THE PADUCAH EVENING SUN — AUGUST 29, 1907
SNAKE STORY FROM HUNGARY ♢ “Nature Faker” Story That Will Test the
Credulity of the Most Profound Geologist.
London, England.—Good snake stories are rare, but the Roumanian districts of Hungary are responsible for the best. A telegram has Just been received from Mehadia by a Budapest scientist, affirming the honesty of the Hungarian viper. Away among the Wallachs in this quiet and quaint little township lives a schoolmaster named Juon Popescu, whose daughter is the heroine of the story.
It appears that every morning the schoolmaster’s wife placed her little daughter in the court garden whilst she busied herself with the duties of the house and for her consolation a cup of milk was placed beside the child.
Children, as a rule, are not afraid of animals or reptiles, and the more harmful such are reputed to be the less harm is realized. One morning a viper wriggled its way to the child, who sat amusing herself there, but instead of attacking the child, contented itself with drinking the cup of milk. This amused the little girl, and after a day or so the two became quite friendly and every morning the viper appeared for its drink of milk.
Finishing her work rather earlier than usual one morning the mother went to fetch her daughter, but was horrified to find her playing with the snake. Fearing that noise might imperil the child, she waited until the viper started for its home. Then raising an alarm, neighbors appeared who immediately destroyed the snake. The little child on hearing of what had occurred immediately burst into tears, declaring that the viper had been its constant playmate for over a fortnight.
From— The Paducah Evening Sun. (Paducah, Ky.), 29 Aug. 1907. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress.
