Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1895-10-26
FROsTBURG, MD, SATURDAY, OCTOBER 26, 1Se

'PaUl was willing looked intently
at him His eyes wavered curiously
away from my gaze He was marvel
Gus subject and fell Immediately under
my will
I'VE passed into the drawing room,
placed him i'll chair. and ! had not
made six passes over his brow when he
was in a sound hypnotic sleep
Well, he is Off, said l.
'Impossiblel No!
"She bent over him, called him,
pinched him-no movement. Raised his
arm-it fell inert like log
Quick quick Suggest somethingP
said she, u strange eagerness showing
suddenly in her face
"You would perhaps feel the proof
stronger, madame, did you make the
suggestion yourself
''Sho appeared to think, murmuring
half aloud, 1t must be an unaccustomed
act, something unusual, that he cannot
divine, that does not enter into his hab-
it of hfe
"Sho looked about her. Near by on
table magazine lay opened at a recent
article on Hypnotic Suggestion, slen-
der mother Of pearl paper knife thrust
between the folds She turned the leaves
hurriedly.
'Ah-h, we have it at last' said she,
putting her finger upon a certain para
graph. An experiment just made sue
cessfully, they say-at the hospital Of
La Salpetriere. Repeat it with Paul,
and l shall be convinced
"The experiment was to suggest to
the patient at fixed hour predeter-
mined act-the act in this case suicide
with some harmless object that the sub
ject' should be made to believe pom
lard.
Willingly, responded.
"She handed me the paper knife.
This is harmless enough, ism it?' she
said, yielding it to me with charming
smile. 1t would not hurt fly.
Perfectly harmless. And held up
the little pearl dagger before Paul's eyes.
Do you see it, Paul?' said l slow
ly and impressively, this poniard here?
Well, am going to put it on that table
yonder. Tomorrow, when tho luncheon
bell rings-the luncheon bell, remember
-you will come here, take this poniard
and-kill yourself'
"Then 1 reused him. He remembered
nothing and felt nothing, only a comic
uneasiness concerning the act that he
was to accomplish and from which he
was determined to defend himself.
"The evening finished gayly with
rubber of whist ending at 10 in order
to give the handsome young neighbor-
a silent listener to what had been going
on-time enough to reach home at
reasonable hour
"We were walking, Paul, his wife,
and |, on the terrace next morning when
the luncheon bell rang Paul raised his
head, listened q second turned brusque-
ly and re-entered the chateau. His wife
had become very pale.
"'Come, quick, said L He has gone
for that paper knifeP
"She remained motionless.
To what good?' she said. L see al
ready that suggestion has reason in it.
for Paul has gone. He will come back
madder than ever, l suppose.
Il did not wait for her to finish. l
hastened to the drawing room, where
my subject had gone.
II ran. l threw open the door, and
Paul was there-dead, face downward
on the floor-a dagger in his heart y
"A real dagger, doctor?" cried the
mistress of the house laying her hand
softly upon the doctors arm.
"A real dagger, madame. turned to
the table-the little mother of pearl pa
per knife was gone Who had taken it
Who had put the otber-the real dagger
in its place?
"God knows, but she, Paul's wife,
and he, the neighbor who dined with us
that night, were married ten months
ago. From the French For San Fran
cisco Argonaut.