The Republican journal., 1886-08-12

that any more than anything else in this story.
You don't believeit? You're candid, but don't
complain. Seeing that | was interested, the
doctor slipped away without my knowledge
When | found him gone | was covered with
shame. UnconsciouSly, had done contempt-
ible thing. My deserted and lost contidant,
who had trusted me implicitly, had detected
me prying into his personal books and secrets.
There was only one thing to do in order to re-
gain my self-respect. I'd tell him who | was,
let the consequences be what they might. |
pulled chair up to the bedside, where he still
sat with his head resting on his palms. support
ed by the elbows on his knees. / slowly dis
engaged one of his hands and, giving it a warm,
atlectionatc grip, | called him by name The
effect was magical. lie sat up straight as an
arrow and we rose to our feet together, as if
by the same impulse. He clasped me by both
shoulders and stared into my eyes in way
that almost made me shake in my boots. I
asked him if he remembered me. No answer.
But gradually look of intelligence came over
his face. His arms dropped to his side and he
said III genial voice =
why, Stirling, when did you come. |
feared we never should meet again.
CURED AND RESCUED.
''Then we sat down and talked for an hour
over his absence. lie had Travelled about
Europe for several months, but finding that he
had irrational moments he had gone to Edin-
burg and deposited sufficient balance with a
banker to maintain him under treatment for
several years. He had generally been able to
draw his own checks. One source of amuse-
mcnt, he said had been in playfuly imagining
what he could have made by buying this or
that stock or taking flyer in produce. Not
that he knew anything about the market or
whether it was going down or up. There was
the book. He offered to show it to me. Will
you belieI { me when assure you that couldn't
tell even this man in madhouse that | had
speculated Systematically on my dreams. l
merely said to him that | had more than SEX
tupled his money, and that it was drawing
good interest. But when my friend the doctor
came i'll he found the most wonderful change
i'll his patient. He was, apparently, more
rational than | was. We had changed places.
| was the dazed person of the twain. Had he
taken my hand, said farewell and left me be-
hind | certainly would have been mentally
poWCrlcsS to lnterpOSG even protest. DIR.
Bruce noticed the remarkable change He
slapped me on the back. saying: -
Come on, Old fellow
II reused myself, shook off the strange
mental lethargy under which | suffered and
left my Old friend and his familiar spirit be-
hind. But he was only kept under restraint
for few weeks. lie rapidly regaincd his
mental powers. ehcered by my constant com
panlon>hp. cured him, the doctor said. He
returned by degrees to the world, living for
week at the Cockburn hotel, under the constant
attention Of Dr. Bruce, to make sure that his
dlStemper would not return. We came across
the ocean in the same steamer. He was placed
in possession of his money and with it he in
tended to buy quiet country place, where,
with widowed sister. he could end his days.
But hot day and Il stroke of apoplcXy ended
all his plans. He died and there was tile usual
contest over his will. | went West, married
and am doing Il business that nets me forty to
forty-flve thousand dollars year. 1t is enough,
but | a irmer believer in familiar spirits"
IN. Y. Herald.