The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1890-10-03
CalriStOlS Gift.
FAR T.
sY HUGH CONWAY.

OuA4U lUA " O4lls
"a. sys HUGH CONWAY,
PART 1.
TOLD BY PHILIP BRAND, N. D., LONDON.
Upon returning to his senses he told me,
with great excitement, that he had again seen
Madeline; moreover, this time he had seen n
man with her-a man who had placed his
hand upon her wrist and kept it there; and
80, according to Carriston's wild reasoning,
became, on account of the contact, visible TO
him.
He told me he had watched them for some
moments, until the man, tightening his grip
on the girls arm, endeavored, he thought, to
lead her or induce her to follow him some
where. At this tuncture, unaware that he
was gazing at a vision, he had rushed to her
assistance in the frantic way I have describ-
ed-then; he awOke.
He also told me he had studied the mans
features and general appearance most care
these ridiculous. statements were made as he
made the former ones, with the air of one re-
iating simple, undeniable facts-one speak
ing plain, u~nvarnished truth, and expecting
fuil credence to be given to his words.
1t was too absurd! too sadl 1t was evident
70 me that the barrier between his hallucina-
tons, dreams, visions, or what he chose to
cal. them. and pure insanity, was now a very
slight and fragile one, But before l gave his
other strong appeal to his common sense. /
told him of his cousins visit to me-of his i'll
tentions and proposition. begged him to
consider whatconscquences his extraordinary
beliefs and extrayagent actions must eventn-
calmly. -
"You see now, y he said, show right l was
in attribrting all this to Ralph Carlson
how right ! was to come to You, a doctor of
standing, who can vouch for my sanity"
"Vouch for your sanityl How can 1 when
you sit here and talk such arrant nonsense
and expect me to believe it? When you
Jump tom your chair and rush madly ut
some visionary foe9 Sane as ,yon may be in
aieise, any evidence ! could give in your
4 an inkling of these things got about. Come,
CarTlston, be reasonable, and prove YOUR
sanity by setting about this search for Miss
Rowan in q proper way"
down the room apparently In deep thought.
My words seemed to have had no effect upon
him. Presently he seated himself; and as if
TO avoid returning to the argument, drew a
read. He opened the volume at random, but
after reading q few lines seemed struck BY
something that met his eyes, and in a few
minutes was deeply immersed In the contents
of the book, i glanced at It to see what had
x. awakened his interest. BY a curious IA
tality no had chosen a book the very worst
for him in his present frame of mind-Gil-
Ehitst's recently. published life of William
Blake, that mastery memoir of a man who
va on certain points as mad as GARRISON
himself. l was about to demonstrate, when
he laid down the volume and turned to me.
believer IN Blakc's visions.n
Marley was a bigger fool than Blake" /
watching his. clever but mad friend draw
spectral heads, and believing them to be
genuisie portraits of dead kings whose forms
condescended to appear to Blakep
A sudden thought seemed to strike CARTS.
ton @Wi IL you give me some paper. and
with these materials he seated himself at the
table and began to draw. At least a dozen
times he sketched, with his usual mpidity,
some object or. another, and a dozen times,
after q moments consideration, threw each
md began a fresh one. At last one of his at
tempts seemed to come up to his require
Ments. II have it now, exactlyY he cried
with .joy-eyen triumph-in his voice. He
spent some time in putting finishing touches
Madeline" he said. when I find him I
shall find her. He spoke with all sincerity
and conviction. l looked at the paper with,
] am boundt to say, a great amount of curiosi-
No matter from what visionary source Car
riston had drawn his inspiration, his sketch
was vigorous and natural enough. l have
already mentioned his wonderful power Of
Ing to grant that he might have reproduced
the outlines OF some face which had some
where struck him. Yet why shouldit have
been thiso one? His drawing represented the
man-apparently between forty and fifty
years Of age. II was a coarse-featured. i'll
favored face, with a ragged ruff of hair round
the chin, 1t was not the face of a gentle.
man, nor even the face Of a gentily-nurtured
man; and the artist, bya few cunning strokes,
had made 1t wear a crafty and sul1en look.
The sketch, as l write this, lies before me, SO
That am not speaking from memory.
Now, there are some portraits of Which,
what splendid lifene sss o these must Ms 5e.ss
ltwas SO with Carriston's sketch. Looking
at it yon felt sure it was exactly like the man
whom it was intended to represent. So that,
with the certain amount OF art knowledge
which l am at least supposed to possess, i!
was hard for me, after examining the draw
Ing and recognizing the true artists touch in
every line, TO bring myself to accept the fact
That it was but the outcome OF a diseased i'm
at THAT drawing, l scarcely blame myself for
the question that family frames itself in my
tnnefmost heart. Gould it be possible
could there be in certain organizations ow.
ers not yet known-not yet properly invest.
Ny thought, surprising such a thought was
ever there-waS not discouraged bv CARTS.
ton, who, speaking as II his faith in the bodi-
~ existence of the man whose portrait lay in
myhand was unassailahle, said.
u noticed that his general appearance was
that Of a c~ountryman-an English peasant:
80 In the country ] shall find my love. More.
over, it will be easy to identify the man, as
the top joint Is missing from the middle fin
rs Oar Mt hiS r1trhf hand Az ~ 80 -, lTn.laJSu-y
arm 1 noticed that"
Iargued with him no more. I felt that
words would be but wasted.
TX.
A day. or two after / had witnessed what ]
favored with a visit from the man whose ser.
vices we had secured to trace Madeline,
Since he had received his instructions Nc
had heard nothing of his proceedings until he
now called TO report progress IN pelson. Car
I1stOn had not expressed the slightest curiosi
ty rs to where the man was or what he was
about. Probably he looked upon the employ.
ment OF this private detective as nothing
more useful than a salye to my conscience,
s asl eo Msas winch Sf Is G prGfe e 81 f e. bold th Sf ssa
tnS ner in his visions was, lfelt certain, be
coming a rooted belief of his. Whenever j
oppressed my surprise that our agent had
brought ,h Or r. sent no information, Carristpl
NeHSo no GAOuiNCios uNt dSSUlCu HIS Uld'
from the first he knew the mans researrhe
would be f~ruitless. However, the fellow haG
called at last, and, Ihoped, had brought u.
good news.
He was q g%llb-tongued man. who smoke n
. confident, matter-of-fact way. When ht
saw US he rubbed his hands as one who hns
brought affairs to a successful issue, and nov
meant to reap praise and other rewards. Iii.
whole bearing told me he had made an i'm
portant discovery; SO !! begged himto be seat
ed, and give US his news.
GARRISON gave him careless glance, ant
stood at some little distance from lis, I'll,
looked as If he thought the impending com
munication scarcely worth the trouble Of list
eniHg to. He might indeed, from his looks
have been the most disinterested person o.
the throe. He even left me to do the ques
6oning.
Nov. then, Mr.. shsrpe,"l said, .let u,
hear II you have earned your money!
y! think SO, SIR replied Sharpe, lookiu.
curi0usly at Carriston, who. strange to SAY
heard this answer with supreme indifference
II think ! may say / have, sir" continued
the d~etective-'that is, If the gentleman ear
Identify these articles as being the youne
lady's property"
Thereupon he produced from a thick lette,
coSN n filhOn in which CaS ct,,nly a c;l,,n,, "a,