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Show AN EAST-INDIAN GHOST. It Frovttl to lie is Hna-ConstrletorTirenty , Fset In Length. Almost every town or villago has It haunted house and tho lltllo village settlo-1 settlo-1 men t of Wanda, In India, was nociception, Hero a number of English officers and their families live during tho warmer months, returning to their respective commando lateron. Tho rumor that Captain lleaU' j champ's houso was haunted was circulated i by a servant a superstitious old Englishman English-man who had followed tho Captain all over . I tho world, and wss, all things considered, n faithful servitor. Thomas had for some days j hoard curious sounds about tho houso At j llrst ho thought thcro wcro rats or tnlco In I tho wall. Ha was awakened one night by n I I most extraordinary notso. Tho door-bell I was ringing violently, nnd a struggling, j writhing noiso In tho wall of Iho houso ' I not in one place, but In sovcral atonca Tills was" followed by a complete silence, snd ns Thomas sat up in boil, his hair threatening lo stand on end, he was post-Uvo post-Uvo ho heard a long-drawn sigh. This was 1 the last feather Bo, leaping from tho I Much, ho rushed to his employer a room and irouscd him, avowing that tho plAro w.ts haunted, nnd a few moments later tho en-j en-j tiro household was In tit o room. Tho notoriety so cheaply earned became j exceedingly dlsagrccnbto. First camo i strangers, natives und olhors, who stood In front of Iho hou-o day and n lit and looked i st It wl h won l-ring curiosity. Matters I stood In this shape fir seme day. when ono morning n tun v of jugmurs pusscd through tho town nnd iliiAiiy leached Iho haunted ' lious,-. A thei j .uijr.ii iiLc of ili.Idrca l.i U eliu-i'.y t .c , if nni wcro Invitod 1 Inti t'l -u" lr " ' ;-(. , c- ',-'-.!'m'nt ' P"11I i" a viid; "g IM'. ie ef them took out a small oval oaskci, naviug an oriucu in i the top, and seating himself nrar It Vegan ' to play a quaint air upon a flute. After Industriously playing for a tow moments, mo-ments, says a correspondent of tho Philadelphia Phila-delphia Times, up through tho hole In tho basket camo tho head of a cobra ono of tho most poisonous of snakos-up camo tho hideous head with Its hood that gavo a malignant appearanco to tho reptile, and when twelve or fifteen Inches above tho basket It began to wao to and frons It In obedlcnco to tho measure of tho musla ' After tho snako danco-or tho snake "charming," ns Europeans nro wont to call It tho Indian snake charmer walked around tho houso and among tho bushes pointed out a hole which might havo been made by a rabbit To ono of tho native attendants bo said that for a small sum extra ho would , tako out a cobra which ho thought was In tho hole Tho Knglish officer Old not be- I llovo It, but willingly submitted to tho ex- I periment, and seating himself boforo the holo tho magician began Ins mournful plaint For fifteen minutes ho kept up the noise, and then f rom tho opening thero appeared tho ugly, hooded head ot a cobm. Anothci holo was soon found this Iwing dlreetlyat tho baso of the wall ot the houso. Tho man examlnedlta few moments c.irefully, and then began to play upon Iho Mutn Hardly bad the group gathered about tho performer before a most remarkablo noiso i cnmolrom tho houo. First, them was n sound ns of escaping steam; then a sound of somo great body striking tho null and rubbing against tho timbers Dust In clouds enmo from the holo and tho "charmer" started back in terror, overturning over-turning tho man behind him. llecovcrlng himself ho darted at tho holo and thrusting his arm In drew out, not n cobra, but tho lallof nniuclilnrgcrsnako Astonishment was depleted on tho native's faco und horror hor-ror in those of many of tho spectators, as hostood holding Iho tip of tr.o tail, ami llvo feet of tho body was visible For a second tho man hnsttntod'then regaining re-gaining his courago ho shouted lu Hindoo-stance Hindoo-stance for tho lookers on to stand back, and taking n good grip upon tho tall ho pulled gradually backward. Out It came, foot by foot, Inch by Inch, 5, 10, 15, 10 feet 19, was thero no end? IS feet of quivering onoUo flesh ns 'are-" is a r-i-'s thigh. A quick Jerk now and the ontlro monster was clear at least twenty feet In length big enough to swallow a doer, nnd yet held by a single man. Tho nativo was, howovcr, not In the least discouraged. Uo clung to tho tall, and as tho tiugo replllo turned toward him with an angry hiss lie gavo It a swinging motion by turning slowly. Orad-uully Orad-uully ho increased his speed, turning faster and faster, until ho seemed tho center of n wheel, tho spokes of which wcro the body of tho python. Ho rapid was tho motion that tho snaka's body was pertecUy straight, and It was evident that as long as tho motion could bo kept up tho man was safe, but If tho monster could reach him ho would In a moment be crushed In tho hor-rtblo hor-rtblo folds of tho reptile. Tho loouors-oii had long since tied, tno natives hndgono shrieking up tho streot, tho Englishman alono standing by, but even ho did not know what to do, as it was im posslbtu to shoot tho animal as It was flying around; so ho stood a fow minutes aghast at tho curious position of tho man. It soon became apparent that the charmer knew what ho was about Not far front tho houso stood u stout Hag-staff, it foot and a tuU through, of solid trakwcod, and toward tlila be was gradually moving, whirling the suako fastor and faster. Now ho was within with-in twenty-flva feet of It, and suddenly It dawned on the few spectatom what ho was about to do. This was to strike tho head ot tho reptllo against tho pole Nearer hs camo, whirling faster nnd faster, until tho reptllo stood out llko a whip lasb, and then, witha quick stop forward, he brought tho licudof tho reptlloogalust tho wood with a crushing sound. Ua released his hold and tho great reptllo doubled up In convui-s'.to convui-s'.to folds, digging up tho earth and sending clouds of dust Into tho air, finally dropping limp nud lifeless to the ground. Cvj A wondering crowd soon surrojuded the dead boa, the now bravo natives expressing their opinions ns to Us slzo. Ono thing was ovldent-that hero was the "ghost " Tho big snako had In soma way obtained entrance en-trance to the houso, probably through tho holo In tho foundation, nnd had produced tho mysterious sounds heard by tho men, Tho snako-charmors hod, as is their general custom, placed a harmless cobra in tho holo and beforo thoy had time tu call It out It had encouutorod tho big boa, with tho above result. jmi-a-i . |