Year: 1868

The following story from bashful
young man, if not literally true, has a
versimilitude rarely attainable in such
fiction, which will furnish any apology
it may need for its introduction into
polite literature. We do not know its
origin.


As novelists say, it was q beautiful
day in August. The heavens were clear,
serene and beautiful, the trees were
laden with golden fruits, and the beau
tiful birds twittered their songs of love
in the branches. We were absut to say
the "earth had yielded her beauti-
full harvest of a years grass and clover,
apd honey-suckleS, which the noble
yeomanry of Chestcrville, had gathered
within their store-house," but upon a
second thought have concluded to write
thus: The farmers of Chesterville
were done harvesting"


John Jackson's sister had quilting
party that afternoons; his father had
gone to get some wheat ground, and
John was left to repair some tools, to be
ready on the morrsw for cutting the
meadow grass; suddenly it occurred to
John that if he remained about the
house in the afternoon he would be
called in at the time, and be required
to do the hOnors at the table. Toavold
this he quietly shouldered his scythe
and stole away to the meadow, half Il
mile distant, fully resolved that he
would not leave there until it was so
dark that he could not see to NOW at
all, and thus avoid seeing the girls. The
meadow was surrounded on all sides by
a thick forest, which etfectually shut
out what little breeze there might be
stirring. The sun poured down its rays
as though the little meadow was the TO-
Gus point where the heat was concen-
trated. John moved and sweat-sweat
and moved, until he had to sit down
and cool of.


Then it occurred to John that if he
took of his pants he might be more
comfortable. There would be no im-
propriety in it, for he was entirely con-
cealed from observation, and there was
not the slightest reason to suppose that
he coald be seen by any person. So
John stripped of, and with no cover
ing save his linen-commonly called a
shirt-he resumed his work. He was
just congratulating himself on the good
time he was having, when he CHANGED
to disturb huge black snake, genu-
inc twister, with white ring around
his neck. John was no coward, but he
was mortally afraid Of snakes. "Self
preservation" was the first passage"
that flashed upon Johns mind-"legs
take care of the body" was the next.
Dropping his scythe, and spinning
around like top, he was ready to strike
a 2:40 gait, when at that moment his
snakeship was near enough to nook his
crooked teeth in Johns shirt just above
the hem. With tremendous spring he
started off with the speed of locomo-
tive.


His first Jump took the snake clear
from the ground, and John stole hasty
glance over his shoulder; he was hor-
rifed to find the reptile securely fastened
to the extremity of his garment. while
the speed with which he rushed fer
ward kept the serpent at an angle OF
ninety degrees with his body. Here
was a quandary. If he stopped, the
snake would coil about his body and
squeeze him to death; if he continued
the race, he must soon fall from sheer
exhaustion. On he few, scarce daring
to think how his dreadful race was TO
end. Instinctively he had taken the
direction of home, and as he had emerg-
ed from the forest feeling of security
came over him. Suddenly thought
flashed across his mind of the true state
of affairs; his father gone-and worst
of all, the girls. This new horror sent the
blood back curdling about his heart,
and he came to q dead halt. The
next moment he felt the body of
the cold clammy monster in
contact with his bare legs as though
his snakeship only meditated little
fun by the way of tickling John upon
the knees. This was too much for hu-