The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1892-01-09


smile-ah what sunlight on an April
morning could seem SO bright? Her hair
and eyebrows were dark, but her COM
plexion was pure white. She was rather
thin. The color Of her eyes-I dc not
know.
After leaving the shop felt that must
see her once more. Yielding to the inn
pulse, / went back to the shop. She was
still there, and to my inward disgust the
tradesman, recognizing in me regular
customer, left her and came over TO the
other side of the shop TO know what [
wanted. / did not dare TO do more than
steal hasty glance at the lady's face I;
but in that instant l had engraved her
features on my memory. After | left the
shop for the second time her face haunted
me. [ had never seen it before, and I
was quite aware that there was but a
small probability that / would ever see it
again; yet | knew l had it for pos
session as long as l should live. | felt
that the girl belonged to me, in a sense,
in virtue of the homage ! paid her.
AS l sat in the moonlit garden, it oc-
CURED to me TO try whether | could not
initiate the artist of whom I had read,
and coax my eyes to recall the form and
hneaments of the girl whose image filled
my mind. l summoned up all my pow
ers, fixed my gaze on the vacant space at
the end Of the bench on which l was sit
ting, and tried to imagine that she was
actually seated there. / set myself to
picture the pale face. the duslzy hair, the
pose of the head and neck. There, | said
to myself, her arm would rest on the ell
bow of the garden-seat. there her dress
1t camel
Suddenly, unexpectedly, as if my
efforts at recalling and picturing the i'm
age had nothing to do with it. the sweet
vision was before my eyes
For some minutes ! sat silent, reveling
in the possession OF my treasure, afraid to
speak or move, lest the phantom should
fade away forever. l was well aware that
what l saw was purely the creation of
my own fancy, spectral illusion like
those mentioned by DIR. Abercromby. But
it was delightful to have it by me. The
likeness to the original was perfect. The
and speak, and | liked to fancy that it
actually did, but for the most part it re-
manned perfectly still.
AS | sat there entranced l heard on the
gravel the footsteps of my housekeeper,
who was bringing me my second supply
OF tea-a1 beverage of which / am very
fond.
L allowed her to approach in silence,
marking, in the meantime, the wonderful
solidity and lifelikeness, as well as the
grace, OF the apparition / had coniured
up for my companion. When the old
dame drew near L placed my elbows on
my knees and dropped my head in my
hands, as if were half asleep.
''rea, Morrison ?'' L said without look
ing up, "oi1er some to the lady"
THE lady, sir? What lady?'
''Why, here-oh, suppose 1 must have
been dreaming"
Mrs. Morrison was used to my little
eccentricities, and did not trouble herself
to reply. But knew now that my new
companion was invisible to all but N.Y.
self; that it was no ghost that haunted
me, but a simple natural illusion. To
my chagrin, however, when L looked for
it once more it had vanished One could
have fancied that my gentle visitant had
taken OtfenSe at hearing herself thus
spoken of-doubted, put to the test, as it
were-and had chosen voluntarily to
withdraw herself.
But many times after this the vision of
this pale, sweet-faced girl came to cheer
my loneliness; l grew to expect her APP
pearance, and even began to hold con-
versation with her.
1t was toward the end ofthe month that
l met this lady in the flesh for the second
time. was walking along the cliff, as |
did at all hour when the busting, noisy
population Of ST. Adams were otherwise
engaged, when l heard faint cry from
the beach below. Looking over the edge
| saw that the tide had swept over what
was bank OF dry gravel an hour before,
ana had now drawn near the foot of the
cliff, and in the narrow space between the
water and the rocks a girl was sitting
with folded easel and artists umbrella
beside her. Even at that distance knew
her.
1 found a way down the cliffs; a way
which she managed to climb, with my
help. During those precious minutes she
was mine, not in fancy alone, but in
flesh and blood. When we reached st.
Aiden's we were already friends. Her
name, she told me, was Ida. 1 forgot the
surname-it is of no consequence.
From that time 1 lived only in the ex-
pectation of meeting her again, and 1 did
meet her often. | supposed that her
friends did not object, but | never
troubled myself about them.
All those happy weeks that came to us
ere the summer ended [ wooed Ida for
my bride. During our long conversa-
tions [ opened my mind and my heart to
her-told her, even, that 1 could conjure
up her image at Will.
NAY, more" | said to her one day, 81
can imagine that l see an image of my
SELF
''Of yourselfp' she echoed. "How per-
fectly horriblei"
IN lot at all, replied; ST think it most
interesting"
Interesting? Yes, in way. But Sc
eerie, SO uncanny. l should die of fright
if such a thing should happen to me''
Nonsense ~ l cried. Don't you see
a phantom of yourself every time you
! look into a mirror? The apparitions
| am telling you about are purely creations
of the brain, produced by the magma
ton acting as stimulus to the optic
nerves. They are as far removed from
the supernatural to use the ordinary
foolish term, as our own image reflected
in looking-glass.'
II know-of course" said Ida; ''but il
seems very odd, very. 1 don't want tc
think of such things" adding, a moment
afterward, How did you manage to
produce such a spectre? Were you not
afraid?"
"Well, to tell the truth, I did feel rather
like F'rankenstein for moment or two,''
/ replied: "but that feeling soon wore OFF
You see 1 have long been accustomed to
argue and dispute with myself as with a
separate being. | often talk TO myself"
"a very bad habit" interrupted Ida.
"a very innocent one," / replied 81
like to amuse myself by pitting the lower
part of my being against the higher, tC
/ see which will VIM
(Which does win?' she asked.
sob, sometimes one. sometimes the
other. Sometimes / subdue my inclina-
tons; sometimes my inclinations-my
inferior will as the schoolmen call it
masters me. Well, it occurred to me one
day while l was holding an argument
with myself, that / might try to project
an image of myself into the air so that ]
might seem to be disputing with a rea
| person. / got a mirror and persisted in