Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1905-02-23
smearin' Of crude to hurry up the hair,
cause he wanted II. a IAN.

smearin' OF crude 70 hurry pp the hhlrs
cause he wanted It.
=" 'Tother side O. that spring, maybe
couple hundred yards, he overlook
pack pedler who was trudging along.
and Dan tried to walk along with him
for company, but the pedler Travelled
too slow for Dan, and he pulled out
and left him behind.
when Dan come to the little run
across the road he thought 1t must
come from a spring. and bein' mortal
thirsty he looked for 1t, The grease
was runnin' down his face, and all
through his hair, and he said the heat
had made it smell a leetel worse than
common, II that could be.
'"'Dan found the spring and took q
good drink. and swashed his face in It
awhile. Then he started on. He
hadn't gone more tran 20 PAGES when
he heard most appallin' yell behind
him. He looked back and seen the
pedler he had passed layln' in the road
and within tremendous.
Dan ran back as fast as he could to
see what was the matter. The pedler
was clutchin'. his neck with one hand.
His eyes was starin', and his face was
purple. He recognized Dan and man
aged to say:
ga RATHER bit me in the neck! Yon-
der he lays!"
"Dan looked where the pedler was
pointin', and there, sure enough, lay a
big RATHER at the edge o. the bushes that
hid the spring, coiled up and glarih' like
fury. Before Dan could grab club and
kill the snake, the pedler threw HIM
self forward and grabbed the rattler.
The snake sank his fangs into the man
again, this time at the wrist. The ped
Ter tore the snake in two and throwed
the parts on the ground and stamped
'em into the earth. -
"'He was able to tell Dan before he
keeled over, with his head and neck
swelled most to bursting, that he had
neeled at the spring to get a drink
when the rattler, that laid in the ferns
on t'other side O. the spring, had struck
him, sinkin its fangs SO deep In his neck
that when he sprung backward to the
road and fell there he drug the snake
back with him. The poor fellow died in
a short time. Dan put his body in the
bushes and went on to find somebody to
tell the news to.
"'That crumblin' old derrick that you
see over yonder on the hill was the well
that was helpin' put down at that time,
and Dan came over there with his news.
""Lucky for me that RATHER wasn't
there when l stuck my head over that
spring, wasn't it," says Dan.
"""The snake was there, all right"
says l. you was doctorin' that bald head
O. your'n. There's where the luck comes
in. II it hadn't been for the smell O. that
bald head cure,"'I says the pedler
would be here now asl1in' us to go back
and help plant you" says, instead o
you bein' here askin' the favor for him.
Rattlers will squat and lay down close
when they smell crude grease" ! says
1--WE went back with Dan and buried
the pedler where you seen that hum
mock, and the spring has been called
Dead Mans Spring ever since 4.
Il didn't make any remark about this
story for some time, and then, with q
grin that meant to be aggravating,
said:
b.
"Did Dan Mitchell's hair come I'M?
"'Did it, exclaimed the native, and
saw that my grin had not been in the
least aggravating You bet 1t did!
Shocks Of it! But twas great disap-
ointment to DAN
Disappointment? said.
"'Yes, replied the native, Tipping q
fly from his horse. The hair ought to
been black, but 1t come In as white as
his grandfather's, Dan got setch a scare
over that narrow escape O. his'n!'
"Whenlwe got to the place wherewe
were going l told the man at the tavern
to let my driver have what he wanted
and charge It to me. The bill was .
roussr, bat didn't begrudge the cost"
n. Y. Sun.