Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1909-01-28

been kicked off the place-Mrs. An
drews left the sitting room and went
to the gallery to sing to Pedro. Ly-
Ing in the yard, close to the steps,
she noticed a wooden box, about two
feet long and a foot deep. A piece
Of thick wire netting, set in a frame
Of wood, which had doubtless been
the cover of the box, was near at
hand. Mrs. Andrews was puzzled at
the presence Of the box inathe yard.
! but her attention was diverted from
further contemplation of it by the
wild screaming of the parrot. The
parrot was on his perch on the rail-
Ing, but he appeared to be in a state
OF great excitement. His feathers
were ruHed, his head was thrust
forward on a short neck, his wings
were extended and shrill scream fol-
lowed scream from his wide-opened
beaked mouth.
Mrs. Andrews was just in the act
OF ascending the three steps which
Led from the yard to the gallery
sWnen the door of an unusued room
facing the landing was softly opened
and the villainous face of Miguel, the
Mexican, showed in the aperture.
Mrs. Andrews, seeing the man, and
reading murder in the expression of
his features, rushed past him on the
gallery, screaming for help and in
tending to seek refuge behind the
barred door Of her room, but Miguel
was swifter than she, and, overtaking
her, seized her by the arm and drew
her toward him.
"The Mexican, dragging the
screaming woman to the door Of the
unused room, suddenly threw her
with great violence to the floor, and
then, reaching behind him, picked up
a sack, beneath the rough folds Of
, which some object was moving, and,
swinging the sack from side to side,
!, shook out a three-foot rattlesnake.
; Miguel was quick to bound from the
, gallery to the yard, and the snake
: wriggling two inches from Mrs. An.
drews' feet, in a wild rage threw it.
! self into a. coil and, thrust forward
. nat, ugly head, from the scaly jaw!
t of which protruded a ~quivering, spill
tongue. And while the head de
scribed short half-circles, which al
ways come before the fatal cast, tn,
> pointed tail of the reptile showed
from the rear of the folds, and, VIC
= lently agitated, gave off a peculia
9 burning noise from the rattles.
Mrs. Andrews lost enc of her slip
? pers in the struggle, and the sole O
her foot, covered only by a thil
= stocking, offered an easy target TO
= Those venomous fangs. The lacy sa
= up and gazed at the snake, and, he'll
poWerless in the chains of {. benumb
ing terror, was unable to move. TIL
8 snake darted it's head back and forth
70 and gradually its scaly head on a
- ever-lengthening neck came closer t
= the foot, until finally it was only
- few inches from it. The RATHER Dire
d back it's head. arched it's neck to On
!, side, and opening wide it's jaws, WI
just in the act of making its terrib]
le cast, when the unforeseen happene,
~ Pedro. who had been swayin
wildly on his perch, with rufle
, feathers and open beak, and screecl
W ing the while, tapped his wings, d
> pressed his head and flew like
streak Of lightning toward the snak
~ The parrot landed on top of the sea.
Wy folds, and instinctiyely sought
grab the reptiles neck in hts stro1
~ bill. The point Of the beak instes
caught the snake on the head al
= the lower structure of the mou'
sunk with crushing force into II
We side of the rattler's neck. The snak
lie in a paroxysm of pain, wriggled al
twisted, and Pedro was thrown soI
NJ feet away, but the bird, with
LEI squawk Of anger, quickly recover
EN- himself, and, with wings extend
la1 and beak open, he hobbled on
[or uncertain legs toward the writhi
are terror.
pc 1.-THE diversion created by the p;
'ao rot's attack had given Mrs. Andre
II opportunity to regain her presen
she
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