When I saw the direction from whence the stone had come I feared that
disaster would overwhelm our town and unfortunately was I not
mistaken.
At the bridge the stone gave the first manifestation of its unholy
heathen power when it balked, defying modern civilization and through
sorcery or in other unhallowed ways contrived to interfere with the
public electric traction service, paralyzing the traffic so
effectively that every street car in the town was stopped; not merely
a few hours, but for days.
Like that colossus of strength and wisdom, the elephant which refuses
to pass over a bridge until satisfied that this will uphold its
weight, the cunning stone did not budge another inch until the bridge
had been braced with many timbers.
As foreseen by me this uncanny rock was sent by the Idol of the
mountain, the "Sphinx of Aztlan," to cast a hoodoo, an evil spell
over the monument.
It caused dissension among the people and confused their minds into
rendering abnormal criticisms, making them indulge in eccentric
vagaries and speculations on the artistic and intrinsic value of the
monument. Some persons guessed at the value of the metal contained in
the statue, while others reckoned the cost of the horse or that of
the rider's accoutrements.
Pages:
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137