The Savannah morning news., 1904-08-06

Il
theless. Mama got him. She played as
sweetly as if she were picking her
own heart strings to make the melody.
He sat on the club Veranda, listening
like one entranced, and then went out
to the thicket where she and the snake
ere waiting for him.
1t was pitiful to see him trying to
break away from her. Day after day
he vowed TO leave, but as many times
she came to chain him with her plain
tive airs which struck into his very
soul. We, who knew her music well,
had never heard the like before.
thousand prayers sObbed in unison
could not have been more appealing.
Once he failed to go to her, and she
sent the snake TO Kill him. He was
doing in a hammock at the club, and
awoke Just as the vicious reptile rails
ed its head to strike. He pulled his
revolver and by lucky chance sent
bullet through the snakes brain. Sim
ultaneously with the pistol shot there
was a scream from the thicket, and we
found Mama stone dead. There was
not mark nor scratch upC her. When
the priest came, he crossed himself,
then said: The affinity between the
women and the serpent is explained
they had but one soul
ChinHman Couldn't Take n Joke.
1t does beat the deuce" said the
captain. the mysterious way some of
these mongrels can shuttle off the NOR
tai coil, whenever the notion strikes
them. | had a Chinese cook on this
ship who did the neatest job in the way
of q fancy death that ever happened
Wing Lee was a good cook, but he
couldn't take a joke. The boys used to
lie awake nights trying to think of
schemes to get the laugh on that ce-
al FThpN a fipt-t9Hk his
portfolio one night. and Wing thought
the devil had mode his case a personal
issue. He burned so many joss sticks
in his effort to rout the evil spirit that
the ship smelled almost like a fumi-
eating plant When he found that it
was only a joke he was mad enough
to fight.
Il tried to make the crew leave him
alone, because / was afraid Wing
would quit or hurt someone while in
temper. and in either case l would be
short a cook. The boys were a little
hard on him. 1t was downright mean
when they put chewing gum in his
pigtail. 1t couldn't have hurst Wing
worse if they had broken one of his
legs. If he had not taken their
pranks so seriously in the beginning,
they would doubtless have left him
alone but the supplemented Chink
Just went all to pieces. and the jokers
had him dancing about two-thirds of
the time
An odd Revenge.
But every lane has its turn. and
Wing Lee gave those tokers a parting
shock that none of them will forget
to his dying day. At small port in
Brazil circus agent came aboard
with a box of snakes, and the reptiles
were left on deck so they could get
81, F1,a farl,4 ~ . .o
big ones squeezed his way out through
the Stats, and the first thing l knew
these blamed snakes were running all
over the ship. We thought we had
caught them all, but the agent said
he wasn't sure; that there might still
be two are three little ones at liberty.
The jokers put rubber snake in
Wings bunk, and l never heard such
a racket on board ship as when that
Chipaman ran anuck.
of course the fools couldn't keep
still, and Wing caught on that 1t was
another joke. He discovered the guilty
parties, and such a scene I never eX-
pect to see again. He simply jumped
up and down, he was so wrought up.
He cornered three of them and the
way he berated them in Chinese could
not have been worse had he been
reading their death warrants. His
ing dramatic gesture to the heavens,
he cast a last look at the sea, then
laid right down there on the deck and
died with no more effort than if he
were going to sleep. He never
strained a muscle nor uttered a groan.
The doctor went over him, inside and
out and found not a blemish or bruise
or rupture about him. 1t cost him his
life but Wing gave his prosecutors
enf,oafbfnpr rAD1aD1har for the o.
mainder of their days"
What did you do about it?'' asked
the scientist
Il simply made an entry in my log
book" answered the captain, that
Wing Lee, a Chinese cook, had died
of spite"
Oxen Settled Church Dispute.
II heard a queer story in Buenos
Ayres not long ago." began the drum
mer, (which was vouched for by men
whose truthfulness could not be ques-
toned. The church authorities had
planned to erect a new chapel in a re-
mote province of Argentina, and a dis
pute arose over the location of the pro-
| posed house of worship. Finally one
| faction gained control of the arrange
ments and determined upon the site.
1t was unfortunate that i'll feeling
| should arise over a religions matter,
| yet IL seemed certain IndL Inefe would
be strained relations on account of the
divided opinion of the congregation
| The question was finally decided
| and the Threatened breach pre-
vented, in the most unexpected, as
well as un'accountabIe manner
THE material for the structure was
upon the ground and the building had
| begun. While some teamsters were con-
| Veying a statue of the Virgin, to be
| placed in the new church, the oxer
| suddenly baked. There was evident.
| ly no reason for the stubbornness OF
| the animals They had never beer
known to balk before, they were not
| hungry, nor thirsty, nor tired. The
drivers whipped them. twisted Their
| tails, put mud in their nostrils, but
all the usual tricks failed to make
| the patient beasts bulge an inch
| Another yoke of oxen was brought
| but they refused to pull. After the
failure of a third attempt to move
! the statue II dawned upon those inter.
place for their sanctuary. While M
| one had discovered the fact, investi.
cation proved that it was really 9
much more suitable location thar
| either of those for which the two
factions had been contendng. The
spot upon which the oxen baked was
unanimously chosen as the proper
place" Frederick j. Haskin.
STORY OF NlNETY-NlNE'S CAVE