{{huckfp334.jpg}}

got to tire us out, and they done it. Then we got allycumpain and rubbed on

the places, and was pretty near all right again, but couldn't set down convenient.

And so we went for the snakes, and grabbed a couple of dozen garters and house-

snakes, and put them in a bag, and put it in our room, and by that time it was

supper time, and a rattling good honest day's work; and hungry? -- oh, no, I

reckon not! And there warn't a blessed snake up there, when we went back -- we

didn't half tie the sack, and they worked out, somehow, and left. But it didn't

matter much, because they was still on the premises somewheres. So we judged

we could get some of them again. No, there warn't no real scarcity of snakes

about the house for a considerble spell. You'd see them dripping from the

rafters and places, every now and then; and they generly landed in your plate,

or down the back of your neck, and most of the time where you didn't want them.

"Well, they was handsome, and striped, and there warn't no harm in a million of

them; but that never made no difference to Aunt Sally, she despised snakes, be the

breed what they might, and she couldn't stand them no way you could fix it; and

every time one of them flopped down on her, it didn't make no difference what

she was doing, she would just lay that work down and light out. I never see

such a woman. And you could hear her whoop to Jericho. You couldn't get

her to take aholt of one of them with the tongs. And if she turned over

and found one in bed, she would scramble out and lift a howl that you would

think the house was afire. She disturbed the old man so, that he said he

could most wish there hadn't ever been no snakes created. Why, after every last

snake had been gone clear out of the house for as much as a week, Aunt Sally

warn't over it yet; she warn't near over it; when she was setting thinking about

something, you could touch her on the back of her neck with a feather and she

would jump right out of her stockings. It was very curious. But Tom said all

women was just so. He said they was made that way; for some reason or

other.

We got a licking every time one of our snakes come in her way; and she al-

lowed these lickings warn't nothing to what she would do if we ever loaded up the

place again with them. I didn't mind the lickings, because they didn't amount

to nothing; but I minded the trouble we had, to lay in another lot. But we got

 [334]