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Show •·J)•( IU 'J'JIR AlJT7:STUBl~S OF JICCl\~LL'BERRl~ l<'.LY4'· of the flock. 1 11 vcr sec a likelier lot of rat th~in \rhaL that fir~t l1aul wa.'. \\\' g t a ~pl :)nclid tack of . ortr>d spider , and bng~, and f rog. , an< 1 C...o, t l'l)il(h r ' , <a nd one tlnng or another; and \H' hkc-to got' a horn ef:-~ ne t, but "-e <licln 't.. 'l'l:c fatnily wn~ at home. \Ye didn't rri\T it right np. bnt . bud w1th then1 ns long as we b .. l . eonld; b can~e we allowed we\l i ire them out or t H'Y d got to tir<' u: out. nn<l they clone it. Then \VC got allyrun1pain and rubbe(l 011 the place:-:, and was pretty near a1l right. ngnin, but C<lltldn·t ,et down conveni('nt. Ancl. ow w nt for tlH' .·nak '~, an<l grabbed a couple of <lozc11 garters and hou e-.' nakcs, and pnt tl1c1n iu il bag, ancl pnt it in our roo1n, an(l by thnt t inw it \\il ' snppcr ti 1ne,nncla rattling good hone t clay's work; ilncl 1ulllgry ?- oh, no, I rc 'kon 11ot ~ Ancl there. \V<:rn'L a b.] e.· ·eel t'n:1ke np th<'re, when we \r~ nt back- we thdn L half i1e tlw ~nC'k, nnd tl1cy \rork ccl out, :oincl1ow, and left. Bnt it dirln't rnatter Jllttcb, becatL.'C they \ras still on the preJnise .·otne\ rherc . So we judged we C(·Ul<l get .·o1ne of then1 agni11. No, there warn 't no real . cnrcity of snakes about t. h \ h on. e for a ('on .. icl erblc spelL You'<l sre thc1n dripping frmn t1H' rafter~ ~111<l places, every now and thrn; and t.h y g<'n crly 1nndec1 in yonr plate, or do\Vn the back of your neck, and 1nost of the time \rh<'r you didn't want then1. \'7 ell, they was banclsnrne, ancl striped, and there warn't no hann in a million of thenl; but that never m1.dc no difference to Aunt f-;ally, sl1 \ despised ~nakes, l1e 1 he breed what they 1night, and she could11.L fitand the1n no way you could fix it; and very time one of them flopped down on her, it didn't 1na.kc no difference what she was doing, .·he would just lay that work down and light out. 1 ncYer ce such a woman. And you could hear h r whoop to .T cricho. l" ou couldn't get h r to take aholt of one of them with the tongs. And if she turned oYer and found one in bed, she would scramble out and lift a howl that you would think the hon. e wa · afir \. :--;b cli:turh (l t h ' old 1nan .'O, 1 I at 1 . said h c nld 1n o t wi ·h there hncln'L e-v- 'r b('en u r) ... r1ak .... creatrd. 'V"hy, aft er ev ry ln t .-nak ~ hnd he •n gone· c·l (·ar t'l L of th hon e for a n1uch a.' a w ~ k, Aunt ~ally warn·t (J \'f.; r i yet; she warn't n car o\·er it; w·hen h "\ wa.' set ling thiuking about son1 thing, y u coulcl t ouch h er on tb back of lH'r 1 • ·k \Vith a feath er and ~h would jtunp right ottt of h '1' .·lnc· kir f.!" . It was ,. ry curiou, . But Ton1 said all \VOJll \n wa.' j n, t ... . J-[e said they wa ... 1nacl t lw.t way ; for so1n ' r a. on or nt lwr. 'r got a licking ' V 'ry time on of our .. ·nak(' ... co111e iu L -r w )y; ancl :-;h ) a1lO\Y d t h ~ lickings \va.rn't nothin g- to wl a ~he would clo if w ~ vcr load ed n p the plac ' again \Yi th t lu .. I n. I didn't 1nind the lieking~, b ecause they didn·t mnotu t nothin a ; but I 1nind 'cl th.}, trouble w had, to lay in anu L ·r lot. But we got th 1n lai(l in, and n1l the oth er thi n g~; and you ne;,· r ·e a cabin a· blithe ·orne n · J i tn'~ wa wh ' 11 t 11 ·y · 1 all wann ut for ruu~i' and g for h i1 n. Jitn d idn't lik tl pider.· and the pid ~r didn't li k .J in1; anti .-n t hey \1 lay f r him ancl 1nake it 1nighty wann for hitn. And hP :-:aitl t ha .. between the rat:, and the ·nake:, an(l t h ' grind "'ton , t hL·r · warn't no roo1n in b d for hi1n, skascly; nncl wh n th r \Ya ~. a body couldn't sle ~p, it \Yas ·o liv 'ly, and it \Ya alway li,-l'ly. hP said, becau. e thev never all slept at ne tirn , but t ook turn about, .. :o 'wh n the snak wa a l eep th rats wa~ on deek. and when the rat .. turned in th nak come on watch 'O h ll ~ll\\ ,1\' ~ had one gang under hinl in hi:-: way' and r th r cran (}' having ,1 circus O\'e r hirn, and if h got up to hunt a new pla e, t hL' spider.· woulcl take n. chance at hi1n as he ·ros:t'cl OYer. 1 lt' said if h eY r g ot out, thi · tirnc, he wonhln'L ev ·r be a pri~nnt' r ~gain, n ot for a ·alary . '"" 11, by the end of three week .. , e\·Clryt11ing wn~ in pntty good ..:hape. The ·hirt wa.· s nt in early, jn a pi an tl t' \ t'l'\ time a rat bit Jirn h would get up and writ e' a litth in hi::- |