The Opelousas courier., 1896-05-23
CAN M SEE7
A Physician Tells a Good Story In Answer
70 This Question.

"A InySlclau lS1Is d uoo Se"'s
TO This Question.
A Star writer was asking the physi'
clan a great many questions and getting
answers to them, while the physician
wasn't getting a cent Of pay for the PAT
he was performing.
"By the way" inquired the Star man
"do YOU think that q somnambullst can
see?'
"Do YOU mean when he is awake OF
when he is communicating, SO tc
speaker smiled the physician.
"While he is communicating, OF
course. I'm not talking about blind
men,"
"tNell, I won't answer your question
directly, but I'll tell you a story which
NAV 90 as an answer. About ten years
ago | had as a roommate a young lei
low who was a student i'll h medical
college, and Il bright fellow he was, too.
He N.'H16nd of shooting, and to keep UP
converted the hail on the third floor,
which I'VE occupied, into a shooting
gallery. / used to take d hand my
self every time | had a chance, and some
times for ar hour at a time he would be
banging at the target he had fixed at
the far end of the hall.
zone morning | came in from a pa
TENTS about three o'clock and found tn.
whole upper story dark. | lit the gas
in the front room, which we used as
sittinS-rootn and was about to go out
and light the gas in the hall, when the
young fellow game walking in from our
sleeping room, attired in his night
clothes, and with his eyes wide open. ]
spoke to him, thinking something wns
the matter with him, but he did not
answer, and in a minute | saw that he
was walking in his sleep.
"This WIS not altogether unusual
with him, but l had never caught him
in the act before, and concluded | would
watch him. He came directly across
the room, going around Il chair and a
table that stood in his path, and, open
ing a drawer where he kept the air gun,
he tool it out, and then he loaded it,
getting the small bullets we used ont of
4 box on the mantelpiece. This box he
stuck into what would have been his
coat pocket if he had had d coat on. but
as he didn't the box fell to the floor,
which he took no notice Of.
"Then he went into the dark hall,
carefully avoiding all furniture in his
way, and going as straight to the door
as if he had been awake. l followed
him cautiously into the hall, and when
he had reached the usual point from
which we did our firing, he stopped
took careful aim and fired. The slight
SNAP and shock of the gun seemed to
have quite a different effect than either
my voice or the bright light IN the
room. for on the instant he dropped the
gun, made a half step forward and fell
into my arms, just about as he would
have fallen out of bed if he had been
walked suddenly on it's edge.
HE was wide awake in a minute and
began laughing and asking me what
had happened. l told him, and we at
once lit the gas in the halland examined
the target. The target had been re-
painted afterNe had hnd Il last prac-
tice, SO thatrve could see plainly where
his bullet lid hit, and I assure you he
had almost sx1ade a center shot. Now"
concluded the physician, lin the lighted
room lie fiszed all the furniture in his
way, and in the dark hall he hit the
target. Dtt"s9u think he could see, or
~ruldn't he?
The answer wasn't quite satisfactory
al an answer, but it made a problem to
wrestle with, and the physician kindly
consented to let his questioner figure it
out to suit Observation-Disclosures Star.