The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-05-12

q gentleman as one may see at glance.
Strange how his delusion has stamped
itself upon him. He has dreamed of
wealth and has gained the bearing of
a young Crnsus."
'Well. as to that" said the doctor,
she really is rich
sThen his dream came true, at least,
as to the money"
Eyes; and the event was surprisingly
ike the dream Just as he was ready
to move away from Mrs. Rogers house,
his fortunes changed. twas an inher-
itance. and it ran up into the millions.
The legal business was done through
Webster & Hathaway. / know Web
ster well. The demeanor of Hall was
such that the lawyers doubted his
sanity.
eat this stage of the procee ding I
was asked to look the young man over.
l made his acquaintance, and examined
him at leisure. Well, he was insane,
but couldn't bring myself to say so.
Ny report to Webster was such that
Hall got his money!
Il should have said it would have
cured him. said l. knowing that he
is rich, why should he dream?"
''It would have cured him, as you
say replied DR.. Mayer. The trouble
is that he doesn't know it"
Doesn't know that he is rich?"
"No; he thinks that it is all a
uries by which he is surrounded are
realities
But does he not believe you when
you tell him sop
unfortunately he doesn't believe
that am reality. He thinks that l
am creature of the imagination.
Doubtless he has the same thought of
you"
'sWhy trouble him at all? Is he not
happy?"
No, Maynard, he isn't. He believes
himself to be insane, but that does not
grieve him. On the contrary, he is
glad of it. His chief trouble is the fear
that he will recover his reason, and
find himself once more a clerk"
What is your theory?"
''It is simply habit of thought,
hardened into delusion. Thought is
nothing but a phenomenon accom-
panying certain chemical and physical
changes. Something starts it in GER
tain direction and it tends to keep on.
Take simple natural process as an IL
lustration. Rock candy is made by
crystallizing sugar that has been dis
solved in water. The crystals will be
very small if you let them alone; but
put piece of string into the water,
giving the process something to start
with, and big, clear crystals result.
Some string of association was dropped
into his mind when those little dreams
began to form. and behold, they took
greater size, and new and beautiful
shapes"
And the cure?"
eff could find just what that string
was might pull it out and start the
process going in the other way; but
sYou don't believe that you can find
it," said I.
perhaps I may, but shall dare to
use the knowledge? He might go
stark mad He would unquestionably
feel tendency to suicide. l don't
know just what will come of it. At
present am studying him, and doing
nothing in his case"
You spoke of his being in love"
eyes; there was a woman in his
dreams, and it seems that he has found
her. She lives in New Haven. I have
met her, and she is a most beautiful
and charming girl. Clarence, Of
course, has no thought that she really
exists He thinks that his fancy has
created her"
"Does she know of his condition."
'sShe does not" replied the doctor.
at is one of the greatest problems of
the case. Should / tell hero"
Sin honor he should do so. You say
he knows that he is crazy. And surely
he is a gentleman"
But. my dear fellow, how can he
feel moral obligation of that sort re-
garding a creature of his brain? It has
never occurred to him that she needed
to be informed. She is one of the spec
tiers in the ghostly country he inhab-
its Why should he talk to her as if
she were visitor from the real
| world?"
I gave it up, as the phrase goes.
could form no opinion as to the prob
able result.
Keep me informed of every phase
of the case" said /. or parting with
the doctor. 81 am deeply Interested .
Some weeks passed before ! again
saw DR. Mayer. When we met, my first
question touched upon Hall. us there
ANYTHING new in the case?" asked.
Everything is new" he replied.
Then he put on the cloak of his pro-
| fessional manner which DISCUSSES SEN
! timent l perceived at once that some,
thing unusual had happened to Hall
and that my friend had been deeply af'
fected by it.
You remember" DR.. Mayer began
The young lady in question was Miss
Charlotte Warren, of New Haven"
Daughter of Sam Warren. president
of the Connecticut Northern railroad.
have met her. She is by all odds tht
prettiest girl in the state"
Il honestly believe she is. Well
Clarence used to call upon her abou
three times week. They were engaged
| of course. Last Friday evening h
was in New Haven. and he remained
II the house later than usual. In fact
when he took his departure, there
wasn't much time in which to catch hi
train. He believed that drumming h
could make better time than by riding
So he took straight cut for th'
station. This way at one point led hi1.
through rather tough part Of th'
city. and brought him upon an excitin.
adventure.