The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-01-11

care to meet. lie rose. ana idklnB olL
his hat. made a polite bow and called
me by name. I sized him up in an
instant.
II have something of interest q"
he began, advancing toward me as he
spoke.
waved my hand impatiently.
You must clear out" I said harsh
ly. ~ can't see you. That's all there
is to it."
1 stepped into the room and slam
med the door behind me. I had start
ed in to open the small pile of let
tiers on my desk, when l heard a noise
behind me. l looked around. The
door was open, and there beside me
stood the man.
Il only wanted to explain to you"
he said alphabetically.
1 felt the blood rising to my face:
"Confound you!" 1 exclaimed to the
fellow, get out of here"
| regret to state that upon occasions
I am a profane man. When a man IS
troubled, as ! am, day after day by
fellows lust like this tramp, the SIM
plest and most efficacious way 10 get
rid of them is to swear at them. IL
the one Vernacular they understand
This fellow was the checklist OF the
lot. and required. / thought. heroic
treatment. So when ! was able at
last. through the indignation that al
most choked me. I began on him with
some of the most picturesque express
sions in my vocabulary.
Rlt il never even feaZed him. He
looked hurt, but said nothing; nor did
he retreat. Instead, he stepped Tor
ward suddenly, just as | had started
in with apother edition OF profanity
and touched me on the arm.
As he did so, started
violently and stood there speechless.
The man had disappeared and in his
place there stood. with his hand upon
my arm, old Rev. DR.. Armstrong. the
venerable pastor of my church. lie
stood tlAre, with white. shocked
face. lie had heard me-and | was
a deacon-one of the pillars of his
church. The old doctor looked at me
steadily for a moment and then he
burst forth in a rough, harsh laugh.
not at all like himself and, stepping
back a pace, released my arm. lmme-
diately the Rev. Armstrong disappear
ed and the other man stood there in
his place.
"That-that is what wanted to ex-
plain to you-to show you" he said,
resuming his apologize tone. II
thought you might"
/ interrupted him.
where's the other mantle clergy
man." ! demanded of him.
oh" he explained. with an exnre~
sion OF lively interest, was 1t Ger
gyman. ] thought maybe it might be.
But l only knew that it would be the
last person you'd expect to see under
the circumstances. That's as near as
/ could come to it."
"what-what do you mean?"
asked.
l stood there dazed. The man laugh
ed again. ! couldn't make him out:
his manner was as strange as his
words.
ITS what / wanted to explain to
system. There-there wasn't any cler-
gyman. There wasn't anybody but
me. You only imagined it."
What" I interposed, do you mean
to tell me"
He nodded vigorously. Il do" he re-
piled. "Ill prove it to you. Just put
your hand on the desk" he continued.
mo on the wood itself. That's 1t"
In my dazed condition / blindly obey
ed him.
Now watch" he cautioned.
He in turn touched the other end
of the desk. Instantly he disappeared
and the old clergyman stood in his
place, still looking reproachfully at me.
The instant he removed his hand he
disappeared and the other man ap-
peared.
He was still standing
Take a chair" l said.
He bowed and took one. slight
smile played around the corners of his
mouth as he did so. He was contrast
p ing my former with my present be-
havior, l surmised.
IT'S a strange power 1 have ac-
quired," he began. ut has taken years
to perfect it. l came to you first to
let you in on the ground floor-to give
you the first chance"
He stopped to rub with his coat
sleeve his weather-beaten hat
MY power is this-I think I can ex-
plain It; you've had a demonstration
and that helps out. It's the power ia
change myself, or you, or anybody
into someone else. for the time being.
That's what it is. 1t is not actual
transmutation of bodies or of spirits
however; it is merely the result OF
thought transference. 1t is not mes
merism, either, strictly, and I'll ex-
plain to you just why. You told me
just now that you saw some man YOU
knew-a clergyman. l did not know
who or what you saw until you told
me. do not know now what clergy
man II WAS ana yet / accomplished
just what l started out to do. 1t was
my purpose that you should see before
you some one that you did not expect
My mind, acting upon yours, directed
IT only to that extent. MY idea was
communicated to you through the
sense OF actual touch in the first in
\ stance; in the second through the me.
Ndium of an inanimate object-youI
wooden desk. There must always be
some such contact.
To make this clearer to YOU. LEI
me illustrate it just once more. This
time you will see some one you are
expecting don't know who 1t isl
glanced at my watch. It was
after II o'clock. 1 had an appointment
with Harrington at that hour. The
man again placed his hand upon my
arm, and Harrington stood before me
The telephone bell rang. 1 put the
receiver to my ear. 1t was Harring-
ton, to tell me that he would be in
at instead of IL o'clock And vet
there he stood before me, in every
detail. in every feature, Harrington
But he removed his hand and the other
man again appeared.
He drew his chair up nearer to nv
desk.
Il can do more than that" he said
In low voice. 1T can transmit this
power to you so that you can do Just
what have done, but only for a linn
tied time. What time is it?" he asked
I again pulled out my watch. Just
II o'clock" 1 responded
Now" he said, listen. I'm goina
to charge you
l rose end shook my head energet-
ically. You won't charge me a cent 4,