosh,
patiently.
He brought the candle, and Barclay
took it in his hand and put it almost
at the raised and darting head of
rattler. Maybe you don't see now,"
he triumphed.
Macintosh felt like dancing as the
tenderfoot does when the cowboy
shoots at the floor beneath his feet.
He wondered if his and Barclays
leggings and boots were surely fang.
proof. His teeth clicked together, but
he only reached out and took the
candle away. Come to bed. old fel.
low" he insisted. once more you'll
be all right by daylight
The sympathy of his tone worked
Barclay to frenzy. He got into the
middle of the room, fairly staggering.
The candle. held high in MacIntosh's
hand, threw circle of vague light,
and in the circle were no less than
eight snakes-some coiled some NOV.
ing, some raising evil heads, some
writhing away into the gloom beyond.
DO you mean to say you don't see
those?' His hand swept an unsteady
circle.
Macintosh steeled himself, and said
that he only saw the floor.
The other stared at him wildly for a
moment, then gave a howl of terror
that froze the blood in MacIntosh's
tempes and made him wish that he had
left Barclay to go mad in his own
chosen way. Horrible thoughts began
to come to him of what would happen
if the fellow were to go insane here
in the midst of the desert, in a for
saken settlement with only hundreds
upon hundreds of rattlesnakes every
| where around.
Get me out of this-oh. get me out
of this!" pleaded Barclay, starting for
the door and stopping short with a
! hiss of fright as a snake shot up it's
head and ratified. Then, in a patch of
light which fell on the wall, cent?
pede, big and fat and long, began to
crawl, slowly at first and more swiftly
His eyes fixed themselves upon it,
CLASSY, and he stood perfectly still, his
breath coming in sobs and gulps.
| When the crawling thing had disap.
peared into a crack he turned deliber.
ately about. His face showed livid
| and app1 and linnH snn ~
| honor, Macintosh" he said, with pain.
| full quiet. "are none of those things
| here?"
What things?" said Macintosh He
| looked forward over the seven or eight
hours of darkess yet to come, and
wondered whether he or Barclay would
go mad first, or If not that, then which
would first be stung. But there was no
way out of it now, no way but to make
an eternal enemy. fool Of himself,
and fizzle of the whole attempt, not
to speak of losing his bet Besides, he
was doing good act.
So he got Barclay up on top of the
bar, and he lit one candle as another
burned out. and all through the night
he kept alternately poking up the
snakes and insisting that there were
no snakes there. the while he laid
quieting hands on the trembling form
and looked about him to see that no
centipede or scorpions should come
near. He could have given Dante and
Milton points.
But when morning approached he
led Barclay. a broken, quiverng man,
out into the empty street, and caught
the horses and saddled them, while
Barclay sat huddled on the ground
AS the day began to break he turned
to him. Would you like to go back,
now that it's lighter, and see for your
self that there was nothing in there?"
he asked. If Barclay were to accept,
it would spoil the whole thing probably,
but that had to be CHANGED.
NO" said Barclay, and smiled wan
ly. "Tll take your word for it. Only
| just get me home"
So they mounted and turned back
by the road they had come. for it had
got beyond all question of Barclays
handling a gun. AS the sun rose, how
ever, his courage rose also. inch by
inch. And at last he spoke in quite a
normal way, so that Macintosh drew a
long breath of relief See here, Mac
Intosh," he said. "I'll make bargain
with you. If you'll never tell this on
me, I'll never take drink again."
And he kept his word, and MacIn-
tosh won the hundred. and everybody
was happy all around. Barclay and
Miss Cunningham were married and
lived happily evermore. But Barclay
ascribed his reformation to his own
power of will Miss Cunningham to her
! influence over him. and the others
! were divided between these two views.
| And Macintosh got no credit from
anybody-as is usually the case with
reformers-and it was probably just
what he deserved.-San Francisco
Argonaut.