Wichita eagle., 1889-11-10
THE HOUSE IN THE MIRROR

was falling In thick, fast coming flakes, max
ing 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 nlurmuring in deep, hol-
low tones in the chimneys. 1t was night
for warm, cosy, substantial indoor comfort,
and such resolved to make it.
At the period of which am writing was
still young man, and was practicing sue
cessfully as 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. l was I'M
married, and was living with an old house
keeper and one servant girl, who helped her
in turns, now 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.
Ny thoughts went wandering to and fro
lazlly, now resting upon some of the most in
teresting cases among my patients, now fut-
tering around a 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 the stable To visit my
bay horSe-a new purchase, which | fattered
myself did no small honor to my Judgment in
horse flesh. Gradually, however, all these
subjects Of pleasant reflection slipped into
mass, and not confusedly mixed together.
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
baby's face, had the face of my neighbor
and patient, Mr.. Spicer, the grocer, and
soon after that l was sunk into a peaceful
slumber, where no dream even came to dis
turb me.
How long slept 1 do not exactly know,
but recollect I woke with start, reused
by the clock on the chimney piece, which
had peculiar ringing, clear sound, strik-
ing 8. sat upward with a jerk and looked
around with that vaguely uncomfortable
feeling which often follows sudden waking
Ny glance happened to wander up to the
mirror which was over the chimney piece.
Why was it that, as l gazed at it, uttered q
low exclamation, and then shut my eyes,
thinking that sleep must still be retaining its
power over me, and that | must be dreaming
a strange, fantastic dream!
But no, certainly was not dreaming, for
there it was just as it had been before. Fix
my eyes as steadily as / might upon the mir
ror, with all my wakeful eaergies concen-
trated upon it III eagerness IL was still there.
looked away, and fastened my look for a
minute or more upon my mothers picture
which hung over the sdeboard Then my
eyes were allowed to return to the glass; but
this maneuver was useless also-it would not
go, do what l 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 it. In the middle OF the glass,
which in It's other parts reflected simply and
naturally the commonplace objects in the
ROOM chairs and tables and window curtain,
there appeared small but vividly distinct
picture of house and garden. 1t was very
pretty house, It's front covered on one side
with a green creeper, which was spangled
with starry white blossoms, and on the other
with a fresco such as had heard described
as existing on the walls OF houses of Italy,
where l had never been-a fresco represent
ing an old woman sitting with basket of
oranges at her feet.
There were four windows, two upstairs 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 a broad gravel walk, with soft
fresh turf, gemrned with flower beds on
either side of it. The Enclosure was fenced
round with a rather high wooden paling and
in one corner Of it there stood q summer
house with quantity shaped roof, that had
something of a pagoda about it. Over the
whole there was spread a soft, silvery light
as though a bright, full moon was shining
down upon it. A yellow CLEAN, as of a lamp
burning within, stole through the open win
dows and mingled with the white rays with
out
I laid my fingers on my pulse. Was going
fast into raging feverl Ny pulses were ss
steady as they were when rose that morn
ing after nights sound sleep. l tested my
brain by going through, In my mind, all the
symptoms and features in difficult and per-
picking case which had been lately under my
care; my mind acted as coolly and calmly and
regularly es IT had ever done
II repeated to myself several passages Of
poetry from different authors in different
languages; they came as quickly and easily
to nay tongue as if had been reading from
printed book. / gazsd around aud fixed
my eyes On various objects in the room 10 see
whs<h@ 1 should BE- subjected to other
optical illusions, but In other points my eyes
were as 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 / hooked
back at the mirror The house was still
thers-
Had I been reading lately description Of
such a house or had lately seeu anywhere
picture ike i'll Either Of these things Nigh,
possibly have left vivid impression upon
nv mind which might hare sccouused for the
strange dsiuSioa- ! Was not, however, able
70 recollec., search my asnory as would,
that bocx or painting had brought such a
house and garden before my thoughts. / was
naturally neither excitab!e nor imaginative:
indeed. was generally regarded BY every
one who knew me, and myself into the bar
gain, as one Of the most prosaic, rationE
beings Ii the world
Nv faurJ had never before PLAYED me the
smallest trick, even Is / rode hone worn on.
with watching by a SICK bed. en- ths darkes.
night; even IN tee nany painful scenes full
Of Death And through which ny professional
life bad led ne Ia It's dlssectszy room. in
tie severes< operation E1v band lad Always
been a. steady a. d / v.r. psssizz an orange
All this made the pr-ssr.s inosnsyreacrx1bls
yis:ou- vss s7o-s utterly inexu.5cnbLe. BE-
rides, even while gazed a. II. knew that