The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1904-04-22
"And you, senora-you have known
the child from infancv?" a.E@%F

|
to her until she was taken by her pa
rents, at the age of five years, to live
in Madrid"
Ibid you notice anything extraordi.
nary about her while she was with
you?'
Yes; vividness of imagination and
fneness Of sensibility. She had q per,
feet passion for the marvellous, but, as
this is so common, in children, I at
tached no Importance to it."
And you,' said he, addressing him
self to me, have you observed during
her stay in Madrid any unnatural ex-
element, decisions, monomania. OF
anything else strange in her conduct?'
None whatever; but she has shown
a thoughtful and serious tendency un-
natural to one of her years"
And what does she most enjoy?"
Reading. in the first place. Shs
knows the history of France, especially
at the time of Charles VII. She also
knows to the smallest detail the life of
Joan Of Arc"
when she was a mere baby" added
Sonora de Alvarez, Joan of Arc was
her favorite heroine; she often asked
me to relate that story to her."
Can you remember when this predt-
lection for the celebrated Maid Of Or.
leans hegan?'
mo, senor."
Ibid she see her adventures at the
theater?"
She was never at the theater while
in Paris"
The doctor remained buried in
thought for a moment, and then, me-
chemically fixing his gaze on picture
hanging on the wall of the salon, said:
did you not say that Dolores lived
in this house during her first five
years?'
'Yes"
Did you own that picture at the
time?'
Eyes, and in fact it hung opposite
her bed
Here, then" exclaimed the doctor.
1--WE have the corpus delicti," and with
this he rose to look more closely at the
picture.
1t was colored lithograph-a copy
Of the painting by Eugenio Deveria in
the Antwerp misunderstanding the
execution Of Joan Of Arc. The heroine
is depicted as standing on the burning
pile, the fire of which is being fed by
the executioners, while priest holds
before her crucifix.
Corpus delicti," repeated the doctor,
looking attentively at the picture.
Sonora" said he to my aunt, "you may
now awaken Dolores and prepare her
to be seen at once" And my aunt left
us alone together.
How do you explain the origin of
this hallucination. doctor?"
every easily: the child was Pc
culiar subject; she frequently saw this
picture and finished by identifying
herself with the principal figure. We
have here a.case o. auto-suggestion.'
Sonora de Alvarez soon announced
that Dolores was ready to receive as.
We entered her room, ana the doctor,
with much kindness and tenderness,
avoiding all allusion to the scene on
the train and to her peculiar halluci-
nation, submitted to her series of
questions. He felt her pulse, examined
her, and concluded by saying that she
had only slight indisposition.
Il will write prescription he
added, going toward the door; and
then, turning around suddenly and
fastening his eyes. which appeared to
leap from their sockets, upon those
of the young girl, he looked at her
until the rightly of her limbs, the
expression of her face and the i'm
movability of her eyes, which stood
still as if under mysterious charm,
indicated that she was hypnotized. l
was alarmed and my aunt was terror
lied by the impressive scene.
"You believe that you were once
Joan Of Arc-is it not sou inquired
the doctor, without taking his eyes
from her face.
Yes, SIR" replied Dolores, in a
weak and submissive voice.
Then, in order to convince you that
you are in error, I command you to
preserve in your mind the cause of
that error. Upon waking from this
hypnotic sleep, you will go into the
salon, where you will find certain
picture by which memory of your in
fancy will be recalled to mind, and you
will realize the exact truth in the case.
Il command you, with all my con-
trolling power, to detest, abominate
and execrate the false doctrine of the
TRANSPORTATION of souls; and to con-
vince yourself that the illusions of
your brair regarding previous ex-
istence are the results of impressions
received by you in the first dawning
of your faint mind"
The doctor then ordered my cousin
to preserve permanently the remem-
brance of her state of consciousness
during this induced sleep, after which
he awakened her.
Dolores rubbed her eyes and looked
all around the room, scarcely noticing
those who were present. Suddenly she
rose, and, passing with firm, deter