The Press., 1901-09-19
A STRANGE CASE.
The Story Of an Infatuatfon
For a Figure In Tapestry.

MY uncle, the celebrated English
alienist, DR.. Griffiths, was sitting quiet
ly in my study reading from a volume
Of Gautier's short stories, when he sud
denly jumped from his chair and began
pacing the room.
wonderful, wonderful" he kept re-
peating to himself. "There is no case
like it on record" Then he would re-
fer to the book again and repeat:
"Wonderful, wonderful, that l should
stumble upon the explanation here. It
is the same, exactly the same, hallu-
cination. And the suggestion that 1
had given up hope Of finding is here
too. Extraordinary"
Unconscious of my presence, my
uncle went on in this strain for perhaps
five minutes, and then, noticing that
was staring at him in bewilderment, he
smiled with that air Of satisfaction that
is seldom seen, except upon the face of
the student or investigator who has
finally solved some scientific riddle.
Hugh, my boy" he said, Il have
stumbled upon a complete explanation
Of the most mystifying case of hallu-
cinatien that has ever come under my
notice. Explanations often come to us
too late, but rarely in such a strange
way"
Completely mystified, took the book
from my uncle's hands and discovered
that he had been reading "Omphale."
GATHERS weird story of young man
who became enamored of figure in a
piece of tapestry that hung on the wall
of an old chateau owned by the Chew
alier de d. in the dismal Rue de
Tournelles. l had not had time to re-
fresh my memory of the tale when
my uncle almost snatched the book
from my hands and began reading
again to reassure himself Of the cor
rectness Of the conclusion he had ap-
parently formed.
Hercules spinning at the feet of On
phale," he began aloud. THE very
same tapestry. Hercules holding a
bedecked spindle in pompadour style.
There could not be two of them. His
little finger raised with the air Of a
French marquis taking a pinch of
snuff, his muscular neck covered with
ribbons and women's gewgaws; draped
in gorge-de-pigeon petticoat with
huge panniers.' Fancy that! OF course
it is the same. And 'Omphale, half
covered with the Nemean lions skin;
her slender hand resting on her lovers
knotty club; her true Andalusian feet,
that would be lost in Cinderella's Slip
pers, shod with antique sandals of a
delicate lilac sprinkled with pearls; her
head thrown back with a mock swag-
ger; the delicious pout Of her dimpled
mouth; the beauty spot assassin, eau,
tier calls iO cunningly placed upon hel
cheek, and the Cupids, the indispensa-
BILE Cupids.' Well. well, it is certainly
extraordinary" =.
Naturally my mystification and Won
derment grew as my uncle delivered
as from catalogue, the features OF
this wonderful tapestry, tortured aft.
er the fashion Of Vanloo" the drift OF
his speech being SO strange as to cause
the liveliest curiosity. 1T is plain as
day." my uncle finally explained.
Pardon me-" said, with some irri.
tation, but it is not at all plain to me
The story always struck me as being q
particularly wild fight of an unruly
Imagination"
"Of course, of course" my uncle re-
piled. "You must think me in need of
my own medicine. l will tell you about
it. The tale is preposterous. was not
thinking of that when l said st was
plain. l was thinking of the case of a
young man who was placed in my
charge last summer. Poor chap! He
Is dead now. could do nothing fol
him, and his people took him abroad
where he died-in Italy, think-dur.
ing the winter.
'The man-Wiltse was his name
was suffering from a most peculiar
hallucination, the nature of which was
discovered by his family when they in
stituted asclose watch upon him to dis
cover, If possible, the cause of his
strange behavior and demeanor. To be
brief, he had fallen in love with that
piece Of tapestry identical with that
described In this tale Of GATHERS. And