Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1886-03-12

'Oh, amt II a joke on Aunt Elll, though
said /, aud in the relief and revulsion Of feel.
ing began TO laugh. "Hurrah Aunt Eliza
won't die and she'll let you marry Lyde,
cause you found II out"
But Basil remained rs unsmling as the
fence rails 1T would all be very well, that,
with most people," said he quietly; "but
don't you know that when Mrs. Prescott
takes a notion into her head, all the logic in
the world won't change herr She is deter.
mined that she has hydrophobia, and that
devilish Plsnchette has 80 turned her head
that she won't listen to any sense. The doc
tor told her that he was sure that the dog
wasn't mad, but it didn't affect her particle
She said maybe he hadn't gone mad enough
| yet for his brain to show il, but he had gone
mad enough to give the disease to other peo-
pie and she had It. She would say piece Of
the sleeve had blown on to the nail, IL we
tried to reason with her. No, Rem l tell
you we shall have to try another dodge.
You'll help me, won't your Aud know you
know how to write with Planchette"
Rather said l grinning, for l saw that
he was ia the secret OF those hints OF Uncle
Eldred's regarding the circus and like follies.
went home with Basil and spent the af-
ternoon in his room. When | returned to
our house in the evening, Basil went in first
and saw mother. She came out to me flush
ed aud excited, aud kissed me tenderly, say
ing:
'Do you think you can do it. Rem2 oh,
be careful, my boy"
'Tl try, ma" l answered, feeling rather
shaky and solemn. Then a great basin of
beef tea was given to me as pretext for 60
ing, and was sent over to Aunt Ehza's. She
did not see general visitors now, but had
always been a favorite, and Lyde took me in
to her mothers room. Ii was 80 dimly light
ed that could only distinguish the outlines
Of the bed and table near II on which were
sheets OF paper and planchette. Aunt Eli
"a lay on the bed looking very much as usu.
al but poor Lyde, who stood beside her, had
cried herself to a shadow.
"Is it you, Rem 2" said Aunt Ezs, in her
old kind voice, which made lump come in
to my throat "Pm glad you've come.
have wondered why you didn't come some
times. want to see you again. And I'm
feeling very comfortable this evening, tell
your ma. To morrow's your birthday, isn't
it? l had Aunt Susannsh bake a pound cake
for you And here's a little box with some
thing in it for tomorrow. l just got it
ready. You needn't he afraid, dearie.
won't hurt you now"
"Oh, amt afraid" suffered, my heart
beating like trip hammer. took the box
and went back to Lyde. She touched my
hand a second. As she did so she slipped
the end Of horse hair into my palm. The
other end l knew was on the planchette.
stood little distance from the table, with
my hands behind me.
Lyde went to the other side of the bed
All at once she uttered loud exclamation:
Ma, do look What's the matter with
Planchette p
Up and down the table careened the instru-
ment of mystery. 1t must be confessed that
its movements were awkward, but then in
single afternoon one cannot learn all the pos
sbilities of a horse-hair motor.
Aunt Eliza was not critical the weird gy-
ration impressed her instantly. Give it to
me, she said ''it wants to write"
But Planchette declined fatty to write,
bobbing out Of her reach the instant she
rested her fingers on the board.
Let me try" said Lyds. Whereupon
Planchette vaulted clean of the table and
fell at my feet.
tits REM" said my aunt solemnly. "I
always said it wrote better for him and Tim
than anybody else There wasn't the least
difficulty in reading their messages. Don't
you remember how plain that one about the
circus was Try it, Rem"
l put the thing on the table. 1t was quiet
enough now (good reason Why. l laid my
hands on it with the queerest feeling of the
mingling of comedy and tragedy in the scene.
Its writing" l announced presently
you'll have to open the blinds to read,
though" As Lyde opened the blind Of the
window behind the bed, 1 could see Basil
Ferris pacing his fast bays in his beach wag-
on up and down the street.
This is the message which Planehette wrote
and Lyde read out loud Dear Eliza-I am
your brother Dan. Eldred can't come. He
didn't write the message which you have had
You have been deceived by false spirits. You
have not got hydrophobia not a Bit of it.
The dog did not bite you. You tore your
arm on the nail in the fence. There is a
piece Of the dress on the nail now. Go and
see. Brace up, you won't die"
Lydes voice trembled so that she hardly
could pronounce the words, and Aunt Eliza
sat up in the bed clutching the coverlet, her
face paler than it was the day that she told
me she was bitten.
Fetch me the dress waist a" she gasped-
''the one had on-you know
ITS right in the closet, ma, said Lyde.
When il WAS brought my aunt looked at
the rent in the sleeve carefully before she
turned to me and said I'm very much
obliged, Brother Dan. I'll go. Is there any
thing more p
1 kept my fnger-tps on the planchette
board for full five minutes but it was quite
motionless.
Aunt Eliza drew long sigh. 'Well, Dan,
NNh hllls llb Always WAS
right Remington, run out, honey. You
look as white as sheet. Tell Aunt Susan
nah to give you glass of wine. And Lyde.
help me to get up and dress myself. I'm go
ing to look at that fence"
l was not particularly surprised little
later, as we all three sailed into the street, to
see Basil's bays trotting toward the redden.
ing west where the sun was setting.
"Oh, ma, said Lyde, "Ihere's Mr.. Fer
ris. If-if-"
"Bssil-Basil Ferris !" called my Aunt Eli.
"a stop and take US in or course I'm
not angry with him now, Lyde," she explain
ed, while Basil eagerly approached us. 81
was angry at his calling your pas messages
twaddle; but If they weren't your pas |
think as likely as not they were twaddle.
Thank you, Basil. Will you forgive an OBJ.
stinate old woman who wants to be your
mother-in law2"
Basil caught his breath, and then-well, he
just caught Aunt Eliza in his arms and kissed
her.
He drove us to the field and Aunt Eliza
saw for herself the silk and crepe on the nail.
small boy walked away at our approach
That small boy, as l have learned since, had
been on guard over the nail ever since Basil
apd l left it. Aunt Eliza was perfectly calm.
She admitted at once that she had deceived
herself, and going home talked of nothing
else but the details of Lyde's wedding which
she wished to prepare for at once but when
she was back home she sank into a chair aud
burst into tears.
''Oh, Lyde," she sobbed, I'm glad to live
and l didn't want TO go crazy and bite peo-
pie; but it is hard to think that it wasn't
your pa writing to me all the time. don't
see how they can let the bad spirits perform
So"
After this my aunt recovered speedily nor
has she ever had any return to her disorder
But it was not until very lately that Mrs
Ferris ventured TO confess the truth about
Planchette's prescription. One little part of /
the story l am sure that she never will tell
her mother. Basil told it to me yesterday
had praised the ingenuity of his treatment
"But it was mighty lucky" l added, that
the silk happened to catch on the nail and
stay there"
"Well, as 10 that" said Basil, 81 put that
bit of silk there myself just before | took
you over. Lyde tore it out of the sleeve for
me-"
'But how, then, did you know that she
tore her arm on the nail-that the dog didn't
bite herr"
"Oh, 1 didn't know" replied Ferris 81
don't know now."-HDper's Weekly.
--------------
A Minneapolis congregation left the church
one Sunday because the minister took his text
from st. Paul.
A AIlo-,, -. H. A.