My Snake- Stick 



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The reptile quietly watched my actions until 

 he saw that I had a weapon and was going for 

 him, when he started off. I darted forward and 

 a couple of vigorous whacks broke his back; 

 and, turning him over until the ugly black spots 

 on his yellow belly were uppermost, I tossed him 

 far into the bushes, and gave thanks that he was 

 out of the way of the children who played up 

 and down the lane; and of the little white dog, 

 who, however, was afterward bitten on the toe 

 and nearly died. 



A few days later the ladies of our camp 

 were going along that same woodland road to 

 town one morning, when they suddenly came 

 upon two large copperheads stretched out in the 

 middle of the track. Their startled halt and 

 nervous grip of snake-sticks none of them ven- 

 tured out now without snake-sticks accom- 

 panied by the thought that there was a battle 

 to be fought, were followed by the discovery 

 that both were dead killed by some other ram- 

 bler, as the broken boughs and stones lying 

 about testified. Of course it had never occurred 

 to him to get rid of the bodies as a matter of 



