The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1902-08-15

For some moments he said noth-
Ing more. but fell into one of his
cid fits Of abstraction. Presently he
reused himself and said. with a slight
shiver although il was July: "Myl
but there was a fearful fascination
about i'll" Then he rose abruptly
and went into the house, leaving me
wondering.
Some days after this conversation
one of the navvies-a treacherous-
looking spaniard-s struck a fellow
workman over the head with a shovel
and killed him outright. In the even
ing we were sitting on the veranda
ms usual. and i 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 hat devil
ish Spaniard could keep from brain
ing poor Mike? No more than a
wolf can keep from killing a lamb
that crossed its pa-h. 1t was the fell
lows nature, ! tell you; and a man
I tHn 1 tbsllgt his Illult any AhbA
than a leopard can change its spots.
II believe in a sort Of transmigra-
ton Of souls, up the scale and not
down. That idea that the fasteners
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 .
namelcss terror Of the dark assaila Q
child. it is n remnant OF the fear
some poor naked ancestor expo
rienced in the dark. teeming Jungle.
when existence was a precarious
thing, and meant a constant struggle
with the giant forces about him.
When an ungoyernable passion seizes
a man and he commits murder, it
is the disposition of one of his mon
ster ancestors, who wallowed in the
primeval slime, and fought its enc
mics to the death. with tusk and
claw, asserting itself. As a child viii
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 ar
infinite complcxity-a multitude OF
conflicting experiences, tied up in one
bundle. Free? Bah, He is no more
free than a man in the middle Of 9
moving multitude is free TO stanc
still or go the other way. His en-
vironments. past and present, deter
mine his course of action"
/ was so astonished at this sudder
burst Of philosophy that it took m
some moments to formulate a repl,
lin defense of my theory Of the fre'
. agency Of man. When i began t.
: state my theories. he laughed in hi
7 odd, bewitching way, and skilfuil.
> changed the subject of conversation
As the weeks went by Keister's re
markable ability to handle men be
, came apparent. There was a certail
compelling power in his look an
voice that was hard TO resist. Nor
than once during the burning Angus
weather. when the men were well
nigh worthless because Of the heat
l marvelled at his unique gift.
One evening after an EXCEPTIONAL.
hot day. we threw ourselves upon TN
grass in the shade Of a big gum tres
instead OF taking our accustome
e places on eie veranda. Within a fe'
feet Of Kcister was a large pile @
I loose stones. upon which the u Ia
n been beating mercilessly all day.
!, was lying Hat on my back. with m
e hands locked under my head. and ga
a ing UP at the dropping leaves Of tn
q gum tree. when ! heard my compaI
ion utter a sharp exclamation OF SUI
q prise. Turning towards him. i sa'
a his eyes riveted pm the s~tone-heap.
e a moment a large rattlesnakc can
lr gliding softly towards him from II
a heated pile. In an instant Keist'
IA was sitting cross-legged and gazir
n steadily into the monsters eyes
was too terrified TO move or eve
ID speak, SO simply watched as ore in
trance.
&, For a momen the snake wavere
'e then. approaching to within two fe
ne Of Keister's lowered face, raised
is self to fully a third Of its leng
is and swayed its body with a rythm
is motion like that of a rush in ru
ming water. Then they gazed stea
n ily into each Others eyes as IL ca
nd were reading the Utmost secret
us the others being. For a nome
lis the snakes bead-like eyes seemed
". soften till they looked almost huma
es while Keisfer's eyes took or a Ia
as glitter and his face became comfort
it, in q way that made it appear Z
very incarnation Of evil.
rs Presently the snake turned .
Ill rlided back TO the stone-heap. he
'er ter flung himself upon his face a
lal burst into a tumult of sobs. exclai
o ing brokenly: "Ye godsl We gods!
to thought 1 was delivered from n
ID when l left India"
he stole softly into the house .
|ch left him there under the quiet sta
The next morning he did not CO..