The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1899-08-30
THIS SNAKE LOVED MUSIC.

| Dwell in the Church and Became a
| Pretty Fair Performer on the Organ.
| A party of musicians the other day
were discussing the question of the love
Of music in various members OF the ami
NAL creation and particularly among
snakes. The majority of them denied
that snakes in particular had any idea
of music and secuted the thing Is alb
| surd and impossible, when one of them
| offered to relate his own experiences
| that would be convincing on the point
| at issue. AS he was reputed to be a
good story teller his companions agreed
to hear his evidence, however much
| they might doubt the correctness of his
| theories.
Some years ago." said he, II was the
organst in little country church near
the Blue Mountains in Schuylkill coun-
| ty. The mountains We're full of
snakes. used often to go out in the
woods and take my cornet along, just
to have a little music and practice by
myself. One day I was sitting on a
log by a spring, playing softly and
hardly thinking what I was doing,
when I suddenly saw giant black
/
swaying his head to the rhythm of the
tune I am not afraid of snakes and
knew this one to be as harmless as a
kitten, so / was more amused than
frightened, and continued variety or
airs for him to see the effect. He ap-
peared to enjoy it immensely, and when
l played something lively he seemed to
become almost delirious in his gyra-
tions. concluded that If he had legs
he would surely dance, and as 1t was
his motions were exceedingly graceful
and his ideas of time excellent. his
eyes shone with pleasure it was giving
him, and his forked tongue fairly SEEM
ed to blaze in the ecstasy of his enjoy
ment Suddenly I stopped and he
seemed a very picture of sadness and
disappointment He crawled up to me
and asked me to resume just as plain
ly as If he knew every word in the
English language.
1T suddenly occurred to me that it
would be an interesting experiment to
see if he would follow the music. So
got up, and playing softly began to
walk away. He followed me at once,
and | led him along down to the church.
of the choir flying after him. How
ever. he escaped and | said nothing
about my previous acquaintance with
the reptile You may imagine it broke
up the service for awhile, but finally
everything quoted 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 We're
present so he never again entered the
churcr during service, though doubtless
he was listening at a safe point outside
Soon afterwards members OF the
church reported that they had hear"
mysterious breatfiings at the organ at
night in passing the church and in
ouited whether l was practicing. J.
assured them that / was not This
occurred several times, and as 1T could
not be satisfactorily explained it arous-
ed a deal of comment and some of the
more superstitious began to whisper
that the church was haunted and that
the spirit of former organist was at
the bottom of it. AS the mystery was
beginning to tell on the nerves of the
neighborhood, as well as on my own, 1
determined to ferret it out The music
would generally sound as If someone
We're touching the keys with one finger,
although sometimes a number of keys
would be depressed simultaneously but
whenever | would enter the church |
would find no one there The organ,
however, would be open, though l had
left it closed when I last used it.
cone evening I determined to make
a night of it and solve the mystery if
it was possible l accordingly took up
a concealed position in the church
shortly after dark. | was, assisted
somewhat by the fact that the moon
shone into the building and Illuminated
a small space around the organ. 1t was
not fulyl dark wren | heard slight
rustic, and moment ! alter saw none
other than my old friend the snake
wriggle his way up on tie music stool.
He was not alone, but was followed by
half a dozen or more Of his companions,
the stool You can imagine that /
was amazed as / had never been before,
but I was resolved to await develop
ments, The next move | noticed was
that all the snakes, apparently under
the direction of my old acquaintance,
put their heads against the lid, and
pushing all together it went up as If
had lifted it myself. Then all the
other snakes got down. His musical
snakeship then let down coil and
grasped a lever that started the water