The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1912-02-17

thought It that she glanced hastily
about to see If It had really been she
that spoke.
Her chin was quivering like terri
fed child's. Almost into her face went
a nighthawk stretched along limb
for its daytime nap. Mrs. Duncan
sprang down the trail, lighting on a
frog. The croak it gave as she crush.
ed it sickened her. She screamed wild
ly and jumped to one side. That car
ried her into the swale, where the
grasses reached almost to her waist,
and her horror Of snakes returning she
made flying leap for an old log lying
along the line. She lit on it squarely,
but it was so damp and rotten that
she sank straight through it to her
knees. She caught at the wire as
she went down and. missing. raked her
wrist over a barb until she laid it
open in a bleeding cash. Her fingers
closed convulsively around the second
strand.
She was too frightened to scream
now. Her tongue stiffened. She chung
frantically to the sagging wire and
finally managed to grasp it with the
other hand. Then she could reach the
top wire. and SO she drew herself up
and found solid footing. She picked
up the club that she had dropped in
order to extricate herself. Leaning
heavily on It,, she got back to the
trail.
The wind rose higher, the changes
from light to darkness were more
abrupt, and the thunder came nearer
and louder. In swarms the blackbirds
rose from the swale anu came focking
to the interior with cla1noring cry,
'Tcheck. t'check." Grackles mar
shaded to their tribal call, "Trall-a -hee,
trall-a-hee." Red winged blackbirds
swept low, calling to belated mates,
"Fol-low-me. fol-low-me." Huge jetty
crows gathered about her, crying, as
If warning her to fee before it was
everlastingly too late. A heron, fish
ing the nearby pool for Freckles' find
out" frog, fell into trouble with a
muskrat and let out rasping note.
Mrs. Duncan was too shaken to run
far.
Several bees struck her and were an
grily buzzing about before she noticed
them. Then the humming swelled to
roar on all sides. A great, convul-
sive sob shook her. and she ran into
the bushes. now into the swale. any
where to avoid the swarming bees,
ducking, lodging, fighting for her very
life. Presently the humming seemed
to grow little fainter. She found the
trail again and ran with all her might
from a few of her angry pursuers.
And as she ran. straining every mus
Gle, she suddenly became aware that
crossing the trail before her was a
great, round, black body with brown
markings on its back, like painted geo.
metrical patterns. She tried to stop,
but the louder buzzing behind warned
her she dared not. Gathering her
skirts still higher, with hair flying
about her face and her eyes almost
bursting from their sockets. she ran
straight toward it. The sound Of her
feet and the humming of the bees
alarmed the RATHER. and it stopped
! squarely across the trail, lifting it's
head above the grasses of the swale
and rafting nquiringly-rattled until
the bees were outdone.
Straight at it went the panic stricken
woman, running wildly and uncontrol-
lably. She took one great leap. clearing
its body on the path, and then few on
with winged feet. The snake. coiling
to strike. missed Mrs. Duncan and
landed among the bees instead. They
settled over and about it. and. realiz-
ing that it had found trouble, it sank