Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1891-06-26
THE MIDNIGHT HOUR.

/ In the heart of western Pennsy
q vania's beautiful and fertile valleys lie
G the picturesque town of M. TIL
e unsightly chimney stacks of noisy in
] dustry have not yet marred its pictul
sequences, and business with few ez
! ceptions, is sufficient to maintain
( quiet commercial equilibrium whicl
the fever of enterprise has never dis
? turbed The principal impetus to trad
is given by the sojourn of three or fou
hundred students at the collegiate in
stitution located on an eminence over
looking the town.
AT this place spent four years, pre-
pairing for subsequent collapse in the
practical world. There were other en-
thusasts whose ardor felt the temper
ing process during the latter part of the
course, and who, after the spasm of
commencement, have continued to.
Among these found a companion to
my fancy who, in the main, was my
complete antithesis. And this will prob
ably account for the warm friendship
which attached u.s. undisturbed save by
a few minor differences which the
slightest advance from either would
reconcile.
Stanley Writ was quiet looking fell
low. possessing an honest face and a
corresponding reputation. This good
name, judged, was principally due to
passvity, and | shortly discovered
his disposition to be sensitive and re-
tiring enforcing a certain amount
of avoidance of ordinary companion
ship He thus Illustrated the principle
that man may not be i'll judged who
has not committed himself To me,
however, his daily companion, he re-
vealed a nature rich in endowments, re-
quiring only the harsh surveillance Of
discipline to render them effective But
as considered his sensitiveness, his re-
luctance to express, even to his init
mates, his peculiar views of humanity,
felt certain he would never submi t
even the hardest of these mental off
spring to the rigid scrutiny of the COM
mercial minded publisher.
He unraveled with the greatest ease
the intricate tangles of idiomatic wretch
edness and involved Latin and Greek.
And | must acknowledge that l fre-
quently made use of his superior pene-
tration to prepare my labored transla-
tion for the disturbing supervision of
the class Argus, 1t was not difficult to
notice the chief tendency of his mind,
for an examination of that portion of
his library which claimed his unwearied
revealed love for that weird,
legendary lore usually so
disastrous to practical mindedness
never DeneIu In the limited
space such a collection of tales and
traditions of this kind, embodying the
of nearly every civilized
nation
BY the usual perversity of fate this
etiring, modest fellow was gifted with
| voice melodious and pleasing enough
o have cajoled the affections of the
most obdurate maid The only use he E
lade of it, however, was to read at |
light, some of these Elusive romances }
1hich although | sometimes wearied ;
I them, enjoyed on account of the !
1ay they were rendered Often, in
his manner, we became so deeply alb +
Orbed III these unnatural themes that -,
felt sense of relief to know that the
ourney to bed was but a few short
teps across a lighted apartment, and =
ot up flights of shadow haunted stair :
ases,
During the latter part of the course
he citizens of M were very much
disturbed by series of skillfully ex- =
cuted burglaries. Houses were riaed +
With surprising frequency, considering a
he amount of attention attracted in
his direction, and the evidence of a q
ertain amount of guiding intelligence n
'as the most disturbing aspect of the n
ase as the plundeT secured by these n
lidnight depredators was usually most I,
rotitable. Not the slightest indica- I,
on as yet had suggested a clew that II
light lead to the solving of the mys- q
ery.
One evening, in order to escape the G
ubbub in the dormitory, Stanley and O
left the college hall and strolled slow d
: down the street. On the way con-
ersation fell on the late burglaries, and 81
'om that, by an unaccountGble leap, il
animal magnetism, which was at Ii
lat time exciting considerable interest a
nd comment. A peculiarly gifted ex O
onent of the principle was then in S
)wn, and several of the students had n
ermitted themselves TO be subjected to 81
ne influence Knowing Stanley's re- Il
ring disposition and the ready belief l.
Q accorded to all demonstrations OF "
mis- nature. asked; n
why not go and see Professor Il
'-S Perhaps he may be able to Q
lould your will to his designs" Ii
He began II believe you will ac- b
remembering past expe- n
ience, that l am disturbed by pecul- |,
Ar distrust of myself in the presence Of 8
my strong influence or emotion. / v
ave also discovered that the struggle @
o avoid their effects is not only ex- q
lausting, but depressing. and shsuld