Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-09-05
NOTED SNAKtI STORIES
NANNY" Howell and the
Wonders HaTells About.
SOUND A bit F1sHY
A GRATEFUL RATHER AND HIS
GOOD MEMORY.
In Return for Own Life Spared, tho
Subject Of This Yarn Saves
the Man.
Written for The Evening Star by Guy T. visk-

niSkkl
Of all the inhabitants of the copperhead
and rattlesnake country Of western Penn
sylvania NANNY Howell is given the
palm when it comes to snake stories.
Nanny lives in Westmoreland county, and
that probably has much to do with his rep
utation, for the mountains around his home
are yet but little worked. and SO are filled
with den after den of two species of Amer
ica's most deadly vipers.
Six months out of the year Nanny hauls
logs and tanbark out of the mountains. The
rest of the time he runs a pool room in the
little town of New Florence. Then it Is
that the farmers drive to town Of evenings
"iest to have a little game and listen to
them snake yarns of Mannys, be gosh!' In
such a canny manner does Nanny turn his
adventures with Westmoreland's reptiles to
his own profit, for it is said of him that II
the receipts do not foot up a certain amount
no stories are forthcoming that night. But
when business has been better than usual
then Nanny let's himself loose, and his pa
irons are sure to hear his best stories, with
interesting variations at each telling.
one Of these stories has its setting In
Mannys own home, a stone house that has
stood on the edge or the Town LOT nedily d
hundred years.
me and my old woman was sleeping Jest
as peaceful one night last summer, begins
Nanny. when round about midnight.
should Judge, l was awakened by souno
like a running sewing machine.
Look here, old woman l says. being
half awake and my eyes stlll glueo To-
gether. what you up at this hour sewing
for? Amt they enough working hours IN
the day for you to finish that dress for next
presbytery?
".Eh, what's the matter. Manny-got the
nightmare againT hears my wife saying
and / wake up all at once and ma her ST.
ting I'M in he'd by side.
81 thought / sayS-when with that
there was that whirring noise again.
'Rattlers! I shouts.
Now. I've got bull pup that would
rather fight a RATHER than chase cats any
day. The pup sleeps outside and hadn't
any thought of seeing him tackle TINS par.
ticular RATHER because the door was smut
and locked But hardly finished shouting
.rattIer' when kersplinters, PUNK! In
through the southwest window jumps the
bull pup and clean out into the center OF
the floor.
Regulation Night.
''It was dark as pitch-no moon or stars
shining-.but from the growls Of the pup ana
the rattle of the snake 1 knew they was at
1t. trying for a hold. And there me and the
old woman was in bed, she scared hall TO
death and not knowing what to do.
II don't know how long the scuffie on the
floor kept up, but at last 1 says:
that bull pup. He's stood by me through
thick and thin in my battles with snakes
in the mountains, and now I'm going 10
stick to him. rs.a
wba I'm M do Il TAs am Ia widder-and the
snake might bite you IN the dark
That's so.' says; "here re tho
matches?
The other side Of the room. alongside
the lamp on the wall she says, and the
snakes somewhere in between.
There was not knowing what to do ex-
cept that wanted darned hard to help that
bull pup I thought and thought for maybe
ten minutes. and had just about mace up
my mind to jump on the floor ana take my
chances when all at once recoliected that
the old woman had been In town puy1ns
things in the afternoon.
MARY Ami I shouts, for she was way
under the covers. head and all. by this Tune.
didn't you buy some stickum to mend that
busted china when you was In town to-
day? .,,.. .,,
ing out .,,,. demand.
1.-The old woman dives under the covers
again Pretty soon she reaches out hand
to me. IVA
a. Here. Manny-here 1t is she says. Tt
cost 4S cents, and 1t was the last bottle they
had, and Mrs Snickle up the Lgonier road
was after a bottle. too and she saw me get
mine and looked envious like at me, ana
feared she might stop here on her way nome
and try to lift 1t, so soon as l got here
stuffed it underline edge Of the bed. What
are you going to do with 1t. Nanny! 1t
cost 48 cents, she says. plaintive like, and
1t was bargain
A Busy Day.
But was too busy to take stock about
bargains and such things yanked the
cork out with my teeth and poured lot Of
the stickum in my hands. Then I hauled
my feet out from under the covers and
smeared the sticlum over 'em good and
thick Next smeared some on my hands
and arms clean up to my elbows and then
I threw the empty bottle in the direction of
the scuffiing.
"Now.' says to the old woman. I'm go
with that. before she had time to grab
me- put my hands on the walls as far up
as could reach. They stuck beautiful.
=" 'IIurray.' shouted. Keep 1t up. GROWER
Pm coming and planted my toes on the
walls and they stuck. Then I moved my
hands further up the wall. one at time.
and advanced my feet the same way. the
stickum holding like the grip O. death all
the time.
Before knew it was up to the ceiling
and walking across It. with my back to the
floor. as nice as YOU please. Just as 1
reached the wall which held the lamp the
ewhere-where are you. Nanny? Oh,
know I'm going to be widderr
mo. Mary Ann says I, TIM not going
to give you a chance to marry Jim Brown
Just vet And with that I started down
the wall head first and next second ran
kerplank into the lamp and knocked off the
chimney. -do
oh means the old woman when the
crash comes. the rattler's bit him-and I'm
a door lone wilder worfan-oh-oh. ohP
"Then I finds the match box on the Off
side of the lamp and strikes one and lights
the lamp
Hey old woman says clinging to
the side of the wall like ny. and with
my head raised up and looking at her. I'm
NOT 81 20
oh. Lord! she means. taking one look.
I'm Door lone wilder woman-there's his
spirit going up to be an angel!' and with
that she dives under 1.-The bedclothes and
weeps all to herself sai
Right at It.
IT looked around for the bull pup and
the RATHER. and there they was. right In
the center OF the floor. fighting like all pos
sessed. The reptiles tail was going as fast
as lightning. his head shooting out at the
dog twice as fast. and the dog lodging just
as fast and all the time trying for the rep