The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-11-17
TALE OF A SNAKE
THAT LOVED MUSIC

The Reptile Dwelt in a Church in
schuylkill County, So the chron-
icle Goes, and Learned to Play the
Organ.
From the Pittsburg Times.
A party of musicians the other day
were discussing the question Of the
love OF music among the animal
creation and particularly among
snakes. The majority of them denied
that snakes in particular had any idea
of music and secuted the thing as alb
surd and impossible, when one of them
offered to relate a store from his own
experiences that would be convincing
on the point at issue. As he was rel-
puted to be a good story teller his
companions agreed to hear the evil
dence. however much they might doubt
the correctness of his theories.
Some years ago." he said, "I was
the orGanist In little country church
near the Blue mountains in Schuylkil
county. The mountains were full OF
snakes. / used often to go out in
the woods and take my cornet along
just to have little music and practice
by myself. One day I was sitting on
log by a spring, playing softly and
hardly thinking what I was doing,
when / suddenly saw q giant black
snake very close to me coled up and
swaying his head to the rythm Of the
tune. / am not afraid of snakes and
knew this one to be as harmless as n
kitten, so / was more amused than
frightened, and continued to play a
variety OF airs for him to see the ef-
rect He appeared to enjoy II inn
mensely, and when ] played something
lively he seemed to become almost de-
lirious in his gyrations. I concluded
that II he had legs he would surely
dance, and as 1t was, his motions were
exceedingly graceful and his ideas of
time excellent. His eyes shonc with
the pleasure it was giving him, and his
forked tongue fairly seemed to blaze in
the ecstasy Of his enjoyment. Sudden
ly | stopped and he seemed n very pic
ture of sadness and disappointment.
he crawled up to me and asked me
to resume just as plainly rs If he knew
every word in the English language.
THE SNAKE FOLLOWED.
ut suddenly occurred to me that It
would be an interesting experiment to
see if he would follow the music. So
l got up, and playing softly began to
walk away. He followed me at once,
and l led him along down to the
church. When i unlocked the door
he followed me in without hesitation,
and came right after me up into the
organ loft l then tried him with the
organ. and he was even more delight
ed than with the cornet. Finding that
he would never get enough of the
music | was obliged to drive him away
by main force.
/ THE next day went into the church
/ to practice and had not been long at
it when ] heard a rustic on the car
/ pet and, looking down. there was his
snakeship taking it in, and when I
finished had to drive him away again
| BY the next Sunday had almost for
gotten about the incident, when, Just
as we were in the midst of the second
( of the middle hymn, I suddenly heard
a screaming and screeching among the
female members Of the choir as II some
one was scalrinG them all at once. I
/ looked up just in time to see my
friend. the snake. disappear with a
shower of hymn books and stools hurl-
ed after him. However, he escaped and
I said nothing about my previous ac-
quaintance with the reptile. You may
imagine that 1t broke up the service
for awhile, but finally everything quiet
ed down and went on as usual.
After that the snake came again for
many weeks every time practiced, but
it seems that he had become convinced
that it was dangerous when others
were present, so he never again en-
tered the church during service, though
doubtless he was listening at a safe
point outside
MYSTERIOUS MUSIC.
soon afterward members OF the
church reported that they had heard
mysterious breathings of the organ at
night in passing the church and in
qured whether l was practicing l as
sured them that l was not. This oc-
Cured several times, and as 1t could
not be satisfactorily explained 1t arous.
ed deal of comment and some of the
more superstitious began TO whisper
that the church was haunted and that
the spirit OF a former crganist was
at the bottom of it. AS the mystery
was beginning to tell on the nerves OF
the neighborhood as we'll as on my
own. determined to ferret 1t out TIL
music would generally sound as Il
someone We're touching the keys with
one finger, although sometimes a mum.
ber of keys would be depressed stimuli
taneously; but whenever / would en-.
ter the church I would find no one
there. The organ, however, would bt
open, though I had left II closed wher
/ last used it.
"One evening determined 10 make
a night of it and solve the mystery Il
it was possible / accordingly took VI
a concealed position in the churcf
shortly after dark l was assisted
somewhat by the fact that the moon
shone into the building and illumin
ated a small space around the organ
1t was no sooner fully dark than
saw none other than my old frienC
the black snake wriggle his way uT
on the music stool. He was not alone
but was followed by half dozen o.
more Of his companions. who formed
shiny black mass upon the stool
You can imagine that l was amaze;
L Hal 4 n