The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1892-10-07

Few persons were still awake other
than the train hands in either of the
cars, but in the smoking compartment /
found two who interested me. They
were :,5out, well dressed, prosperous
looking 'leIi, one with indecision and
mental struggle manifest in his face,
the other wearing look of determined
and confident insistence. AS |, invisi-
bic, took seat before them, the former
was saying:
81 don't mind admitting to you, Just
between ourselves, would like to; but
l don't know how l can, seeing the flat
footed way have already committed
myself against that bill. Why, l not
only opposed it on the floor, but fought
it before the committee; and now to go
for it would give me dead away. Every
| body would know l had got bone
and it would ruin my chances for re-
election among the farmers.
my dear sir" replied his companion,
81 don't ask you to vote for it. Simply
cease your opposition, and when it comes
up for action have an attack of la
grippe and remain in your room at the
hotel until the next day. That is simple
enough, and you know when l promise
l make good every time"
"Yes," assented the first speaker dubi-
ously; ''but suppose there should ever
be an investigation. If they got me
under oath my conscience would not let
me deny the consideration, nor could
you-without perjury"
ssnl, lno,. =,
the world. See, here is an odd bean; an
African bean. l am tired of carrying it
in my pocket. | shall abandon it on
this seat when | go away. OF course
will not know what becomes of it. Yet
there are curiosity seekers who would
give good deal to get hold of that par
ticular sort Of bean for their cabinets. |
wouldn't at all wonder if some one
would give two thousand dollars for
that bean in Albany tomorrow night"
The man with prudential scruples
looked puzzled for moment. Then q
light of comprehension dawned upon
his face and deepened gradually to a
shrewd grin. Il feel certain I shall have
an attack of the grip" he said.
The two smiled together and went
away to their respective berths, the man
with the bean carelessly throwing it on
the seat as he passed out. In q few sec
onds one returned for a glass of water
at the cooler before retiring, and casu-
ally clutchcd and pocketed the bean:
then the other also returned for drink,
looked at the seat from which the bean
was gone and grinned complacently.
| continued my ramble through tho
train, but found nothing more to inter-
est me, and the discomforts of the excep-
tionally unpleasant trip were even accen-
tuated to my consciousness through their
presentation to my mind as knowledge,
and not as mere deductions from pos
sibly illusory sensory impressions, Il dis
tinction my readers familiar with the
phenomena of astralization will per-
fectly comprehend.
''But," l said to myself, ''why should
loiter about these crawling cars, where
every one who can do SO is trying to for
get his wretchedness in sleep, when l
might, with the swiftness of thought,
transport myself anywhere else l chose?
Why not go on to New York and seq
Marian:"
For the first time the idea occurred to
me that there might be some special
danger in astraliZation on q moving
train-something might happen to my
body while was away. fitted back
and looked at it. Of course it was Just
as I had left it. Dubitation about it
weakened the self confidence which, as
everybody knows, is so essential to any
one moving safely, as a visitor, upon
the astral plane, and / was not at all
surprised to see about me instantly q
number of malicious sprites, and even O
few malignant 'elementals," eager to
take advantage of my deteriorated
strength. But the sight of them nerved
my resolution-or at least l SO fancied
at the time, though now know the eff
feet was simply a stimulation of my an
tagonism, not rehabilitation of my
moral force. Hesitating no longer, /
transferred myself to New York, to Ma
rians parlor, where | did not doubt
finding her, as the hour was not yet
late, ! may incidentally remark that
an engagement of marriage existed be-
tween Marian and myself, a fact which
did not prepare me to anticipate the
scene which presented itself to my as
tonished gaze.
1t would have seemed quite natural to
me to have found her contemplating my
portrait, perhaps reading my last letter
and wishing for my safe and speedy re-
turn to her side. But that was not at
all what l saw. She sat by the piano,
as if she had just been playing. Instead
of my counterfeit presentment claiming
her attention, it was absorbed by gem
tleman, q stranger to me, who bent over
her, murmuring affectionate phrases in
her ear. Soon he took his leave, and In
doing so actually had the audacity to
kiss her. And she, saying "Good night"
returned the salute.
In all my astral experiences l have
never so much missed my good, solid,
material right leg and foot as when
saw that fellow going leisurely down
her stoop to the pavement. Of course
did not haunt about Marian any more.
I was done with her. Disguised and
"mad all the way through" 1 went
around to my club, forgetting for the
moment that could not take soothing
glass of wine; but that fact was soon
enough borne in upon me. could do
nothing but look at the other fellows
and listen to them, and it is just plain
truth and not slang when l say they
made me tired. Nothing diverted my
painful reflections, for ! had been very