Year: 1868




The following story, from a bsshful
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 beautiful
day in August. The heavens were
clear, serene and beautiful; the trees
were laden with golden fruits, and the
beautiful birds twittered their songs of
love in the branches. We were about
to say that the " "earth had yielded her
beautiful harvest of a years grass and
clover and honeysuckles, which the
noble yeomanry Of Chesterville had
gathered within their store houses; !"
but upon second thought, have con-
cluded to write it thus: "The farmers
of Chesterville were done harvesting"


John Jackson's sister had a quilting
party that afternoon; his father had
gone to get some wheat ground, and
John was left to repair some tools to be
ready on the morrow to commence
moving 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.
To avoid this he quietly shouldered his
scythe, and stole away to the meadow,
half 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 thick forest, which effectual-
ly shut out what little breeze there
might chance to be stirring. The sun
poured down its rays as though the lit
tie meadow was the focus point where
the heat was concentrated. John now
ed and sweat-sweat and moved, until
he was obliged to sit down and cool
of.


Then it occurred to John that if he
took off his pants he might be more
comfortable. There would be no i'm
propriety in it, for be was entirely con-
cealed from observation, and there was
not the slightest resson to suppose that
he could be seen by any person. Sc
John stripped of, and with no covering
save his linen-commonly called a
shirt-he resumed his work. He was
just congratulatiDg himself on the good
times he was having, when he chanc-
ed to disturb a huge black snake, a
genuine twister, with a white ring
around his neck. John was no cow
ard, but he was mortally afraid Of
snakes. "Selfpreservation 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 q
top, he was ready to strike a 2:4C
gait, when at that moment his snake
ship was near enough to hook his
crooked teeth in Johns shirt, Just above
the hem. With tremendous spring
he started of with the speed of 10,
comotive.


His first jump took the snake clear
from the ground, and as John stole a
hasty glance over his shoulder, he was
Mortified to find the reptile securely
fastened to the extremity of his gar
ment while the speed with which he
rushed forward kept the serpent at an
angle of ninety degrees with his body.
Here was a quandary. Ifhe stopped
the snake would coil about his body
and squeeze him to death !; if he contin.
ued the race he must soon fall from
sheer exhaustion. On he flew, scarce
daring to think how his dreadful race
was to end. Instinctively he had Ia
ken the direction of home, ard as ht
emerged from the forest, feeling o
security came over him. Suddenly