Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1899-02-09

the Jar to my laboratory, room
where in the summer leisure | car
ried on some investigations in chem
istry and mineoralogY. Into cru
cible, o cylindrical pot OF fireclsy
helding two-thirds of quart, thu
Syrian tnrned Q small portion ol
oil from the jar and upon this
poured az much alcohol. By clos.
ling The shutters and lowering the
heavy green curtains the room was
darkened to the blacks ness of night.
The crucible was set on the naor a
one end - NJ ss,oa1. ssud wi.k@~
friend whom ! had invited to Wit
mesa the experiment. though giving
no hint OF its nature, I took my
place at its other end. With q
match the Syrian set on fire the al
cohol The fame sent pale light
from the crucibie to the ceiling and
dimly showed the form of the Sy-
rian standing to one side. For sew.
eral minutes-6se. perhsps-this
vas all saw. Then my friend
clutched my arm.
"'What kind of delirium tire.
mems show are you giving. any
way! he demanded. sIt's lifrlike,
but don't like the cast Of your
performance.
"Why, what 10 it you've found?'
asked for | could see nothing
that called for his remark.
".Great Scottv Can't you see ?
Or have ! got 'em in the head p he
exclaimed. Snakes, and bugs and
all manner of creepy, sauirming
things-all going skywsrd ont Of
Jour old 6repot.'
"'rhen through some enlarge.
ment Of vision or perception saw
what before had been invisible to
my sight. the forms that fioa.ed mp.
ward in the shaft Of light from the
fame in the crucible. Forms Of
snakes. lizards, worms, at first
family outlined in the pale, blush
light, became more distinct and
lifelike as ! looked, until every tint
and marking and motion Was PLAIN
ly apparent. It was an endless
throng Of apparitions passing up
ward in the light, with q smooth
motion which turned and varied
with the unduiations Of the alcohol
flame beneath. Among the float
ing forms | marked the figure Of
the butterfly, with brilliant wings
outspread, soaring and circling to
the ceiling. where the procession
seemed not to stop but to vanish
Just beyond the direct light the
Syrian stood, like a flickering shad-
"w. except for the reality Of his
cleaning ewes. looking at as through
the darkness to mark the effect of
his experiment.
"Of a sudden the sensation came
to me of being part of the process
ion- going along with the snakes
and butterfly. and it was with start
and sense Of recovery that I came
tn the realizstion that I was mvself
and standing where 7 had been all
the time. There was a warning
exclamation from the Syrian, an
something passed between me- and
the light. Tt was nv friend. his
head held forward i'm an attitude of
rapt attention. advancing as If
drawn bv an invisible cord toward
the crncible. caueht him round
the bodv with both arms; the Sv-
rian, stopping. covered the crncible
uith the stone slab which served ~
lid. extineuishing the fame. and
NV friend was struggling and re-
monstrating in the incoherent words
of one roughly aroused from sleep.
"sTset me out of this he ex-
claimed. coming fully to himself.
'0pen the door-the window-anv
wav that's the quickest
"sAh |! that's better he said,
With sigh of great relief. ss I roll
ed mp the curtains. threw the shut
ters open and raised I window.
'You grabbed me jnst in time II
I'd been left to myself I'd have
joined the procession mp through
the ceiling and been / don't know
where bv this time | think III
take a drink if you've got the stuff
handy. Then I'll know I'm on
earth again
81 had promised nv wife and
= young lady, our guest. that the
lerneriment. III successful. shouI Ia he