Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1893-05-26
OIagneti1ing u snake.

1t happened that a few of us were stand
ing in a field near my own house, when we
saw a large black-and-white snake gliding
along 1t took refuge in bunch of grass
and weeds, about so yards away.
Don't kill him." said |, land | will
show you something you never saw before.
I'll make that snake follow me into the
house without ever touching him. In fact
of his own accord, he'll go wherever 60"
They waited while ran in and hurried
ly changed my dress, reappearing in mo-
ment clad in a navy-blue dressing-gown,
reaching down to within an inch of the
ground. Now it is necessary to mention
that 1t was a very calm day. The sun was
shining overhead, and not cloud was in
the sky. The field was covered with very
short grass, and | trusted to the fact that
there was not mole-hole or a rat-hole in
the entire acre, nor any other place for the
snake to hide in, except that very bunch of
weeds where he still lay close. | approach
ed him, and took mp my station about 20
yards from where he was hiding. | stood
still as statue, with my arms hanging
motionless by my sides, and my face toward
him. | then asked them to go to the
bunch of grass by the farther side, and to
chase him out so that he would make his
exit on the side next to me. But before
they came near, he had already glded off,
and made directly toward me. | was gaz-
ing straight at him as he approached me,
and, without turning my head or moving
my arms, | began to move gently back
ward. Still he followed. turned to the
left; he still followed. He was not angry
he did not want to attack me, for he
glided on very gently. If | moved to his
right he did so too; if went to his left,
he did the same.
l allowed him to come within yard of
me, and then asked the others, but still
with my eyes carefully on the snake,
to direct me in my backward route,
since could not turn my head to direct
myself, as l had TO keep facing him.
They sent me by very winding route,
but he followed every turn till got to the
door. When finally sat down gently on
the step, he glided in beneath my dressing
gown, and coiled himself on the toes of
my shoes. They lifted the skirt of the
dressing-gown to look at him, and he was
frightened and shot past me into the door,
taking refuge among the furniture. pick
ed him up and added him to my already
large collection of live snakes Poor fell
low! he died long ago, and his remains are
in bottle in the museum of Trinity col
lege, Dublin.
Now, they didn't drive him toward me,
for they had remained afar off, nearly as
far from him as they had been at first.
Chow did you do it?" they inquired;
and |, in answer las was my right, asked
them to explain it.
One believed had some food about me
to attract him. Another thought | had
rubbed on my dressing-gown some drug of
which he liked the odor. On being as
sured that these guesses were wrong, they
remembered that had kept my eye on him
all the time and never once turned from
him. They asked if that was a necessary
part of it. | said, Eyes; otherwise |
could not keep control of him."
Then they said, at is magnetism, or
hypnotism. 1t is by the power of your
eye that you did it,"
mo-" | answered; 'it was not my eyes
that drew him. The attraction was more
general; but yet it was neither food, nor
drink, nor odor of any kind. He was at
tracted toward me very powerfully indeed,
but the cause was neither chemical nor cleo
trical."
Six words contain the answer: six more
the explanation. Perhaps the reader can
guess them. He wanted to hide beneath
me, as the shadow was tempting, and he
didn't know that | was a living thing.
The dressing gown hid my moving feet.
Like the alphabet or the telephone, it is
very simple when you know it, but very
mysterious when you don't.
C. r. OReHiy, in MAY 81. Nicholas.