The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1894-06-28

! am very sure, but I could plainly OBJ
serve a 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 at last she began to talk
in unnatural voices. / was utterly una
bic to recognize my mother, and l was
SO terrified that ran out for doctor
Fortunately the physician was q 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 l 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 las indulged in lately and that
she goes to no more sittings. l have
questioned her, and from what she tells
me, together with her evident tempera-
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 tut of thought, and
you viii have no moro trouble. These
things are entirely nervous in 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 in Spirit.
ualistic Manifestation she was liable to
the frances. But when, by my aid and
her own determined efforts, she had &C
customed herself to think Of other things
the frances left her and never returned
Julian, dear, l suppose you will say it
is silly and girlish, but / have an un-
coutrollable horror and dread Of these
things. They frighten me. l could con-
ceive Of no worse fate than to replace
the sunshine of my life with the dark
ness and gloom Of mind tortured by
such spccters, and my fear is greater
because l fancy l am predisposed to such
things" "
That is morbid fancy, little wife,
growing, l 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"
Eyes, Julian, something did happen
tome. don't know why it was Perhaps
my head was weak from my sickness
But III the first days of my recovery, as
lay there listlessly on the bed, fire.
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
remembered what the doctor had told
me about my mother, and by forcing
my mind to think Of other things have
succeeded in freeing myself from the
shadow. That is why l have told no one
not even you. That is why do not like
to bring it back again"
"But don't see what all this has to
do with the portrait" Maxey said Won
deringly.
Il will tell you, Julian. 1t was in one
Of those waking Nightmares that saw
that face. Don't mako ne tell it, Julian
Don't make me tell itp
God knows | would do nothing to
cause my little wife a moments uneasi-
ness; but darling, it so important to
our welfMe-for yours and mine-that
you should speak. Let it be recalled
once and then forgotten for all time. In
one Of those dreams you saw that face?"
She answered him in a low voice:
"Yes, Julian. l was lying on the bed
there, in the alcoye room. Something,
don't know what to call it, came over
iae. 1t was more like waking dream
than anything could name. My eyes
were wide open all the time. saw the
room and the things in it, just as now. 1"
She clung closer to her husband and
went on:
Il was lying there in the alcove room
looking toward the fireplace out there.
1t was just after / had been brought
back here, before l had told you my sto-
ry. was watching the red Goals in the
CRATE Presently / felt sinking, dreamy
sensation coming over me- I did not
understand it. I was too weak to make
any resistance to It. 1t was in the mid
die of the day, and the room was full Of
light. But though the knowledge of that
fact never left me ] felt that it had
suddenly become very dark. All the
light seemed to arise from solicthing
bursting up into great flame in the
CRATE, and then between me and the fire,
with the strong glare upon 1t, 1 saw
that face just as have tried to draw it.
could see the mans arms and shoul-
ders. He seemed to be holding some-
thing to the light Of the fire and staring
at it. But that was dark. All this was
dim, but real-real as,you or the room
itself-and yet all the time, if you can
understand such thing, Inever got the
real fire mixed with the fire that was in
my mind alone. The CRATE was still
there behind the face and shoulders. 1t
was an apparition, and / knew it. That
was what terrified me-not then, for
never thought Of fear, but afterward,
when somebody came in and disturbed
me and hnd time to think Of it. When
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THERE'S DANGER
in acough-more than ever when your blood
is bud" 1t makes things easy for Con-
sumntion But tberes n Curo for IL In Dr