Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1909-10-06
ALExANDER'S SNAKE.
4 Story Of Magic and Credulity In the
Olden Days.


OIden Days.
No snake that ever lived won greater
fame for the time than Alexander's.
Lucian tells the story. Xpollonius, a
master of the magic arts, had many
disciples, among whom was practic-
ing physician who lived in Abonoti-
chus, a small town on the shore Of the
Black sea. There Alexander was born
of humble parentage and imbibed from
the old doctor all that he had learned
from Apollonius of medicine and mag
ic. He was a lad Of striking appear
ance, tall, handsome, with fine head
Of hair, lustrous brown eyes and a
voice sweet and limpid. GOD grant, "
wrote Lucian, who knew him, that
may never meet with such another.
His coming was wonderful, his dex-
terity matchless. His eagerness for
knowledge, his capacity for learning
and power Of memory were equally
extraordinary"
Such was the well favored young
peasant who sailed forth from his ma
tive town in search Of fame and for
tune Soon he fell in with one Co.
COMMAS, a shrewd tipster for the races
and somewhat Of juggler. The two
rogues joined forces and meandered
about telling fortunes. Arriving at
Pella, they found a great number of
huge, harmless snakes which lived in
the houses, played and slept with the
children and destroyed poisonous rats.
Alexander promptly purchased one of
the largest, a veritable monster, so
tame that it would coil about his body
and remain in any desired position.
Then he made human face for it out
Of linen, painted it ingeniously and
shaped it so that the mouth would
open and shut by an arrangement of
horsehair, letting the forked tongue
shoot in and out at the will OF the
master. Having no further use for
Coconnas, he either administered poi
son to him or let him die from some
infection and returned with his snake
to his native town. There he declared
himself a prophet and announced that
the god Aesculapius was about to ap-
pear. The people we're credulous, ex-
citable and eager for new divinity.
When the great day arrived Alexan-
der pretended to discover in a puddle
of water a goose egg which he had
placed there after removing the con-
tents. substituting small embryo
snake just born and carefully sealing
the shell with wax. When the multitude
had gathered he broke the she'll and
produced the tiny creature, which in
a few moments grew to be the monster
from Pella by the simple process of
substitution. Thereafter the big snake,
believed to be Aescula Plus, led busy
life. He gave seances, told fortunes in
writing and even spoke freely, with
the aid of the prophets ventriloquial
powers. Alexander grew rich and pow
erful, kept small army Of retainers
and spies, welded no little influence
over the government even at Rome and
died at a ripe old age in the fullness Of
his renown. What became Of the snake
nobody knows. Probably at the last
the prophet dispatched the faithful
creature to prevent the discovery of his
deception after his death.-George Har-
vey in North American Review.
The Label Language.
'"There's a language in hotel labels.
the same as in stamps or flowers"
said a courier "All over Europe tie
hotel porters paste the hotel labels on
your trunks in such a way that the
porters In future towns will know
what sort of Upper you are.
"Up at the top Of the trunk the label
means you are generous. In the mid
die it means you're a middling sort.
Down very low it means you are no
good"