The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-07-16
I listened with a horror l can scarcely

describe
Haywood had awakened and joined me.
| He, too, had heard the awful story OF TINS
demon who had compassed the destruction
of her sister and was now, alasl exercising
| the same fatal power over Haywood him
self.
Surely. now you know the truth about
Annette, you win leave this accused place
at once" said 1 eagerly.
To my unutterable horror he replied:
"Pray to God to help me. can do moth
ing. l am at the mercy of that fiend as
completely as ever Marie Lafarge was.
What she wills I must do"
felt desperate Reasoning would avail
| nothing, | knew, against that fearful In
huence-
StayI A medical friend of mine, who
was a great student of hypnotism, had
often told me he thought possessed hyp-
motto power in no common degree. l had
never cared to test the matter hitherto.
Now determined to try my utmost to save
my friend.
He gazed at me almost like one dis
traught. There seemed to be terrible
struggle going on in his mind. Evidently
my power affected him.
For a moment | thought / had trt-
umphed. The next moment he said in q
low, broken voice, as of one in despair:
mo, no; l cannot. 1 must stay. She
wills it."
For moment was utterly aghast. Then
q new idea occurred to me.
must try to gain the mastery over An
nette. But what if failed and fell under
the influence of that baleful power.
shuddered to think of it. To be at the
mercy of a demon, not only physically,
but morally; TO be bound to her hateful
bidding even though she counseled me to
crime. But, come what might, l deter
mined to risk all
Nine Lafarge had by this time gone
back to her room.
hurried down to the chamber of An
nette and knocked at her door. She opened
it.
"Fiend that you are, have found out
your secret" said / fiercely, and looking
boldly into those fearful eyes, which SEEM
ed stranger than ever in the light of the
moon.
Twill that Haywood shall leave this
place at once. viii it. l command you"
Heaven only knows what l suffered dur
ing the silent, terrible battle of will that
followed.
For full four minutes Annette stood fac
ing me, unshrinking as a fend, her eyes
fixed fearlessly on mine, and every nerve
braced to meet and master my will.
If failed I knew that 1 and my friend
were utterly lost. 1t would be better to
lie dead among the mountains with poor
Marie Lafarge than to fall into the power
of this creature alive
l strove with all my might against the
terrible impulse to yield, which came to
me again and again.
At length began to be conscious of my
own strength. l felt that her will was
giving way. Finally she yielded. Her
eyes fell. Her head bent on her breast.
She fell back into her room utterly pros
trated.
l went triumphantly to Haywood.
He was lying Oh the bed insensibie.
1 succeeded in recalling him to conscious
ness, but to my horror l found that his
mind was wandering.
My victory had been gained, but at what
costi Perhaps at the loss of my friends
reason.
1 saw that, though had conquered An
nette, and forced her to do my bidding for
the moment, she still retained the mastery
over Haywood, whereas l, all powerful
with her, had no inhence with him.
l made all arrangements for starting on
our journey next day, for Haywood allowed
me to do as pleased in that respect.
Then lay down to rest until dawn, and
to consider what l should do in regard to
Annette.
L could not accuse her of any legal crime,
and yet felt that it would be a sin against
humanity to leave this demon at large.
At length 1 hit upon plan which seemed
right to me. Heaven forgive me if have
in this or other matters abused the awful
power intrusted in me.
went back TO Annette and forced her to
give me an account of the death of Marie
Lafarge. She told precisely what l had
anticipated.
l then said to her, Tomorrow you will
go before the burgomaster of A, the
nearest town, and confess that you pushed
Marie Lafarge over the edge of the pass,
and you will persist in this declaration,
even though your mother should contra
dict it,
Haywood, though still dazed and stupe-
fed, was able to start next morning, and
we were soon at home again, but although
he had recovered his reason, both he and l
knew that he was not his own master.
A few weeks after our return to Eng
land read in Swiss paper an account of
the trial of one Annette Lafarge, who was
charged on her own confession with the
murder of her half sister by pushing her
over precipiCe. The girls mother, IL was
added, swore that she was present, having
followed her daughter because, as she adj
mitted, Annette and her sister had quar-
relied, but she declared that Marie's death
was purely accidental.
Annette, however, persisted in her origi-
nal statement, and was ultimately found
guilty and condemned to Imprisonment
for life. The unhappy mother, it was add
ed, became frantic fer time after hearing
the verdict, but subsequently recovered.
Matters went on as usual, so far as Ray
wood was concerned, and had begun TO
despair of any improvement in his condi-
ton when one morning, to my great joy,
he came down looking more like his former
self than | had ever seen him since our
fatal journey.
81 do not know what has happened, but
feel as though a load had been lifted from
my mind this morning" he said.
l scarcely dared to hope that this change
would be lasting, but il was SO, and pres
emily he resumed his professional work