Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1889-11-18
THE HOUSE IN THE MIRROR

was falling in thick, fast coming fakes max
Ing a white curtain that was perpetually be
ing let down between heaven and earth. The
storm was carrying on wild sport around the
house, shaking the windows, beating against
the thick walls and murLuring in deep. hol-
low tones in the chimneys. Il was a night
for warm. cosy, substantial indoor comfort,
and such resolved to make IL.
At the period OF which | am writing was
still young man, and was practicing sue
cessfully doctor In a town in the west Of
England-a tolerably large, busy country
town which lies very near the borders OF both
Devonshire and Somersetshire. | was I'M
married, and was living with an old house
keeper and one servant girl, who helped her
In turns, nov above stairs, now below, with
complacent submission, because the semi
blindness and deafness Of the good lady made
Interviews with her true swain, the butchers
boy, In the scullery, not only practicable but
easy. On the evening IN question had come
In what we medical men call ''healthy tired
after hard days work in my professional
duties, and | was now sitting costly by the
blazing fire in my dining room, with glass
Of good claret ON the little round table at my
side
My thoughts went wandering 70 aud fro
lazily, now resting upon some of the most in
teresting cases among my patients, now hut-
tering around pretty picture OF my only
sister and her first baby, which her letter, re-
ceived this morning from India, had called
up; now straying into tho stable TO visit my
bay horSe-a new purchase, which lattered
myself did no small honor to my Judgment in
borse flesh. Gradually, however, all these
subjects OF pleasant reflection slipped into a
I
found myself gazing, without feeling the
least surprised, at an odd vision, which
showed me my sister mounted ON my pet bay
with the baby in her arms, who, instead OF u
baby's face, had the face of my neighbor
and patient, Mr.. Spicer, the grocer and
soon after that was sunk into peaceful
slumber, where no dream even came 10 dis
turb me
How long | slept l do not exactly know,
but i recollect | woke with a start reused
by the clock ON the chimney piece, which
had a peculiar ringing, clear sound, strik-
ing B. | sat upward with a Jerk and looked
around with that vaguely uncomfortable
feeling which often follows sudden waking
Ny glance happened 70 wander up to the
mirror which was over the chimney piece
Why was it that, as gazed at it, l uttered a
low exclamation, and then shut my ewes,
thinking that sleep mussstill be retaining its
power over me, and that must be dreaming
a strange, fantastic dreaIni
But no, certainly was not dreaming, for
there it was just it had been before. Fix
my eyes as steadily as | might upon the mir
ror, with all my wakeful energies concen-
trated upon it in eagerness, it was still there.
looked away, and fastened my look for
minute or more upon my mothers picture
which hung over the sideboard. Then my
eyes were allowed 10 return to the glass; but
this narrower was useless also-it would not
60, do what would
What | saw was certainly no alarming
vision, though its appearance there In the
mirror, over my dining room chimney piece,
was remarkable and startling enough, to say
the least of 1t. In the middle OF tho glass,
which in its other parts reelected simply and
naturally tue commonplace objects in the
room, chairs and tables and window curtain,
there appeared a small but wildly distinct
picture Of house and garden II was very
pretty house, its front covered on one sido
with green crecper, which was spangled
with starry white blossoms, and on the other
with frescO such Us had heard described
as existing on the walls OF houses Of Italy,
where had never becn--a freSco represent
ing an old woman sitting with basket OF
oranges at her feet.
There were four windows, two uustairs and
two down, exactly over each other. they
were all half shaded with green blinds, and /
could see that the top one, on the right hand
side, was slightly open Up the garden
there ran Il broad gravel walk, with soft
fresh TURF gemmed with flower beds ON
either side Of II. The Enclosure was fenced
round with rather high wooden paling, and
in one corner Of it there stood a summer
house with quantity shaped roof, that had
something of PagOda about IL. Over the
whole there was spread u soft sllyery light,
as though bright, full moon was shining
down upon 1t. A yellow CLEAN, as OF a lamp
burning within, stole through the open win
dows and mingled with the white rays with
out
laid my fingers on my pulse Was going
fast into a raging feverf Ny pulses were as
steady as they were when / ross that morn
ing after nights sound sleep. l tested my
brain by going through, in my mind, all tho
symptoms and features in q difficult and per-
picking case which had been lately under my
care my mind acted as COOL y and calmly and
regularly a 1t mad ever done
Il repeated TO myself several passages Of
poetry from different authors in different
languages; they came as quickly and easily
70 my tongue as If l had been reading from
u printed book. / gazed around and fixed
my eyes on various objects in the room TO see
whether / should be subjected TO other
optical illusions but in other points my eyes
were rs reasonable as they usually were;
they showed me nothing but the familiar
chair and table, and the well known pattern
OF the paper on the wall Then l looked
back ut the mirror. The house was still
there.
Had been reading lately description Of
such a house or had lately seen any where q
picture like it, Either of these things might
possibly have left a vivid impression upon
my mind which might have accounted for the
strange delusion. ] was not, however able
to recollect, search my memory as ! would
that book or painting had brought such a
house and garden before my thoughts l was
naturally neither excitable nor imaginative;
indeed, l was generally regarded by every
one who knew me, and myself into the bar
gain, as one of the most prosaic, rational
beings in the world
My fnncy had never before played me the
smallest trick, even as rode home, worn out
with watching by a sick bed, on the darkest
night; even in the many painful scenes full
Of death and through which my professional
life had led me. In the dissecting room, in
the seNtrcSt OtcIdllOIl, MY manu- uhu uWhls
been steady as If l were peeling an orange.
AL this made the present incomprehensible
vision yet more utterly inexplicable. Be
sides, even while gazed at It, / knew that ]
had never felt more calm and collected and
more in an ordinary condition Of body and
mind throughout my very commonplace,
very busy history.
Would another pair Of eyes see the house
in the mirrorf i wondered With a hurried
hand ] rang the bell to test this point, and
summoned my housekeeper, who generally
herself waited on me. This good ladys name
was Mrs. Trickey. II is a common Devon
shire name, let it be at once understood by
those who are not aware of the fact, and is
In no way meant to hint at any unpleasant
proclivities or unwarranted whims on the
worthy danes part; she was as honest and
simple minded a woman as ever handled
bunch of keys
Mrs. Trickey, have rung for you to ask
you TO do very simple thing" | said, hest
tatingly, now that she was present, scarcely
knowing how to begin, for / felt, il l spoke
nil mi 81