The Portland daily press., 1893-12-18

which the familiar pieces of furniture and
draperies seemed to lose their familiarity
and to take new shapes and colors unto
themselves. With staring eyes he strove
to pierce the mist that half obscured his
vision, and to shake off the weird feeling
that had seized upon him, but gradually
the lids dropped and closed, and to his
distended nostrils there came, as he lost
consciousness, a faint, sweet odor which
even then he recogniZed-the smell of
cedar pitch and myrrh. How long the
terrible dream which followed lasted he
could not know, but at last he awoke to
life again, and struggling to his feet he
staggered to the window, threw it open,
and let the faint breath of air stirring in
the courtyard far below sweep up past
him into the dark room behind. The dusk
was just falling over the city, and far, far
below him he could hear the tenement's in
habitants of the first and second floors pre-
pairing their evening meal, singing and
cursing by turns as the preparation pleased
or displeased them. The night air cooled
his fevered face and refreshed him, how
ever, and the great beads of perspiration
that had gathered on his forehead were
gone as he turned back to the room again.
81 am fool'' he exclaimed inpatient
ly, land hungry, l dare say. No wonder
imagine thlngs!' and catching up the
worn soft hat that lay beside his tumbled
bed he hurried out into the hall and down
the weary length of stairs TO the street.
But as he closed the door small heavy
bladed dirk, upon shelf directly over the
spot where he had hastily showed the IN
finished picture and its easel, Jared by his
haste, Whirled slowly around until it
rested upon the very cage or the shell,
where it balanced to and fro and trembled
IN the little breeze that still putfed ID at
the open window.
Morgan, the favorite story teller of the
Bohemian ldler's club, was talking as
Richardson and the painter came in from
their journey to the pawnshop, and the
usual audience OF interested listeners was
collected about him.
1T may or may not have been hum
bug" he was saying, with shrug of his
shabby genteel shoulders, but 1T was
devilish queer any way you take it. 1
saw the man do 1t fva times, too, and he
Jailed but once.
What do you call lt-hypnotlsmS" ask
ed new conner.
II don't know; he simply says he sensi-
tlzes the water and let's you call it what
you like. First he puts the tumbler of
plain hydrant water into one room, and
he and the subject go into another. He
makes a few passes-that is where the hyp-
notism comes in, suppose-and once the
man is under his control the professor
walks into the other room and stands with
his hands over that tumDler or water for
perhaps minute, not uttering sound.
Then he sends some of us into the room
with the sleeping subject, and he stays
with the rest OF the witnesses. When ev-
erythIng is ready, he tells one OF them to
take his penknife and thrust the blade
carefully into the water. He does SO, and
we hear muff1ed scream from the other
room, as II the hypnotized man had felt
the stab This was repeated three times.
and every time the subject screamed and
twisted about in his chair, as If in agony
while the knife remained in the water.
AS soon as 1t was removed, the pain appar-
emily ceased, and he rested quietly again.
l was skeptical OF course, concluded the
talkative Morgan, land said it was all
chlcanery, but after seeing the thing half
dozen times l felt differently, and ]
must say that 1t Is extremely peculiar, ii
not mysterious.
WHAT had the subject to say for him.
self when ne came tor" asked Richardson,
who had joined the group.
very little, except chat some one had
tried to stab him and had succeeded three
times ID sticking knife into his back, he
Thought.
ana dld ne know OF the lumber OF
water and It's bearing on his hallucina-
DOM
NO, he had been Kept IN still another
room when first brought to the house, and
had not seen or heard OF the water.
That IS rather peculiar, said Rich
ardson thoughtfully, should like to have
See 1t myself" AS ne spoke, knowl-
Ton, VINO mad been talking with fellow
painter at the other side OF the smoke fill
ed room, started across 1t IN answer to
reckoning nod OF Richardson's. He had
taken only few steps, however, before he
stopped sAddenly and clutched convulsive-
~ at his breast. while an 1nhuman shrek,
shrlll and plerclngly loud, burst from his
lips. for second ne swayed there IN the
silence that iolowed-for every man IN
the room mad heard the scream, above the