The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1895-09-01

The Humorist Gives Another Illustra-
ton Supporting His Belief,

ton Supporting His Belief.
Samuel L. Clemens Mark Twain) in an ar
ticle on Second Sight in the September
Harper's.
Several years ago made a campaign
on the platform with Mr.. George ".
Gable. In Montreal we were honored
with a reception. 1t began at 2 in the
afternoon in a long drawing room, in the
Windsor Hotel. Mr.. Gable and | stood
at one end of this room, and the ladies
and gentlemen entered it at the other
end, crossed it at that end then came
up the long left-hand side, shook hands
with us, said word or two, and passed
on, in the usual way. My sight is of
the telescope sort, and / presently rec
ognized a familiar face among the
throng of strangers drifting in at the
distant door, and / said to myself, with
surprise and high qualification: "That IS
Mrs. R.; had forgotten that she was
Canadian" She had been a great friend
of mine in Carson City, New, in the
early days. l had not seen her or
heard Of her for 20 years; had not
been thinking about her; there was moth
ing to suggest her to me, nothing TO
bring her to my mind; in fact, to me she
had long ago ceased to exist, and had
disappeared from my Consciousness.
But / knew her Instantly; and | saw her
so clearly that l was able to note some
of the particulars of her dress and did
note them, and they remained in my
mind. | was impatient for her to come.
In the midst of the hand-shakings |
snatched glimpses of her and noted her
progress with the slow moving file across
the end of the room, then I saw her
start up the side, and this gave me a
full front view of her face, | saw her
last when she was within 80 feet Of me.
For an hour / kept thinking she must
still be in the room somewhere and
would come at last, but was disap-
pointed.
When | arrived in the lecture hall that
evening some one said: "Come into the
waiting room; there's a friend of yours
there who wants to see you. You'll not
be introduced you are to do the recog-
nizing without help, if you can"
| said to myself; sit is Mis-. r
sha'n't have any trouble"
There were perhaps 10 ladies present,
all seated In the midst Of them was
Mrs. r., as ! had expected. She was
dressed exactly as she was when ! had
seen her in the afternoon. l went for
ward and shook hands with her and call
ed her by name, and said:
81 knew you the moment y0uapp2areC
at the reception this afternoon
She looked surprised, and said "But
| was not at the reception. | have JUS
arrived from Quebec, and have not beer
in town an hour"
1t was my turn to be surprised now.
said: 81 can't help it. / give you my
word of honor that it is as / say. saw
you at the reception, and you were dress
ed precisely as you are now. When the!
told me moment ago that l should fine
friend in this room, your image ross
before me, dress and all, just as | haC
seen you at the reception"
These are the facts. She was not a
the reception at all, or anywhere near it
but | saw her there, nevertheless, anC
most clearly and Enthusiastically. To tina
| could make oath. How is one to ex
plain this? / was not thinking of her a
the time, had not thought of her TO
years. But she had been thinking of me
no doubt; did her thoughts fit through
leagues of air to me, and bring with i
that clear and pleasant vision Of her
self? think so. That was and remain
my sole experience in the matter of APP
paritions-I mean apparitions that COM
when one is (ostensibly) awake. | coulC
have been asleep but for moment; tn
apparition could have been the creature
of dream. Still, that is nothing to tn
point; the feature of interest is the hap
pening of the thing just at that time
instead of at an earlier or later time
which is argument that its origin lay il
| Thought transference