The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1902-10-28
THE BROKEN CIRCUIT
ny JOHN III. RAFTERY.

I the wireless teiegTapnt demonstrations ]
Marconi. The only two of large com
AMY of grabbing students who agreed
lpon the genuineness of certain simple
phenomena Of hypnosis, mental telepathy
nd suggestion, Parker and Brevoort drift
ID apart from the scoffers and commenced
o knit from the tangled materials of their
lreams, their speculations and their oddly
ifferent temperaments, that queer but un-
lterable friendship which endured without
a break till poor Parker died. They became
IS brothers, forever delving into oceult ram
rications of science, silent, inseparable, and
mutually self-sacrihcing.
Brevoort's room was the front half of an
old loft on the fourth floor of store build
ing just beyond the university settlement,
and Parker lived in a sort of sentry-box in
the tower of a fiat building about a mile
south in direct line from Brevoort's place.
Parker was studying law and his friend was
in the junior medical class, but neither of
them cared for rank or standing, preferring
to pursue knowledge along those devious,
scattering trails that first lure the undisci-
pinned minds of all imaginative students
Parker, who had a knaek Of modelling in
clay, set up a sort of studio in one corner Of
Brevoort's barn-like room, and there the
two friends spent most Of their indoor leis-
ure, studying, smoking, chatting, expert
menting. Brevoort in time came to be
more dextrous sculptor than his friend and
his room became populous with scores Of
more or less artistic and accurate plaster
casts.
The Lord knows just how they started
or how far they got into the probings Of the
mysteries of mental radiations. They were
in the habit of walking together for hours
/ along the lake shore or in the park in silent
| conversation, so to speak, each with his
! keen mind fixed upon the other, each bent
/ upon projecting without words such simple
messages as might reach the others fallow
/ CONSEQUENCES. Then they discovered, or
/ thought so, that these soundless waves Of
thought always seemed to travel best VIXEN
/ exchanged wnile they laced each other with
! back to north or south. That suggested the
/ iCea of new experiments, and very soon
/ Parker in MIS- little dormer tower facirg the
/ north and Brevoort in the south window Of
his rookery were radiating short messages
taat had no meaning beyond tee undeni-
able proof Of all their previous surmises.
But when the goods got wind OF these
weird doings they began to worry the
friends Brevoort was proof against the
young women, but Parker, who was ten
love with Kate Caldwe and made her a
sort of side partner in their psyehical re-
searches. The odd part OF this was that her
introduction into tne affairs of the two stu
dents made no breach in their relations,
and when poor Parker fell sick with pneu-
monia Kate got a room in his boarding
house so tEat she could nurse him. Indeed,
she had him moved from his draughty eyre
in the tower, placed him in her own coy
bed and herself took possession of the sen
try box
Brevoort would relieve Kate every night
and sit up with his failing friend, and be
tween them they watched him so assiduously,
lost so mucn sleep and fretted 50 much that
at last they were obliged to give up all
their university work and stanu together, d
forlorn hope, against the advancing, mer
ciess INTRUDER Parker was quite con
scious for few days before he died and tt
Brevoort, bending over him, he reiterated
his simple wishes. He wanted to be ere
mated; he had no near relatives, SO Kat
might have some and Brevoort the rest o
uls dust Sac was to have his books anC
tie furnishings of MS little room, and Bre
WORT was to Keep the utensils and equip
ments Of the studio.
, You're a pretty good modeler now,
whispered Parker, smiling gnastly. Try
1our nand on a bust Of me, take a deatl
mask, viii you:"
He died taat night with Brevoort anC
Kate noldiug mis- hands. His classmate:
,arrIed mis- coffin to the furnace, and in tt,
lays thereafter when they had reverentll
/ divided MS ashes taey tried 10 make tan
DIVISION Of poor Parker's mighty share o
.ove and loyalty for them botu. But it wa
nearly week after his going that they Sc
aparl for eacn day a time wien they mign
, resume tneir experiments. The death
mask was done. 1t stood ghostly in Bre
, voort's CLOSET, and beneath il in tiny wood
en- box the handful OF asnes OF their friend
/ Kate had taken possession OF the httle sen
try box, and upon its narrow mantel snel
in little silver jewel box lay the relics Q
> her lost lover.
The morning of the first day after thei
renewed efforts to exchange messages the
met on the campus.
Did you get any MESSAGE" she asked
frowning petulantly.
d No" he answered, looking furtively owe
r his upturned collar; what was it ?"
Il asked you to come over, ner lip wa
K trembling; queer, we never failed before.
e Yes, il isqueer." Then, afteran awkwar
I, pause, Il say, Kate, did you notice any
d thing while you were sending that message
= Moo. That is, not just tEen. had TIA
q little box Of mis- ashes in my hand wnen
n said come over don't know where lai
q it afterward, but can't find it"
d They were silent Tor a moment, but b.
fore they parted he laid nervous hand Q
&c her sleeve and said
Wei Try it again tonight at eight. Th
g time III send the message"
II An right" she whispered, without lool
ing at him, and darting into the hall.
'e But wnen they met again next mornin
h and he asked her, hesitatingly;
ie Did you get my message, Kate?" ST
m looked up frightened to hear him call he
W Kate" and then quickly answered: IN
Mr. Brevoort."
Did anything odd happen while yc
10 were sending your message? she asked, lie
m ting her eyes stray apprehensively over h
E, palld face.
ID Yes, Miss Caldwell" and he laughe
er pitifully with a note of tired mockeTy
1t his voice Yes, very annoying thir
o. happened. just as l had spoken the me
u sage there was crash in my closet, an
IS when looked in the plaster mask of Park
u was in bits on the floor. | think can +
as ,,,a,,her bi.,, well enough 10 make anOthi