The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1890-09-26

day no 0syium would dare to keep Mr.. Car
riston within its walls"
An unpleasant sinister look crossed my list
ener's face, but his voice still remained bland
and suave. 81 am sorry to differ from you,
DR.. Brand" he said, "but / know him better
than you do. i have seen him as You have
never yet seen him. Only last night he came
to me in a frantic state. / expected every
moment he would make o murtlerohs attack
on me-"
Perhaps he fancied he had some reasons
for anger" l said.
Ralph Carriston looked at me with those
cold eyes of which his cousin had spoken.
III the boy has succeeded in converting you
to any of his decisions l can only say that
doctors are more credulous than l fancied.
But the question is not worth arguing. You
decline to assist me, so / must do without
you. Good-morning, Dr.. Brand"
He left the room as gracefully as he had
entered 1t. / remained in a state of doubt.
1t was curious that Ralph Carriston turned
out to be the man whom l had met in the
train but the evidence offered by the coinci-
dence was not enough to convict him of the
crime of endeavoring to drive his cousin mad
by such a far-fetched stratagem as the inveig-
ling away of Madeline Rowan. Besides,
even in wishing to prove Charles Carristoh
mad, he had much to say o n his side. Sup
posing him to be innocent of having abducted
Madeline, Carriston's violent behavior on the
preceding evening must have seemed very
much like insanity. In spite of the aversion
with which Ralph Carriston inspired me, l
scarcely knew which side TO believe.
GARRISON still slept; SO when out on nv
afternoon rounds l left a note, begging him
to remain in the house until my return.
Then l found him up, dressed, and looking
much more like himself. When l entered
dinner was on the table, so not until that
meal was over could we talk mrestrainedly
upon the subject which was uppermost in
both our minds.
AS soon as we were alone l turned toward
my guest. And now" / said, 1--WE must
settle what to do. There seems to me to be
but one course open. You have plenty of
money, so your best plan is to engage skilled
spirited away like this without leaving a
trace"
To my surprise Carriston fatty objected to
this course. mo" he said, 81 shall not 20
to the police, The man who took her away
AsNo IN AtSi INV Llo i'll All lllu HVI
| mustt find her myself"
Find her yourself! Why, it may be
neutrality-suspicious. you do that! Good
heavens, Carriston! She may be murdered,
or worse"
" shall know if any further evil happens
to her-then 1 shall kill Ralph Carriston.''
But you tell me you have no clew what
ever to trace her by. DO talk plainly. Tell
me all or nothing"
Carrlston smiled, very family. mo clew
that you, at any rate, will believe in," he
said. but l know this much, she is a pris-
oher somewhere. She is unhappy; but not,
as yet, illtreated. Heavens! Do you think
If / did not know this / should keep nv
senses for an hour?:"
"How can you possibly know it?"
by that %gift-that extra sense or what
ever it ts-which you deride. / knew it would
come to ne some day, but / little thought
how l should welcome it. l know that in
some way ! shall find her by it. l tell YOU 1
have already seen her three times. | may
see her again at any moment when the
strange fit comes over me-"
All this fantastic nonsense was spoken SO
simply and with such an air of conviction
that once more my suspicious as to the state
of his mind were aroused. In snite of the
brave answers which / had given Mr.. Ralph
CarristOn, l felt that common sense was UNI
deniably on his side.
Tel me what you mean by your strange
nit" said, resolved to find out the nature OF
Carriston's fancies or hallucinations. SIS ii
n kind of trance you fall intoT.'
He seemed loath to give any information
on the subject, but l pressed him for an an
swer.
yes he said at last. ut must be a kind
of trance. An Undesirable feeling comes
over me. know that my eyes are fixed on
some object-presently that object vanishes,
and l see Madeline"
How do you see her?' ri
She seems to stand in a blurred circle of
light as cast by a magic lantern. That is the
only way that l can describe it. But her fig
ure is plain and clear-she might be close to
me. The carpet on which she stands / can
see, the chair Of which she sits, the table OH
which she leans her hand, anything she
touches l can see; but no more. 1 have seer
her talking. IKnew She was entreating some
one, but that some one was invisible. Yet,
If she touched that person, the virtue of her
touch would enable Inc to see him."
So far as | could see, Carriston's case an
peared to be one of over-wrought, or unduly.
oeiIioiatSA iuldSiudlluH. Ills, L Uau always
considered to be a mind of the most peculia,
construction. In his present state of love,
grief, and suspense these haliucinations
might come in the same way in which dreams
come. For a little while l sat in silence. con.
sidering how l could best combat and dispel
his remarkable delusions. Before i had ar
rived at any decision l was called away Ia
see a patient. ] was but IA short time engag-
ed. Then I returned to Carriston, intending
to continue my inquiries.
Upon re-entering the room l found him
sitting, as / had left him-directly opposite
to the door. His face was turned fully to.
ward me, and / trembled as | caught sight OF
1t. He was leaning forward; his hands on
the tahle-cloth, his whole frame rigid. his
eyes staring in one direction, yet, I knew,
capable of seeing nothing that l could see.
He seemed even oblivious to sound, for | en-.
tered the room and closed the door behind
me without causing him to change look OF
position. The moment I saw the man /
knew that he had been Oyertaken by what he
called the strange fit.
My first impulse-a natural one--was to
arouse him, but second thoughts told me that
this was an opportunity for studying his dis
ease which should not be LOST felt that /
could call it by no other name thar disease
50 l proceeded to make a systematic exam.
ination of his symptoms.
l leaned across the table and, with my face
about a foot from his, looked straight into
his eyes. They betrayed no sign of %recogni-
tion-no knowledge of my presence. AR
ashamed to say could not divest myself of
the impression that theywere looking through
me. The pupils were greatly dilatet. The
ads were wide apart. / lighted a taper and
held it before them, but could see no expan
son OF the iris. 1t was a case, l confess, Ell.
tlrely beyond my comprehension. I had nc
experience which might serve as a guide as
to what was the best course to adopt. All ]
could do was to stand and watch carefully
for any. change.
Save for his regular breathing and a sort OF
convulslve twitching of his fingers, Carriston
might have been a corpse or a statue. His
face could scarcely grow paler than it had
been before the attack. Altogether, it was
an uncomfortable sight; a creepy sight-this
motionless man, utterly regardless of all tina,
went on around him, and seeing, or giving
one the idea that he saw, something far away,
sighed as l looked at the strange spectacle,
and foresaw what the end must surely be,
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