stumps and Snake-fences 115 



sence my father had togged me out in red-topped 

 ones when a youngster. My heels were blistered 

 and that's why I left the boots under the tree, 

 an' besides I'd been sweatin' so it was like walk- 

 in' with boots full o' water. 



**An' the leavin' off o' them there toppers 

 nearly put me out o' the race. Anybody that's 

 ever cradled knows how a fellow will gather up 

 a lot o' stragglin' straws about his ankles because 

 a man doesn't step high at that job. Well on one 

 trip across the field I felt as if I had a whole sheaf 

 draggin' at each heel. I'd give a kick out behind 

 once in a while and try to shake the straw off, 

 but the blamed stuff wouldn't seem to let loose. 

 Then I stopped an' reached down an' give the 

 stuff a pull an', what do you think? There fast- 

 ened to each heel o' my socks was a big reptile of 

 a snake three or four feet long. Each o' them had 

 his hooked fangs fastened into the heels o' my 

 thick woolen stockings. They'd got a holt and 

 couldn't let go if they'd wanted to, I suppose. 



*'It was on the Huron Koad we were at work, 

 an' the boys said afterwards, that they could hear 

 the yell I let out clear over at the village, a mile 

 an' a half away. 



**0f all creepin' and crawlin' things snakes was 

 what I feared most an' there I was hitched onto 

 two o' 'em. Wasn't much wonder, was it, that I 

 cut up some. Just went tearin' around that field 

 like a steer in a corn patch with a collie dog after 

 it an' I was yeUin' at every jump an' them two 



