Year: 1867

! looked at my neighbor with eonsidera
BILE curiosity. His tace indicated a man Of
not over thirty years--a period at which
men are sui young, generally; but his hair
was as white us lresh.fallen snow. One
seldom sees, even on tho heads of the old.
est men, hair of such Immaculate white
ness. lie sat by my side in u car on the
Great Western Railroad, in Canada, and
was looking out Of tho window. suddenly
turning his head, ho caught me in the act
Of staring at him--a rudeuess of which
was ashamed. was about to say some
words OF apology, when he quietly re.
marked:


Don mention it sir lin used to it."


The rrmkuess of this observation pleased
me, aud in very little time we were con
ship, aud before long he told me the whole
story:


L was soldier in the army in india"
said he, and, often MS is the case with sol
diers, was u little too fond OF good ljQ
uors. One day got drunk, and was shut
up in the black hole for it, | slumped
down on the floor Of the dungeon, aud was
| Just dropping oil to sleep, when folt a
cold slimy shape crawling across my right
baud, as it lay stretched ont above my head,
on the floor. knew at once what it was
"a snake! or course, my first impulse
was TO draw away my hand but knowing
| that II did 80 the poisonous reptile would
| probably strike its iaugs into the, |
| lay still, with my heart beating in my
! breast like trip hammer. OF course my
fright sobered me instantly. | realized all
my peril to the fullest extent. O, how la.
meuted the hour that had touched tho liq.
uor! In every glass of liquor they say
| there is a serpeut but it does not come to
every body in the shape it come to, me.
! With slow, undulauug motion, the rep.
| tile dragged his carcass across my face,
inch by inch, and crept down over my
jacket. As | felt the hideoWs scraping OF
the slimy body over my cheeks, it was ouly
by ihe most tremendous effort that sue
ceeded IN retaining myself from yelling out
with mingled terror and disgust. AT
last felt his tail wriggling down towards


my chin; but inagiue what felt at heart,
i! you cda imagine it, as | realized that the
dreadful creature had ooilod itself up under
my jacket Us lay, and had seemingly gone
to sleep, Tor it was still rs death, Evi-
IDENTITY it had no idea taat was human
/ creature ii it had it would never have
acted in this manner All snakes are COW
ardly, and they will not approach man
unless to strike him in sefdeiense. Three
hours lay with that dreadful weight in
my hosom, and each minute was like an
| hour to me-like year | seemed to have
! lived lifetime in that brief space. Every
incident of my life passed across my mem-
ory in rapid succession, as they cay is the
case with drowning men; | thought OF my
mother away in old England my happy
home by tho borders of the Avon my Mary
tho girl loved-aud never expected to see
them more. For no matter how long bore
this, | felt that it would end in death al
last. lay as rigid as a corpse, scarcely
daring to breathe. And all the time my
breast was growing colder and colder
where tho snake lay against it, with moth
ing hut u thin cotton shirt between my skin
and lis. knew if | stirred, it would strike
hut trlr could not stand 1t much longer


Even il succeeded in lying still until the
guard came | expected that his opening
the door and coming in wotfld be my death
warrant all the same for no doubt the req.
t lie would see | was a mau, as soon AS the
light should bo let in at the door. At last
heard footsteps approaching. There was
rattling at the lock. 1t was iho guard
He opened the door. The Nnake-a cobra
! RicaDeHO | now saw--darted up his huge
hooded head, with tho hdeous rings
around its eyes au it about to strike. shut
my eyes and murmured a prayer. Then
it glded away with very swift motion
and disappeared in tho darkness. | stag
gered to my feet, and fell swooning into
the arms of the guard. For weeks after
was very sick ;and when | was able to be
about, found that my hair was white, as
! you now see it, | have never touched a
drop of liquor since Wm JVGF Sizes.