Gratitude of the Rattler.

Otago Witness, Issue 2490, 4 December 1901, Page 76

Gratitude of the Rattler.

" I've heard a good many snake stories since I've been up in these par-is," said Colone! S. Houston Tutt, of Corsicana, Texas, who is in New York representing oil interests, " and I've seen a lot printed : but never a one have I stiuck that equalled in simple and touching beauty the thing that happened to my brother Jim down on our farm in Texas. This is the way it happened :

"You see, Jim ■was about the kindesthearted chap that ever lived. One day he war going along out on the farm when he taw a 6ft rattlesnake pinned clown on the ground by a big boulder that had fallen on its tail. Now, of course 99 men out of 100 would have got a club or a handful of rocks find killed the poor critter right there. But that wasn't Jim. No, sir ! Jim gets out his handkerchief, and wipes his eyes, and then rolls that boulder ofi"n tLat nakVs tail as gently as he knew how. "Well, sir, that settled it Talk of gratitude ! You ought to teen jjie gratitude of that /attlcr? Re 'ouldn't make enough of Jim. Followed him from one end of iho farm to the other icst like a dog. Used to coil up under Jim's chair at meals, and eat out of his hand. Every night when Jim. went to bed tho enake crawled up on the foot of the bed, and hlcpt there till morning. You bet they wasn't anybody going to disturb Jim.

" One night Jim woke up feeling kind of auejr. He reached down at ihe £ggt of. lhs

bed. No snake. Not on the bed ; nowherd in the room. Well, sir, that minute Jim knew something was wrong. He slipped into his trousers, took fiis gun, and went downstairs. What do you suppose he saw when ho got down in the dining room? Window wide- open. Snake coiled around a burglar on the floor, and his tail out of the window rattling for the police." — New York Sun.