The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1894-06-04
CHAPTER I

a fixed and changeless expression. A
single sentiment in the dark eyes, turn
ing restlessly from one serious face to
the other. A single sentiment in the
timid trembling Of the pale lips, in the
expression Of the delicate n~ostrils, in the
nervous contraction of the brows that
accompany 1t.
For a mind which betrays itself in o
co%untenance such as this, all the posi-
bilities Of existence, all that remains Of
life and happiness, al be summed up in
ono terrible word-fear. Henceforth
this was all that the infinite world Of
thought and all the endless pleasure Of
being could mean to this poor creature.
In the midst Of the sunshine, the free
air, the song of the birds, the whisper
of lovers, the voices Of friendship, she
must continue to 1.-Two on rs unconscious
of them all as if her life had been mar
rowcd down to the darkest dungeon Of
al inquisition.
To deprive u face that beams with
intelligence and beauty Of the II light
that makes it priceless, to blot out in
the twinkling Of an eye that unmoasured
universe that exists in the brain of an
individual and leave in its place a soil
tmy candle like this glimmering in the
night-what a m~easureless crime! And
such q crime has been committed. Does
it add anything to the depth Of the in
fanny Or to the burden Of the guilt that
the poor victim was but 10 and had
been struck down In the fullness Of
health and strength?
The patient sat on the edge Of the bed
from which she had lately arisen in an
alcove chamber opening into q large
apartment, furnished like a sitting room.
Two grave and interested physicians,
Il gray haired and advanced in years,
the other Of middle age, We're watching
her. There was no evidence that either
Of these men comprohended anything of
tho unutterable pathos Of the situation.
Their problem was purely a physiolog-
ical one. The moral aspects Of the case
concerned them only where they aided
a diagnosis. The ceaseless, uneasy mo-
ton Of the poor girls hands, clasping
and unclasping themselves in her lap,
tho pathetic cry, without an attempt at
articulation, that she uttered from time
to time, these were the matters that in
terested them.
II have observed a very curious
thing" the elder physician was saying.
sit is possible, Of course, that I may be
mistaken, but if I am not then this girl
possesses a curious power in a remark
able degree"
The younger man repeated the phrase
with no little wonder, ga curious pow
er?''
"Yes, q very curious power, l should
say, Of what, for want Of q better term,
l will call optical retention. You know
what I mean?"
NO" :
II mean the faculty of retaining a
scene in the mind after the eyes are
closed Or the scene removed. We all
have it in varying degrees. You men
ton the writing table at my Office, and
Immediately an image, tolerably dis
tinct, of the size, shape and general ap-
pearance of the table rises before my
mental vision. l mean simply, if this
girl were familiar with the looks of that
table and she could be made to under
stand what l am talking about, she
would see the objectin question SO vivid
ly that it would be to her almost the
reality-perhaps, l might say, practical
ly the reality"
The younger physician regarded the
speaker in silent wonder.
You don't take my meaning?"
"Oh, PERFECTLY Ny term forit is Wis
utilization. What puzzles me is that you
should see any evidences of it here.
What has she done to show it,"
mot any one thing so much as every
thing. l generalizo it from a careful OBJ
seryation Of her movements"
"Do you call it a symptom?"
"No-that is, | don't know. 1t may
DO abnormal, or it may be natural to
her in a state Of health | have studied
several cases, One, q very young child
who could find his way uncrringly about
a familiar place blindfolded. His family
called it instinct, but it was simply o
phenomenal power Of retaining the pic
ture Of the room in his mind, combined
with an accurate idea Of distance. IN
seen by him, l disarranged the furniture,
and he lost his head at once"
Eyes, but I didn't suppose an idiot
could possess such q faculty"
"Nor !. But is this an IDIOT"
"Hum-ha''- The younger physician
was altogether too cautious to commit
himself, but he fixed upon the pale face
of the patient a look of doubt and I'M
certainty that wa plain enough Of it.
self. He shrank as much as did his gray
haired colleague from the h~umiliating
confession, II don't understand the case
at all"
The elder physician was certainly in
no haste to pronounce a verdict. Called
for the purpose Of aiding his younger
associate to arrive at a definite conclu.
sion as to the nature of the mysterious
malady under which the patient suf-
fered, he had as yet rofrained from ex-
pressing an opinion, and now he spoke
in the most guarded and cautious man
ner:
ut seems to me, Lamar, that the
problem in this case narrows itself down
to q question as to whether the patients
present coalition is due to the blow she
is known to have received upon the head
OF to the purely mental results of the
terror caused by the accident"
Surely" said the younger man,
"you do not wish me to understand that
you believe it even possible that such a
condition should DO tho result of simple
terror or pure mental action Of any kind.
II seems almost certain to me that there
wa some structural orfunctional disor-
der prior to the accident"