The new enterprise., 1905-05-04
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.
BY Mrs, Cornell.

"a SuIlll NulullPIluS WIS MS Solc IT,
sponse, Twevc.year-old Anna stepped
to the Kitchen door, peeping round the
sash, PAS scoldng Willie," she an
nounccd TO her mother.
The storm continued to rage in the
back yard,
"Shust look at your clothes! Go now,
To the creek wit you! Come not in
the house until You are cleaned Ach"
EN.SeaCaptan Schulz, now prunc
grower I'm the mountain boundary west
Of Santa Clara Valley turned in at the
Kitchen door,
Il don't know what to do wit the
boy. Go, mine Anna, get the lad
clean shirt ana take it down 10 the
creek"
on Annals return from the bathing.
pool she said softly to her mother,
"Willlc isn't at The creek, Perhaps he
has run Off.
80 child. don't bother me about VII.
lie, Hr'll run back again fast enough,
he's tlat scared OF the mountains and
the trees"
Anna was conscious Of an under.
current Of sympathy with the forlorn
waif her father had brought from the
city some months before. The very
love ana awe with which the noun
tains filled her imaginative soul gave
her comprehension of the fear with
which they mhued the dull-witted Of
spring Of san Francisco cutters.
al
August day. The captain and his
American wife spread and dipped
pruneS busily on the hot south slope.
The boN.laden wagon rolled by AZ in
tervals. Household duties went helter-
skclter under Annals management. At
9 O'Clock Mrs. Schulz, hot and tired,
Weakened her lazy little daughter, ont
stretched beneath the hol.yhocks and
peoples IN the small front garden.
For gracious sake. Anna, Hurry.
You've not done the dinner dishes"
Have the cows Gomez Anna asked,
resourcefully.
Land, II l hadn't forgotten about
Willie, Come..hurry! You'll have TO
go for the COWS. III wash the dishes"
Anna felt quite in the mood to 90 for
the COWS, IL meant an hour or SO Of
pat;ing bsrefooted and hareheaded
along the soft dust Of the road, or over
the slippery brown grass Of the noun
tain pastures. with tall pines on every
hand, and a gold-hlue sky above.
She unused about the missing Willie
Had he carried ont his occasional
threat TO run away?
THE road iss open. 90 when You
like" was her fathers one reply TO
such futile outbursts. But they well
knew the road was not open to Willie.
The six mountain miles intervening
between their ranch and the station
formed an impossible barrier to his
timorous soul.
Il guess he's afraid Of the biSnoss of
things" Anna concluded. And he's
got no call 10 run away. Papa threat
ems him, but he's never laid hands on
him yet. s'posc it's on account Of the
bath he ran away"
There was no Willie at the bathing
pool. The checked G,nCham shirt Hut.
tered loncsomeiy where she had that
morning placed H.
Some minutes later shufiling Gelic-
iously among the dappled leaves Of
hill trail, she sprang aside in quick
dismay.
Goodness" What had seemed to he
n bunch Of dry leaves and grass coiled
swiftly, with the rattling whir that
goes straight to the fear centre Of the
human heart. In flash Annals hands
We're full Of rocks. The first article
in every California mountain child's
education is TO destroy every rattle
snake that comes in sight. Anna
dodged the first strike of the snake,
and before he could get nearer she be-
gan a fusillade Of such efficiency that
the reptile enemy sought retreat.
Then Anna was privileged to witness
a strange thing-a very strange thing;
so unusual, in fact, that when reported
TO the head OF the geological depart.
ment OF the State University that con-
servative gentleman would have given
the story little credence had II not been
for the unimpeachable authority Of
celebrated naturalist, who had reported
IL as occasionally occurring among the
large. much-to-be-dreaded species Of
the Eastern States-the Crotalus horri-
dus. or banded rattler.
To Annals unutterable surprise. the
snake turned for refuge to a nearby
oak tree. Perhaps he came against it
unintentionally, as the rattlesnake sees
badly by daylight. At any rate, he
reared his head against II much as he