The herald., 1895-02-22

denouement hateful word!' Waness
said, as he opened my innocent book and
{ glanced at the first story. 1--WE will have
II little mental amusement, and you shall
correct me if | am wrong. | see the first
story is a ghost tale and called The
White Mystery. And here, looking casu-
ally through, | find are two charac-
ters. They are brothers-one brave
military man; the other, II nervous, i'm
aginative youth, who is scoffed at by the
brother because he fears a ghost. Let me
forecast the end of the story. The young
ster sees the spook, and dies of terror on
the spot; while the other fool can never
speak afterwards without trembling when
he recounts the story. Doesn't he say
that he cannot speak of the nameless
horror of that awful face'?'
You have guessed it, | said with
stilied parody of. a laugh.
But Wanless did not appear to be at all
elated by his success. He smiled with bit
ter, weary scorn and futtered over the
leaves to the next story. 81 take no credit
to myself for that discovery, he pro-
ceeded "Here is another little thing en-
titled My Uncle Dick. Heavens! what
awful memories does that hoary kind of
title conjure up! Let me prophesy again.
Uncle Dick is a man of money; he is
crusty and curt; the hero of the story
written in the autobiographical style
wants to marry cousin; and the old boy
pleXy after fit of passion and leaves
nothing to the narrator but an old deed
chest, in which are discovered securities
of priceless value. SO they get married
and live happily ever after, eh?''
"Your foresight is really wonderful |
replied. "Any one would think that you
had been a writer of current fiction your
self. -
Wanless glared at me so threatingly that
| involuntarily moved towards the poker.
His eyes were filled with horror, hate and
loathing.
Man, you don't know what
am. You cannot understand what has
brought me to my present pitiable con-
dition, he hissed Let us carry on the
ghastly farce to the end. Here is another
of your screeds. 1t is called THE Black
Bag. | wonder how many thousands of
tales have been written with the same
title? Again let us pursue the psyche
man who gets into conversation with an
engaging stranger in railway carriage.
This fascinating one has a black bag.
When they change carriages, some one
accosts the stranger, who informs his
companion he is detained by business.
Well, he delivers the bag at an address in
Liverpool. It's always Liverpool, by the
way. Well, the police arrest the courteous
ass, and the bag contains an internal ma
chine. Man, can you deny that l am
correct?'
| couldn't. My head was bowed with
shame. Viewing myself in the lurid mir
ror of those dark eyes, saw myself as
others see me. Never has an author been
so at the mercy Of a critic before.
II claim no marvellous foresight" "
Wanless said sternly. Let us try again.
Here is another story called "A Strange
Coincidence:' need | say that it refers TO
a singular dream of a deserted wife,
which makes such an impression upon
her that she telegraphs her husband not
to go near a certain place at a time
named He disregards the warning and
is murdered. Again, | will ask you to
correct me if | am mistaken.
"Well, you are, this time, | said as
cheerfuly as possible. 1.-The husband re-
Trains, and some one mistaken for him is
done to death. "
This little point in my favor rendered
me more cheerful. | was about to give
vent to some little jen d'esprt, when my
companion gave a cry of rage and horror,
at the same time dashing the book to the
ground II knew it," he shouted as he
bounds to his feet II knew that should
come across it in that cursed volume |
cannot even get away from it in my soli-
tary retreat. Is there no originality in
the craft at all? Here it is, in your vol
ume called BY Mental Telegraph The
title explains the story Oh, | know that
mysterious, slender, beautiful maiden
with her visions and halucinations but
too well; the psychological siren who