The Washington herald., 1907-06-16

a season for everything; flowers, too,
jest as Solomon said"
An old garden is Ike an old life Who
plants from youth TO age writes a record
Of the years in leaf and blossom, and the
spot becomes as sacred as old wine. old
books, and old friends Here in the gar
den os Aunt James planting I found that
flowers we're also memories, that reminis-
cences were folded in the petals Of roses
and lilies: that a roses perfume might
be a voice from a vanished summer; and
even the snake gliding across or path
might prove messenger bearing a story
of other days Aunt Jane made a pass
at II with her hoe, and laughed as the
little creature disappeared on the other
SIDE Of tho fence.
Il never see a striped snake she said
that l don't think O. Sam Amos and the
time he saw snakes. 1t wasn't often We
got a joke on Sam. but his t'u'nament
and his snake kept US laughin' for many
a day
sam was one o. them big. blunderin
men. always givin' Milly trouble, and
hayin' trouble himself, jest through pure
keeriessnes. He meant well. and Miliy
used to say that If what Sam did was
even half as good as what Sam intended
70 do thcTe'd be one perfect man on
Gods earth. One OF his keerless ways
was scatteriu' his clothes all over the
house. MiIlyd scold and fuss about it,
but Sam got worse instead o. better up
20 the day he saw the snake and after
that Miiv said there wasn't a more order
ly man in the State. The way Of il was
this: sam was raisin' an embankment
. round one Of his ponds, and Uncle Jim
Matthews and Amos Crawford was
help.u' him. Il was one Monday mornin .
about the first of April, and the weather
was warm and sunny, jest the kind to
bring out snakes I reckon there never
was anybody hated a snake as much as
Sam lid He'd been skeered by one when
ho was a child, and never got over e.
lie used % say there was jest two things
he was afraid of-Milly and a snake.
That m0rnin' Uncle Jim and Amos got
% the pond before Sam did and Uncle
jim holleTed out, Well sam, we beat
YOU this time Uncle Jim never got
tired tellin' what happened next lie
said Sam run up the emhankment with
his spade. and set it in the ground and
his foot on IL 10 push It down. The next
minute he give a yell that you could "a
heard half a mile slung the spade over
in the middle o. the pond. jumped three
feet in the air and run down the EN-
bankment yellin' and kc5in' and thrOwin
his arms about in every direction. and at
last he fell down on the ground a good
distance from the pond
Amos and Uncle Jim was so taken
by surprise az first that they Jest stood
still and looked. Amos says, says he.
The mans gone crazy all at once
Uncle Jim says. He's havin q spell HIS
father and grandfather before him used
% have them spells
They run up to him and found him
shakin like leaf, the cold sweat
streamIn' out Of every pore. and gasp.n'
ana sayin', Take q away, Take Il away"
and all the time he was throwin ont his
left foot I'm every direction FINALLY
Uncle Jim grabbed hold Of his foot and
there was a red and black necktie stickin'
out o. the leg of his pants. lie pulled
il out and saws he. Why. Sam. what's
yotU Sunday necktie doin up your pants
leg2
They said sam looked at it in n fool
ish sort o. way, and then he fell back
laughin' and cryin' AT the same time.
Jest like a woman, and 70 was five min
utes or more before they could stop him.
Uncle Jim brought water and put on his
head. and Amos famed him with his hat.
and at last they got him IN such a fix
that he could sit up and talk. and says
he;
Il took off my necktie last night and
slung il down on a chair where my every
dav pants was layin'. When I put my
foot IN my pants this mornin' I must "a
carried the necktie inside, and by the
time I got 20 the pond it'd worked down.
and I thought IL was a black snake with
red stripes
He started 10 git up. but his ankle
was sprained, and Uncle Jim SAYS. No
wonder, Sam, you jumped about six feet
when you saw that snake cravlin' out O.
your pants leg.
And sam says, six feete 7 know
jumped six hundred feet. Uncle Jim
"Well they got him 10 the house and
told Nlly about It. and she says. Well
sam, I'm too sorry for you % laugh al
you like Uncle Jim, but I must say this
wouldn't a happened II you'd folded uD
that neckte and put it away in the top
drawer
sam was settin' on the side Of the bed
rubbiH his ankle. and he give a gr0an
and SAYS ne: Things has come % q fine
pass in Kentucky when a sober. Cod
fearin man like me has 20 put his neck
tie in the top drawer 20 keep from seein
snakes.
I declare to goodness" laughed Aunt