The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-09-24

bably q projecting chair. For the mo-
ment the blow seemed TO blind me, but
as we had rolled over into the gap OF
light from the window had caught sight
of his face, turned up as it was toward
mine, and / saw-whose face, think You?
Why, no other than my own-yes, my
very own, as well knew it in the look
ing glass.
That one instant of amazement and
CONSERVATION in which as by fash
made this recognition was followed by a
total oblivion of all surroundings. The
face and figure seemed to fade away be-
meath me and to vanish with my con-
seriousness.
How long I lay PROSTATE, face down.
ward, on the floor, know not; but in
that position found myself when my
bewildered senses slowly returned. For
awhile, of course, l could remember
nothing-how came there or what had
brought me to such a pass. Only very
slowly did the circumstances recall
themselves. What on earth did they
mean? Ny forehead was Enthusiastically
cut and still bleeding: indeed, there is a
patch of CONCEALED blood on the carpet
plainly visible in the broad flood of early
sunlight now streaming beneath the half
raised blind. Had l been dreaming?
More than likely / had had fit; any
how, was so utterly bewildered that it
was some time before my thoughts be-
came coherent. Then, alarmed and fully
conscious for the first time in my life
that l must be seriously i'll or laboring
under some mysterious mental aberra-
ton, l rose from the floor and sat down
in an adjacent chair.
AS my eyes wandered vacantly around
they fell upon the circular top of the old
escritoire. 1t was partially open. Some
one had been at it, then; that was clear!
That was no dream, no fancy-scarcely
due to a fit, one would think-at least
not of the sort had tremblingly thought
of. Yes, and there was the missing key
in the lock. When these facts had fully
broken in upon my cobwebbed brain
they led to but one idea Acting on it,
pushed the lid full open and with the
rapidity of thought pulled out one draw
er after another, and there in most of
them were deposited lot of the articles
and objects had so long missed-there,
in this neglected, useless piece of furni-
turei turned them all out in confu-
sion worse COMPOUNDED than my thoughts.
But there they were-almost every one
cigar case, silver match box, trinkets,
locket and pocketpook containing the
Scotch bank notes.
Then how on earth had they come to
be in this place? A thief would hardly
have stolen them to conceal them thus in
my own apartments, unless-unless-
and then, very reluctantly, slowly, and
at first but vaguely, did l arrive at the
conclusion-unless the thief was myself
Verify this was an alarming suppose
ton and confirmed my worst dread. l
must be suffering under some frightful,
inexplicable brain disease, for that had
done this thing was wholly and totally
unconscious.
For days and days, however, took no
action. hesitated to breathe word of
the extraordinary affair to a soul. Who
would believe it? Everybody would say
| had gone out of my mind-I thought
so myself. l doubted if any doctor
would accept as veracious this wild ac-
count of my dread awakening to the
truth. Yet, as knew it to be the truth,
| set this record of it down while it was
| all fresh in my memory, and eventually,
being unable any longer to bear the hor-
IL iya hia1,
the strange experience had left me, put
it before medical friend.
To my unspeakable establishment he
believed every word of it. Then, after
answering his endless searching ques-
tions, and when he had listened to such
verbal additions to the narrative as l
could give him, he did not doubt one
single point.
"Yes," he said, "among other COM
plications you probably have been walk
ing in your sleep, and yourself secreting
the various articles from time to time.
The key, to wit, of the escritoire, which
you imagine to have been the object
taken from behind the looking glass by
the figure you fancy you saw, had been
placed there by your own hand. Your
brain retained some dim perception Of
your having done so, and the disordered
condition of your nervous system &C.
counts for that perception assuming the
shape Of a figure resembling yourself;
and in state of partial Inconsistencies
you dashed upon your imaginary bur
glar-your own ghost, in fact-fell and
fully restored your senses to their equi-
ibrium by that rap on your head. How
ever, it is enough for you if tell you
that your nervous system is wholly
broken down, and that if you don't take
long holiday, go into the country and
for the next two or three months lead a
perfectly regular, quiet life, won't
answer for the consequences. No, l
shall give you but little medicine; fresh
air, quiet and regularity are the only
drugs you stand in need Of"
His advice was followed to the letter,
for | was thoroughly frightened. Thirty
years have passed; have been long mar
ried, and | have never missed single
piece of property, large or small, since
that extraordinary August night.-All
the Year Round.