Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1888-12-27
AFRAID IN THE DARK.
Remarkable Story Of a Young
Mans Strange Power.

Ny name Is Edward Houghton; I am
twenty eight years old, am unmarried, enjoy
the best of health and spirits, hold govern
ment inspectorship with a good salary,
entailing plenty of travelling, and have only
one care in the world am afraid of the
dark. Indeed, it is something more than
fear-it is terror which has haunted me
from my childhood to the present day.
Only three people in the world besides
myself have my secret: my mother Sir
George Gillingham, of Gillingham Towers,
with whom lived for five years as private
tutor to his sons, and who got me my ap-
pointment, and Mr.. Psllatti.
When / left the Towers twelvemonth
ago, my nervous dread Of the nights should
have to pass in strange bedrooms of strange
inns, when travelling on inspection duty, be-
came so acute and overwhelming that !
determined to consult u leading physician
about myself.
Sir Alfred Smith listened to my story at
tentively, asked me multitude of questions
about my health and habits, and especially
whether any thing ever occurred in very
early childhood to give me a shock, although
might have been too young at the time to
remember it now. My catecEism over, he
said:
"Mr Houghton, must tell you frankly
that can do nothing for you. The symp-
toms you have described are distressing,
but can not tell you as a physician how
they originate or suggest any way OF ale
waiting them. / have a friend however,
who is profound believer in animal mag
netism, and although am very skeptical
about many of his theories, he is one of the
cleverest and most agreeable men know
1t can do no harm for you to see him, and 1
am quite certain he will perfectly sympa-
thize with you, if he can do nothing else
His name is Pallatti and l have written
down his address for you. Call upon him at
three O'Clock tomorrow, and will write to
tell him that he may expect you"
/ found Mr.. Pallatti the next afternoon
lounging over book in large luxuriously-
furnished room crowded with pictures.
curios, and "pretty things handsome
young gentleman, perfectly dressed, with a
pair of eyes which, If they could not see
through milestone, looked as if they could
pierce human being through and through.
After little Indifferent conversation 1
began to tell him my tale, but 1 was so
nervous that bungled wofully, and inter-
spersed my narrative with idiotic giggles.
"Wait bit, Mr.. Houghton, there's no
hurry" said Mr.. Pallatti, bringing me a
glass of wine from side-table; ''you are
my patient, you know, and must drink this
before beginning long story" :,
expect he must have put something into
my draught, for in few minutes found
myself talking as calmly and impassiyely as
if were speaking of some other person.
l told him how, il l left my bed in the
dark and took two steps away from it, I was
utterly lost; how my outstretched hands
would touch window where 1 expected to
find door, and all the furniture seemed TO
play puss in the corner as moved about
until at last 1 would sink on the ground ut
terly unnerved and trembling to wait
through long hours for daylight.
i told him land as went on, Mr.. PaIlat-
it's face grew eagerly attentivel how, when
was boy of sixteen, my mother had de-
scribed to me the circumstances of nv eldest
brothers death by drowning when was an
infant; how the same night my lamp went
out and 1 saw through luminous haze a
room with ladies and a gentleman in If a
servant coming in at the door, followed bv a
boatnan carrying boy in his arms with a
dead face and water dripping from his lone
hair; how, when told my mother what 7
had seen, she said that 1 had described 70
the minutest detail-the pattern of the wall
paper, the flowers on the chimney-piece-the
identical scene as it occurred on that terri
BILE morning at Brighton
ANY other experiences like thatin asked
Mr.. Pslatti. 81 can't tell you how ,leenlv
you have interested me, Mr.. Houghton.
'Only one other" l replied, ssand that
occurred at Gillingham Towers, where
lived for five years as private tutor to Sir
George Gillingham's sons. He had been
telling me one evening curious story of a
tragedy that occurred in his family mora
than century ago, and had pointed out To
me the portraits hanging in the great draw
ing-room OF the three principal actors. Some
papers Of the utmost Importance were ah-
stracted in the confusion at the time. and
Sir George said that his inability to produce
them il ever called upon to do so might he
most disastrous. The danger, of course de-
creased as the years rolled by, but the
sword still hung over the house of Gillinr.
ham, though the hair by which it was orisi-
nally suspended might have thickened to a
cord.
''That night great storm of wind and
rain broke over the Towers; my window
was burst open. my light extinguished, and
the matches always kept to my hand were
wet and useless. For the second time in INV
life the luminous haze rolled out before me.
and through it there appeared very small
room with one narrow window, the lower
sash OF which was thrown up-a lumber
room apparently, with one bare table in the
center, few broken chairs piled up in the
corners. some dirty-looking prints in black
frames on the walls, and great glass case
full Of stuffed birds, some tumbling and
some tuubled from their perches, and al