Back in the late 1800s, Martin Stone was the most popular young fiddle player in northeastern Tennessee. In the summertime, Mart
in liked to take Sunday off and sit up on a rocky bluff near the top of Stone Mountain. There, he would play his fiddle and watch the sun come up over the green rolling hills.
One day, Martin was playing a slow, leisurely tune on his fiddle when a rattlesnake slithered out from under a rock, curled up in the sun, and watched him play. Before Martin knew it, the surrounding rocks were filled with rattlesnakes. Most people would have fainted dead away in terror at that point, but Martin was fascinated.
As the sun went down and dark shadows filled the valley, the snakes slithered back into their nests. Martin packed up his fiddle with a chuckle and made plans to come back next week—but with a surprise.
The next Sunday, Martin climbed to the rocky overhang and began to play his fiddle. Again, the rattlesnakes slithered out and listened to him, hypnotized. Martin then put down his fiddle and picked up a shotgun. He began blasting away at the rattlesnakes, picking them off one by one.
Every Sunday for the next few weeks, Martin returned to the bluff, played his fiddle until the snakes came out, and then began shooting. It became a sport to him, and soon, he became known around the county as the "Fiddlin' Snake Man."
One Sunday toward the end of summer, Martin returned to the bluff like he had done many times before. As the sun rose, he began to play a soft waltz on his fiddle. Once again, the rattlesnakes wiggled out from underneath the rocks and listened, swaying back and forth to the music.
Martin stopped playing, reached for his shotgun—then stopped. Something in the snakes' eyes caught his attention. The snakes glared at Martin with fiery red eyes, burning with intense hatred. Martin was hypnotized in their glare—as hard as he tried, he couldn't reach for his gun.
The snakes surrounded Martin and, one by one, began crawling up inside his pant legs. Martin was frozen with terror as he felt their scaly bodies wriggle around his legs, his chest, and his arms. All at once, the snakes started biting. As their icy venom flowed through his veins, all Martin could do was scream—a horrifying scream that resounded throughout the valley.
To this day, some Johnson County residents refuse to climb to the rocky overhang at the top of Stone Mountain, which they now call "Fiddler's Rock." In the lazy summer months, when the sun rises over the hills, they say you can hear the faint notes of a fiddle, followed by a high-pitched screeching sound.
adapted by c.safos from the folktale "The Ghost of Fiddler's Rock"
8
Which of the following best explains the author's purpose?
A.
to report on a current event about snakes
B.
to warn against the handling of rattlesnakes
C.
to entertain with an eerie tale about snakes
D.
to inform that rattlesnakes are dangerous
