The Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1885-1886, 1886-01-06
HAUNTED BY MUSIC.
The Peculiar Delusion Following Man
Who Listens to Sad Music.
IPittshurg Disnatchl

1ittoouis DAspoiShj
young man." said a prosperous-looking
citizen, "did you ever observe the habits of
musical peoplei Because if you have, you
have seen a great deal of character that you
would not have seen if you hadn't"
With this strange declaration he subsidei
INTO q deep reverie. A cloud of pain occa.
siona,iy passed. over his face, and there WAS
a twitching of the muscles Of the mouth, as
il he were undergoing soma mental torture.
Presently he gavs start and. rubbing hi,
nands across his forehead for the purpose Of
collecting hi thoughts, broke the impeai-
ing silence with his voice.
@Ah, mel he said, IL was living over
again some nights of agony have spent
am ia growing Old am haunted BY
terrible delusion At times feel that my
hair is as VIII tie as snow, my hands shake
il with the palsy, and / seem to totter on
ny knees When the idea pursues me can
not get rid of it, aud | am driven almost TO
de-pe alton"
a am sorry for you, my friend" :ad tie
reporter But really, you do not look
anything like the being you describe" And
he was, indeed, anything but like it. Large,
we'll built, lat, ami jolly-looking, he rather
was an impersonation Of a prosperous Eng
lish country squire.
"Mine is peculiar Gaze l CUES, he
unused. @And, strange as it may seem, it is
true that the delusion that haunts my
dreams AMI make, my everyday lie mis-
cradle existence is caused altogether by the
playing of a violinist in yonder," and he
| turned his heal and pointed his finger to-
| ward dark. gloomy, dilapdatei house
| that doomed up in the shadows falling
arouni.
| ale is a young man who has long been in
| low health and spirits Two years ago his
| ia her died-stricken down very suddenly;
| SIX months a[terwari his mother, one of the
| kinde>t mothers that mortal ever loved, fol-
| Lowell her husband The brother and two
| lister, left behini continued to live in the
| Old home They were never seen to smitA.
| The young man is great lover of the
vi lin / believe he was taught by Ni
| fnther The instrument he uses is wcn-
| derfal one that was ohtainsi in Italy over
| fifty years ago. The violinist never play,
| except at night Then he shuts himself
| alone in his dark room, and pours his soul
| out throu ii the tsin - And oh! think
| there can bs nothing in this wcrli or
| the next saiiar than the walls in that
music, 1t is the msiody of a soul that h,s
been dead for years. The players heart
| broken, AMI he plays heart-brokel music |
have listened at my window some night
and eagerly drunk in every note. 1t makes
| me feel old and heart broken 1t i, q terri
| BILE deluson, put | can not shake it off when
| it comes upon M For days at time 1t
makes me miserable. tn | grow desperate.
Those who are intimate with the gentle
| man confirm hi, story His case is iniee 1
peculiar Yet it is hot the only one OF it.
kini, for severai similar to it have bean
known to occur. 1t Is powerful illu,tra-
ton of the peculiar mental organization o.
| a musical disposition, and of the mysterious
influence that music has upon one who low,
| it and surren Ter, him lelf altogether to its
| influence