The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-05-27

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break an engagement or refuse to make
| one when found that he would be lonely
| without me.
| At that time | was betrothed to her
| who Is now my wife. She needed great
patience and tact to bear with me dur
| ing that period. for 1t was but half a
| courtship which I bestowed upon her.
| With a grave face she used sometimes to
| say: IF he were not so noble | should
| be jealous Of the time and interest you
| give TO him. But I feel. in a way which
| | cannot express that he needs you and
| l can wait" God bless her! She was
| always the sweetest and most sympa-
thetic woman / ever knew.
He was not always entertaining and
| companionable as the world saw him
| There were days when he dropped and
| sunk into the most pitiable melancholy.
| At such times my heart used nearly to
burst, and I devoted myself to him more
| ardently than ever. 1t is a source of great
happiness to me now to remember that
| my quick sympathies for him always
| prompted me TO say and do the right
| thing TO soothe him. Even in such stress
| he was the same lovely spirit to me, and
| / his slave, bound to him by a law could
not tell save that II broods Just above the
heads of all mortals.
l knew that in my friends life there
lay a tragedy too deep for tears. felt
that in his own good time he would re-
veal It to me, and / would have died
rather than invite his confidence. Some
times l used to hope that eternity would
intervene rather than have the time come
when should know and be poNerless TO
help him.
At last he began to fade and decline. He
lost almost all the bright flashes of life
and sentiment which had lightened the
seriousness Of his mind and were worth
DAYS OF waiting The time soon came
4, ,rxx ktr rAl nd
was being slowly Slapped away He would
not consult with doctors much, only to
please me. They recommended travel, oe-
cupation and constant change. / urged
him in every way to do everything which
should restore him. | did everything
which love could prompt to help him over
the crisis toward which | saw him APP
proach. Had foreseen all. should never
have left his side for an instant.
was reioiced when he consented to go
to the seaside. With an almost light
heart I saw him off. In charge of a man
who was we'll recommended as a skillful
nurse. In the days following dismissed,
as selfish. all thoughts of my loneliness,
and read with delight his letters fun of
the ,rich musings of his mind. stimulated
by the and rocks and keen air. 1
wrote finally that should try to arrange
my business that could spend nearly
q week with him. Then followed a period
in which cid not hear from him, ana
I'm the interim / wrote the story which
sold.
One night I sat alone in the room i'm
pregnated by his presence. All about were
the things which belonged to him. and II
seemed that In any direction which I
might look l should see him In a moment
more. fell to thinking of the ways in
which I had grown since knowing him.
and OF the larger life I had lived.
cIassically educated man. with fine
taste for literature and its criticism, he
had instiiled my mind with an apprecia-
ton and love fer study and a desire 10
one day take up the art OF writing as an
artist should. Gradually fell into deep
train of thought and suddenly and unac-
countaby as inspiration comes. seized
my pen in a perfect frenzy OF writing. so
overcome was | by the newness and
strangeness of the plot which had crept
into my mind. ! had never before con-
ceived of writing in this ven--nor with
such feeling I was electrified. trans
formed. Ny very tears ran down over
my paper and mixed themselves in ink as
drove my pen with breathless energy.
| told story of "A man who committed
a terrible crime through the hypnotic
power of suggestion, and skllfllly COW
cred up all traces leading TO detection by
the same cunning power lent by the hend
who cast the hypnotic spell over him. 1t
was no parlor experiment such as the
world hears of when friends meet for the
| purpose OF testing, in respectable way,
psychic powers just becoming known to
the Western world II was an account OF
the awful demonstration of a mind madly
| In earnest IN controlling another mind,
just as the stronger assailant forces to
| earth the weaker body OF his victim.
without fear or scruple the demon had
not stopped short of hellishness In a
| deadly effort to make his mind supreme
above all other mental power with which
| he came in contact and he had triumphed
| so completely that the world could not
| have believed had 81 known.
The tale was worse than weird: II
| wrought up my nerves to their highest
| tension, as wrote all that night, some
| times with cold perspiration standing In
| drops upon my forehead. Just before
| daybreak | fell exhausted into deep
| sleep. The next morning | FASTENED to.
| write an introduction to the story and
| give 1, It's setting. and copy. In this Last
| found little need of changing the origin
| al | did not go to my Office that day
| until | had mailed the manuscript to the
| largest periodical in the city.
| In an Incredible short time I received
| letter OF acceptance and a handsome
| check The editor congratulated me upon
| the originality of the plot and asked for
| more OF my work. | exulted that al last
| had effected my entrance into the story
| writing world and dreamed OF future con-
| quest of larger worlds.
| But the success Of the story gave me
| only a short-lived joy. 1t had been too
| terrible for me. leaving me morbid and
| nervous | wrote TO my roommate, but
| avoided all mention Of 1t, feeling that as
| n was already on the press should take
| the magazine down and lot him read IL
| for himself when ! visited him. I did
| not care to go over Il again in detail and
| OF writing for which he would wish me 20
| strive.
became anxious to see him once more
| and worried about HIS welfare. He did
| not write as often and fully as would
| have satisfied me. I redoUbled my Efforts
| TO get away from business without too
| much injury to my finances. but had
| taken a new ease which demanded care
| ful time and attention and could not be
| deserted, After weeks planning I saw