The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1902-03-05
The Laurens Advertiser
sI.5o Per Year in Advance.
The King Snake.

rats OF Amos Darn, ana
had crawled out upon the village pave
ment to sur himself. Village life was
new to him. He realized that there
was a difference between village pave
ments and the spring house trail at Mr..
Elderwood's home in the country,
where he had been wont to take his
morning baths Of sunshine; but he did
not realize the fact that he might be-
come ii terror TO The villagers who
CHANGED to pass that way and who
were unaccustomed to meeting citizens
of his order. But hen he a not
come TO town of his W free will. lie
was property. He belonged TO MIR.
Elderwood, along with tile ducks,
guineas, chickens, horses, cattle and
dogs; and when it was decided IN the
Fleetwood family that 1t was best to
take a house in the village for a few
years, in order that the children might
be sen to school, why the king snake
was carried along.
Amos2" Mrs. Elderwood had asked,
reptile on the day they moved and
placed him in a safe corner Of the
wagon.
vi obl Il III AiJio Woo OhS
answer don't you guess a village
rat'll taste as sweet to him as a country
'un?"
And that is how the king snake
came to Coburg. He was IL beauty,
long, sleek and fat, aad his white spots
cleaned like alabastcr in the sunlight.
Mr.. Dempsy DuVall was walking
lelsurely along a short street which in
tprapnta1 tha main etrppt of COhnrO 1t
the corner of Eldorwood's place, when
a shrill little scream suddenly assailed
his ears from somewhere in front of
him. The scream had issued from a
woman's throat, and Dempsy felt in
his bones that the owner of that throat
must be beautiful, else whence so much
music IL n scream? He quickened his
pace, hurrying around a corner at a
rapid stride.
The barometer of Duvall's bones hat
not deceived him. There, standing
terrorized and unable TO move, within
six feet of Elderwood's king snake
vas a tall, young girl, SO slender ant
so beautiful that Duvall blinked t.
assure himself that be had not peepet
into fairy land.
But Dempsy was a practical man
and he had at once seen the cause o
the young lady's alarm. The kin!
snake lay still, evidently dreaming o
the spring house path in the country
But, alas for his removal to the city
the days of his usefulness were at al
end.
Inverting the gold headed umbrella
which he carried, and without slack
ening his rapid pace, Duvall suddenl,
swung his hastily improvlsed golf clu'
through the air and brought it aroun,
with such force as to sweep the littl
heap of reptilian coils from the pave
ment, sending the king snake ia
across the street to fall a lifeleSs mas
into the gutter.
Oh thank you'll" exclaimed the gil
fervently, as a little flush suffused he
cheeks and the long eyelahes droope,
n little over her eyes.
Dempsy lifted his hat and bowed a
he made a movement to pass on.
"The fates were good to send m
here at this time,' he dared to say a
he bowed himself by allowing TIN
young lady to go on her way.
That was a little incident whic
went along with Duvall, making hi
heart merry. But there had been
witness to the scene, only one. Amo
ElderwOOd had been crossing The var
when his attention was attracted b
the girls scream, and he had stoppe
to stare at her over the hedge which
lined the pavement.
"Some fool gal with a toad in he
path" mentally solilouuized Elder
wood and he had been about to con
tinue his way when the rest of tn
scene transpired.
"Well he could play shiny, an,
that's a dead shore fact" was Elder
woods next comment, as the pave
ment was ono more cleared. Won
der what it was he hit, nohow?"
Mr.. Fleetwood set down a pail h
was carrying and made his way to tn
gate. "A moment later he had crosse,
the street to the gutter on the opposit,
side. Then the sight of the dead kin!
snake caused his teeth to grind togethe
with a cracking sound. He gazet
upon the reptiles body a moment thel
returned across the street. Here h,
stopped, and. gazing first far down Il
the right of him at a Ietreating girlisl
figure, then far up to the left of hin
at the athletic figure of Duvall jus
disappearing In the distance, continued
to grind his teeth.
Three days later Dempsy Duvall wa.
served by an officer in due form will
legal document setting forth that he
Dempsy Duvall, had destroyed a Ger
tain king snake, the property of one
Amos Underwood, and that the sale
Amos Elderwood had been damaged
thereby to the sum of three thousand
Six hundred and fifty dollars, which
sum the said Dempsy Duvall was call
ed upon to pay, or to appear before the
court and show cause why he was moi
liable.
Duvall, smiling with amusement, ac-
copied service, and the trial was speed
lily called. Elderwood had In readiness
a statement showing hat the king
snake in question was six years of age,
that his chances of life and usefulness
were at least ten years, that he could
destroy an average of Blk rats per day,
that the destruction of six rats meant
the saving of two bushels of corn, that
two bushels Of corn were worth one
dollar, that one dollar saved every day
for ten years would aggregate the sum
of three thousand, six hundred and
fifty dollars, the amount claimed, with