The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1902-09-04
and went into the house, leaving me

Some days after this conversation
one of the navvies-a treacherous-
looking Spaniard-struck a fellow
workman over the head with a shovel
and killed him outright. In the even
ing we were sitting on the veranda
as usual. and l remarked: "Of course
they'll hang the fellow, and he richly
deserves it,"
They haven't any right to hang
him or anybody else" Keister replied
sharply. DO you suppose that devil
ish Spaniard could keep from brain
ing poor Mike? No more than a
wolf can keep from killing a lamb
that crossed its path. 1t was the fel-
lows nature, | tell you; and a man
can't change his nature any more
than n leopard can change its spots.
II believe in "A sort of transmigra-
tion of souls, up the scale and not
down. That idea that the easterners
have, about the souls of people going
back to inhabit beasts again, is all
rot. 1t seems to me something like
this: Man is the highest order of
creation upon the earth. He is the
embodiment of all that has gone be-
fore him. In the long struggle up
wards from chaos to the present
time-from the first spark of life to
the complex animal called man, all
the sensations and experiences of the
orders of life that have preceded him
are embodied in him, and lie buried
in his sub-consciousness. When a
nameless terror of the dark assails q
child, it is n remnant of the fear
some poor naked ancestor expe-
rienced in the dark. teeming Jungle,
when existence was precarious
thing, and meant n constant struggle
with the giant forces about him.
When an ungovernable passion seizes
man and he commits murder, il
is the disposition of one Of his mon
ster ancestors, who wallowed in the
primeval slime, and fought it's ene-
mics to the death, with tusk and
claw, asserting itself. AS child will
sometimes resemble some remote an
cestor in disposition or appearance,
or both, so will reappear in every man
traits that characterized some form
of life in the endless chain that
reaches back through the limitless
ages. a man is not a unity but an
infinite complexity--a multitude of
conflicting experiences, tied up in one
bundle. Free? Bah! He is no more
free than man in the middle of n
moving multitude is free to stand
still or go the other way. His en-
vironments, past and present, deter
mine his course of action"
was so astonished at this sudden
burst of philosophy that it took me
some moments to formulate reply
in defense of my theory of the free
agency of man. When l began to
state my theories, he laughed in his
odd, bewitching way, and skillfully
changed the subject of conversation.
AS the weeks went by Keisters re-
markable ability to handle men be-
came apparent. There was a certain
compelling power in his look and
voice that was hard to resist. More
than once during the burning August
weather, when the men were we'll
nigh worthless because of the heat,
| marvellcd at his unique gift.
One evening after an exceptionally
hot day, we threw ourselves upon the
grass in the shade of big gum tree,
instead of taking our accustomed
places on the veranda. Within few
feet of Kcistcr was n large pile of
loose stones. upon which the sun had
been beating mercilcssly all day. |
was lying HAT on my back, with my
hands locked under my head, and gaz-
ing up at the dropping leaves of the
gum tree, when | heard my compan-
ion utter Il sharp exclamation of sur
prise. Turning towards him, saw
his eyes riveted on the stone-heap. In
a moment large rattlcsnakc came
gliding softly towards him from the
heated pile. In an instant Kcistcr
was sitting cross-lcggcd and gazing
steadily. into the monsters eyes. |
was too terrified to move or even
speak, so simply watched as one in a
trance.
For moment the snake wavered,
then, approaching to within two feet
of keister's lowered face, raised it.
self to fully third of its length
and swayed its body with n rythmic
motion like that of rush in run
ming water. Then they gazed stead.
lily into each others eyes as if each
were reading the inmost secret of
| the others being. For moment
the snakes bead-like eyes seemed to
, soften till they looked almost human
while Keister's eyes took on hard
glitter and his face became contorted
in way that made it appear the
very incarnation of evil.
Presently the snake turned and
glidcd back to the stone-heap. Keis.
ter flung himself upon his face and
| burst into tumult of Sobs. eXclaim.
| ing brokenly: "le gods! We gods!
thought | was delivered from hel
when i left India"
stole softly into the house and