SNAKES AND SNAKE STORIES 419 



SNAKE IN MY OVERCOAT POCKET 



and put my fur glove on top of it to keep it warm 

 and then promptly forgot all about it. At James' 

 Slip I bought an evening paper, went aboard the 

 ferryboat, entered the cabin and took my seat about 

 in the center of the long bench against the cabin 

 wall. Under this bench there were a number of 

 steam pipes used for heating the cabin and they 

 often made the seats uncomfortably warm to sit 

 upon. We had gone about half way on our journey 

 from James' Slip to Hunter's Point, as the land- 

 ing at Long Island City was then called, and the 

 man on my left looked at me with the most pe- 

 culiar expression on his face, then quickly got up, 

 crossed the cabin and sat down upon the opposite 

 side. I would have thought nothing of this had 

 not the man upon my right behaved in the same 

 manner; then a big, fat woman who was next to 

 him hurriedly left her seat to take one upon the 

 opposite side of the cabin. There was a full head 

 of steam on in the heating pipes, and I at first 

 thought that the bench was 



GETTING TOO HOT FOR THESE PEOPLE, 



but that fact did not explain the look of indignant 

 horror with which each one greeted me as they 

 left their seats. I was not responsible for the 

 steam pipes nor the excessive heat. When at last 

 I was left alone on my side of the cabin, and found 

 all the passengers upon the opposite side staring 



