The Mineral argus. [volume] (Maiden, Mont.) 1883-1886, 1885-06-11


sF1lt
Whenever / hear anybody say:
"You know Jacvues Parent died mad i'm
an insane asylum" a painful shudder, a
creeping of fear and anguish passes
through all my bones; and l see again
before me the figure of that tall strange
! man, mad perhaps long before l knew
hm-an alarming person, really fear
full maniac.
He was man about forty years old,
tall, slightly stopped, with the eyes of
one troubled by hallucination-black
eyes, so black in fact that the pupil
could not be distinguished eyes.
wandering, sickly, haunted. What n
singularly annoying person lie was
bringing with him, spreading around
him an atmosphere of uneasiness, o
vague distress of soul and body, such
an incomprehensible feeling Of nervous
ness as inclines people to believe in
supernatural influences.
He had one very unpleasant crank
mania for keeping his hands concealed.
| He was scarcely ever seen to let his
hands wander listlessl' as we do-up-
on surrounding objects, tables, furni-
ture. Never did he touch anything in
his vicinity in that familiar way which
nearly all men have. Never did no let
them be seen uncoverel-thOse long
bony hands of his, slender and slightly
nervous. He always kept them buried
in his pockets, or hidden behind his
coat tails, or concealed under his arm
pits when ho folded his arms. One
might have supposed he was afraid that
those hands might, in spite of him. do
something wrong-might perpetratc
! some ludicrols or shameful! act IL he
| allowed them to remain . moment free
If he suffered them to remain masters
of their own movements.
When he was obliged to make use of
them for the ordinary necessarics of life,
no did so only by sudden jerks, by swift
movements of his arms, rs though wish
ing to prevent them from having time
TO act on their own accord, to refuse to
do his bidding. to do something else in
stead. When at table he would handle
his glass, his knife and fork SO quickly
that nobody ever had an opportunity to
observe what he was going to do before
| L.. a1~c..l,, l,c<~,, Iona
/ Now was able one evening to OBJ
tain the explanation of his astounding
disease of mind.
He used in those days to pay me
visits from time to time ut my country
residence; and on the evening in ques-
ton he seemed unusually nervous.
A storm was rising in the sky, black
and stifling, after ~ long day Of afro.
cious heat. No breath If air moved
the leaves. A sort of hot bath vapor
passed across our faces, made MS pant
for air. l was feeling very uneasy,
very much agitated, and wished to go
to bed.
When he saw me rise to leave the
room jacques Parent seized me 10y the
arm with grip of terror.
"Oh, mol" no said; "stay . little
while with mel"
looked at him in surprise, and muir
murcd:
Its only because this storm is max
ing me nervous"
"And me! Oh! remain here beg Of
you-I do not want to be lett alone"
His looks were wild. asked him:
"What is the matter with you? Are
you losing your scnses?"
And he stammercd in reply:
"Yes, now and then, on such even
ings as this electrical evenings am
i AMI am afraid am afraid of
myself. no, You do not understand me.
1t is because am gifted with a might =
no, u power-no, with force. In short
cannot tell you what it is; but ! find
in myself magnetic action, so extraor-
binary that ] am afraid yes, terrified
ut myself, rs have just told YOU"
i Aud he concealed his ma.lly quivering
hands under the lapel of his jacket.
Then ! myself began suddenly to feel
the trembling Of fear-a fear, vague
mighty and horrible. 1 felt an awful
desire to get away. to run away, to es-
cape from the sight of him, to escape