Rensselaer Standard, Volume 1, Number 10, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 23 August 1879 — Too Many Snake Bites. [ARTICLE]

Too Many Snake Bites.

Detroit Free Press. During the haying season an honest old Farmer out ou the Gratiot road employed three young men from the city to help eut and store his timothy. None of them liked work half as well as whisky, and a conspiracy was the result. About noon one day one of the trio fell down in the field, shouting and kicking, and the other to ran to the farmer with wild eyes and called out that there companion had been bitten by a rattle snake and must have whisky. The farmer rushed to the house and brought out a quart, and the three harvesters got a big drink all a around on the sly. while the “bitten” one had a lay-off of half a day. The next forenoon a second was bitten, and again the farmer rushed for his bottle. It was a nice little Job for the boys, and on the third day the third put in his claim for a bite and yelled for i the whisky bottle. The fender took the matter very coolly this time, and'after making particular inquiries as to the size of the shake, location of the bite, the sensation, and so forth, he slowly continued: “Day before yesterday James was bitten and drank a quart* of good whisky. Yesterday John was bitten and drank a quart more. To-day you’ve got a bite, and the best thing you c*n ao is to smeH their breaths ana lay in the shade while the res* of us eat dinner!” The man got well in ten minutes, and not another rattlesnake was seen during the season. _