The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-11-09


with regard to it, that ali things on
this earth are clearly visible both from
without and from within in this other
world about us. For a long time as it
seemed to him, this realization occupied
his mind to the exclusion of all other
matters, and then he recalled the en-
gagement with Mr.. Vincent, to which
this astonishing experience was, after
all, but a prelude.
He turned his mind to locomotion in
this new body in which he found him
self. For a time he was unable to
shift himself from his attachment to
his earthly carcass. For time, this
new, strange, cloud body of his simply
swayed, contracted expanded, coiled
and writhed with his efforts to free
himself, and then quite suddenly the
link that bound him snapped. For a
moment everything was hidden by
what appeared to be whirling spheres
of dark vapor, and then through mo-
mentary gap he saw his dropping body
collapse Imply, saw his lifeless head
drop sideways and found he was driv-
ing along like huge cloud in a strange
place of shadowy clouds that had the
1 luminous fntricacy of London spread
like a model below.
But now he was aware that the fluc-
tuating vaper about him was some
thing more than vapor, and the tenn
erarious excitement of his first essay
was shot with fear. For he perceived,
at first indistinctly, and then suddenly
very clearly, that he was surrounded
by faces; that each roll and coil Of the
seeming cloud stuff was a face. And
such facesl Faces of thin shadow,
faces like those faces that glare with
intolerable strangeness upon the sleep
err in the evil hours of his dreams.
i Evil, greedy eyes that We're full of a
covetous curiosity; faces with knit
brows and snarling, smiling lips; their
vague hands clutched at Mr.. Bessel
! as he passed, and the rest of their
bodies were but q vague, elusive streak
of trailing darkness. Never a word
they said, never a sound from the
mouths that seemed to gibber. All
about him they passed in that dreamy
( silence, passing freely through the dim
mistiness that was his body, gathering
! ever more numerously about him. And
the shadowy MIR. Bessel, now suddenly
fear-strieken, drove mistily through
/ the silent, active multitude of eyes and
! clUtching hands.
So inhuman were these faces, so ma
/ lignant their staring eyes, and shadowy
/ clawing gestures, that il did not occur
/ to Mr.. Bessel to attempt intercourse
with these drifting creatures. Idiot
4 Dhantoms they seemed, children of
/ vain desire. beings unborn and for
! hidden the boon of being, whose only
! expressions and gestures told of the
envy and craving for life that was their
! one link with existence.
1t sa-s much for his resolution that
amidst the swarming cloud of these
nOiseless spirits of evil, he could still
! think of Mr. Vincent He made a vio-
/ lent effort of win, and found himself,
! he knew not how, STOPPING towards
tive and alert in his armchair by the
/ fire.
And, clustering also about him, as
they clustered ever about all that lives
/ and breatheS, was another multitude
OF these vain voiceless shadows, long
ing, desiring, seeking some loophole
into life.
For q space Mr.. Bessel sought inef-
/ fectually 10 attract his friends atten-
/ ton. Ee tried to get in front of his
eyes. 70 move the objects in his room,
to touch him. But Mr.. Vincent re-
manned unmOved, ignorant of the being
that was so close to his own. The
4 strange something that Mr.. Bessel has
compared to a sheet of glass separated
them impermeably.
And at last Mr.. Bessel did a desperate
thing. 1 have told how that in some
strange way he could see not only the
I outside oe q. man, as we see him. but
within. He extended his shadowy hand,
and thrust his vague black fingers, as
it seemed. through the needless brain.
Then suddenly Mr. Vincent started
like q man who recalls his attention
from wandering thoughts, and it SEEM
ed to Mr.. Bessel that d little dark-red
body. situated in the middle of Mr..
Vincents brain swelled and glowed as
he did so. Since that experience he has
been shown anatomical figures of the
brain. and he knows now that this IS
that useless structure, as doctors call it,
the oineal eye. For, strange as it will
seem to many, we have deep in our
brains, where it cannot possibly see any
earthly light, an eye. At the time this
with the rest of the internal anatomy
Of the brain, was quite new to him. At
the sight of it's changed appearance,
however, he thrust forth his finger,
and. rather fearful still of the conse-
quenCes, touched this little spot. And
instantly Mr.. Vincent started, and Mr..
Bessel knew that he was seen.
And at that instant it came to Mr..
Bessel that evil had happened to his
body. and behold! a great wind blew
through all that world of shadows and
tore him away. So strong was this per-
suason that he thought nc more of Mr.
Vincent, but turned about forthwith,
and all the countless faces drove back
with him like leaves before a gale. But
he returned too late. In an instant he
saw the body that he had left inert and
collaDsed-lying indeed like the body
of q man just dead-had arisen, had
arisen h. virtue of some strength and
viii beyond his own. 1t stood with star
ing eyes, stretching ITS linibs in dubious
fashion.
For a moment he watched it in wild
dismay, and then he stopped toward it.
But the pane of glass had closed
against him again, and he was foiled
He beat himself passiOnately against
this. and ell about him the spirits Of
evil grinned and rOinted and Knocked
He gave way to furious anger. he
compared himself 20 bird that mas
huttered into a room and MS beating ST
the window Oane that holds it back
from freedom.
And behold! the little body that had
once been his was dancing with de-
light. He saw it shouting, though ne
could not hear its shouts, he saw the
violence of its movements grow. He
watched it fling his cherished furniture
about in the mad delight of xtstence
rend his books apart, smash bottles
drink heedlessly from the jagged trag-
ments leap and Smite, in passionate
/, acceptance of living. He watched these
actions in paralyzed establishment
against the impossible barrier, anc
lNen, WIN all IndC crew OF mocklns
ghosts about him, hurried back in dire
! confusion to Vincent to tell him of the
. outrage that had come upon him.
But the brain of Vincent was now
closed against apparitions, and the dis
. embodied MI Bessel pursued him il
vain as he hurried out into Holborn Il
: call a cab. Fooled and terror stricken
Mr.. Bessel swept back again to find hi:
desecrated body whooping in gloriou:
frenzy down the Burlington Arcade
: And now the attentive reader begin!
to understand Mr.. Bessel's interpreta,