Rogue River courier. (Grants Pass, Or.) 1886-1927, 1903-08-13
THE BROKEN CIRCUIT
ny JOHN II. RAFTERY.

pany of grabbing students who agreed
upon the genuineness OF certain simple
phenomena Of hypnosis, mental telepathy
and suggestion, Parker and Brevoort drift
ell apart from the scofers and commenced
to knit from the tangled materials Of tbeir
dreams their speculations and their oddly
different temperaments, that queer but un-
alterable friendship which endured without
a break Till poor Parker died They became
as brclbers q ~, YER ieIying INTO tc nit ram
iiications ofscisnct, silent, inseparable, and
mutually self-sacrifeing.
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 sort Of tentry-box IN
tie tower OF fiat building about mile
south in a direct line fron Brev0orts place.
Parker was studying law and his friend was
in the junior medical class, but neither OF
them cared for raHk or standing, preierring
TO pursue knowledge along those devious.
scattering trails that first lure the undisci-
plined minds Of all imaginative students.
Parker, who had a knack Of modelling IN
clay, set up sort Of ssIdio IN one corner OF
Brevoort's barn-like room, and there the
two friends spent most "a their indoor leis-
ure, studying, smoking, chatting, expert
Inenting Brevoort in time came to be
more deInous sculptor than his friend and
his room became populous with scores Of
nIata Or riess artistic and accurate plaster
casts.
The Lord know, just how they started
or how far they got into the probings Of the
mysteries Of mental radiAlions. They we're
in the habit OF walking together for hours
IL II - t,.t Il in Lii
conversation, ~ to speak each VITA has
keen mind fixed upon the other, each bent
upon projecting without words such 'inpls
messages a. might reach the others iallow
consciousness. Then they discovered, or
Thought 90, thay these soundless waves Of
thought always seemed to uayel test when
exchapeed while they laced each other with
back % north or south That srggosed the
idea Of new experiments and vefy soon
Parker in bishitle -dorner tower facing the
north and Breyoort IN the south window OF
-Iookery wers-rAdlating short metsages
that had no meaning beyond the undeni'
table proof OF all their previous surrnises.
But when the goods got wind OF these
weird doings they began to worry the
friends Breyoort was proof against the
young women, but Parker, who was a ten
der.hearted, impressionab.e fellow, fell IN
love with Kate Caldwell, and made her
sort Of side partner IN their psyehical re.
searches The odd part Of this was that her
introduction into the Affairs OF the two stu
dents made no breach in their relations,
and when poor Parker fell sick with pnou-
MONA Kate got a room in MS boarding
house so that she could nurse him. Indeed.
she had him moved from his draughty eyre
in the tower, placed him in her own coy
bod and herself took possession Of the sen.
try box
Brevoort would relieve Kate every night
and sit up with his failing friend, and bo-
tween them they watched hun so asslduously,
lost so much sleep and frstted % much that
Ut last they wers obliged to give up all
their university work and stand together, a
forlorn hope, against the advancing, mer-
ciless intruder. Parker was quite con
scious for few days before he died and to
Breyoort, bending over him, he reiterated
his simple wishes. He wanted TO be ere
mated he had no near relatives. 10 Kate
might have some and Brevoort the rest Of
his dust She was TO have hia books and
the furnishings OF his little room, and Bre
wort was 10 keep the utensils and equip
ments OF the studio.
YOU'RE a pretty good modeler now"
whispered Parker, smiling ghastly. TRY
your hand on bust Of me, take death
mask, viii youi"
He died that night with mevoort and
Kate holding his hands. His classmates
carried his coffin TO the furnace, and IN the
days thereafter when they had reverently
divided his ashes they tried TO make a fair
division of poor Parker's mighty share OF
love and loyalty for them both But It was
nearly a week after his going that they set
apart for each day a time when they might
resume their experiments The death
mask was done. II stood ghostly in Bre
voort's closet, and beneath It IN tiny wood
en- boz the handful OF ashes of their friend
Kate had taken po0session Of the little sen
Try boz, and upon its narrow mAntel shelf
IN a little ,ilvsr jewel boz lay the relics OF
her lost lover.
The morning OF the first day after their
renewed efforts TO exchange messages they
met on the campus.
did you get any message" she asked,
irowning petulantly.
mo" he answered, looking iurtively over
his upturned collar; what was il"
Il asked you to come over her lip was
trembling, queer, We never failed before ."
Yes II nqueer" Then, aftoran awkward
pause, II say, Kate. did you notice any
thing while you were sending that message
Moo. That is. not just then, had that
little bon OF his ashes IN my hand when |
said come over don't know where laid
Il afterwArd, but can't find il
They were silent Tor a moment, but he.
fore they parted he laid nervous hand on
her sleeve and said:
Wen try Il again tonight at sight This
time III send the message
IAN right, she whispered, without look
ing at him, and darting into the hall.
but when they met again nett morning
and he asked her. hcsitatlngly
Did you get my message, Kate" she
looked up frightened TO hear him call her
Kate" and then quickly answered NO.
Mr., Brevoort"
Did anything odd happen while you
were sending your message" she ASKED. let
ung her eyes stray ApprsheusNely over her
pAllid face
"Yes. Miss Caldwell" and be laughed
plttully with a note of tired moekcry in
his voice. Yes, a very annoying thing
happened. Jus, As | had spoken the mes
sage there WAS crash IN my closet. aud
when looked in the plaster mask OF Parker
was IN bits ON the hoor | think can to
member him well enough to make another
from memory, lut the ashes, his ashes, too,
were seattcrr. 0, the fall, ny the way dad
you fad your liJlr silver box"
No. she mutmurcd, di-trat and biting
her red lip ior minute before she asktd
What MAS your message
They were standing IN front Of the Ice
ture hall nov, aud be watched her iacs for
breathles. moment before he whispered
Can't you guess, Kate"
IL m,gnt, sir, she answered. oddly, but
1 won't
Then lll tp again 10 night, he Vas say
ing hall quctulously, but she turusd on hel
heel aud with farewell flash 30 her browr
eyes shat ply ausVeroi
mo. Mr. NVoort. no more message.
Tor me Inn afraid the circuit i hrokep
Tor good. '-t mcago Record Herald
Southern Oregon s
Achlopd