The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1912-08-27

ers, an I'll run git a doctor an a
preacher 1 says, though I don't
think you'll need the DOCTOR I says
why so? Well. on a stone in the
grass, not four foot ahead O. Bill,
twisted up like a city boarder wom-
ans back hair, laid as choice a SAM
pie o rattlesnake as ever shed hide.
1t was all ready to spring fer Bits
neck if he took another step. an Bill
hadn't seen it. Well. Bill TODD still.
an l dropped a stone bigger'n a ba-
by's head onto the sassy old tail
shaker an made him as harmless as
a suckin' dove. That bein' three, an
the day bein' young VT. me an Bill
ventura to remark that the CROP in
the Big Root medders was toler'ble
heavy this season.
We worked along clear over to the
spring on to'other side the medder,
an didn't run ag'in nothin' but grass.
So We begun to think the medders
mebbe wasn't goin' to turn out so
rich arter all. 1 asked Bill if he was
dry. an Bill said he was. I had half
a pint O. somethin' that a friend O.
mine had recommended to me fer
sunstroke. but which he said wasn't
dangerous to use in case there wasn't
no sunstrokes, an so me an Bill
walked along with it over lords the
spring. On one side o. the spring
there was a clump of alders. maxim it
nice and shady. Jest as we got to the
spring, PUNK! plunk, plunk!' went
somethin' in the spring. droppin' from
the alders, an the next minute we
see the heads o. three snakes stickin'
above the water.
I'VE see that they was water
snakes. There amt no sort O. harm
in water snakes, but somehow or
other a Teller would jest as lief see a
trout lookin' up at him out of the
water as water snakes, so me an Bill
got some clubs an threshed them
snakes out O. this world O. pain and
sorrow. There bein' no positive di-
rections h Il the sunstroke medicine
mustn't be tool without water me an
Bill toe a dose raw, an fndin' 1t
pleasin' to the palate, we repeated
the prescription an went back to our
slashin' of the grass.
""Three an three is SIX says Bill.
The Big Root medders is lookin' up
says he.
$50 We moved along an by dinner
time we had moved an stomped an
dubbed Off the face O. the earth one
milksnake. two garter snakes. one
green snake that was potter than a
pi"tur', II little stumpy snake, with
diamond spots on it; one young rat
tier that was jest CROWN a button.
an n blue racer that was crowdin'
eight foot as to ZENITH. That made 10,
an ME an Bill was beginnin' to won
der what them rich bottom lands was
with an acre.
We took an hour fer noonin', an
in less'n 10 minutes arter we had
started in ag'in a slatherin' down that
hay Bill run foul Of another big
blacksnake, an jest as it was maxim
fer a stone pile he jumped on to it,
maxim IA. Then along about the mid
die O. the afternoon we had the luck
to s'prise another pilot. an arter dis
by Its side that had jest started out
in life. They was only six inches
long. but we made 'em a good deal
shorter in a jiffy.
That was 10. an Bill said he
thought 1t was gittin' kind O. monot-
onous. an he wanted to adjourn an
go over on the side hill an lay fer
ground hogs. But We didn't go. We
moved on, an 1t wasn't a great while
afore Bill dropped his scythe an
made double quick time for the INCEST
rail fence. I looked ahead a piece,
fer I had an tdee that Bill had been
OH oCh Will jill IuIlIlCI cVlueHCO o
what them fertile acres could do. an
there. in an open spot in the grass, I
see a leetle the ugliest lokin' sarpint
l ever sot my eyes onto. 1t laid close
to the ground. straight out. an its
head was 1attened out as big as my
The snake give a gulp or two,
an I heerd a noise like steam es-
capin'. an blamed If things didn't
look blue around the snakes ugly
mug:
Then Bill. he come runnin' back
with the longest fence rail he could
find. an gofn' no higher to the snake
than the Zenith o. the rail. he patted
the sarpint on the head with It. with
a pat that weighed nigh onto half a
ton, an that un made an even 20. Bill
dropped the rail. wiped the sweat off
his brow. an. pickin' up his scythe.
he slung it over his shoulder an says:
"T kin NOW down rattlers and pr
the likes o. them along with the
medder grass he says. AN never
grumble or shy. but, by the big
horned and fery-eyed sarpint O. the
salty seas' says he. 4 hang UP the
scythe at blowin' adders!' says he.
"An' / quit right now says he.
AN he unit. An SO did I. Some
folks might think we are a leetle
p'tic'lar. but I want to tell you that
when hay runs two snakes to the ton
it's more than a fair middlin' crop
'cordin' to my idee. an II any one
wants the Job O. cuttin' It for I: shil-
lin a day he kin 90 straight over I,
the Big Root medders an take II
Me an Bill has quit.