The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1900-07-11
Tricks of the Mind.

explanation is found to account for
some e these. They often remain a
mystery as much to those to whom
such incidents occur as to those who
witness them. The explanations gen
orally given, such as the influence Of
discmbodied spirits, hallucination,
clairvoyance, unconscious cerebra-
tion," etc, all really explain nothing.
They give to the phenomena name
and leave the causes as obscure as be-
fore.
There have occurred to nc several
incidents which, though they happen
cd some years ago, and have tried to
account for their origin and solve
what seems supernatural about them,
are yet as far as ever from an entirely
satisfactory explanation. will re-
late one or two for which some Of the
Sunday Republic readers may be able
to find solution.
One Sunday evening, having been
gone from home all day, | returned at
about dark. My niece, with whom
was living, greeted me with a some
what troubled and puzzled expression
on her countcnancc and the cxclama-
ton, well, we had the 1uccrcst
thing happen little while ago that
ever | saw. Uncle Fred was here
with the family. They remained only
a little while, and Walter, (thc young
est boy) stood right there by that
window all the while they were here.
lie did not move FROM there, aud when
they were ready to go his cap was
gone. We have hunted the whole
place over and can't find it. He laid
it on the piano when he came in;
nobody touched it. But now its gone,
and he had to 60 home bare headed"
For some unaccountable reason I
involuntarily put my hand to my
head, and, hesitating just moment,
said:
Walters cap is down in the bottom
Of that closet" pointing to the corner
Of the room.
My niece looked at nc with sort
Of cynical expression, rcmarking,
"Wcll, if its there, shy don t you 20
and get it?'
ut is there" said, quite positive
ly, but she would not move to GO and
look.
Finally, having several times re-
pcatcd my assertion that it was there,
| hcsitatingly walked over, opened the
door, and, pointing to dress lying on
the floor, said, "It's down there in the
corner, under that skirt"
"Well,' said she, still more ironi-
cally, s'if it's there, why don't you
pick it up?'
1 stopped down, picked up the
dress, and there lay the cap!
My niece's eyes grew as big as sau-
GERS. To say we we're both surprised
is mild statement. / was as much
dumfounded as she was. To reason
out how the cap got there, though
that was quite immaterial, was easy
enough; but what puzzled US was,
how did ! know.;t vas sheref 7 had
been gone all day, and this occurred
Immediately on my entering the house
and before I could possibly have OBJ
served anything which could indicate
where or how the cap had been lost.
Having somewhat recovered from
her surprise, my niece remarked, in
Joking way: "Well, if you can find
that, maybe you can 6nd something
else for me. I was down town shop
ping last Tuesday, and bought some
handkcrchiefs. I am certain brought
them home, and though I have hunted
the house over and over, the handker-
chiefs are gone"
AS before [ put my hand to my
forehead, stopped a moment and an.
swered: "They are down iD the bot
tom of that wardrobe"
Then she did laugh; ''for," said
she, ~ have hunted through that
wardrobe dozen times, and 1 know
they are not there"
eyes, but they are there" an
certain that I was right,
though 1 had no reason in the world
to believe so.
She looked at me doubtingly, turned
slowly to the wardrobe, opened
drawer at the bottom, turned over
few things, and there, still in the
wrapper as they came from the store,
were the lost handkerchief
How did I know they were there?