The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1894-06-22


came interested in a book on spiritual.
ism. which she picked up in second
hand book store. She did not tell me all
that she thought and felt in the matter,
/ am very sure, but | could plainly OBJ
serve n gradual alteration in her ways
and looks, and one day She nearly fright
ened me to death by going into what /
afterward found was called the trance
state First she became rigid and then
spasmodic, and Mt last she began to talk
in unnatural voices. was utterly una
BILE to recognize my mother, and was
SO terrified that / ran out for DOCTOR
Fortunately the physician was kind,
sympathetic man. Instead of laughing
at my alarm, he not only quieted my
fears for the time and somewhat ex-
planned the matter to me, but he gave
me words of caution and advice for the
future which have never forgotten:
" If you don't wish your mother to
frighten You this way again, see that
she reads no more of the sort of litera-
ture she has indulged in lately and that
she goes to no more sittings. / have
questioned her, and from what she tells
ment and present health, find that this
sensitive, if not dangerous, condition
into which She has brought herself is
owing entirely to an unhealthy brood
ing on one subject Surely you can
give her some medicine, then, | said to
him, that will cure her No, my dear
girl, he replied, this matter is beyond
medicine. She thinks the world of you
You can restore her to health better than
any one else Try to interest her in 9TH
er things. Once get her mind out of its
present unhealthy rut of thought, and
you will have no more trouble. These
things are entirely nervous i'll their ori-
gin. The only way to cure them is by
allaying the excitement. In the end
found the physician had told the truth.
As long as my mother continued to be
excited about and interested i'll Spirit
ualistie Manifestation she was liable to
the frances. But when, by my aid and
her own determined efforts, she had ac-
cnstomed herself to think of other things
the frances left her and never returned.
Julian, dear, / suppose you will say it
is silly and girlish, but l have an un-
things. They frighten me- l could con-
ceiye of no worse fate than to replace
the sunshine of my life with the dark
ness and gloom of mind tortured by
such specters, and my fear is greater
because fancy am predisposed to such
things +"
THAT is a morbid fancy, little wife,
growing, | fear, out of your unfortu-
nately solitary and lonely childhood. A
few years of bird songs and blue sky
will cure you. Something has occurred
to You of late, dear, to remind you of
all this. Go on. Don't be afraid to tell
me.
Yes, Julian, something did happen
to ME. l don know why it was Perhaps
my head was weak from my sickness.
But in the first days of my recovery, as
l lay there listlessly on the bed, fre-
quently fell into trancelike states. |
have found out since that by resisting
the feeling when it first approaches |
can break the SPELL but was too weak
and lacking in determination then. This
grew upon me, and became frightened
l remembered what the doctor had told
me about my mother, and by forcing
my mind to think of other things l have
succeeded in freeing myself from tho
shadow. That is why have told no one.
not even you. That is why do not like
to bring il back again. -
But | don't see what all this has to
do with the portrait, Maxey said Won
deringly.
81 will tell you, Julian. 1t was in one
of those waking nightmares that l saw
that face Don't make me tell it, Julian
Don't make me tell it'
God knows ! would do nothing to
cause my little wife a moments uneasi-
ness; but, d,rling. it so important to
our welfare--for yours and mine-that
you should 5Heak. Let it be recalled