The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1901-04-25

4
| own, There was no resisting them. They
1 giowed with iuvnciblc will. They arrest
cd my spirit. aud stood glarlng at them
! like. a fool tu
| What might have happened DO not
| know. I intend some day 20 find out.
But within minute or SO there came. "A
| knock. on the door and voice saying:
| boy, sir AT this sound the light I'm
| the eyes died out and the head twitching
| Was resumed. Quite beside myself. shut
the tin case and found my voice.
| Here's the sugar and water sir.
You forgot TO order the rye. but fetched
| It," said the grinning servant
. Il was very glad that he had been 80
thoughtful and persuaded myself finally
to laugh at my sleepy fantasy. II seemed
| TO me that | must have dropped into
| doze and dreamed nightmare about the
| eyes of my meteor moth.
| CREATURE APPARENTLY LIFELEss.
SO i drank the whisky and went to
| bed, deciding, under the circumstances.
! TO defer the administration OF sugar and
| water To my friend I'm the case until the
morning. But when I awoke the crea-
| ture was apparently far beyond the need
of artificial honey or OF any food what
| ever.
IT was. I'm fact, quite lifeless. The
4 body had shrunk making the head seem
| curiously larger l packed away the tin
| box I'm my trunk and returned 10 New
| Haven.
There ! found so much to do that it
was nearly fortnight before | dared
| think OF the moth again. Late one even
| ing was making preparations for sun
| day excursion up the Quinnpiac and |
| laid aside the mineral cases as part of
my OUTFIT. When / took hold OF it I
felt "A distinct vibration as II an electric
wire Was coied inside.
opened the lid. and there was the
creature from the meteorite alive and
staring at me. TIE time about mid
night. Then my chum, with whom my
tramp was planned, Knocked at the door.
| At the first knock the moths eyes came
out OF my soul aud remembered myself
| 10 was O'Clock i'm the morning.
i know as well anybody what |
should have done At the very outset
| should have consulted one OF my scientific
co-workers. My experience. was clearly
a case OF self-hypnosis. but the fact that
i did not disclose my strange secret was
due entirely 10 the subjective pleasure
which took in the possession Of a..
" The fact that the night to which ]
have referred was only the first OF
long series was due to the fascination OF
the trancelike states into which my me-
teor moth seemed 10 have the power to
hold me.
" III you have believed me sane and ra-
tionsl thus far. / may attempt To hint
at what felt during these scenes. First
OF all there was "A stupendous gulf or
chasm, which no being had ever crossed
before.
- This 4. a vague description. but it Is
the nearest l can come to- IL was a feel
ing OF passing the impossible. OF being
propelled. body and spirit beyond the
limits OF bodily and spiritual life There
was also subsense. not so strongly de-
hned, and founded, doubtless, on associa-
tiOu OF IDEAS
T" Il can hardly trust myself 40 speak
OF this 1t had 90 do with the secret
or space inhnity, with beings OF un-
thought worlds. with tho life OF uni-
verses beyond the planets.
HYPNOTIC STATES AT WILL.
" But though L found that could in
duce these hypnotic states at will. could
not SO readily control their duration. The
slightest material indics ton OF a third
presence was sufficient to sink the i'm
nuenco OF the moths black eyes.
&" A step upon the stairs. a voice I'm
the room below, a whistle i'm the street,
would end the business for that time, and
L would be forced 10 close the box, often
when / was I'm the confidence that the
great gulf could have been passed i'm but
q moment more. and with the mighty
drawing sensation still pervading me
like drug
This brings me TO my conclusion,
the explanation OF the writing OF this
narrative. j made up my mind to con-
trive arrangement whereby / might for
once push the condition OF trance to the
ultimate issue. In the basement OF the
museum are several disused vaults. de-
signed probably for the purpose OF stor-
age.
MY personal influence with Grant,
the janitor. has secured for me the use
OF one OF these for "A period of twenty
four hours. The door is thick and inn
pervious 10 sound even If any sound were
likely IN the deserted cellar. The little
windows are barely six inches wide
we cannot be interrupted there
This document addressed TO my friend
slavin. l shall leave with Grant. I'm case
he finds anything queer when he unlocks
the door
L will not pretend that I do not re-
alize the extravaganza of my story-but
IL is the truth. There may be something
TO add 20 IL after ] have spent an unin-
terrupted day I'm the vault with the mouth
from the meteoric.
This incoherent. wild composition"
Slavin went on. "of course made the fate
OF the unfortunate Mead quite clear The
poor fellow. having lost his wits. had de-
termined TO make away with himself
and. as is not unusual with the crazed
had devised a fantastic scheme OF disap-
pearance
Gle had persuaded Grant To lock him
up, had slipped out Of the vault by means
OF another key. leaving some clothes be-
hind. and by this time was at the bot
tom. perhaps OF Long Island sound
may say here that no trace OF him was
ever discovered.
FINDS TWO GREAT MOTHS.
Grant however. was stubbornly and
ignoTantly positive that Mr.. Mead could
not have left the vault, and he persisted
i'm his recollection OF having bolted the
door securely from the outside. In order
TO satisfy | went with him 10 the cellar
of the museum.
II found nothing there 10 disprove my
theory. The clothes were cuuningy ar
ranged az the ianitor had descrbed--the
shoes laced over the stockings. the outer
suit buttoned abopt the under garments.
even the neclStie secured in tight knot
around the shirt collar.
But there was one curious circum-
stance which could not help remarking.
There were certainly two great white
moths lowering I'm q corner OF the room.
The sight OF them and the fact that there
were two instead OF the one which was
actually mentioned In the narrative gave