The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1902-09-04
able to break through hi. ch,lnne

able to break through his chilling
reserve.
From that time forward Keister
was a changed man-so changed that
even the dullest NAVY noticed II, and
followed his listless motions with
wondering eyes.
On the morning of the Goth of
August there was a great commotion
| among the workmen who tented on
the south side of the river near the
bridge. One of their number had
been found dead In his blanket, and
the doctor who acted as coroner
limited that there had been foul play,
although he finally brought in ver-
| dict of death from heart failure.
keister seemed greatly affected by
the unhappy affair, and did not put
in his appearance after dinner.
Three mornings later another man
was found dead, and the following
morning still another. Upon the face
of each victim was n look of wide
eyed terror that was horrible to see.
OF course the excitement was at
white heat, and the terrified navvies
began to pack their duds and disap-
pear as if by magic.
Then an extraordinary thing hap
pened. The last victim came to life
as they were burying him and kicked
the end out of his coffin. After they
got him out of the coffin he was so
| terrified for time he could not
speak but lay upon the grass rolling
his eyes wildly. Finally he gasped,
half shouted:
"Keister! The devil A snake! Oh!
oh! OH"
When finally the poor fellow became
calm enough to tell his story. it was
this: In the night he had awakened
from what seemed hideous night
mare to find Keister looking intent
ly at him with snake-like, glittering
eyes. Upon his face, which showed
distinctly in the moonlight. was the
most diabolical expression he had
ever seen. He tried to cry out and
get away, but he was powerless to
move. keister was the devil come for
his soul. At this point of the story
the poor fellow began to rave, and
it soon required six men to hold him.
The navvies began to whisper
among themselves, and soon the
whisper, like the awakening of the
sea, grew into a hoarse clamor. Pres
emily some one among them shouted:
"Keister! Where il he? Let's
stretch him!"
knowing that Keister was in his
room and that it would not be long
before they would be searching it
for him, FASTENED toward the board
ing house, with the assured feeling
that my friend was a doomed man If
they found him.
/ found the door of his room locked,
and when he did not answer to my
knock promptly broke it open. AS
/ stepped in an ominous rattle from
the direction of the bed made me
start back. When my eyes became
accustomed to the twilight of the
room, 1 saw Keister's lifeless form
upon the bed. Coiled up beside him
and looking at me with venomous
eyes, was a big rattlesrake. just
then l heard the howls of the APP
preaching mob, and sprang to the
door.
"Keister! Keister! Down with
Keister!" they shouted, and would
have borne me down and trampled me
under foot, had | not drawn a revol-
Yer and leveled it at the head of the
leader, brother of Keister's last vic
tim.
Raising my disengaged hand for
silence, Il said SO that all could hear
me:
"Keister is dead upon his bed; he
has been bitten by RATHER"
Never shall | forget the look of
supcrstitious awe which, in the hush
that followed, came over that dark
sea OF faces. \ moment before, and
they had been distorted with passion;
now, they seemed to resemble those
of overgrown children who had lis
tened to n ghost story. Soon they
slipped away by twos and threes;
until only the head engineer and my
self were left with the dead.-Cana-
dian Magazine.