The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1893-08-21
HYPNOTIC LOVE.

blhiu respectaDlllty at so late an hour of
the night. Only one light was burning.
and that was in David Persons room lust
underneath the caves. Only one indweller
was awake, and that one was David Pier
son himself, but he made no sound as he
paced the floor in slippered feet.
A slight. swarthy young man was David,
with heavy brows and black enkindled
eyes. His lips were firmly set, his express
sion stern and unchanged save when the
twitch of muscle betrayed suppressed ex-
cltement. An attractive young man was
David, well liked by his guardian, Amos
Browning, his faraway cousin by the dear
old lady who was the guardians wife. and
by Alice, their only child. Indeed, there
was natural charm about David which
accompanied his presence.
Even Paul Maxwell, who, like him, was
a cousin and a ward in that house, yielded
TO it grudgingly Yet Paul had the strong
est reason for dislike, since passions are ar
guments and jealousy is their chief, Lat
terly Paul had not resisted the fascination.
for successful love can afford to be gener.
Gus, and Paul felt that his love was success
full. Why else was Alice shy instead of
freei Why had her frank, fearless gaze
been displaced by blushes and downcast
glancesf
bhNINli wv NhS CullSClOu9 OF MS 0ufppn-
BILE personality, and more he comnrchend
ed it. In his early youth--he had realized
that he WAS endowed with certain myste-
rious magnetism, which If understood
would be potent auXliary to his hope A
child may evolve sparks from a battery,
which under the touch of master becomes
q genius of light and heat and speech II
he possessed power, why shouldn't he be
its master? And that lie did possess an ex-
ceptional power he was sure
Why, there was the great mastiff Lion.
their guard at night, their fear during the
day. Had not the brute always sprung to
the length Of his chain and struggled and
growled whenever he approached And
had he not one day, in an unthinking reck-
lessness which fate must have directed,
confronted the fierce beast and caught its
nozzle in his firm grasp and gazed into the
fiery blood red eyes until the lids drooped,
and the limbs trembled, and the tongue
that had dripped with vicious slabber had
licked and caressed? Was not that ungoy-
ernable animal his slave thereafter? And IL
he could accomplish such subjection uu-
willingly, what might he not do il his in
nate forces were lightnings TO his Jove?
So had David reasoned, and .henceforth
pride, ambition and seliishness turned and
held his energies to the investigation and
enlightenment of the obscurities Of the will.
of animal magnetism, of clairvoyance and
OF hypnotism. His intellect was profound
and acute. 1t seized and ground grain from
both ancients and modcrns, intuitiyely re.
jecting chaff. At length he formulated n
hypothesis Of the extent and control of his
own psychological faculties, and he demon.
strated its truth. He found that his natu-
raj gifts, when impelled and concentrated
by self discipline, would give him an influ-
ence over another nature not so endowed
that was absolute, and to one not under
standing both miraculous and impossible
And the purer the nature SO affected tho
more complete the control. II he Thought
at all of the condition, the self pose and
self mastery, he laughed scornfuliy and at
his ease, for he believed that he would al
ways be himself, to and for himself.
And now the time had come for him to
exert his natural and acquired Qualities.
They were yalueless to him unless they pro-
cured the object of their training, and that
was Alice. Not that he loved the girl.
David's heart had been too single to its am
bition to love, but he desired her, he envied
her, he appreciated that she was the COM
plement necessary to his own fulflllment.
that through her connections, her fortune,
her personal charms, he could best advance
himself Above all, he hated Paul with
that poisonous hatred which has no source
save its own venom.
Yes, now the time had come. Never
could he hope to be Inightier; his intellect
was at the full strength Of its education.
Besides, if he contemned love, he recognized
it. Already he had detected sgus Of mutual
passion in a ice and Paul He must throt-
tie the god in his infancy, else his lustiness
might attest his divinity. Tonight was the
night Of action. There was nothing dis
honest or evil in what he planned. Alice
would be just as happy with him, just as
happy, What position, indeed, could be
prouder than that of being his wife?
David stole down the broad stairway and
through the corridors of the second floor.
The moonlight streaming through the oriel
windows at each end paved his path with
serenity. He came to the door of the cor.
ner room with the southern exposure, that
room which his guardian had said had evil
IDENTIFY been planned by the architect for
the flower, the angel of the household. 1t
WAS so cozy, so comfortable, so full of sun
shine, SO free from frost-a bower for beau-
ty, nest for innocence. Yet did it not de-
rive its character from its occupantg For
where Alice was, there, too, must be loveli-
ness.
The door was ajar, for locks and bolts
were foreign to that peaceful home. David
entered aud stood for II moment with bowed
head in reverence like pilgrim approach
ing shrine. Indeed, had not prudence re.
strained him he would have Frustrated
himself in homage to purity. There was a
silvery glow on hangings and rugs and
divans The bird In the easement chirped
as if to the day. On the couch lay the young
girl, her hands folded across her bosom.
The efiiSy of virgin martyr she seemed
were it not for that tranquil pulsation
which betrayed both life and seX
David crept near The covering had been
sast from the shoulders. Hebrew it closer,
as mother might enfold sleeping child.
Calmly Alice was sleeping, as those only
sleep whose minds are transparent to truth.
Pleasantly Alice was dreaming, for now
she smiles and murmurs, Dear Paul"
David hesitated and drew back and trem-
bled, Despite his knowledge that he who
would rule others must first rule himself,
his soul quaked within him. He drew
back and again gazed about him. From
the Towering plants in the corner, the
swinging birdcage, the dainty garments !
books and writings and embroideries, the
dresser with its thousand pretty triaes,
there came an accusation of cowardice
He gazed about him, and sob rose in
his throat Was it not a shameful thing |
that he planned to take away young |
girls heart and to replace 1t with an alien |
aifections Could any tenderness atone for |
such irretrieyable treachery7 But there |
was his ambition, and there was PAUL |
Must he abandon the one and yield to the |
otherf Were his tolls, researches, persist
encies, successes, to become inane through !
q ridiculous scruplei How could he expect