The Fiend's Delight: Large Print

Professor Dramer conducted a side-show in the wake of a horse-opera, and thesame sojourned at Colusa. Enters unto the side show a powerful young man of theColusa sort, and would see his money's worth. Blandly and with conscious pride theProfessor directs the young man's attention to his fine collection of living snakes.Lithely the blacksnake uncoils in his sight. Voluminously the bloated boa convolvesbefore him. All horrent the cobra exalts his hooded head, and the spanning jaws flyopen. Quivers and chitters the tail of the cheerful rattlesnake; silently slips out theforked tongue, and is as silently absorbed. The fangless adder warps up the leg ofthe Professor, lays clammy coils about his neck, and pokes a flattened headcuriously into his open mouth. The young man of Colusa is interested; his feelingstranscend expression. Not a syllable breathes he, but with a deep-drawn sigh heturns his broad back upon the astonishing display, and goes thoughtfully forth intohis native wild. Half an hour later might have been seen that brawny Colusan, emerging from an adjacent forest with a strong faggot