Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1894-09-28

al BeEan to Explore MY Pockets"
are again. What does that mean, If not
that the mind may take excursions
out of the body? Humph!
dropped into one of the arm chairs
that are ranged about the lobby and lit
a cigar. They knew me quite well
there, so was sure of remaining undis-
turbed for some hours if / chose. 1
became meditatiye again. and rs the
smoke of my weed circled around my
head / noticed j. w. Dusenberry lazily
sprawled in a chair, across the way,
and drowsily reading an evening paper.
i was glad that he had not seen me,
for do not like him. He did me
in wheat deal once, he received a
pair of embroidered slippers intended
for me, by mistake. and Kept them;
but worst of all, he went out to Hack
ensack when he learned that was ne
gotiating for a choice corner lot there
and bought that identical lot. at my
figure. too. virtually turning me out of
HackenSack.
Great heavens. Why not effect a
transmigration and occupy him? felt
that in a single evening could re-
venge myself on this man. and none
would be the wiser. / de ,ermined to
try, and bending my eyes on him 1
willed. with all the nervous power that
was in me, that he should lose his con-
sciousness, and that my own should re-
place it. My eyes tingled rs though
sparks were coming out of them, the
sweat stood on my forehead. my heart
beat Ike a hammer. and my hands
were clenched around the chair a; ms
as if to crush them. / felt the whole
force of my being gathering into focus,
and just in focus sat Dusanberry OBJ
livicus of what was happening to him.
Present. IFS eyes grey ms mead
-sanky,forward. the paper dropped from
his hand: saw a little shudder pass
through him. and at the same instant
/ heard a ringing in my ears and felt
q rnomentary darkness closing upon me;
i was giddy and clutched my chair
still harder for support; then | shook
myself together, convinced that 1T was
better to leave experiments of that
kind to professors for it was too weak
ening. But. hello! What did this mean?
How had the door which was on my
right, got so suddenly over to my left?
And who what-tha man, Asleep in
the chair, It was myself! | looked
down at my clothes. Amusement. l
was Dusenberry!
uttered a faint cry. that caused two
or three loungers near me to look up.
but affecting to have been choked with
cold, I caught at my throat-no, it
was Dusenberry's tfroat--and coughed
sayagely a few times in a voice that
was harsh and that / recognized as
never having been mine before Then
I dropped back into my chair and star
ed at my recent self in sheer amaze
ment The fascination of my old body
was too tense to endure long. The
sight of it filed me with a kind of
dread, as if I might, after all. be look
ing at it from wholly disembodied
standpoint. How if i We're really to
die and be unable to get back, thus
keeping Dusenberry out of his place
for the rest of the days? 1t was too I'M
canny i sprang to my feet. that is. /
should have done so if had my own
feet to spring to. but / found
tiiat the ones was useing
Were Dusenberry's and there was
not much spring to him. for
he weighed 50 pounds more than T. |
1t also surprised me a little TO find
that Dusenberry did not see colors pre-
cisely as ! did. for through his eyes
there was Il prevalence Of yellowish
tints. but that might have been be
cause he was bilious. With studied