The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1892-01-14


Of fact, that they do here. know .
place where we can hear everything that
Is sid without being seen ourselves"
II
"Mark, man, what has taken posses
sion Of your
Liddell looked up IN surprise and saw
By the look in his friends face that Il
was time for him 10 clear his character.
1T isn't 90 bad a. that, Maurice. !
am trying to recover something that Il
either lost or stolen, and detectives must
not be hampered BY conventional moral
ities."
"WhAt have you losty
"a plot The plot Of my last novel.
I came down here . few weeks ago 10
work, because this d the quietest place
i the world before Il becomes fashion
able, but became too absorbed and lost
count Of the time. One morning !
looked out and found the ground COW
cred with people. I ought 10 have re-
treated then, but was deep In acritical
chapter, and I rashly determined 10 risk
1t and stay tin got that particular in
spiration down on paper. Well. ] paid
for It took my portfolio down to Q
rustic seat which had come to look
upon a. my peculiar property, and tried
10 pay no attention to the inane multi
tudes who sauntsred and hirted on
every hand. Ireyiewed my work up 10
the point had then reached. ! glanced
mentally over what remained to do.
Everything was in perfect order. Then
I settled down to work. Ny thoughts
must have wandered . little, for my
conscience presently aroused me with
the feeling that was wasting my morn
ing. Idrew my papers toward me. and
could think Of nothing. Ny plot was
gone, absolutely and beyond recall"
do you mean you had forgotten III"
"FOrgOtteni Forgotten How do you
define memory"
''Oh, II you are going into metaphysics
I surrender at discretion"
"The custodian Of mental property
conveys the idea, doesn't itl Well, Q
certain part Of this mental property
passes from the possession Of this Gus
todian. Il cannot have been lost-that
IL to say, annihilated. The fact that It
once existed proves that it must always
exist II not in one form, then In an
other; If not here, then somewhere else.
Now, under what conditions can mental
property EXIST Msnifestly only in the
mind Of some person. Therefore, II an
idea has passed out Of my mind, you can
not escape the logical conclusion that Il
must hsve passed into the mind Of SOme-
one else"
"Then your theory il that your miss
ing plot has fastened itself upon the un-
susperting brain Of sumo poor fellow who
came out here for rest2 l don't wonder
you are anxious about it. Just fancy the
victims beWilderment, amusement, hor-
rOr at 50 sudden an inrOad Of ideaA.
Was 1t q very exciting plot, Mark
"No, 1t was to be . realistic story.
That IL the worst part Of II. Any one
might use 1t up unconsciously without
ever suspecting that 1t was not his own.
OF course. II he were to put Il into q
book l could identity it. feel very
sure I should recognize it at sight. But
the great danger Is that the present pos
SCISSOR viii simply squander It on his own
life. he will uss It up on some Irritation,
probably, where any one Of . dozen COM
monplace ideas would have served a.
we'll"
"Ah, then you had Just reached the
hirtatious stage Of Development"
my hero and heroine had been parted
by q quarrel That's an idea, Of course,
that had been utilized before. But they
were to Be brought together in . very
original and unique manner. That's the
idea that il gone"
at Is to be devOutly hoped then that
the plot selected some unpreoccupled
bachelor to experiment upon. It makes
my hair stand on end to think what the
consequences may be II an idea in that
particular stage Of development should
attack some young man, say, who had
taken the opportunity while Of with the
old love 10 get on with . new. BE
would BE- bound to follow out the plot,
wouldn't be, and make up with the old
whether he wanted to or mott Mark, you
don't know what complications you may
b responsible for. You must recover
that dangerous plot ct once"