The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1912-02-08
The Snake
Habit

If Turley Mathers had not had an
attractive personality he never would
have lasted as a figure in society, be-
cause the most amiable OF hostesses
might be pardoned for disappearing a
caller who insisted on skinning snakes
on her front porch and demanding ad-
mration for their lines and colors.
The year he spent the summer at
Wigwam lake is still recalled solemnly
as landmark by the cottagers. All
the children were going around drag
Ging snakes after them because Tur-
ley had taught them how to catch and
hold the creeping things safely, and
more mothers went into Mysteries that
year than had in the century preceding
The worst of il was that Mathers
was a person of scientific attainments
and had a perfectly valid excuse for
studying snakes. Nobody could say
he did 1t to be unique or troublesome.
If you feebly said that you weren't
crazy about snakes Mathers simply
drew a long breath fixed you with
! plying stern glance and lectured to
you on your sins. When he had fin
| shed you were i'm such flabby state
on your foreinger.
Mathers met Clara Baysworth out
west when her party and his combined
| or a camping trip through a noted
canyon, and the acquaintance pro-
| rressed at the rate of ten miles a min
ute until the fatal moment when the
| Stage coach driver silently pointed
with his whip to the side of the sun
baked road. There, lazily stretched
| out, lay rattlesnake. Mathers says
| it was a mere baby snake of foot
| and a half or so, but If you had in.
| CURED of the others any Of them
would have told you 1t was a horrible
monster six feet long, with cerise eyes
and a foaming mouth.
Before any one realized what ne
was doing, Mathers, with gurgle OF
pleasure, had slipped to the ground
swept the snake into heap with his
straw hat, deftly grabbed II around
its neck with three fingers and held
1t up to be admired Persons who do
the unusual are instantly pronounced
crazy by everybody else. so the con-
vicition instantly settled upon the
stageload Of travellers that any man
who would deliberately pick up rat
tier must be insane Clara Baysworth
got her voice first as Mathers. still
holding his prize, started to climb
back to his seat by her side.
Go away" she got out in a
strangled voice. "If you come amy
nearer I'll stick hatpins into you!"
The distracted coachload echoed her
cries. Fathers clasped their sons 10
them and glared at Mathers, women
shrnnk into corners and fixed him
with implorlng eyes. Clara frowned
at him, pale and desperate.
why" Mathers began soothingly,
and put one foot upon the hub of the
wheel. But a series a shrieks arose
from his Victims.
II hate you!" Clara Baysworth
told him wildly.
Hes perfect beauty" Matheis S
announced firmly, "and want him for
u specimen" Then he shrugged his
shoulders. "Oh, well," he said, 81
suppose / can strangle the little beg
gar!"
His fingers frightened their CLASP
around the scaly neck and presently
the rattler hung limp. Putting him In
d convenient box and slowing the boz
In his pocket. Mathers remounted the
coach, but the atmosphere was
strained.
Clara Baysworth. He told her frank
ly that he was panied and displeaset
by her foolish prejudice, but even thai
did not move her. She regarded hin
with alien eyes.
"Ill listen to you," she said, "wher
YOU stop being so perfectly foolish
And II you ask me again to marry yol
while you are carrying that thinl
around with you I'm scream!"
Somebody who was brave opened
the box the next morning to see thu
, dead snake and the camp nearly brok
, up as the rattler winked one eye ant
, waved his tail at the Mortified med
dler, having survived his choking. a
. Mathers had known he would. Math
ers paled before Clara Baysworth'
accusing eye,
, "'You certainly have nerve" sh
? told him, ito ask girl to endur
|. things like this the rest of her life
l don't care whether 1t is science o
4 not! You might experiment wit
q guinea pigs or ducks!"
. 'T'll chloroform 'em!" Mathers O
= fered, miserably.
you will not!" Clara told hin
n They might have nine lives like
cat and come to life again, and cal
not stand snakes for parlor eompal
ions, dead or sleeping! It's. betwee
me and your squirming friends, Tu
1