Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1894-03-29

being hustled along by the crowds on
the platform that were surging forward
toward the main exit at the front of the
station. Not till then did realize where
l was; but then, following fast upon the
recognition of the strange familiarity
seemed to perceive in details of the scene,
the knowledge swept over me that | was
in R. back again in my own beloved
native city at last. The thought was
followed by distinct shock as there was
forced upon my mind the wonder of the
thing. Was l asleep? Did 1 dream?
No; my every faculty seemed alive and
awake, though trembling. How, then,
had travelled over three thousand miles
without knowing it, and why was here?
l noticed the clock above me pointed to
% minutes past 10. One glance at my
own watch would tell me all. When
had last looked at it, as 1 first remem-
hered Walter in the car, it was exactly
Z. 1t was now % minutes past! AS
there was just three hours diff renee in
time between the places. it followed that
only % minutes had elapsed since the
beginning of the seancc, and had GER
tainly been awake ten minutes after that
upon the train. The last doubt vanished
as l struggled to the express Office and
saw the calendar stood at June 12-the
same day!
hurried out by side-door to escape
the tumult, and stopped upon the side
walk to calm the fierce excitement that
was raging in my brain. That in some
extraordinary way l had been carried
home while | was unconscious | could
not doubt, yet what was to be the sequel
of such an unheard of adventure? l
T I'D
presence of mind, however, my thoughts
returned to Walter, and my overwhelm-
ing desire was to see him at once while
there was vet time. | ran to the front
of the station, wild with impatience, to
obtain hack but as the first man 1
accOsted. took no notice of me, l passed
to the next. l spoke, and though he
looked directly at me, he paid not the
slightest attention to my remark. With
faint glimmering of the truth brushed
past him and stepped inside the carriage.
Hardly had l done so, when lady en-
tered and seated herself by my side. In
an instant everything became clear as
day, and l sprang out and rushed up the
street, muttering to myself, 81 am
spirit! l am spirit" At last | began
to understand my condition, and with it
came the more absorbing greed for Wal
ter. | knew our seance usually lasted
but an hour. [ felt it was mainly
through his influence that l had been
brought in spirit toward him; if 1 could
not reach him before the time was up, if
L arrived after his effort of will had been
relaxed, could | still be with him, or
would he fail to recognize my presence,
as did the people among whom | moved
even now upon the street?
| cannot help thinking now that had I
known it the time, might have profited
by my spiritual state and reached Walter
almost instantly; but everything seemed
so physically real that it never occurred
to me that my peculiar condition might
be linked with extraordinary powers
other than those that had been expert
enced. Every moment seemed to con-
firm the impression that was but taking
up again the everyday life that had left.
| even remembered that l had left my
light overcoat upon the seat in the car,
and | wondered vaguely if l should ever
find it.
The houses seemed natural and falnil-
lar as l hurried past, yet here and there
| spied changes that had somewhat
altered their old aspect: new stores filled
the lots | remembered as vacant, and
new signs hailed me at we'll remembered
corners. AS l turned from the buster
portion of the city and struck the old
short cut home | noticed with alarm that
the clock in the neighboring tower
pointed to ten minutes of IL! A thou
sand apprehensions seized me. Would
Walter be at home Che often walked out
alone ut these times), would he be alone,
and could l get into the house without
alarming the other occupants? A dread
of meeting the unconscious eyes of the
crowd had come over me, and delighted
in the relief of the long deserted street
through which l FASTENED, with its row
Of lights on either side, rising in wave
in the foreground as the grade assembled
over bridge, and then converging grad
ually in the distance.
AS neared the house l broke into a
run in my anxiety lest 1 should be too
late-the prospect of failure now was
not to be borne calmly. l threw myself
up the steps and laid my hand upon the
door-it was unattached ! l had three
minutes left, if my time checked with
his.
To reach Walters room had to go
down narrow, dimly lighted hall, past
his sisters room, and around an angle to
his own door. knew | had nothing to
fear from any one outside where l
was-my only anxiety was lest he might
not be alone, or that he would cry aloud
in his surprise at my appearance; as for
his fear at my uncanny and mysterious
presence, had no doubts at all, for we
had too often discussed that subject, and
were even the dead to return, knew no
shock would deprive him of his lofty
courage-in that direction he was i'm
pregnable, and | had witnes sed his nerve
when | had faltered myself.
His door was locked, found, though
the room was still lighted. Another door
within communicated with very small
entry which separated his room from his
sisters, and my difficulty now was how
to apprise Walter of my presence with
out srousing others. 1t was soon solved.
STOPPING down, found l could actually
see him, through crevice, bending over
his desk studying something intently.
An old signal of our boyhood we had
sometimes used, for danger" in the
past, occurred to me, and resolved to
see if he still remembered it. l knocked
upon the door very softly, and the light
was instantly extinguished. 1 heard
him take step toward the door, then all
Grill fhop NTH NV line tho orou