Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1901-05-30
THIS SNAKE LOVED MUSIC.
owelt in the Church and Became .
Fair Performer on Oruan,

A party of musicians were dis
cussing the question of the love 81
music in various members of 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 absurd and impossible, when
one OF them offered to relate 6 story
from his own experience that would
De convincing on the point at issue.
AS he was reputed to be good story
teller his companions agreed to hear
the evidence, however much thew
might doubt the correctness of mis-
theories.
Some years ago." said he, 81 was
the organist in little country church
near the Blue mountains, in Schuylkill
county. The mountains were 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 was sitting on a
log by a spring, playing softly and
hardiy thinking what | was doing.
when | suddenly saw giant black
snake very close to me, coiled up and
swaylng his head to the rhythm of
the tune. | am not afraid of snakes
and knew this one to be as harmless
as kitten, so | was more amused
than frightened, and continued to play
a variety of airs for him to see the
effect. He appeared to enjoy it i'm
mensely, and when played something
lively he seemed to become almost
dellrious in his gyrations. con-
Guided that if he had legs he would
surely dance, and as it was his
motions were excellent. His eyes
shone with the pleasure it was giving
him. and his forked tongue fairly
seemed to blaze in the estasy of his
enjoyment. Suddenly ! stopped and
he seemed a very picture of sadness
and disappointment. He crawled up
to me and asked me to resume lust as
plainly 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. lie followed me at
once, and | led him along down to the
When l unlocked the door
he foliowtd me in without hesitation
and came right after me up into the
organ loft. | then tried him with
the organ and he was even more de-
lighted than with the cornet. Finding
that he would never set enough Of
the music, was obliged at length to
drive him away by main force.
fhe next day l went into the
church to practice and had not been
long at it when heard a rustic on the
carpet and, looking down there was
ais snakesh.p taking it in, and when
| had to drive him away
again. BY the next Sunday had al.
most forgotten about the incident.
when, just as we were in the midst
II the second hymn, suddenly heard
screaming and screening among
he female members of the choir as II
ONE one was scalping them all ut
nee. | looked up just in time to see
ny friend, the snake, disappearing with
shower OF hymn books and stools Z
urled by the male members of the
hoir, flying after him. However. he
scaped and | said nothing about my
revious acquaintance with the
eptile. You may imagine that it
roke up the service for awhile. bur
nally everything quieted down AMI
ent on as usual
After that the snake came again
'r many weeks every time | prac- ;
ced, but it seems that he had become a
onyinced that it was dangerous when ;,
theirs were present, so he neve- n
gain entered the church during SER a
Ice, though doutless he was listening y
a safe point outside. q
Soon afterward members of the S
1urch reported that they had heard S
ysterious breathings of the organ S
night in passing the church and b
lqulred whether | was practicing. I il
'sured them that / was not. This il
,curred several times, and as it could s
IT be satisfactorily explained il fl
'oused a deal of comment and some a
the more superstitious began TO d
hisper that the church was haunted fl
I'd that the spirit of a former a
ganist was at the bottom of It, AS N
g mystery was beginning to tell on W
e nerves of the neighborhood, as p
ell as on my own, determined to Ii
rret it out. The music would gen- tc
ally sound as If someone were W
uching the keys with one finger, al ca
ough sometimes a number of KEYS M
'uld be depressed simultaneously.
{ whenever would enter thu
ureh | would find no one there.
le organ, however, would be open.
ough had left 1t closed when I last
ed it. nc
one evening I determined to make ba
night Of 1t and solve the mystery II III
was possible. accordingly took I'D 81,
concealed position in the church Sc
ortly after dark. I was assisted ha
newhat by the fact that the moon tr,
'nt into the building and ilIuminat. r.
small space around the organ. II or,
s no sooner fully dark than I heard tb,
slight rustic, and a moment later en-