Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1902-10-25

the fastenings again and returned
hastily to, the back parlor. The
scraping, humping, changing noises
increased momentarily till they be
came quite frightful We knew not
what to think. If plumber or mason
had been demolishing the furnace. the
noise could hardly have been greater
There were odd thumpings as of ham
mers and sound as if tinmen were
trying to put the joints of the hot-ai1
pipes together, or else to pull them
apart. had thought at first 1t might
be cat that had come in through
the celd-air box and was now shut into
the hot-air chamber. But Aunt Theo-
/ Of the f1oor-and before our Mortified
dia exclaimed that no cat ever could
make such sounds as these.
We stood over the register, listening
| in terror, divided In our surmises as
to whether it was a burglar or som.
nambulist plumber. The hot-air pipe
leading to the register was now creak.
ing and shaking violently, and the
register in the floor was visibly Jared.
"Elinor,' my aunt whispered, "did
we-leave our-hats in-the hall
because-because-I think-we had
better-both of us-run straight out
and find a policeman"
Before we could do this, however,
the hubbub below suddenly culminat-
| ed. The register hoped up out of it's
place. / think it went yard clear
eyes-beneath our Mortified noses, l
might say-there upreared the head
and gaping jaws Of an enormous
snake!
/ had vaguely imagined that my
aunt was past her screaming days,
but sweet sixteen at sight of cow
could not have uttered a more pierre
ing shrek. I don't quite know
what we did first. What remember
first is being out in the hall, holding
the back parlor door, while Aunt Theo-
dia hurriedly unlocked the front door
and unlocked the chain.
Then I let go the knob and we ran
out and down the steps, without hats
or wraps, and sped along the street,
gasping hard to keep from crying out
loud.
Coming to the corner of the block,
we stopped to look and listen. No one
CHANGED to be astir in our street, but
over at the corner of the next street
We caught sight Of policeman I'M
locking his district signal box.
To him we rushed, and then in &C
cents strange and hurried my aunt un-
folded our tale of snake. The officer
knit his brows as he listened. He
was provokingly calm, but at last of
fered to accompany us to our house.
We led the way as far as the front
door. ''In the back parlor," we said
to him. The front door was open,
and the gas was burning in the hall
as well as in the parlor. The officer,
great ruddy fellow, strobe up the
steps and entered; he appeared not to
notice my well-meant advice to be eau
tious.
ooh, for the courage of a man." my
aunt sighed, as his confident, heavy
tread measured the hall. He opened
the back parlor door and passed the
Threshold
The next moment we witnessed an
other side to the courage of man." I
never heard louder yell. Indeed, If
what he said had been reported to the
chief, he would surely have been dis
ciplined.
He came out of our house at three
strides, and down those steps at two.
With good deal of difficulty Aunt
Theodia and I managed to keep pace
with him to the corner and round to
the signal-box.
81 should say snake!" was his first
comment to us, directly. Where did
you get him? Have you had him
long?"
With something approaching indig-
nation Aunt Theodia and l vigorously
disclaimed any previous acquaintance
with the reptile.
The officer could not understand 1t.
WELL" he said, 81 think I had better
take you into this drug, store on the
other corner, while get help"
We assured him that we could reach
the drugstore without help, and he
began signaling.
For the next two hours my aunt
and l spent our time sitting in the
drugstore, making brief trips back as
near to our house as we dared to go,
and watching eight policemen conduct
snake-hunt in our house. In fact,
they did not make an end of it and
haul the reptile away in one of the city
carts until after midnight.
AS numbers of rather queer people
had been attracted to the vicinity by
the unusual proceedings, an officer
was detailed to guard the house until
morning, and also watch for any other
snakes that might appear. For 1t was
not known whence this one had come,
or how many more there might be in
reserve.
With many misgivings, we at last
had the officer explore the upper floor
of the house, and trusting to his fav-
| orable report of the snakeless cond1.