The River Falls times. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1894-1933, 1898-04-19

mot at all, Mrs. Crayford-not at
all, ma'am, as you put it. Still it is
a little startling, to a commonplace
man like me, to meet young lady at a
ball who believes in the Second Sight.
Does she really profess to see into the
future? Am l to understand that she
positively falls into trance, and sees
people in distant countries, and fore
tells events to come? That is the Sec
ond Sight, is it not?"
''That is the Second Sight, Captain.
And that is, really and positively, what
she does"
'"The young lady who is dancing OPP
posite to us?"
"The young lady who is dancing OPP
posite to u.s.
The Captain waited a 1ittle-letting
the new flood of information which had
poured in on him settle itself steadily
in his mind. This process accomplish
ed, the Arctic explorer proceeded reso-
lutely on his way to further discover
les.
''May 1 ask, ma am, if you have ever
seen her in a state Of trance with your
own eyes?" he inquired.
my sister and l both saw her in the
trance, little more than month since,
Mrs. Crawford replied "She had been
nervous and irritable all the morning,
and we took her out into the garden
to breathe the fresh air Suddenly,
without any reason for it, the color
left her face She stood between us,
insensible to touch, insensible to
sound, motionless as stone, and cold
as death, in a moment. The first
change we noticed came after lapse
of some minutes Her hands began to
move slowly, as if she was cropping in
the dark. Words dropped one by one
from her lips, in a lost vacant tone,
as if she was talking in her sleep.
Whether what she said referred 10 past
or future I cannot tell you. She spoke
of persons in foreign country-perfect
strangers to my sister and to me. At
ter little interval, she suddenly be-
came silent. A momentary color ap
peared in her face, and left it again.
Her eyes closed, her feet failed ler, and
she sank insensible into our arms"
Sank insensible into your arms, y re-
peated the Captain, absorbing his new
information "Most extraordinary,
And-in this state of health-she goes
out to parties and dances. More ex-
traordinary still"
You are entirely mistaken" said
Mrs. Crawford. "She is only here to-
night to please me. And she is only
dancing to please my husband AS a
rule, she shuns all society The doctor
recommends change and amusement
for her. She won't listen to him. Elk
cept on rare occasions like this, she
persists in remaining at home"
Captain Helding frightened at the
allusion to the doctor. Something
practical might be got out of the doc
tor Scientific man. Sure to see this
very obscure subject under a new light
How does it strike the doctor now?"
said the Captain. Viewed simply as
a case, ma am, how does it strike the
doctor?"
Mrs. Crawford answered. "He told me
that such cases as Clara's were by no
means unfamiliar to medical practice
We know he told me, that certain
disordered conditions of the brain and
the nervous system produce results
quite as extraordinary as any that you
have described-and there our nnowl-
edge ends. Neither my science, nor
any mans science can clear up the mys-
terry in this case. 1t is an especially
difficult case to deal with, because Miss
Burnham's early associations dispose
her to attach a supersitious Importance
to the malady-the hysterical malady,
as some doctors would call it-from
which she suffers. I can give you in
structions for preserving her general
health and [ can recommend you to
try some change in her life-provided
you first relieve her mind of any secret
anxieties that may possibly be prey
ing on it,
The Captain smiled self-approvingiy
The doctor had justified his anticipa-
TONS The doctor had suggested a
practical solution of the difficulty
''Ayel aye! At last we have hit the
nail on the head! Secret anxieties
Yes! yes! Plain enough now A dis
appointment in love-eh, Mrs. Cray
ford?"
Il don't know, Captain Helding; l
am quite in the dark. Clara's conf
dence in me-in other matters un-