found it there, and opened the door of it to see if the rats
would come out, and they did; and Aunt Sally she come in, and when we
got back she was a-standing on top of the bed raising Cain, and the
rats was doing what they could to keep off the dull times for her. So
she took and dusted us both with the hickry, and we was as much as two
hours catching another fifteen or sixteen, drat that meddlesome cub,
and they warn't the likeliest, nuther, because the first haul was the
pick of the flock. I never see a likelier lot of rats than what that
first haul was.

We got a splendid stock of sorted spiders, and bugs, and frogs, and
caterpillars, and one thing or another; and we like to got a hornet's
nest, but we didn't. The family was at home. We didn't give it right
up, but stayed with them as long as we could; because we allowed we'd
tire them out or they'd 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
considerable 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
a-holt 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