The southern sentinel. (Winnfield, La.) 1883-1910, 1903-03-27
.What has he doncl Where is he:"


Calming effect on him. and lie FASTENED
to assure ne that Patrick mad really
done nothing worse than catch a small
garden snake.
But. oh. the way he did it, the doc
tor shuddercd. And his hideous face
Horrible. horrible.'
With n profound sense of relief that
the tragedy consisted of nothing more
serious than an assault OH my brother
in-law's nerves, l first became angry
and then amused ut the absurdity of II
all.
How did he do it," l asked, sup
pressing a smile.
Il can't begin TO tell YOU, said the
doctor. Il can't make you see it rs it
was. Oh, what a face. What diabo-
lism.'
when was it,
aust now. When / came home, he
was raking the lawn. and l stopped to
speak with him. He seemed TO be In
his usual calm temper until little
green garden snake slid out from un-
der bush The effect was electrical.
Instantly Patrick was : raging demon
MY dear boy" l said soothingly, me
was probably Mortified, just as should
have been. The very thought OF Il
snake, however harmless it may be,
gives me til shivers."
$50 il does me-" said the doctor. Il
hate Il snake with all my soul. but
tell you honestly / would rather live
with a nest of snakes than with that
demon Patrick"
what did he do"
HE had the rake in his hand and
could have cut the snake down with a
stroke. but it seemed that would not
nave satisfied his fiendish desire. He
dropped the rake and fell upon all
tours, reaching for the creature with
his bare hands. At first he missed it,
but instantly lie sprang, as toad
might spring, or more, fancy, as 60
rilla might do it, and caught the
squirminS thing"
"Well, that's nothing" / interposed.
81 used to know boys who brought live
garden snakes h. school in their peck
cts and frightened the girls out of their
wits with Them
"Stop" said the doctor sternly. I'm
no schoolgirl to be frightened out of
my wits by harmless little snake.
Had you seen Patrick's face you would
not speak so lightly. l tell you it was
simply terrible. diabolical. When he
had snatched the snake from the grass,
he settled back upon his launches like
one of those hideous heather gods
carved of stone. Despite my commands
that lie throw the thing down and let
me stamp upon il, he squatted there,
more reptile than man, and held the
writing creature close and closer to
his glittering eyes. while he Missed such
words as: SO you've come back, Hah.
But you'll not find her. Fool. She's
where ysu'll never be- She's in heaven.
Do YOU hear-in heaven? Crooked, am
1: What are you? Snake. snake,
snake. These last words grated with
unimaginable hatred. malice. loathing."
Did be kill the snake:" asked.
'.No: he would not kill it. lie simply
gloated over having it in his power. For
minutes he held the struggling thing so
close TO his eyes that it almost touched
him. lie seemed to be glaring into the
very soul of that snake. if it had such n
thing Then suddenly he burst into n
demoniacal laugh and JUMPED to his
feet. The last saw of him he was GO
Ing by leaps and bounds down the alley
with tie snake still writhing i'll his
hand"
1t was not physical fear that had pre-
vented the doctor from following Pat
rick 1t -as soul horror of him.
I advanced the theory that like
enough the gardener had some time
lost sweetheart or sister as result
of poisonous snake bite, and while
we We're discussing this plausible
meaning of his hateful words the doc
tors telephone bell rang.
sThere's Il man here with the jim
jams" said voice from the police eta
ton. Hes awful bad"
Ii was Dr. Graham's duty as city
physician to attend such cases, for i'll
those days we had no public,hospital in
our city.
Its Patrick" said the doctor. Il
won't 90. l won't see him."
Yes, you will, too.'' | said determin-
edly. You'll so, and Ill go With you.
Come. don't be Child
BY appeals to his pride and to his
professional if not his human interest
in the case l prevailed on him to 60
with me.
Half dozen policemen around the
station door were chatting one another
about their various bruises.
Il believe he'd n fought off the
whole force" said the desk officer, IF
he hadn't been tapped"
did you club him?' asked the doc
tor.
''Oh, not to hurt. Just to soften him
down a bit. He had the jimjams aw-
full"
AN well he might" put in a police
man, ''for he had real snake in his
hand"
"Was 1t alive:" asked as we passed