The Wichita daily eagle., 1891-10-20
SUGGESTION.

way.
"You followed up the clew I gave you?'
persisted the lawyer.
"Yes."
"And you think"-
81 shall examine him again today" re.
piled the doctor "I have seen several ex.
perts in the new science, and they all agree
that poor Julian is an impressionable sub.
ject, a ready made victim to any one who
might have wished this deed done by
proxy; but the motiveS Probably some
lovers quarrel some revenge; they say the
girl was pretty and coquettish. There
is something battling about the affair.""
added the doctor with slight relaxation
of his professional caution. while have
never had too much confidence in this idea
of suggestion am not prepared to say
there is nothing in it"
"Let me go with you today, doctor.
will slip in without speaking, listen to the
story he relates, and one of US may chance
on some word or idea to give US the indica-
ton we seek &"
So it was agreed.
"How do you feel today?" asked the doc
tor kindly, as they entered the prisoners
cell.
The man was lying on his hard bed, star,
ing in front of him, with hollow, vacant
eyes.
"My thoughts" he replied ''futter about
aimlessly; sad, oh, sad, as long snow COW
cred plains under the light of the moon.
have worn myself out with walking to and
fro Ny limbs ache as if had been beaten.
/ feel very cold, but the palms of my hands
~ I,,1
pain at the base of my brain"
The physician nodded gravely and said
few soothing words, then requested the pa
tient to relate all he could remember about
the crime.
but, DOCTOR" objected Julian, 81 have
already told you twenty times or more. 1t
will be monotonous to go over all that
again, though, to be sure, there is nothing
better to do here. Well then, place your
self there, opposite to me, so that you will
hide that white wall; it looks to me like a
canvas on which is painted that unfading
image; the Golfer with the head upon i'll
When you go away my terror will return.
If they would only soil that wall little;
it seems to lie the slightest stain would
obviate this fancy. l tried to soil it, and
the taller scolded me as if l had been a
schoolboy"
go on with your story" said the doctor
quietly.
Il was walking along aimlessly, when
from long, dark, narrow street emerged
on the thoroughfare. Lights were shining
here and there under the trees like great
flowers of flame. The yelling of showmen,
the music and bells of the merry go rounds,
the trumpets and drums, hurdy-gurdys
and squeaking playthings of the children
made most horrible din, for the annual
festival was in full tide.
"Cornered by a group of curious people,
was crowded and crushed, raised off my
feet and carried along before a booth.
Above the door read the word, 'Metem.
psychosis.'
"a fat man was selling tickets; he was
pitted by smallpox and had one eye smaller
than the other.
Inside it was very, almost quite, dark.
'Before us a square of light opened iL
the canvas which WAS stretched at the
farther end of the booth. Within this
frame appeared a table with a gauze screen
it from the spectators.
THE fat man passed around pasteboard
head such as milliners use for bonnets.
w licu 10 ndu gone llOul HduO W udl1Q anu
was acknowledged to be truly what it ap.
peared TO be, he placed it ON the table and
fastened the gauze screen. The light
frightened; by transitions impossible to
catch, without anything seeming to move,
as the man announced a transformation
the pasteboard head turned into vase full
of flowers, then into cage full of birds, !
after that into a deaths head which be |
came the mask of celebrated statues repre- |
senting successively Venus, Juno, Cleo |
patra. Anne of Austria, Marie Antoinette, |
and so on and on, until the Snowman said, |
Instead of pasteboard and stucco you shall |
now see living flesh
SLOWLY the face dislocated, the features |
became hazy, confused, TO form again lit |
tie by little and appear distinct, animated, |
humaniEed.
IAN ingenious trick, Thought; I don't |
even care to know if it is accom- plished by |
the aid of mirrors
The head of a young girl, sweet and |
fair, had formed behind the gauze. She /
opened her great black eyes, which, with /
out definite expression, followed me with /
the strange fixity of portrait, while across |
her face fitted the rather silly smile of the /
antique statues.
This steady stare seemed to turn me to |
stone. Ny limbs grew rigid. felt very
though it was neither fatigue /
nor pain, and there was something oddly
familiar about the head Where l could /
have seen it before under different circum /
stances and in different attire | can no
more remember now than l could then
'W hen the crowd of spectators left | 4
The Snowman seemed sur
Drised, but sold me another ticket.
Il remained through another represen-
alton. When the young girl appeared in
he last act | experienced the same singu-
ar sensation of torpor. and could not move
hand or foot until she vanished from the
square
The Snowman walked toward the door
md l followed him.
why. asked, did you write metem-
psychosis on your siga instead Of meta
Then must have been mistaken hs
said 'Bahg never mind; very few vii
know the difference
''Pro51ing BY a push Of the crowd slipped
behind aim and nd against the canvas
de weEt out saying:
Dent be impatient, Mile, an going
put to get something for supper
Il raised the caavss. On larger coEer
covered with some Algerian STUFF and
1rasmeuse6 with copper nails, I saw the
head A yo1Rg girl. tall ane
thin, dressed IN q gray wrapper, was comb
ng the long hair that fell over her fAcA