Preserving Skins

"David Snedeker" wrote in message
. ..

Just tell him to get rid of it, and its chicken**** to treat a wild thing
like that. If he threatens you walk out. Unless he plans on running for
President, one chicken**** from Texas per decade is probably enough.

Dave

"Darlene stood above the second box, praying hard. Then she gradually
moved her good hand and slid it under the larger of the two rattlesnakes in
the box. It was a mild October night, and the snake was alert. At her
touch, it peeled off a tight drumroll of rattles and withdrew its head
sharply. But it did not strike. The texture of its skin against her palm
reminded her of warm, dry varnish, and she remembered how good snakehandling
could feel Then she felt Glenn's hold on her hair loosen.
'OK,' he said. His vice was hollow, perplexed. 'I'm going to let you
live since the Lord let you handle that one' Glenn was impressed. All
drunk and mussed up, Darlene had just handled the meanest of all his snakes.
It was like the best of times in church, when God turned the strike aside
and you could just feel the victory all over you. He hadn't expected it
that way. For now, all the murder in him was gone. He felt uncertain how
to proceed. In the end, he led her outside and walked her to the Chevy,
even lending an arm for support. They sat in the car, listening to the
night-birds in the woods, and for a long time neither spoke.
Darlene was beginning to feel real bad. The pain around the bite was
extreme, hot as a hob you'd whip your hand off if only you could. The whole
left had looked swollen now, the skin stretched in an unfamiliar way. She
felt nauseous and dizzy. Shapes were appearing in front of her eyes, little
glittery yellow lozenges that fluttered like falling leaves..."

Nothin' like that in "Weekly Reader", huh?

While "Katrina" is rubbing y'alls naughty parts, there are some interesting
things going on in this world. Read a book* or something some time.

Wolfgang
*"The Snakebite Survivor's Club: Travels Among Serpents", Jeremy Seal,
Harcourt, Inc., 1999, for example.