Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1903-03-26

Supernatural beings ulu uOb eAlSt-
such as ghosts and COLLINS and
gnomes, and, on the other hand, l
knew that in a well-protected house
there was practically no danger from
b~urglarsfor wild animals. So, having
completely assured myself that there
was nothing in the dark, any more
than there was in the light, / ceased
to be afraid of it,"
"Good logic" said Dawley, with a
smile. 81 remember working out the
same conclusion when l was about
10 years old. And it has held with
me ever since, until recently / discov-
cred a flaw in the reasoning. Oh, it
doesn't apply to anyone else," he
added hastily, as l undertook to
speak. sit is purely personal, and I
hesitate to disturb your equanimity
by describing it."
"Never fear said 1, with a laugh.
"These sentiments are largely based
on temperament, and l don't believe
anything is likely to change my point
of view"
"Our boyish logic" said he, after a
pause, disposed of everything that
was obiective-from the outside
whether real or supernatural; but
it did not touch the subjective ele-
ments of the problem, of which the
chief is fear itself. Now, l do'not
believe l am physically a coward
81 know you are not" | interrupt
ed. Il remember your capture OF
that thief. He was armed, and re
sisted fierccly, but you hung on"
eyes," he said, "a man finds ou'
whether he is a coward or not by
the time he reaches my age; and
have good reason to know that m.
courage is not deficient. And l hav'
no superstitions-which disposes o
ghosts and supernatural things. 81
there is nothing for me to fear
Here is where the reasoning %facult.
stops, and somthing else-you call
temperament, do you?-begins. I d.
suffer from fear-at times to tn
very edge of my ~self-control. Wha
is it? Why is it? l believe that wha
l fear is fear itself"
1 shook my head. "That statemen
is meaningless to me" l said.
"Is it?'' he asked almost wistful
ly; cant you imagine being in terro
of a great fright that may overtak
you some time even though you ar
unable to anticipate a reasonable en-
cuse therefor? Let me give it t
, YOU in more concrete form. A yea
; or two ago 1 had a dream of a pc
culiarly vivid and impressive chara'
, ter. It was of my sudden awakenin
. here in bed, in this room, to behold
: man leaning over me. He was i
strange, uncouth dress-not of tn
modern day, I should judge-and h
was surrounded by, and seemed t
; give out, a fierce red light. II
> shouted some words to mel don
. know what they were; only, at I'll
l sound of them, such a mighty an
: overwhelming terror came upon n
= that | lay paralyzed as to motion an
thought. Then l awoke, really awol
Z this time, and l found my body w
' with p~erspiration, and my heart bea
ing so tiercely and with such gre'
pain that l feared some blood-vess
must give way"
/ At this point 1 interrupted him, IL
his voice was trembling with excit
ment.
"You say you are not superst
%tious," I said. "Then you surely a:
: not going to allow yourself to be a
a fected by a dream. An overload
s stomach is always likely to distu,
l. the heart. It's rapid movement caus
a sensation exactly similar to frigf
e and the wandering brain conjures
'e a scare situation to fit it. Did W
IL never dream out an elaborate seri
of events eliminating in a pistol she
IT and then awaken to find that a wi
y dow sash had dropped, and you h
o pieced out the dream backwards,
n it were?"
y "How do you account for my ha
ID ing this same dream, without an 10
he of change, half a dozen times sin
that first experienced" asked Dawle
1T st results" | answered with t
rs easy confidence one shows in dispt
id ing of the problems of others, "frc
the profound impression the fiji
ly dream made upon your mind a
IL. memory"
He smiled, and looked at me wi
d. his h~alf-closed eyes. Then he !
p lighted his pipe, which had gone o
y, and I remember that the hand no
I'd ing the match trembled a good de
I'd BY this time the subject had
come distasteful to me-, revealing
mental weakness or ~eccentricity
er Dawley that was not pleasant to &C
e. template. So / turned the CONVEX!
I ton into other channels.
ne Only on one other occasion did
n speak again of this feaf and t
r. dream, and then, as before, it "
II, brought up by a careless question
lis Entering his room one night
Sc noticed a powerful bolt that had be
newly fastened on the inside of
ed door, and I asked if the lock had be
b. broken.
as 1t was a natural inquiry, and the
IT. seemed to be no cause for the trem'
1t, in his voice and the peculiar light
ty his eyes as he replied to me.
as "a lock can be picked. I wished
in satisfy myself that it was impossi
he for a human being to enter this ro'
oe, while l sleep"
/ glanced up at the transom.
Of was held shut by a heavy iron b
on Then | looked out of the window.
in faced the court between the wings
ne the building, with a sheer drop
ng nearly 40 feet.
bitterly impossible, said l."