There was a quaking asp, too, which was always shivering at thought of the danger that might be concealed in the undergrowth at its feet, and even the stout hickories climbed a good way into the air to insure their safety.
"The Mystery of the Locks"
Edgar Watson Howe
As I kissed her, I was startled by a sudden shudder which ran through her frame, as if an asp had bitten her.
"The Dead Lake and Other Tales"
Paul Heyse
It gave me a strange feeling to see those blossoms in her hand; when I remembered whose gift they had been, I felt as if my friend held Cleopatra's venomous asp in every flower that she touched.
"Wives and Widows; or The Broken Life"
Ann S. Stephens