The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-08-09
IATHY lie AND
Wv .- BILL QUIT.
They Were Moving the Big Root
Meadows and Snakes Ran Two
to thu Ton of Hay.

LEFTY. r., Aug. s.--Riil thought il was
time q can't, and so did I, ssid Adam Kline
felt. " Pine Creeker, who is n husbandrnan
by Tie day during haying and harvest time,
and bark pceler and bear hunter during
tho rest OF the year And go we quit.
Some folks might think Ne. was little
partic'lar, but what do you think of hay
that runs twn snakes to the ton? I've
heerd sence that II amt much Of an average
for the Big Root medders, but 1t struck me
as bein' fair to n'ddlin'. and so it did Bill.
Me and Bill calc'late that We cnt jest
about ten ton o hay on the Big Root med
ders. We don't have to calc'late on the
snakes. We had EN- right before US, and
We counted en-. And this Ia the way they
happened,
Take the first one. I was moving along,
and pilot dipped his teeth ag'in my boot
leg stomped his head of In three kicks
That was ore.
Then there was the yoop that Bill give
and Jumped two yards off to one side. That
yoop stood for a blacksnake that lay with
its head two foot above the grass, while it's
tongue few in and out OF it's mouth like
forked lightnin' out Of cloud. We hadn't
no use for the sarpent, and I give him a
witch with my scythe and cut him down in
his tracks:
"EIe WAS game. though, that Teller was.
and the four foot OF his lower section kept
wrigglin' and twistin' and the two foot OF
his upper section KEEP humpin' and spittirl'
tongue for Ten minutes AFTER the catastrophe
thai divided him in two had hsppane d.
That was two
Then ME and Bill looked at one another
We thunk good deal, but said nothin and
moved OIL
we hadn't gone more than rod when
T says to Bill:
Bill save, stand still where you bs;
but il yon don't want to stand STILL says,
say yovlr prayers, and RI run and git
doctor and a preacher, I says, though
don't think You'll need the doctor says.
Why? Well. on a stone in the grass,
not four feet ahead Of Bill, twisted up like
a city hoarrier wonlans back hair laid as
chaica d sample o. rsttlesnake az ever
shed hide. 1t was all reasly to spring for
BiIl'a neck il he took another step. and
Bill hadn't seen If.
We'll, Bill stood still, and dropped a
stone bigger than baby's head onto the
Sassv old tail shaker, and made him az
harmless AZ "a suckin' dove. That bein'
three. and the day bein' young yit, mo and
Bill ventured TO remarked that the crop
in the Big Root meddars was toler'ble
heavy this year. ...'.
ave worked along clear over to the spring
on t,other side o tho nedder. and didn' run
agin nothin' hut grass. 80 we begun to
think the n.eddsrs wasn't tprrin' out go
rich, arter all.
II asked Bill il he was dry, and he said
he was. I had half pint q somethin'
that a friend o mine had recommended TO
me for s,1nst rokcs, hut which he said wasn't
dangerous 10 uee In case there wasn't, no
s,lnstrokeH. and 30 me and Bill walked
along with 1t over to the spring ., ..
On one. side o the spring there was a
clImp OF ,lders, maxim II nice and shady.
Jest rs we got TO the spring, PUNK! PUNK!
pl,Inkr went somethin' into the spring,
droppin' down from the alders. and the
next minute we sec the heads o three
snakes stickin' above the water.
I'VE see they was water snakes. There
amt no sort % harm in water snakes. but
somehow or other Teller would lest IA
lief see a trout lookin' up at him out Of the
water III water snakes; 40 me and Bill got
some clubs and thrashGd them snakes out
y this world o sorrow.
There helm no positive directions that
without water. me and Bill each took dose
raw. and andin it pleasin' to the palate, we
repeated the prescription and resumed the
slasting o the grass. .
n. Three and Gthree IL ak says BILL