The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-07-12


 western life, yes"
 "We'll have to ask yer pardon, strang err said Sykes. sitting down at the op- positet side of the table. We thought ye was tenderfoot."
 Pardon granted an no offense taken,' returned the Stranger quickly. I'm a lit- tie down on my luck just now, but I'll buckle to again as soon as I get my cinches tight and my leg over a saddle again. I got pretty well busted up with a rearin' broncho that fell over on me, an I was out of commission fir three months I fixed it up with a conductor to ride back t civilization where I cd git hospital treatment fir a g bill, but tn was a collector on tn train an lost my $2 and got put off here, an I guess tn conductor lost his job. I jest dropped in t git out of tn rain and find somebody ( grubstake me for a meal"
 Sykes went down in his pocket and pulled out a $5 bill. The others contrib uted as liberally as they were able, until there was a considerable sum on the poker table. The Stranger gathered 1t up and was grateful. That's what I like about the vest he said. "A feller gifts in hard luck an there aint no examinin committee goes round to see if he's got a family tree on his person. They jest
 
 ferng into his pocket.
 You must have seen some snakes in your time, stranger suggested Sykes. wondering at the failure of his efforts at amusement.
 "Snakes!" repeated the Stranger, inhal- ing a huge whiff of smoke. Snakes! Why, man alive, tn hills down there was full of 'em. I've seen COW runnin' over tn hills with her head as big as a bar raI m har Into b,,r ,,f grass where there was a rattler snoozin' I've seen horses hit by 'em an swelled up so thy couldn't do nothin but jest drag around an git so thin y could all mos see through 'em I've killed 'em with a quirt an a saddle rope, an some times I've jumped on em with my boots an stomped 'em to death. I've seen an antelope cut 'em all to pieces with his hoofs an I've seen 'em pitched up into a wagon with forkful of hay an wrig- gle down through tn hay rick ag'in. Ever see a snake den?'
 q don't know as I have" admitted Sykes with interest.
 "Wel, I was in one las summer that beat anything I ever saw It was In sort of a rocky gulch, where there wasn't much but cactus an red scoria, an I never saw so many snakes in my
 
 before I discovered where I was at, an when it came time f'r me to git out, which was pretty soon, I couldn't see no path but tn was a snake in it'' "You don't say!" exclaimed Sykes "You bet I do say. An there was all kinds of reptiles there, too-bulI snakes an adders and Lord knows what all. They jest seemed to make 1t a sort of a summer resort fir snakes an tn rocks was full of holes. an snakes pourin out of every hole like molasses out of a bunghole in barrel. I shot off all tn ammunition I had at 'em, but if didn't make no more hole in 'em than pulin' your finger out of a bucket of water. For every one I shot ten more came out of the holes t see what tn row was about"
 "I've heard of snake dens in tn rocks. but never saw one' interrupted Sykes "Wel. l hope you never do,' said the Stranger, continuing his recital. "It like to make my hair stand on end that snake den did. There I was in tbe mid dle of it, an every way I turned there was hissin rattler barrin' tn. door I can hear the rattiin' of them snakes yet They came out of the holes in lunches all twisted together, an 1t took some of the punches five or ten minutes to un- twist themselves an git separated Tn sides of the gulch was about 30 feet high an way up near tn top I could see their ugly heads stickin' out of holes in tn rocks. Once in while one of 'em would iump clear out of one of them btgh holes an land down at tn bottom of tb, eulch without hurtin' himself fin tn least, an he'd join the hissin chorus down below. It kep' me dodgin' to keep them firm Auunin' riRne square on my head. an