CREATURES OF MYSTERY 
29 
vantage of their absence to stage a bold daylight robbery about 
the premises. Once, during the late afternoon of a summer’s 
day, Mrs. Nettles, the mother of Uncle Dave, was mending 
garments while sitting on her front porch. Suddenly she ob¬ 
server her large white rooster, which had ranged out into the 
wiregrass, gall shrub and palmettoes, jump straight up, cack¬ 
ling, and came running toward the house. While he was even 
afar off she observed that his snow-white breast feathers were 
stained a crimson color. He weakened before reaching the 
house, fell to the ground, fluttered and died. She had arisen 
and was observing all this in utter silence. Her mind being 
completely satisfied as to the cause, she dropped the garment 
she was mending, remarking to herself, “I’ll bet it’s a hateful 
rattlesnake.” By the time she had partially given vent to her 
feelings she was already on the way, bent upon taking him on 
for battle. She observed at the cow-pen gap a very suitable 
weapon, in the likeness of a small split piece of timber. She 
lost no time locating the scene of the tragedy—the ground 
was all but covered with snow-white feathers from off her 
rooster. Parting the weeds and combing the grass with caution 
as she advanced, she presently came upon him. Instantly he 
reared his head to strike—she struck first—he struck out, and 
the fight was over. 
On another occasion, and under circumstances identical with 
the above, Mrs. Nettles referred to in the preceding para¬ 
graph, observed a gray squirrel gathering pine cones and hull¬ 
ing them for the enjoyment of the mast they contained. He 
had come unusually close to her little log house which, inciden¬ 
tally, had been his custom for several days in succession. He 
appeared to have a decided preference about a few things. He 
would climb the tall timber for a cone, then come down and 
run up a slender bent-down sapling which formed a flat rain¬ 
bow, and would utilize this for his dining table. A storm had 
evidently toppled it over, but since it had not been completely 
uprooted it remained alive. She rather enjoyed watching this 
little fellow—he appeared to have everything arranged ex¬ 
actly to his liking. 
On this occasion, however, when she first took notice of him, 
